2. digital
  3. 191559-170489

Music server recommendations needed.

I have a large CD collection (4000 - 5000+) and so far I have only been managing my digital music files on my MacBook Pro through Apple Music only. (Partially digitized from my CD collection, partially commercially bought digital music files.) The music is largely an exhaustive jazz collection totaling some 6000 albums, by my estimate.

 

I need to digitize and collect all of my music on a music server. Ideally I would like to do this in just 2 components - a CD player and a Music Server, or a Music Server that comes equipped with a good CD player. The ability to effortlessly digitize the CDs, and then properly catalog, search and listen to my digitized music is the end goal. The CD player must be able to play SACD media. Would be nice if I can keep the DAC out of the music server. I'd like to keep the cost reasonable, but at some level I don't know what is reasonable either. Whatever I pick, I want it to stay for the long haul. What would you knowledgeable folks suggest as a solution?

I currently own a Jay's Audio CD player connected to a Benchmark Audio DAC3 HGC and Galion Audio TS120 SE integrated tube amp and Triangle Antal speakers.

 

Thanks,

Amit

 

amitb
jonwolfpell
383 posts
 

Amit: as a few others have said, you just described what the Innuos Zenith Mark III does really well. It’s easy to use, sounds great & its app on your phone or tablet is easy to use & works well. I got it for all the same needs you have. Only sad part is my beautiful old but still very good turntable sees very little action now. 

baylinor's avatar
baylinor
1,401 posts
 

What jonwolfpell just said.

mclinnguy's avatar
mclinnguy
427 posts
 

Like others have mentioned here, once you get a good streamer and subscribe to Qobuz/Tidal you may feel like you don't "need to digitize and collect" anything. 8 years ago my old exasound streamer and DAC sounded better than my Linn CD player, so I sold it. My newer streamer sounds much better than the previous one. The last time I compared a rip of a CD stored on the internal drive of my server/streamer I could not distinguish it from streaming Qobuz. 

Qobuz has hundreds of hi-res jazz albums. 30 versions of Kind of Blue alone. You will like it. 

 

mclinnguy's avatar
mclinnguy
427 posts
 

24/96 sounds worse than 16/44 if the original music was recorded in 16/44, which is nearly always.

Upsampling music almost never sounds better than Redbook. 

Okay, but what about if the music was recorded in analog? I would imagine most of the OP's collection was recorded before the late 70's. 

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,933 posts
 

vinylshadow

24/96 sounds worse than 16/44 if the original music was recorded in 16/44, which is nearly always.

Even semi-pro recording studios have been recording at better than 16/44 for years and years. 16/44 is really just a consumer format.

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