State of the Source: Server, computer....or what?


There has been a lot of discussion here about the impact of having the best possible DAC for digital playback, from a long-runnning thread on Lampizator to the current thread where member Mattnshilp has been trying out a variety of DAC's in order to select what sounds best to him, but what constitutes the best sounding digital source?

So the questions for this thread are, what digital source sounds best to you and why? What features do you like in the manufactured music servers? And, can the sound quality from a well sorted-out Mac mini or CAPS style computer/server, with linear power supply, SSD, and the associated ability to use a variety of music players, upsampling options, memory play, and EQ, compare favorably with the manufactured server options that use preloaded programs or, are the differences primarily related to the manufactured options being easier to use than a computer, which requires the user to load and maintain the programs used?
mitch2
For me, the thing that distinguishes the Baetis is its galvanically isolated, dedicated SPDIF connection taken right from the motherboard. No PCI card.
Drubin, have you had a chance to hear the Baetis Audio server? Having lived with my mini set-up (which has a quiet fan) for awhile now, the fan doesn't bother me much (although I would rather they had passively cooled it) and I put more value in the linear power supply since I have heard the benefits of that with my mini. You may be onto something with their taking the SPDIF from the motherboard since the crappy USB is always mentioned as a drawback when discussing the mini as a server. Does the Baetis use a Linux operating system?
I have heard the Baetis only at the recent California Audio Show and did not pay attention to the fan. Windows, as Kal stated.
If you say something enough times, does that make it true? "Crappy USB", "crappy USB"', "crappy USB"............................ No still not true! Well designed music servers have the USB coming right from the mother board, they use silent power supplies and they don't use fans, except for back up. Silent fans are like clean coal, it don't exist.