Music server quality.

Henryhk- Great info. It would be interesting to compare the
MSB Tech IPOD system to a MacPowerbook feeding the same DAC
via it's built-in digital output.

You say "nothing beats Sonus," I guessing you're referring to
the Sonus display remote, but how does the Sonus sound quality compare to Mac set ups, and is the Sonus software as easy to use as iTunes?

Thanks to all for the responses so far. I didn't realize how little I know about this topic. For that reason I'll sit on the sidelines for a while, and let others with more knowledge do the talking.

Hi- yes wireless can potentially always be an issue - very prone to interference and not much can be done about it. A wired approach will always be more robust.

For me a $2,500 iPod misses the point of what's going on in the marketplace. First, a totally tricked out Squeezebox is a lot less and does a lot more.

But more importantly - at least to me - is that the whole PC thing is all about using widely available, mass market, highly standardized products to drive prices down without compromising quality. Put another way, when a 500Gb hard drive is $139 an iPod for $2,500 is nuts.

"the diff in sound quality may well be more about wireless vs wireline as opposed to PC based vs music server based etc. "

I'm not sure that a finding regarding the implementation of wireless in the MSB iPod product should be generalized to, say, laptop or desktop based systems.

"yes wireless can potentially always be an issue - very prone to interference and not much can be done about it. A wired approach will always be more robust."

My own wireless front end doesn't suffer from any robustness or interference issues, or sound quality issues, for that matter. It's Apple based: iMac G4 with external drives in the study functioning as the server, a wireless iBook in the living (music) room providing iTunes control, and an Airport Express providing AirTunes to S/PDIF conversion. Sounds as good as wired configurations (leaving out the AX) I am able to set up with my system.

I used to have an issue with occasional dropouts in the signal. But when I finally replaced my 801.11b router/wireless-access-point with an 801.11g unit (due to a free upgrade in my DSL service), that issue disappeared. I should have made that change earlier, but I really didn't think that bandwidth would be the limiting factor.

So, no doubt wireless is not going to be successful in all environments, but I don't think audiophiles who might be interested in the great convenience of wireless should automatically write it off.

Kana813: Nothing beats Sonus...I meant strictly the Remote and its user interface. Felxibility, easy interface, album covers...the works. Simply awesome. Set up is very easy. And you can expand and daisy chain thru out the house so it has mutli room capability. Using the remote u can even have each room playing different music at the same time! Sonic quality vs Mac....can't say as I personally have not used a MAC set up...but my hunch is that will be worse than MAC directly connected to a DAC (as well as Sonus) but better or similiar when using the
MAC wirelessly.

On Squeezebox, and especially the new Transporter...seems the value add here is that it has a very good internal DAC. But for those who already have excellent DACs like myself already, I find this redundant.

Jayboard,.,..guess you are right: but in that dealer demo room as well as my own exp at home, wireless has suffered: though still very listenable indeed...good for background relaxing music, parties etc...so far for me not more than yet (in terms of my own exp). But whether its music severs or the IPOD in docking station (or likely PC via Wavelength), directly connected systems I think are competitive in sound quality though perhaps suffering for the last mile of refinement (so far of what I have heard, I would be gladly pointed alernatives where this is sin't so) and have the flexibility that comes with digitally stored music which obviously CD players lack. As such, I want both!