Turn your computer into a music machine

To get the most out of the system, however, you will need to follow a few guidelines. As much magic as Mr. Rankin can put into and get out of his little black brick, the final sound depends on the music file on your hard drive.

First, there's compression. Most digital music files are highly compressed, whether you ripped it off the CD yourself or downloaded it from a service such as iTunes. That’s because users want to fit as much as possible on their iPods, rather than worrying about ultimate sound quality (and large files sizes). As you might expect, something recorded and stored at 128K might sound perfectly OK on a portable device, but not quite perfect on your stereo.

For best results you need to rip your music in a lossless format: CD quality sound from files that have barely been compressed. Those files could be in the Apple Lossless or Windows Lossless format. If you’re running both Windows and Macs in your home you might want to stick with the Apple lossless format: while iTunes runs on both types of computers; Windows Media Player files are PC only. If you find you must use more compression on your files, use the fastest speed for the best results.

If you don’t rip your own CDs and buy from an online service you’re not at a complete loss.  There’s a new service called MusicGiants which, for a $50 annual fee and as little as $1.29 per song, lets you download songs in the Windows Lossless format.

Second, there's error correction. This is where your computer has a big advantage over a dumb CD player because it can constantly check music files for problems. However, the default setting for error correction is "off," so you'll need to make sure it's turned on before you rip your music files. The setting can be found by opening properties for your CD or DVD drive, and there are complete instructions for various devices on the Wavelength Web site.

If you do this, you'll wind up listening to a music file that theoretically sounds better than the CD. In my tests comparing files with my terrific Sony SA9000ES CD/SACD deck, sometimes the Brick playback did sound better; sometimes it was a close tie.

Entertainment hubs
The Brick opens many different scenarios for music reproduction in your home, with your computer finally a true entertainment hub. Want to hear music? Play it from your hard drive.  Want to watch a DVD? Play it on your computer and the sound goes through the Brick and into your stereo. Need more storage? Adding a USB or FireWire hard drive is cheap and easy. Want to listen in other rooms? Your computer can double as a music distribution system over a wired or Wi Fi network.

Apple Computer A screen from Apple's new Front Row software on the new iMac G5.

The computer used is up to you The Mac mini seems to be a perfect match for the Brick. It’s small, quiet, elegant and priced just right. In my tests it performed perfectly. All you need is a monitor, keyboard and mouse and you’re set. 

Keyspan makes a USB remote so you can control the whole thing from your couch. Or, you can use remote control software on a PDA. If you prefer, an Apple laptop and the remote would also be a tidy option. So would the newly announced iMac G5 with remote. I think it was designed just for this purpose. Why else would they have included something called Front Row software which lets you control music/videos/DVDs/photos from across the room?

Lenovo The ThinkCenter S series computers are perfect for storing lots of digital music files.

Small and quiet are the keywords for PCs too.  I’ve been testing a Lenovo (nee IBM) ThinkCenter PC which has done a wonderful job. A number of Lenovo, Compaq and HP laptops have seen action in the system as well. VoodooPC has a mini that looks like it would be perfect. AOpen and Linspire also are about to announce a mini of their own.

Wavelength Audio’s Brick sells for $1,750, with an even more expensive model, the Cosecant, starting at $3,500.

Remember, at this point these are specialized audiophile devices from a small company where everything is hand made to order. You might not be able to afford the Brick — but you have to admire a product on the bleeding edge of audio/computer playback technology. 

With that in mind, the Brick is a bargain. The Brick playback system not only plays music, and sounds as good or batter than the most expensive CD players on the planet, but your music is stored is one convenient location. Plus, that stored music could be used anywhere in your home. 

The best part is, as this idea catches on, I expect the price of USB DACs will drop like a brick — just like every other previously new technology.

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