Ipod Server-Why not?

I'd love to go high-res, but there's little if anything I listen available above redbook. If the OP is in the same boat, it wouldn't make much sense to up the budget for something that isn't there. And realistically speaking, I'm pretty sure mainstream music isn't going high-res as it's standard for quite a while. Hopefully I'm wrong!

I went the ATV and Rega DAC route with this in mind. The ATV won't do above redbook, but the Rega DAC will. If I miraculously find a ton of high-res music that I enjoy, I'll gladly repurpose the ATV.

Same can be said for an iPod. It can be used on the go (which is it's real original intent), in the car, in a second system, etc. The Wadia dock can follow it in a second system or be sold off.

The OP should get a DAC that'll do high-res even if he doesn't have any, as you never know what tomorrow will bring. But what's feeding it can be repurposed pretty easily and effectively if need be, and doesn't really break the bank either.

Or at least that was my train of thought when putting together what I have. I didn't want to be tied to a laptop, nor have the main computer running to hear music.

Also, if you're streaming and have wifi/Internet issues, how would you acess your library? My cable/Internet was down for 4 days due to hurricane Irene. That would have been driving salt into the wound.

Mac mini and use iPhone/iPad as the remote......Your TV is the monitor. No more hassle than docking the iPod into the wadia or using ATV.

The ATV1 is a great solution too and cheap, the mini is about the same size and just as portable..... But you get core i7 and 8gb ram, 500gb+HD with hdmi, it comes with a heavy pricetag tho.

I use my Mini for watching movies and Internet Tv for the kids and have family photos on screen saver so we actually view them ....... it's become the entertainment center, my music is just a small part.

I need the JKmk3 and Bitperfect to get it sounding better than my wadia/iPod, So that another $400...... But it Is much better. Hi Rez DAC is a must as upsampling using music player software can sound much better than redbook.

Kbarkamian: your point about internet access being down got me thinking. i was under the assumption that since my music is on my hard drive...internet access would not effect my streaming??. not that it matters in my case as i still have the PWT...but it did get me thinking. anyone care to comment/confirm??.

i agree that hi-res availability has a long way to go in becoming "mainstream" (if it ever happens at all). limited selection acknowledged, i am surprised you can't find *anything* you like though. another surprising point that is often bought up is leaving a computer on all the time. have been leaving mine on 24/7 for many years (separate room then my audio gear). thought most people did now a days??. i guess not.

there is a plus side to the limited offerings imho. out of desperation....i've purchased many hi res recording that really weren't my style of music(blues and various forms of rock). it's opened my eye's to classical and jazz which i now enjoy much more then ever.

cheers

Lots of good feedback. I agree that having a DAC makes sense now and will be ready for when I can get hi rez files playing. I am leaning towards the iDac from Peachtree- it has an ipod doc that feeds the dac with a direct digital signal. It will be neat to see how it compares the the Krell Kid. The selection of hi rez thru HD Tracks is expanding quickly and I will be using them when I am ready. When I get the new DAC then I can stream some FLAC from my laptop thru the USB input to get a sense of how good the sound is. I realize that a s/pdif converter would be optimal to change over the USb. I am figuring how the Apple TV would work there may be some other advantages that I could benefit from. Lots to learn