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Music Server - The Search Begins

I recently upgraded my amp to a Lyngdorf TDAI-3400, which incorporates the highest quality DAC I have owned, so it's gotten me to seriously consider adding a music server to my system.  
I've been mainly playing records through my system for the past 8 years, so I really haven't paid much attention to the digital side of things.  I need some help figuring out what's ideal for my needs.
The main criteria I have:
- Needs to be able to store a lot of music because I have thousands of CDs and downloads I want to store in one place
- Should have its own CD ripper
- Needs to be easy to use. I'd like to be able to navigate it without having to use a phone, tablet or computer all the time
- Must be reliable.  Glitchy, buggy systems will end up being returned.
- Must sound good, but doesn't need to be in the top 5% of its class.  
- Should be under $3K (but willing to consider higher priced if the benefits are really worth it)

Servers that I've been considering include the Cocktail Audio X50D, Sony HAP-Z1ES, BlueSound Vault, Melco N1.  I realize that not all of these on my list include every criteria I listed above, hence my plea for help.  

If you have experience using a server that you really like and that might make sense for me please share your experiences.  Thanks so much!!

Peter

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Showing 5 responses by snackeyp

snackeyp's avatar
snackeyp OP
455 posts
 
Thanks guys for your feedback.
To clarify...
I do NOT mind using a phone or tablet to select and play music, but I also find it nice to still be able to navigate my library when one of these is not available.  Probably my fear is somewhat irrational but somewhat based on poor experiences in the past with this kind of arrangement.  To be honest, the Bluesound Vault is pretty high on my list because a friend of mine has one and likes it.  If it's true that the app works really well with the unit I already feel better about going with something like that.  
I do wish the storage of the Vault was bigger, however.  Does anyone know if adding an external drive to it is a smooth way of expanding storage?  What I mean is, do all the music files from both drives show up in the same library, or are you required to switch between volumes to see the files?  
FYI, I rip my CDs in ALAC format, so they take up more space than MP3, and I also have quite a few hi-res files and plan to add more.  The 1 TB drive on my MacBook Pro is nearly full and I want to keep adding music, so it's really frustrating.  What I'd like is to have enough storage or ability to expand to never have to worry about it.  
Thanks,
Peter
snackeyp's avatar
snackeyp OP
455 posts
 
Innuous sounds interesting.  Any recommended U.S. sellers, online or other?  I'm in Minneapolis and do not believe there are any dealers here.
snackeyp's avatar
snackeyp OP
455 posts
 
@rsure The TDAI-3400 is really good, and yes, the room correction really does work.  
I started a thread in the amps section that documents some of my experiences so far.  
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/lyngdorf-tdai-3400

It's still breaking in and keeps improving as it relaxes and opens up.  
It's one of those products that completely defies any conventional thinking about audio gear.  A digital amp is not supposed to sound this good.  FYI, I play mostly vinyl through my system and have only owned tube gear for the past 10 years.  The TDAI-3400 is better than anything I have owned.  Very impressive.
snackeyp's avatar
snackeyp OP
455 posts
 
Well, after much consideration I've decided to order the Cocktail Audio X50D.  I chose it for several reasons that I won't fully elaborate on right now, but one of the biggest motivators was it's versatility, with emphasis on storage capacity.  It has two bays for hard drive or SSD and can be configured as a RAID with up to 16TB storage, which is pretty cool.  I don't envision needing that much, but who really knows?  I just didn't want to settle for something with a max of 2TB where I can easily see myself hitting that limit and having to work toward another solution. 
The price for this unit seems like a bargain considering its feature set, but considering that there are no serious reviews available I feel a bit like I'm jumping in and will just have to accept the bad with the good.  I'm hoping it will be just what I have been looking for. 
Peter 
snackeyp's avatar
snackeyp OP
455 posts
 
I changed my mind about the Cocktail Audio server.  
I'm going to continue researching this.
in the mean time, I just ordered a RAID array to create a storage and back up system for my music and photos.  Since my Lyngdorf amp has a media player built in, I plan to try either J River or Roon to play music from the RAID and see if I like it.  From there I will have a clearer idea which direction I want to go.  

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