Hydra, a bit off topic but in context. How would you rate the Sound quality of your three transports - Marantz CDP, Music PC and Tab? I assume you use same rega Dac for all of them? Which one sounds best?
How do you connect Music PC to DAC? Via USB or coaxial?
I do use the Rega DAC to "unify" my digital sources, heh heh. I normally use only the CDP and the Music PC with it.
The Tab is hooked up only when I feel like listening to something different and want to listen to internet radio, or when I want to listen to something (not watch) on YouTube. (My Music PC is not connected to the internet).
The connections are like this:
CDP > Digital Coaxial > Rega DAC
Music PC > Digital Coaxial > Rega DAC
Tablet > OTG Adapter > USB Cable (snagged off a printer in office) > Rega DAC
Between the transports, I prefer the CDP and the Music PC by far over the Tablet. The tablet gives a far narrower soundstage, sounds very "hard" & uninvolving, and generally does not sound as musical as CDP or the Music PC.
I use Andless on the Tablet to play FLAC: I just used it a few times to listen to FLAC files from the TAB, just out of curiosity. A different music player might make a difference, but I don't use it at all to listen to FLAC -- don't need to, when everything is on the Music PC anyway -- so I haven't bothered trying other S/W out.
Between the CDP and the Music PC as a transport, I keep changing my opinion about which is better. Most days the CDP sounds better to me (esp. after I got a plexi + vibrapod + vibracone platform for it), but some days, the Music PC hits that sweet spot perfectly! But then, this is mostly a matter of contention only when I need to compare between them. I generally do a comparison only when I tweak something related to the CDP or the Music PC. I understand that this does not really help you, but frankly, I can't give a definite answer myself as to which of the two transports sound better.
What I do usually when I listen to music:
- If I have what I want to listen to on LP, I usually use the Rega RP3. (I have some titles on LP, CD, FLAC
and HiRes FLAC).
- If I have what I want to listen to on CD and FLAC and HiRes I generally use the CDP to spin the CD. If I have it on HiRes and if I have more than a couple of hours to listen, I might boot up the Music PC and use it.
- If I have what I want to listen to on CD and FLAC, I usually listen with the CDP and not the Music PC.
- If I don't have what I want to listen to on CD or LP, I use the Music PC. Also, if it's HiRes FLAC, I naturally use the Music PC.
- If I'm not listening to music actively, like when I'm cleaning the house or something, and when I want to listen to something random and different, I hook up the Tab to the DAC, and stream internet radio, or put on a youtube channel. Sometimes, I don't even bother to hook it up to the DAC -- I have a Logitech bluetooth speaker adapter hooked up to the amp. I just connect the Tab to it via BT and play it that way.
Sorry for a really long OT post
