2. digital
  3. 1297380317

MUSIC SERVER - HOW DO YOU............

I have a all McIntosh system with Tannoy speakers and have decided to go digital. Recently purchased a MDA 1000 to replace my C46. Easily over a 1000 cd collection.

I need a way to store and play. What I want to do is store to a NAS or similar device, sit on the couch with a touch screen of some sort to scan and select my listening pleasure. Can be hard wired or streamed. I use FLAC. Don't care about internet look up of playlist and cover art.

I'm not a computer wiz nor do I want to be. Is there a system that does what I want, seems like from what I read most self built servers require that you spend more time configuring and dealing with online support then listening to music.

What do you suggest? Thanks in advance for your help.
fishcricket
mmike84
309 posts
 
You still need a computer in the chain that will run the software you plan to use as a music player and access the drive w/ your music. PC or Mac will do. If it's PC download Media Monkey or J River. They will either see your music library or you can point them to it. There are some configurations within those programs you will need to set up in order to export music correctly. You will also need to connect the computer to the Dac which can be done in many ways. The easiest is a USB to Spdif (digital RCA) converter. I use an Empirical Audio Off Ramp for about $799. I have also used a M2Tech HiFace which can be had for about $125. The Empirical sounds much better. You can either use the computer screen to choose and play music, or you can use an Iphone of laptop running VNC to access and manipulate the computer.

Lastly if that all sounds too complicated call Neal at Sound Science 720-308-4000. He does hourly consulting.
4est
507 posts
 
Mac mini seems to be the server of choice for ease of set up and use- load it w/RAM and an SSD. Get a good USB or Firewire DAC and never look back. Skip NAS for now, and use an external drive. You can run it headless off of an iPad/Touch/Phone or via screen sharing. It is really simple and slick this way...
rbstehno
1,438 posts
 
Mac mini running pure music connected to a good external dac thru asynchronous USB or toslink will be as good as any standalone cd player, depending on the quality of dac you use.

If you want to go nas, get an apple extreme router and hook up a 2 TB drive to it and you can share the drive from any Mac or pc. Or what I do is have 2-2TB drives connected to my Mac mini so I backup my music every hour using time machine which is built into snow leopard. This takes 2 minutes to setup and automatic after that.

I also use MAX to rip cd's to the mini to get the highest bit rate.
I also use a glass to toslink cable and a very good quality USB cable which make a difference.

Sit back with your iPad/iPhone and control everything. Plus you can share and route this all thru your house.
ckoffend
684 posts
 
I really like the squeezebox Duet or the new version I think is the Touch. It is really easy to set-up, operate and enjoy. It benefits from going into a DAC vs. using its internal DAC. It is inexpensive and allows for streaming wirelessly or wired full resolution. The remote is great and it overall is easy to work with.

Best of all, you don't need to be a computer wizard.

I think the Mac Mini is also great, though I cannot comment on the required computing skills. I like the Squeezebox because it is so easy. Even my 10 year old daughter loves it. Selection of music is much like an Ipod.
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