PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party Hi-Fi Wiring

PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party Hi-Fi Wiring
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kyle_Kolbe]Kyle Kolbe

Now that I have my Mac Mini set up to deliver my whole iTunes library to my listening room through Airtunes with Sony PSP remote control, I needed to rewire my hi-fi components. The goal: deliver the digital Airtunes signal through the best DAC in the path and passing the analog signal cleanly through to my loudspeakers. I have no budget, so I must only use components I already own.

I also wanted to test how much I could combat the compressed audio feed’s nasties in the analog realm. My weapons: Taddeo Digital Antidote II and Rogue Audio Magnum 99 Preamp. One of these components won the battle and the other almost lost the whole war.

Airport Express DAC: Stereophile has taught us that the Airport Express’s internal DAC is to be avoided in a hi-fi set up. To successfully use an Airport Express in your signal path you must use its digital optical output feeding an external DAC. The Airport Express outputs a digital signal through the same mini jack port as analog. I just needed this mini-jack to optical adapter from Parts Express.

Digital Optical cable: My optical cable collection is the most neglected cable category in my home theater set up. I’ve read many articles and books (like Audio/Video Cable Installer’s Pocket Guide) lauding the optical cable. Digital coax is universally considered a superior connection—jitter reduction (or least amount of addition), and more stable connectors. So the best optical cable I have is not from a !33t boutique manufacturer but from Best Buy’s favorite: Monster Cable. I’m sure its price surpassed its quality.

With the mini jack adapter clicked in place I insert it into the Airport Express and then snake it across to my Onkyo’s Digital Optical Input 3 (formerly home to Dish HD STB audio output, soon to be sent back to Dish/AT&T for personal budget cuts).

Onkyo DAC and analog passthrough/output: It took me a couple tries to figure out the analog output from my Onkyo AV receiver the Airport Express feeds. My initial attempts pass the digital signal out through an analog out failed. I had to reference the manual to find out that you could not pass a digital only signal to either the analog record out or to Zone 2. I split the Onkyo’s preamp out to deliver the Onkyo DAC signal to my Rogue preamp. One pair of interconnects plugged into the Tape Input while the other remained in the AUX input (with the Rogue’s home theater bypass the AUX input is wired to bypass (duh) the Rogue’s tube gain and output stages). (I hope the Monster Turbine Y Adapters I use to split the preamp out are as transparent as advertised, a small bit of metal and teflon shouldn’t make too much difference, right?)

Problems with Taddeo Digital Antidote 2: I love my TDA 2 for CD playback. I thought for sure they could make compressed digital audio just as sweet as CD. I was wrong. Airtunes through the TDA 2 sounded compressed, congested, boomy, splashy, muted and just super awful. Since this was the way I first wired the rig I was quick to blame the Airport Express and compressed audio delivery. I almost gave up. Always suspicious that I’m doing something idiotic that I think is genius I took the TDA 2 out of the path. Someone just removed the thick veil covering the music.

Gain and Volume Control: When you attenuate digital signals you lose bits along with decibels. I wanted the cleanest signal out of the Onkyo while using the Rogue’s normal volume range. To achieve this I raised the Onkyo’s volume to its reference, 0 db. I kept the Rogue’s gain at the middle setting. This combo gave me manageable volume control on the Rogue with a minimal loss of bit resolution.

With all my wiring (and non-wiring) in place I was finally ready to sit in my listening chair and enjoy any song in my iTunes catalog.

Next: Listening tests and family dance parties.

Father, Husband and Geek. My geeky interests have not changed since I was a kid. I still love comic books, anime, role-playing games, console video games, indie rock, imported toys and mecha models, bad American and great British sitcoms, and all the tech that let’s me experience these hobbies to their fullest. Now that I’m married with children, I’ve had to strike a balance between supporting and pleasing my family and feeding my geekery hunger. Lucky for me, my wife is very accomodating and even geeks out with me on occasion (the ladies love Joss Whedon’s "Firefly"). My two year old likes anything that moves on the front projection screen and makes noise, so far she is easy to please. [http://geekwithfamily.com]Geekwithfamily.com exists to enrich the lives of fellow geeks and the friends and family who put up with them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_Kolbe [http://ezinearticles.com/?PSP-+-Airtunes-+-Coverbuddy-=-Dance-Party-Hi-Fi-Wiring&id=207132 ]http://EzineArticles.com/?PSP-+-Airtunes-+-Coverbuddy-=-Dance-Party-Hi-Fi-Wiring&id=207132

How To Download Music From The Computer To An Ipod

How To Download Music From The Computer To An Ipod
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Samuels]John Samuels

There is nothing better than having your own personal sound track walking along the road with you, your favourite tunes following you around everywhere you go. Such is the main draw card of personal audio devices such as the Walkman, the Discman and nowadays the Ipod.

However new technology does often come with some problems, the most usual one being ease of use to the owner. Nothing could be more annoying than having this great piece of technology and not be able to take advantage of its features due to a lack of detailed instructions in how to use it.

I must admit I did have some trouble downloading music from my computer to my Ipod when I first got it, so once I had it all figured out I thought a quick guide on how to download music from the computer to an Ipod would probably be quite appreciated. I hope this guide makes your Ipod experience that much easier.

So the first step is obviously having music on your computer to download to your Ipod. Music can be obtained via various methods, either by downloading them from a subscriber site or converting your cd collection to mp3 via a conversion program. I have included a link to some great subscriber sites at the end of this article, some of which come with bonus converting software on signup which will allow you to convert your whole cd collection to digital mp3 form.

The next step is of course to find the song or video you want to watch on the subscriber site. Once you have found the desired file, make sure you choose the Video Ipod/ Sony PSP download option. This is simply to ensure that you get the correct file type to be watched on your Ipod. Then you'll need to download the file to a place on your computer, it is best to create a folder called Ipodfiles or something similar so you will know exactly where they are. If of course you are using conversion software to convert your cd collection then the software will lead you through the process.

Once you have your music or movie on your computer, it is then time to connect your Ipod to your computer via its USB cord. On most newer computers there is a USB port at the front of the computer, otherwise it will be at the back just below where you plug in your keyboard and mouse.

Open the Apple iTunes application. Select 'Add File to Library' from the 'File' menu in the iTunes application. Browse your computer for the song you previously downloaded and click 'Open.' Then Click 'Edit,' then click 'Preferences in the iTunes application. Once that is done click the 'iPod' tab, then click 'Songs,' and then 'Automatically update all Songs.' Lastly, you should click 'OK.'

This is where Apples Itunes software really comes into its own, as it will do all the work for you from this point on. It will automatically download all the music onto your Ipod for you, then all you need to do is select the file in your Ipod and you'll be good to go.

If all instructions above have been followed correctly you should have been able to successfully download a movie on your Ipod, and been able to watch it. As you can see, it is not a complicated process and you should be able to achieve this quite easily.

As mentioned above, one of the most important parts of this process is picking the right subscriber site. The wrong one will not have the selection you desire, and could end up costing you more than you are willing to pay if it charges download fees. So I have created a small page with links to two great Ipod sites which do not charge download fees and have a massive selection of songs and movies. But don't take my word for it, check them out for yourself and pick the right one for you.

John Samuels is a part time pilot and sometimes technical writer.

Click here to check out [http://www.squidoo.com/ipodsites/]my two favourite Ipod
download sites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Samuels http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Download-Music-From-The-Computer-To-An-Ipod&id=388153