One last thing - Audirvana loads the entire track into memory before playing,so there tends to be a slight delay on the HD tracks, but then you can use wireless without any dropouts while playing
:-)
:-)
Goodbye Sonos, hello ????
I've been a happy Sonos user for over 10 years and will continue to use it in my casual listening areas in my house. However I dont think I am doing my dedicated 2 channel system justice streaming from the ZP-90. In addition, Sonos does not do high resolution. Therefore I am looking for a high quality digital transport/streamer that can replace the Sonos. Here are my requirements:
1. High quality, low jitter digital output
2. Awesome user interface with remote control via IPAD, ANDROID, iphone, etc
3. Wireless and wired digital streaming from music stored on a NAS
4. No built in DAC as I prefer to mix and match
5. Ability to handle various audio formats including high resolution.
So far it looks like my options are the Bryston BDP-2 or DIY my own streamer. I have built several low powered (ATOM) HTPC in my home to stream 1080p movies so this is definitely an option but I am not too sure about how to get the best possible, low jitter digital output from a PC so this would be something I need to investigate. I can build an ATOM based, fanless system running Jriver and my IPAD to remotely control my music. I know there are products from Linn and Accustic Arts but these all come with either a DAC or an amp.
So are there any other audiophile quality products on the market that fit my need or should I just go the DIY route?
Thank you.
1. High quality, low jitter digital output
2. Awesome user interface with remote control via IPAD, ANDROID, iphone, etc
3. Wireless and wired digital streaming from music stored on a NAS
4. No built in DAC as I prefer to mix and match
5. Ability to handle various audio formats including high resolution.
So far it looks like my options are the Bryston BDP-2 or DIY my own streamer. I have built several low powered (ATOM) HTPC in my home to stream 1080p movies so this is definitely an option but I am not too sure about how to get the best possible, low jitter digital output from a PC so this would be something I need to investigate. I can build an ATOM based, fanless system running Jriver and my IPAD to remotely control my music. I know there are products from Linn and Accustic Arts but these all come with either a DAC or an amp.
So are there any other audiophile quality products on the market that fit my need or should I just go the DIY route?
Thank you.
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- 67 posts total
thanks williewonka, I have considered the mac mini though to be honest I dont have much experience with macs. The solution you propose is definitely attractive. I just hate the idea of getting tied to itunes. Does Audirvana allow you to play FLAC? Most of library is in FLAC which is one of the main reasons why I dont use itunes. |
Tboooe_You can also get a windows computer - probably cheaper You can download itunes for windows - its free - not sure if the windows version messes with the files like the Mac does, so you might not need something like Audirvana to deliver files that have been upsampled. Yes - You can play flac tracks via Audirvana (playing one now) without itunes started - you nave to create playlists in Audirvana - not sure how good it is - suggest you checkout the manual on the web site Damien (support) responds very quickly if you have questions or problems There are other windows players out there - Aparantly the Windows Media Player works very well The Audirvana manual tells you how to import flac to iTunes - the caveat is flac files and music files have to be on the computer and not a NAS drive - it creates a proxy file that links to the music file - I had the proxy on the computer and the music on the NAS - once they were both on the computer all worked very well - rest of my files are on the NAS drive though I've used several players in the past... - hate Windows media player - getting stuff into the library is a pain - not sure if Audirvana has the different views of tracks (see below) _ I like the fact that itunes has seemless integration of music and radio - I like the different ways you can look at tracks - tittle, composer, genre - I like using Retune to control itunes There are other remote control programs out there that might work with other players - ask Damien if he knows of one for Audirvana Checkout other windows players - see windows players review Hope this helps |
I built one of the CAPS server and I added the XONOR essence STX card for SPDIF out. My DAC doesn't take USB and I didn't want an external converter either. My CAPS server also has a 500GB solid state drive so all my music is local and I don't need a separate file server. Boots up in 5 seconds. I store my music in ALAC lossless so I can fit more. Should hold 1500 CDs. I run it headless and just remote into it when I need to do something on it (rarely). Works great and sounds spectacular. Control it with JRemote for JRiver. |
If you want to do a lot of work and study to get a high-quality PC or Mac system together, this is worthwhile and will get you great SQ and hi-res. However, if you just want your Sonos to sound great and don't want to invest a lot of time, do this: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/empirical4/1.html Steve N. Empirical Audio |
- 67 posts total