Music Servers

I just ordered a Music Vault and will be getting it next week. After talking with Neal, he seems like a honest person that wants his customers to be happy and offers a product that is well built, good warranty, he handles the customer service and it can be upgraded in the future. I also like the fact he will be able to remote in to help with any issues. Another thing I like about going with a computer music server is can be repaired by a computer repair person and not sent to a factory or service center.

I visited a dealer friend in another part of the country a few months ago. He sells Baetis and Aurender. Sonically they are different, Baetis being more analytical. Operationally they are very different, with Baetis being Windows based while Aurender is Linux based with their own proprietary app, the former being manageable, the latter being plug and play.

Dealer disclosure - I sell Aurender and Bricasti.

My first MV was purchased before there were any purpose-built servers available so I can't claim to be prescient on the issue of future repairability, but since the MV is basically a music-optimized window pc/server, so any failure of the hardware components should be easily fixable, and it's set up to auto-duplicate onto a back-up HD, so you should be good there, as well.

I am currently using a MAC Book Pro computer as my music server. Do any of the above listed servers (Music Vault, Baetis, Aurender, Musica Pristina A Cappella II, etc) completely replace my MAC Book Pro Computer? How do I rip CD’s to my external hard drive? Can I stream anything I want from the Internet including Tidal, Pandora, Calm Radio, Radio Paradise, etc? How do I control these music servers? Do I need an iPad, iPhone, etc? Can I connect my LaCie 3TB d2 USB 3.0 Thunderbolt Series Hard Drive to these music servers?

Unfortunately, I have limited Wi-Fi access in my living room since it is far away from my Apple router. My assumption is the above music servers require Wi-Fi access from an iPad, etc. Is this correct?

Based on my research, it seems my MAC Book Pro computer provides the most flexibility and options when it is used as a music server. Some people have said that the above listed music servers provide a higher quality sound then the MAC Book Pro Computer (I do not know).

Any comments?

Don't know the answers to all of your questions, but give Neal at Sound Science a call. I'm sure he'll quickly walk you through them. Here's my (admittedly only somewhat confident) answers:

Will it completely replace your MAC Book Pro- Yes.

How do I rip CDs to my external drive- Just designate it as the location where the files are to be stored, if it can be connected with a USB cable.

Can I connect my 3 TB USB hard drive- Don't see why not. Mine has about 10 USB ports.

Can I stream anything I want from the internet? Sure, if you have internet access.

How do I control it- Easily enough with a mouse. I'm told there is remote software although I do not know how it works.

Neal can also set you up with ethernet over AC wiring adapters so you can overcome the limited wi-fi access problem. My MV is virtually silent unless it's ripping a CD.