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Best standalone music server?

So I am considering dipping my toes into the full digital world and was wondering what people here may consider as the best standalone music server, and here I am going to be specific.
I do not want to consider a home pc or mac based type of system at all!
Looking at adding one of the standalone models like for example the Wyred4sound ms1 or cocktail audio.
High on my list is ability to rip my cds directly at the unit itself, access to internet radio and other music apps (Pandora etc). High quality built in dac would be nice but if not then high quality digital out to run to an external dac. I will not be needing to access music files stored on another pc as my home pc is pretty old but fully functional for my simple needs. The only music looking to access from it right now are ripped cds and internet available music in whatever form.
So if it worked out well, yes it may be a replacement even for a cd player completely

Thank you
128x128uberwaltz
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz OP
13,381 posts
 
@jond

Of course I get your point, in fact I would have to concede the logic of it if all you want to do is browse without owning as this is exactly what the wife does with tv using Netflix and Amazon Prime for about $22 a month for the pair. And yes she watches some garbage that would never ever consider buying!
However most of my music cd purchases are well researched and I do not end up selling many. Yes I now have them stored on the vault and majority of the cd,s are now boxed up and hidden.
I would say "never" is a word never to use...lol
So who knows maybe I will check Tidal out one day but its one step at a time for this old fart!
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz OP
13,381 posts
 
As I said earlier I did think the bass was a little overblown from the vault but this was using the rca outputs.
I changed to the coax dig out feeding into the dig in of my esoteric and tbh I truly cannot tell them apart now.
My guess is the analog outs of the vault are not up to par but going digital out is the way to go.

david12
1,454 posts
 

"Mine as I have stated is to have something tangible in my hands when I have paid good money for it.
Now just as an example, I bought some cd,s say and I decided I did not like them, well I am going to rip them to flac files anyway and then resell them."

 That's interesting Uberwaltz, is that legal in the US, it's not in the UK?

Here, you are entitled to copy, rip a CD, but only if you keep the original CD in storage somewhere. I'm not sure if anyone would ever be caught, but I do keep all my ripped CDs. This is partly because I still don't trust even backed up storage.

uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz OP
13,381 posts
 
@david12
Interesting question...lol
I am from England and we used to do this all the time the old school way, vinyl to cassette and never gave it another thought,
Honestly do not know the rules here in the usa but i know it happens on such a massive scale it would most likely be impossible to police
gocubs999
156 posts
 
There is no arguing that CD sales at retail outlets has dropped off significantly over the last 5 years. That maybe stabilizing and perhaps reversed in the future due to the the paradigm shifts occurring in the music industry.

With the improvement in recording technology, artists can record quality material in their homes and acquire pressings to sell direct to the customer; cutting out the middleman and regaining lost revenue. Here is a link discussing the trend.

https://www.thebalance.com/direct-to-fan-marketing-2460358

I have a headless, modified Mac Mini as music server (Amarra). If I decide to move to a standalone music server, I would look seriously at the Bluesound or Aurender. Best sound I get though is a CD in my Esoteric K-03.
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