Wolf Audio music servers

I am glad to see there is some interest in this unit. I should begin with a disclaimer. I have no affiliation with Wolf Audio. I am just a customer.
For the last 5 years I have been using a custom Asus laptop as my music server. It has Windows 8, I TB solid state drive , I7 chip, 32 GB of ram. It also has J River, Tidal and Roon. The server I purchased from Wolf Audio has a 2TB solid state drive, I7 chip, 32GB ram with I believe Windows 10. I aslo have J River , Roon and Tidal on it so from a spec standpoint both units are very similar.
Before I purchased the server I had a good converstaion with Joe Parvey the owner. He wanted to know about my playback system, internet connection and what I was looking for in capability. Joseph then personally builds your server. I purchased the Alpha 2 which is in the middle of their product line.
Once your server arrives Joseph connects via the internet to download your music and walk you through the operation of your server.Joseph is very patient and persistent. He wants to make sure your server is working right and that you know how to operate it.
When I first tried playing some music the highs were shill and the bass was flabby. I let it play for a day and it was much improved sounding very close in performance to my laptop. One of the nice things about breaking in a server is you don't need to run amps, speakers etc. I ran it for a week 24/7.Since that time I have had several extended listening sessions.
The Alpha 2 is a real thoroughbred. If a disk is poorly recorded it shows no mercy. If a recording is well done it will surprise you with the playback quality.I don't think my laptop is more forgiving, I just think the the Alpha 2 plays at a higher performance level which emphasizes the contrast between good and bad recordings.
The Alpha 2 gets me much closer to to the recording venue. Bass is tighter and more accurate. Instruments and voices are more detailed in the sound stage. Cymbals and pianos have a verisimilitude that is uncanny.On recordings I know very well I am hearing details I never heard before usually it is background information that was present but I wasn't hearing it.
I have no idea why the Alpha 2 sounds better than my laptop of similar specs but I am delighted. My playback system is Cary 845 AE amps,an upgraded Cary SLP 05 preamp, PS Audio DSD dac, Martin Logan Summit speakers as well as Synergistic Research CTS and Atmosphere level 4 cables.

Irwin, hope you don't mind but I have a side question... Did you integrate Tidal with your JRiver ? I ask because I'm not sure how Tidal will work in my setup since my computer does none of the decoding. thx

Hi oem-wheels. My Tidal currently is integrated with Roon but I would like to also be able to run it through J River as well. If I can't figure out how to do this, I am sure Joseph will show me. Before I had Roon , Tidal played through J River on my laptop so it should do the same on yours. Tidal has a free trial so give it a shot. Larry W.

@lwin 

Thanks for sharing your setup, the path to your Wolf server and your findings.

Did you consider any other servers as you researched them prior to going forward with the Wolf? If you did, what led you to choose the Wolf over them?

Also, what connection are you using from the Wolf to your PS Audio DAC?

Hi David-Ten: Yes I did consider other servers but the clincher for me was the level of hands on service that Wolf Audio promised and delivered.I wanted someone who would be available to help me get over any of the inevitable bumps in the road. You just can't beat one on one service especially when you are talking to the person who built your server.
 For connection to my dac I am using a split Lightspeed usb cable. I also have the Bridge II on my PS Audio DSD dac and I use that connection   when I want to listen to MQA files.