ZEN Mini S vs. Small Green Computer Sonic Transporter i5 music server/Ultra Rendu Streamer

Thanks to all of you for your feedback an comments.  Very helpful.

I sent Andrew (SGC) a couple emails over the weekend based on your comments and questions that I had.

At this point, I'm still torn between the ZEN and the i5 sonictransporter/ultra rendu bundle.  I like having the convenience of using my chosen ripping software, dbpoweramp, on my Windows laptop connected to an SSD for the ripping part of this project.  I only want to rip the 3,000 CDs once and want to make sure it's an accurate rip with all the artwork intact.  

The ZEN requires that I free up space on my desk where my router is.  Just a bit clunky IMO.

Also, the drives included with both products are marked up 2x.  With the i5 I can purchase the exact same 4TB SSD at half price from Amazon.  I'm kind of stuck with the HDD provided by Innuous when I'd prefer to use an SSD or Synology NAS for file storage and back-up.  Hmmm . . .

I'm on the fence about Roon.  Seems like it's not necessary for the ZEN.  Not sure about the i5.

in short, I can start ripping CDs tomorrow if I choose the i5 path without buying a thing from SMC in the near term.  Then I can transfer the files to the i5 once it arrives.  If I go the ZEN route, I need to order the table top unit now and use a clunky ripping set up, overpriced HDDs, but a better file management app plus I'm not tied to Roon.

Just thinking out loud a bit more.  Feel free to constructively criticize my thought process.

The ZEN requires that I free up space on my desk where my router is.  Just a bit clunky IMO.

There’s a neat workaround for this.  Buy a Wi-Fi extender from TP-Link, etc. and just plug an Ethernet cable from that to the Zen and you don’t need it to be on your desktop.  All you need is an outlet for the extender.  Many people here with $$$ systems have done this with great success.  Hope this helps. 

@drlou77

i think you have your choice on this subject, and associated tradeoffs, well understood and well articulated - good job on that!

i signed up for roon lifetime early on, so am bought into it... i enjoy it immensely as an interface, but also realize that in the meanwhile the better streamer hardware companies like innuos aurender auralic and so on have continually improved their software and the user experiences they provide

for me, i enjoyed trying the value oriented piece-part options, doing it more ’a la carte’, if for no reason other than to allow me carefully learn each piece part and their associated impact on the sound quality

for this reason, i have an i7 equivalent roon core machine (from esteemed a-gon member @elberoth in poland), installed my own internal ssd for stored music, have an outboard cd drive to rip when needed (and detach when not using), then i bought an optical rendu from sgc as well as an ether-regen and na muon to do lan and usb filtering to feed whatever dac or dac streamer i am using at any time

@jjss49 thanks for your feedback. 
 

You present a couple of new wrinkles to the equation:

- optical rendu: about $1,000 more than the Ultrarendu.  Showing as "sold out" on the SGC website.  Looks like this one allows me to eliminate network noise and use my Chord Qutest DAC as a network DAC.  I get the noise part but not quite sure of the advantages of a network DAC in my system.  Care to elaborate?  Is it worth the incremental cost of $1,000?  Should I wait for it to be back in stock?  I'll have the time wile I'm ripping 3,000 cds. Also, I do not have fiber optic Ethernet.  Does it matter?

- Do you have the upgraded LPS and FMC Bundle, too?

- Not sure what "ethergen" is?  What does it do and cost?  Did you get it from SGC?

- Not sure what "Na Muon" is?  What does it do and cost?  Where did you purchase it from?

Lots of questions from this newbie.

Thanks!

@soix , thanks for the suggestion.  Looks like I can get the TP-Link WiFi extender on Amazon.  This still would require that I load and rip the CDs from my stereo cabinet without the benefit of an ergonomic chair, correct?  I am recovering from three fractured vertebrae and need to do this as comfortably as possible.  There are quite a number of these extenders on Amazon.  I have a man cave that's about 1,000 sq.ft.  I think I could get by with one of the simpler models, agree?  Looks like I should be able to pick one up for ~ $20.  Do I need a minimum on terms of Mbps for data transfer rate?

Thanks!