Music server quality.

the tribe has spoken

amen

Yes - unless you are in the seriously megabux category with Aero, Wadia and the like.

To answer your last question first - the transport is the root of all evil in this equation. Simple fact is that getting rid of the problems associated with electro-optical -mechanical systems is a huge plus providing an instant gain to all who try it.

If you like your DAC, keep it and use it with a Squeezebox or something like an M-Transit or Waveterminal. Better yet get a USB DAC - like Scott Nixon's TubeDAC or if you really have golden ears and a purse to match, Gordon Rankin's Brick or Cosecant. Or have Wayne mod a Squeezebox for you along with one of his power supplies and use it as an analog source.

No matter which approach you take, you will get all the benefits of instant random access, a house free of CDs etc

Plenty of info here and on the Audio Asylum PC Forum

Sorry - Wayne is the resident genius at Bolder Cable - pretty much the leader in SB mods though there are some others now. Wayne has done a number of units for me. He also makes some wonderful cables.

http://www.boldercables.com/servlet/Search?category=MODIFICATIONS

Actually sw23 my comment was not directed at you so much as it was intended to ratify your position - that the Mac doesn't crash etc...

To cut to the chase - I have a Bolder modified SB2 with all the trimming including the Bybees but not the uber power supply. I have a Wavelength Brick in my workroom/reference system. IMHO it is better then the SB2 -In my work room I also prefer the Brick because I can use all the conveniences of the Mac to control it rather then having to use the excellent but not quite native SB interface.

The only possible next step is to get a Cosecant... that IMHO is the only way up from here.

BUT when I go into my HT room or the bedroom or the guestroom and fire up my various modded SBs I am not hating life - In fact I am very pleased with all the work that Wayne at Bolder has done for me. The two "good" SBs with modded power supplies, the platinum Sonic Caps etc all function as analog outs (no DAC required) and the sound is excellent - much better then I ever expected to own for my budget. My installation is simpler and more space efficient. I no longer need a power conditioner - I need one pair of good ICS etc All of them share one iTunes library with the Brick - and all this is very powerful stuff for me.

Now, just for the record, I had a TriVista fully modded by Parts Connexion. $3,400 MSRP. I supported it with another grand in cables and isolation. It was better then the SBs. I never compared it head to head with the Brick because I sold the TriVista to get the Brick. The TriVista probably was better - for 2x-3x the investment it should be. But I do not miss it. You might

YMMV

Hi- yes wireless can potentially always be an issue - very prone to interference and not much can be done about it. A wired approach will always be more robust.

For me a $2,500 iPod misses the point of what's going on in the marketplace. First, a totally tricked out Squeezebox is a lot less and does a lot more.

But more importantly - at least to me - is that the whole PC thing is all about using widely available, mass market, highly standardized products to drive prices down without compromising quality. Put another way, when a 500Gb hard drive is $139 an iPod for $2,500 is nuts.