music server virgin needs answers


OK ... So I see in the new issue of Absolute Sound where some new USB music server gets a VERY high reccomendation. It's only $75 so I think this may be a fun thing to play around with ... but then I stop and think this: My son's Ipod has a LOT of great music on it, but I'm sure it's just stuff downloaded from either redbook CDs or off the internet.
So, since his original sources were not top notch audiophile sources, won't the quality of sound be limited to the atandard of the original source ? Anotherway of putting my question is this ... Would great sound only be obtained if the original downloaded source was of some form of super lossless quality stuff off some specialty website ? Thanks for setting me straight.
timtim
I stream all types of files from my pc wirelessly to my 2 channel setup using a Logitech Squeezebox and they sound fine. Of course if you stream uncompressed files the sound will be better especially with high resolution playback equipment.
I love my AppleTV, with the right DAC it's pretty hard to beat the convenience/sound combination.
You are correct Tim - it is the old computer thing, GIGO - garbage in, garbage out.

That said, iTunes has just passed the sold billion mark - that is 1,000,000,000 downloads of their highly compressed stuff.

As Larry says it is a question of your system, your ears as well as a lot to with whether your are critically listening or just enjoying the music.

Ripping in a lossless format from the original CD is the way most of us get our high quality music.
So when you rip songs from a cd onto your computer, then download them onto an ipod, how do you know if you have used lossless files in this process ?