Koss Totem Mani-2 User Manual
Page 15
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I just picked up your magazine for the
first time and love it. I especially enjoyed
The High Fidelity Digital Jukebox (in
UHF No.74) and looked up your previous
articles on the CEC DA53 and the iPod.
I would like to know what would be
necessary to make a “hi-fi” system with this
technique. I would start fresh and abandon
all my mid-fi and at this point would use a
CD or DVD player and stream music via
Wi-Fi or LAN. Thus I am most interested
in playing music from digital sources. I would
like to start building my system, so could you
list the components in order of necessity? I
already have a computer, iTunes (I use Apple
Lossless) and a network.
Derek Sou
VICTORIA, BC
Derek, this issue includes a review of
the Slim Devices Squeezebox, which may
be one key to getting the best possible
sound from your computer. The Squee-
zebox connects by Ethernet or Wi-Fi,
and it can feed a digital signal into a
genuine hi-fi system. Using the Apple
Lossless codec is the right choice in our
view. Anyone not able to use iTunes
can download the Free Lossless Audio
Codec (FLAC), available for all com-
puter platforms including Linux, Unix,
Solaris, plus some we’ve never heard of.
It’s at http://flac.sourceforge.net. Actu-
ally, if your computer is near your music
system and it has a digital output, you
don’t even need the Squeezebox.
The idea of getting a digital signal
from the computer or the accessory box
is to avoid letting cheap computer gear
handle the digital-to-analog conversion.
That means you’ll need a good quality
external converter, which could turn
out to be your most expensive single
component. If you want to be able to play
CDs directly, look for a good CD player
which also has a digital input.
Then add what you can afford in
the way of an integrated amplifier and
loudspeakers. Both should be made by
companies that also make the products
you wish you could afford.
First of all I want to tell you how much
I love reading your magazine. I am very
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 3