Music Server with no DAC?

Because they are not a high end company, they are an IPOD fed industry which most people on the street that buy this stuff don't have a clue what the acronym "DAC" means nor do they want to know. Its a waste of time and money for them to try and sell on that point to 1 out of 1000 people interested.

"I find myself putting on Padora and just letting it play all day"

I find myself in a similar mode these days mostly queuing things up randomly off my music server or tuning in my prefered Internet radio station of the day using the Roku Soundbridges in my system with external mhdt DACs.

I spend less and less time queuing up records and CDs and more time listening when I can.

There is a lot of stuff I have on vinyl still though that will take some time that I seldom have these days to convert over to digital.

That is cool.

I'm sort of heading towards a MediaMonkey - Laptop - ExternalUSBDrive - Beresford DAC TC-2750 way of getting equal or more quality and functionality than the MW Transporter or Sonos for a total price of $500 (250 for DAC, between 30 and 50 for MediaMonkey depending on which one you get,, and between 100 and 300 for external HD)... Assuming you already have a laptop and docking station. What I do is have a docking station with S/PDIF-out next to my Audio system, and via USB a Costco-purchased HD with 1 TB of space for like 200/300... Also, you can drive such a device with an IPhone now as remote.

Just another option... And then its all 16/44.1 CD-ripped or 24/96 from the web...

What I'm really thinking of in asking the original question is that the 'real' DACs seem to be the Berkeley DAC at 5k which is a but much for many, but seems to be astonishing in what it can do, and the Bryston DAC for 2k. Both can intake 24/192 and of course the more common, and still not yet widely popularized 24/96. I'm trying to focus on 24/96 as I gather more music as that seems to be the format of the near future.

So, for example, in the present, Media-Monkey, Bryston DAC, 24/96 downloads, Laptop w/external HD, should completely kill the Transporter at a cost of just 300 or so more depending on details.

The modwright signature treatment surely sounds like it might do something very helpful, I would believe that would bring it to a pretty good level.

Just thinking... This area is still so new, in 2 years I'm sure all of this will be straightforward and be of very high quality.

Lightminer,

I believe some of the well reviewed mhdt DACs at under $1000 used do 24/96. I believe my Paradisea and perhaps Constantine also do, but I have not tried it yet. It's on my todo list....