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Best solution to send digital files to my DAC

Hi All,
I’m a novice when it comes to digital audio, so:
I have a very good DAC feeding into a good preamp. I have many digitized CDs and hi-rez files stored on my computer, but I would rather transfer them to a better audio device.  What is the best device(s) on which to store all my digital music and send it to my DAC. I don’t care about connectivity with any other devices; I just want to know what’s the best thing to use. Is it a streamer? A server? What’s the difference? What is the simplest way to get the best possible quality from a storage device to my DAC?
Thanks in advance.
Rustler
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mahler123
3,056 posts
 

for the OP, servers can usually be accessed by other people on the network.  For example, I have a Synology NAS (Network Associated Storage) that is connected to my router.  My music systems are in other rooms, each one having a streamer that is connected to the network by Ethernet, but wifi could be substituted.  The streamer takes music from the NAS and sends it to the audio equipment in whatever system is being played

  At the same time that I access the NAS for music files, my wife can download or upload photos on the NAS.  Potentially movies can be be stored on a server and watched while music is being accessed.

  Hopefully this helps understand some of the terminology

kahlenz's avatar
kahlenz
263 posts
 
Another thing to consider is streaming services.  I use both Tidal hifi and Idagio.  Most anything I want to listen to is available from those services, so the need to go out and buy music, either physical or downloaded, is greatly diminished.  I will buy an occasional obscure recording, and I will buy records (another story for another time), but I have significantly downsized my collection of CDs.  I have about 75 CDs ripped to a hard drive (mostly alac, some Flac, about 50GB), but stopped when I realized most of that material was available on Tidal.  My 500 or so CDs do not take up much room, and I enjoy reading the liner notes!
Again, my approach works because I am completely satisfied with Redbook quality.  If you are pursuing higher resolutions, your life will become considerably more complicated and expensive.  I am blessed that I cannot tell the difference!
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,464 posts
 
Check out Bluesound Node 2i or Vault 2i if you need to rip cds to its internal drive.  
motokokusanagi
189 posts
 
You want a network streamer. Tons of these nowadays at different price points. The best one might be something like the Innuos Zen MK3
oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948
488 posts
 
+1 on the Innuos Zen MK3.

For about 15 years, I used a Netgear ReadyNAS and Logitech Media Server for playing music files and streaming.  That solution worked well for me.  A couple of years ago, I migrated to a Synology NAS and stayed with LMS.  That solution worked even better.  

This year, I moved to Roon and haven’t looked back.  I now use an Innuos Zenith MKII CD ripper/network media server connected to a Mytek Liberty DAC.  SQ is great.  It’s a bit pricey.

I’ve never heard a Node 2, but there are a lot of folks on agon that give it very high marks.  


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