Music Servers, Do They Matter?

Tomstruck - the A10 with a nice DAC is my end goal!

deadhead 1000 I haven't demo any of the Aurenders with the built  in  DACs are you planning to use it direct 

@deadhead1000

Finally...someone who agrees with me.
I find that most folks on forums (in general) tend to go off topic, into tangent mode, or don't answer questions directly. 

OP,

it's up to you. It's your money. Your music server is especially important when you have large files (like DSD). And any tracks that were remastered or edited will sound better on a quality music server.

I think the premise behind a lot of naysayers in this topic and many others is...they want to sound smart. Kind of like an electronics engineer disputing claims.

For me, a dedicated music streamer or server offers much higher sound quality over a laptop. In a highly resolve audio system, a dedicated streamer with an external DAC provides a very enjoyable experience. I’m not all surprised to see folks replacing their CD players and turntables with streamer / DAC combo. Having a access to vast library of music for a low monthly fee is hell of a incentive to not pursue streaming.

If you’re happy with spinning CD or LP’s, please enjoy! At the end of the day, what matters is MUSIC not the format.

I sure like my music server , it’s my third in four years coming from a dedicated transport and separate dac I’d never go back too.

Today I’m experiencing the best playback quality I’ve ever experienced so far in my home , 432 Evo Aeon server and Holo May KTE dac both purchased completely on spec late last year ,the playback performance turned out spectacularly well.For me it’s what’s up stream of the dac .