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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
david12
1,454 posts
 

 I have just started using an Innuos Zenith. This is a UK/Portugese Server and certainly very keenly priced, here in the UK. It should be good in the US, with the current $/£  exchange rate. It has recently become available over the pond, I believe. Here it is a good bit cheaper than Melco or Aurender and has a ripping port, excellent support and is very easy to use.

 I had been using a heavily modified Mac Mini, which took me weeks to get up and running, being not an IT wizard. The Innuos took a morning, with very good telephone support. I would'nt have needed any help at all, but for my Ayre QB9 DAC, refusing to speak to the Innuos. I don't know why, just bad manners I think.

 It comes in various versions, with HHD and SSD options, the Zenith is the SSD one. It contains a ripping port and the whole process of ripping, backing up etc, is simple. There is an option to check metadata before ripping and adding a photo if none is available on Metadata.

 Even out of the box, no warm up, it is way ahead of the Mac Mini, crisp detailed sound, great dynamics and soundstage.

  All in all, highly recommended.


ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
But not in the price points that the folks in this thread are talking about.  Plenty of great servers on the market from Melco to Aurender to Antipodes to Lumin to CAD to custom made to one of the most under rated, The Music Vault by Neil Van Berg (I personally don't like all of them).  What kind of US support does the Zenith have?  I don't know much about the company. I visited their site, but not much about the US there.  
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz OP
13,381 posts
 
Finally I may have found a chink in the Bluesound Vault 2 armour!
Unless I am missing something and hopefully fellow Vault owners can help out.
For the first time today I decided to try and connect up my tv toslink output to the Vault via the supplied mini jack to toslink adapter.
At first I thought I had done something wrong as at my seating position I heard nothing, I got up to check the connection and I heard Antman singing in my speaker!
I had to turn the volume up on the Hegel from a normal 42 for my Vault to about 87 before it had anywhere near the same volume level.
The same cable/output from the tv fed into the Hegel dac only needs about 45 on the volume to have the same actual room volume.

So am I missing something in the vault setup for the toslink input volume or has anybody else found this is exactly the case and it is what it is?
recordchanger2018
11 posts
 
Audio vault 2 + Border Patrol DAC p+ ripping my cds and letting me browse throigh Tidal... what’s not to like
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz OP
13,381 posts
 
Still very happy with my choice of bluesound vault2 connected with nordost Valhalla digital coax cable.
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