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Music Server now bane of my existence

After years of waiting and rendering the landscape of servers as too complex, confusing and basically useless for my purposes, I've delved into the world of a Mojo Audio music server. The Biggest Dog they sell. Now, I've determined I'm technically in over my head and run out of invectives.

I need a "Music Server for Dummies" lexicon and flow chart. Yes, I will contact them this week also.

To my surprise, there is no drive with the new Mini Mac. So I need that. And how will I burn discs for friends? And do I just use the USB out from the server to my USB DAC for optimal playback? Which USB? Or should it be a USB conversion to coaxial? I researched and purchased a 3TB Western Digital hard drive for dedicated backup. Will that suffice for this?

I purchased the Apple wireless keyboard and outboard trac-pad to navigate.

I'm at a crossroads as to continue with predictable brain damage assembling all of the parts or return this and wait again for this industry to collectively simplify the process. I've gone with the MAC so I can easily interface with my iPod pieces. Thank you to all for insight into this gnarly subject.
celtic66
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Doggie, I'm assuming you meant well, but seriously, what the heck does any of that mean? ;)
rdavwhitaker
173 posts
 
Celtic66's comments resonated with me -- I was just thinking this evening, as I tracked down a glitch in my music server setup, that the whole music server "thing" is still way too glitch-laden, complicated, unstable, and involves way too much fiddling around. I use a Mac Mini with an outboard CD drive and a USB connection to an outboard DAC, and I have to troubleshoot SOMETHING about once every two days. I have tried all the major music server software packages for the Mac, including both those that integrate with iTunes and those that don't. I have used hard-wired Ethermet connections, the aforesaid USB, coax, toslink and wi-fi. I have downloaded music In a variety of formats and resolutions. And still the damn thing isn't truly stable and reliable. Sooner or later someone, somewhere, is going to come up with an elegant and reliable solution, but it hasn't happened yet. Or at least I haven't encountered it. And heaven knows I've been looking.
doggiehowser
672 posts
 
I've found Audirvana to be the most stable of the lot. I also try not to update itunes until I am sure the developer of (Audirvana or Puremusic or Amarra) has fixed any possible issues/tested the new build of itunes.

Timrhu, my post does require some understanding of the interfaces and acronyms used in DAC technology.

TB - thunderbolt
DSD - codec used for SACD aka Direct Stream Digital which uses single bit sampled at very high frequencies (MHz instead of kHz)
GoFlex is a range of hard disks from Seagate that allow you to change the interface to the computer from USB to Firewire (FW), Thunderbolt or even eSATA

USB-SPDIF boxes are external boxes that provide a way for your computer to talk to a DAC, particularly a legacy one that has no way of talking to your computer otherwise. It provides usually a SPDIF (coax/optical/BNC) to the DAC.

If you need any more help beyond that, perhaps computer audio shouldn't be something in your radar :)
celtic66 OP
1,680 posts
 
Thank you for the responses. Ciao
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,256 posts
 
Why don't you contact Mojo and use their customer support?
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