Best standalone music server?

If money is no object, the Ayon Audio S-5 Network Player/Preamp with direct Ethernet connection to a NAS drive with a single solid state drive is the best I've heard.  Very analog sounding.

Would really be interested in hearing from folks who have used a Mac mini as a server running Roon via Ethernet into a high'ish end renderer like the SOtM triple set and then USB from the SOtM to a good DAC, and compared that to a high end server/player like the Antipodes DX.  I own both server/player units (i.e., a mini and the DX) so I really want to hear about whether the mini into the SOtM stuff can equal the DX.  Another option would be to run the DX as a server with Roon into the SOtM triple set via Ethernet.  Does using the SOtM triple set negate the differences between the mini and the DX?

Here is another idea. If you like it fine, if not okay too. I had bought a Bluesound Node 2 to add to my stereo. I already had a quality CD player and many, many CDs. So I wanted to rip all my CDs to a NAS to play via the Node 2 AND stream music via Spotify and Tidal. After many hours of ripping my CDs and tagging album artwork.... I started listening to an ever growing streamed library of music, much of which were the same albums I owned on CD. When I started listening to MQA I was really impressed by the sound. I questioned WHY I had ripped my CD collection in the first place. When I have a CD player to use when i want to listen to MY MUSIC, why not just stream music when I am not???? The Bluesound Node 2 sounds truly fantastic, but if you MUST rip your CDs.... get the Vault 2.

Exactly what I did 2psyop....lol
And yes I do wonder at times why I bothered taking all that time to rip the same music I can now just about as easily stream....some rare British stuff not found on any online service yet but not many....

Well, I've decided to sell my Mac mini that is a total rebuild by Steve Nugent of Empirical Audio. It was his personal unit that he filled with well recorded wav files.  Many high res, that he brought to shows to show off his Overdrive DAC.  I'm using the hard to get Paul Hynes LPS.  

It's a great server. I"m running Amarra right now, but it can run anything that a Mac can use.  The reason for this is that I'm getting a new The Memory Player with built in DAC (guess I"m selling the Ayre QX5 DAC/streamer now also, lol).  My friend has auditioned every server on the market other than a couple of the new ones that are yet to be released.  It beat the Aurender N10 which is the best server I've heard until this new unit.  

I have loved the Empirical Mac mini, as I was able to rip songs for my portable DAP and I ripped some of my music onto the internal SSD wiht the built in drive.  What I have learned that the Mac needs is the proper hard drive and the best LPS you can get to allow it to be a true high end server that can be used with even ultra high end systems.  I took the server to a friends house.  He runs a pair of Vandersteen 2's, NAD separates and an Codex DAC/headphone amp with inexpensive Audioquest cables.  A fairly modest system I think.  My server woke the system up big time.  We were shocked at how low the noise floor was and that allowed so much more detail to come out.  He has the Bluesound system right now.  He was also able to use the Vault to play his own music through the Mac.  Since I don't love the look of the Mac and external supply, I put it in the cabinet that has doors on it and just use the TV screen to remotely control it, lol.  I just never put it on the net as Steve has turned off everything but Bluetooth and that includes all teh programs that aren't needed for music as they all affect teh sound quality.