[henree]

My ultimate goal is to find a way to listen to my mp3's on a nice stereo system. I hate burning discs. And I am the type of guy that downloads 15 to 20 .mp3's from itunes a week. I want to have a stereo system right next to my lazyboy recliner. I want to instantly listen to my new .mp3 purchases on a descent system. Are there any good sounding receivers that have this function? I have looked around at a few electronic stores near my home. And none of the receivers have a usb input. I want three components. A receiver, a cd player and a equalizer/amplifier. There are micro systems that have a usb input. But they only sound good out loud. I need something that sounds good through headphones.

 

[maxcooper]

Tell us some more details so we can help guide you to the best system for your needs and budget.


We know you:

* want to download music from iTunes and instantly play it

* want to be able to listen with headphones


So far, I think your best bet is a pair of quality headphones to plug into your computer. If headphone-listening is all you plan to do, this is the way to go. Get an external USB sound card with a built-in headphone amp if the headphone jack on the computer has a lot of noise. If you really want to get fancy, you could get a headphone amp with USB input, or a USB DAC + headphone amp.


Questions:

* do you also want to be able to play music out loud, through speakers?

* I assume you have a laptop that you use while sitting in the lazy boy, is this correct? Tell us what computer (or iPhone / iPod Touch?) you use to download and listen to music.

* is the computer a Mac, or a PC (Windows/Linux)?

* I also assume you use iTunes to download and play the music, is that right?


I don't know of many USB receivers, and I generally think that is unlikely to be the best solution for your needs. For instance, your laptop might have a digital audio output (MacBook Pros do, for instance -- it is the same jack as the headphone jack) which would allow you to run an optical cable from the lazy boy to the stereo. Then you could focus on getting a stereo that sounds good within your budget rather than finding a system with a quirky USB connection -- you'll spend less and it will sound better.


I've also heard of folks using the Apple AirPort wireless router for their audio systems -- apparently it has an audio output and can be controlled from iTunes on a computer. I don't know the details very well, and may be wrong about what I just said, but it seems like it could be worth looking into for your usage.


-Max