larry, I recently put together a system based on Michael Lavorgnas reviews that has worked wonderfully. My cds only number a couple of hundred. Since I did not have a NAS I started out with the QNAP TVS471. Roon core is on the NAS on a 120gb SSD, my ripped cds are on one of two 4tb drives in raid1 array with a third 4tb drive as back up. this feeds a microRendu and on to an Auralic Vega usb dac. I use an iPad mini as remote. Being my first go at computer audio I am extremely impressed and love the Roon/Tidal integration. So far it is fast, clear and no drop outs or issues. I also added a section of fiber optic cable for isolation. You can read more on this on Audiostream. Good luck.
Music Server
I am looking for a reliable and easy to use music server with a very good interface software package. I have about 4,500 CDs, the majority classical, so I am looking for something that does a good job at cataloguing the content. I currently run a Naim NDS/Uniti server. I think the software is adequate, but, I have FAR too many bugs and problems keeping it working correctly. Enough is enough. I would like something that is much more stable and reliable that is designed to handle a decent sized collection.
I did some quick research and found the Antipodes server. It seems to have the ability to run a number of different software packages (comes with Roon pre-loaded) and it has built-in capability to rip CDs, both of which are a big plus, but, I am a bit concerned about whether it might be a bit complicated to use. I have also taken a quick look at the Aurender servers. I have a good local dealer who is a computer whiz that carries the Aurender so that is a big plus. Another big plus would be something that could take what I have already loaded on my QNAP NAS and work with that so I don't have to re-load, edit metadata, etc. all 4,500 CDs again.
Are there any other top end servers that I should be looking at? Also, any suggestions on a DAC to couple with the server?
Thanks.