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Moving from CD Player to MAC Book Pro Music Server

Based on my research, I will be selling my Ayre CX-7e CD player (Magnum Dynalab MD-102T FM Tuner already sold) and getting a computer based music server. I ordered the MAC Book Pro computer, 2.66GHz processor, 4GB RAM and a 128 GB solid state drive (SSD). The cost for an additional 4GB of RAM is $800+ so I decided to wait for the cost go down. All my music will be stored on an external hard drive using the AIFF format. It will sound better if it is on a different controller than the DAC so I will use a FireWire hard drive. The Seagate portable 2.5” external drive will be much quieter and will run off the power provided by the bus. The Seagate model info is below. I ordered the Ayre USB DAC and it will run balanced into my Ayre AX-7e integrated amp. I would like to thank the many people (on this site and other sites) including Music Lovers Audio and Steve Silberman (Ayre) that helped me with the computer configuration. Ayre also recommends the Furman AC-215 as a power filter for the MAC to prevent it from interfering with the sound quality. I ordered the MAC on Thursday (9/3/2009) from an independent Apple reseller (delivery in about 7+ days). Music Lovers Audio will install my Ethernet line from my living room to my router in my home office on September 16th. Based on estimated delivery times, it will take 6+ weeks for everything to be completed. The web site for the external drive is:

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?name=ST905003FJA205-RK-fa-gopro-mac-500gb-hd&vgnextoid=13530c1001c11210VgnVCM1000001a48090aRCRD&locale=en-US
hgeifman
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
It's not the cheapest solution, but I have a Drobo for back up and it let's me sleep at night. After having many a back-up external drive fail, I settled on the Drobo, and it blows away the RAID array it replaced as far as ease of use.

I looked at this. It does look impressive but I worry that the Drobo itself becomes the weak link in the chain. Currently, I am considering a NAS LaCie 2big with two 1 TB dives that run mirrored on RAID 1. I figure even if the LaCie dies I'll still easily have access to the data either of the two mirrored drives.

Is my logic correct ? I am not sure. I was certainly tempted by the Drobo and all the hype it is getting in magazines.
macdadtexas
1,794 posts
 
Shardone, it's very easy to use. I have already had one SATA drive die on me, and I just popped in another. I had a RAID array that a buddy built for me, actually the head IT guy at my company, and he is the one that turned me on to the Drobo. He explained that the underlying software that runs it is what makes it so reliable. Even if the enclosure itself failed, the SATA drives would survive with all the data. I really like it. I bought the Droboshare and use it as my network hard drive as well. We have literally thousands of hours of video on it now, and music, music, music.
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Even if the enclosure itself failed, the SATA drives would survive with all the data.

Agreed...but you would need to repair the Drobo...I figured my approach be very inefficient but by having a RAID 1 with two mirrored drives then means I have a back up ready to go in minutes no matter what happens (just flip the drive into one of the spare bays on any of my other machines).'

Perhaps I am too cautious!!
hgeifman OP
2,278 posts
 
I picked up my Ayre USB DAC last Saturday and hooked it up. Wow! I was very impressed with the way it sounds. It is better sounding then my Ayre CX-7e CD player. The highs are better and so is the bass. The music seems to be clearer and more engaging. The unit still has to burn in and so do my new Synergistic Research TESLA Quad speaker cables. Music Lovers Audio (Berkeley, CA) said everything will sound better after some time.

I have about 25 CD’s loaded into my MAC Book Pro computer and many more to go. It takes between 3 to 5 minutes per CD using the AIFF format. This is a very boring time consuming process.

My MAC Book Pro is connected to the Furman AC-215 power conditioner. The MAC has 4 GB RAM and the 120GB solid state drive. I am using the Seaport Free Agent Go Pro 500GB external hard drive to store my music files. The Furman is required so the MAC does not interfere with the audio components. See http://www.furmansound.com/product.php?div=01&id=AC-215_PRO

I followed Ayre’s MAC Book setup instructions and they worked. The Audio MIDI setup was a little different from their instructions but we finally figured it out. The QB-9 is connected (balanced cables) to my Ayre AX-7e Integrated amp connected to my Sonus Faber Auditor M Speakers.
kmelancon
15 posts
 
Sounds like a nice setup. I've been seriously thinking of making the switch to a music server as well. Thanks for sharing your setup. Please keep us posted with a few more suggestions and comparisons as your system settles in.
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