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Music Server vs. PC vs. Transport vs. ?

I don;t really want to add another rack in my living room. If I do, I may end up sleeping on one of the couches. Ideally, I would like to do the following:

1. Either use a pc or a server to store discs and have them accessable.
2. Have a way for the kids/wife to hook up their ipods
3. Have a way to get digital radio (xm, sirius or even computer streaming, doesn;t matter)
4. Do all of this WITHOUT degrading the sound quality ( i know, the ipod, by definition will do this)

My understanding of most high end DACs is that they do not have USB ports, but that is the ideal port to use to negate jitter. As I was researching this, I got the latest issue of the absolute sound, and they address some of this a bit. My feeling seems to be that one pays a HUGE premium for a server, that both their DACs and PCs DACs suck, and one has to get a USB to AES or other adapter, and still use an external DAC. It also seems that if one is willing to use a lossless system, that the universal opinion is that a hard drive rivals or beats any transports.

So my initial thought would be to get a pc with an ipod dock, run lossless, get an additional adapter say from Wavelength, and use the current dac. That adds at least two pieces, maybe three.

Help?????
Thanks,
Chris

Help??????

Thanks,
Chris
mount_rose_music

Showing 6 responses by tboooe

tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
Chris, my new gear will be arriving by mid of next week. Any time after that you are more than welcomed to cruise over. Looking forward to it! Just promise me no talk about vinyl...I cant afford to go down that path!!! My wife would kill me!
tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
I personally think the idea of having a PC or laptop is overkill. I use a Sonos system with a 1TB NAS attached to my wireless router. This setup allows me to access my music library, internet radio, Sirius, and other music sources without the need to have a PC on. The Sonos wireless music server is wired to my Esoteric DAC. The results are great.
tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
Chris, I run wireless to my Sonos and no issues. FYI Sonos runs on a proprietary wireless network that seems to be more robust than my wifi (Linksys). I have not had any issues with drop outs or any other strange sounds. One thing to keep in mind when thinking about what approach you want to use when setting up a music server is the user interface. How easy will it be for you to access your library? The Sonos comes with a nice handheld wireless controller with a large color screen and Ipod like scroll wheel that makes accessing the library very easy.
tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
Chris, what brontotx is what I did but with a Sonos. One piece of advice, do not skimp on the NAS storage. Get something that is designed for business use with a good RAID backup scheme and recovery software. I had my first NAS (a consumer grade unit) stop working and I lost all my data. Luckily at the time I only had a few hundred cds stored on it. I recommend Infrant ReadyNas NV+.
tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
brontox, I also upgraded to the Seagate enterprise hard drives . I also recommend Aegis.com, which is where I purchased my NAS.
tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
Chris, remember what I said about the Sonos, it acts as a repeater so as long as you have multiple zones throughout your house, you should have no problem with a weak signal. My router is upstairs in our office which is the front right edge of my home but i have issues with signal strength for my Sonos in my backyard or in the family room downstairs and towards the back of my home.

You are right, the ability to access your music library is important and I think this is where the Squeezebox has issues. The Sonos controller is just so useful and is in itself a wireless device so you can control any number of Sonos boxes from anywhere in your house.
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