It's time to do it! Please, your help....


Hi there, hope all is well.

I've put it off as long as I could! 

I now want/need to add computer audio to my system. Please note, if you haven't guessed already,I am in no way a "computer guy"

My thought is to build a high resolution library from HD tracks or whomever you have had a good experience with.

Streaming is not something I'm interested in at the moment.

I have a Mac Desktop with Sierra 10.12.6  ( the highest upgrade this unit can handle) a MHDT Labs- Steeplechase 2 USB DAC ,a good quality USB cable and I just bought a dedicated  4TB G-DRIVE USB G1 USB 3.0 Hard Drive for storage to get started.

What type of "player" would you recommenced and other advice to get started.

 

Thank you all in advance and Happy Holidays!

Howie G - NYC

 

grossman616

Showing 1 response by lalitk

@grossman616

If your goal is to build high resolution library then I would pick a better server than Mac desktop. You have a nice DAC, pair it with a better server or streamer and keep the door open for streaming options whenever you’re ready.

Vault 2 is a good start up option but certainly not long term. I would look into something like used Aurender N100H which has 2TB storage on board. The Aurender’s conductor app is solid and easy to follow. Use your Mac to download music and then transfer it to N100H internal drive. The files on internal drive will sound slightly better than any external storage on your network.

And lastly, I recommend NativeDSD or ProStudioMasters for DSD and high resolution files over HDTracks. HDTracks are notorious for upscaling lower resolution files and selling them as DSD’s. They have not been transparent about provenance of original file or resolution.