What is the best hard drive based player?

Yamaha makes an excellent one (I can't think of the model number but if you go to Yamaha's site i'm sureyou can find it) that retails for under 1K.

Here is a link to Yamaha's website and the HD 1500, which is the unit I was referring to above. I have two friends with this unit and they really love it.

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/DVD_CD/CDRHD1500.htm

McIntosh just came out with the MS300, I guess people can't here the difference between it and CD's and from what I hear is very easy to use. you can see it at
www.mcintoshlabs.com

Mark

thanks ..will definitely check them out. For some reason I find very little literature on these players: onlty PC driven solutions which are great but obviously requires a screen which I want to avoid!

The McIntosh server compresses the data, (FLAC lossless), the Yamaha does not. The Mac really does need not only a display, but an internet hook-up also for best use. It downloads cover art and text.
I own the Yammy and it too, for ease of use, needs a monitor, but you don't "really" need one. I simply purchased a cheap portable dvd player with a composit video in so as to view the self labeled discs.
The Yammy is $800.00, the Mac is over $3k I think. You decide!

Thanks Jtgale. What is the memory capacity of the Yamaha?

Why no screen? The software interface for a hard drive system is a combo database/spreadsheet. It really inhibits the usefulness, particularlly when you store a large number of CDs, to not have at least a 12" monitor screen. One of the great benefits of hard disk systems is the ability to organize your music into customized playlists. It's just much easier to setup and access playlists when you're using a monitor. Also, if you get a dedicated hard disk player such as the Yamaha, be sure that you can readily expand its storage capacity. A 100 Gb system can store roughly 150-180 uncompressed CDs.

I'm not sure where Jtgale gets his info, but a Mac system with built in digital output (optical), software, monitor and external HD can be had for $1,800.

BTW, tremendous system. Have you considered the Linn or Goldmund HD systems?

I would get an Apple iBook and a USB DAC. The Wavelength Audio Brick is a good choice, but there are many more available. I agree that without a screen (and a big, big hard drive) a hard-drive based system is limited in capabilities. You could also simply get an iPod; simple, small and decent sound quality with Apple Lossless files. Use that with your stereo and use your computer to rip CDs and load the iPod.

The HD capacity on the Yamaha is 200gb.

As for the price of the Mac is was mentioning? I was speaking of the MS 300, (300gb), and did have the price stated incorrectly. It has a retail price of $5100.00.

I thought you were referring to a Mac computer system.

The Yamaha can be tuned, too, as is done in Germany by Manfred Diestertich, chief of Audio Physic. It comes to 1650 Euros in this version, and sonically very close to the much more expensive McIntosh - at least this was the conclusion of German Stereoplay, when comparing these units recently. And there seems to be another quite interesting unit from British Zero One, see an essay-review on
www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/zero-one_e.html

How does an IPOD (with Apple lossless compression files) feeding into the main system compare to such hard disk drive players in terms of sound quality?