Simple Digital Music Server - Opinions Please

Islandflyfisher, Roku does not support FLAC natively either.

However, you can use Slimserver to serve up both Apple Lossless and FLAC to Soundbridge. You can use Apple Lossless with both iPod and Soundbridge.

I could not be happier with the results of my digital music server. I’m using the Audio Mirror D-1 non over-sampling DAC with the Roku M2000. Sound quality is vastly better than the Marantz SA-14 SACD player. Music presentation is smoother and quieter. I did not A/B the Marantz as transport with Audio Mirror DAC verse the Roku system because of hassle factor. After weighing in the added benefits, if the Marantz-Audio Mirror was to slightly better the Music Server, I would still use the Roku system because of all the added benefits. If I had to guess, the Roku system out performs my previous Marantz/Audio Mirror combo by a significant margin.

The silver lining is the added convenience of not having to get up and pick through my CD collection to change music selection. The Roku also has volume control that is calibrated with very gradual adjustments. This is a huge plus for me, as my pre amp does not have a remote control. The display of music information is nice as it let’s you know track name, artist, year of release date and track time. Internet Radio is also part of the package. The navigation of the Roku is very easy to use and if you own an iPod, you will learn how to navigate this device in less than ten minutes.

The negatives to all of this are that you need to rip your entire CD library. I’m about only 20% done. A CD takes approximately 15 minutes to rip. Roku does not support Apple Lossless so you really cannot compress your music without significant lose of sound quality. I ended up ripping to AIFF files so that I could still use my iPod. In this format, each CD takes up 500MB of hard drive space. To view this predicament as a positive, once music is ripped in a non compressed file, you can do anything with it in the future as far as converting it to a new compressed format if you decide to do so. Hard drive space is getting cheaper every month.

Lastly, the quality of the Roku until is very impressive. It’s a brushed aluminum cylinder with a 2 1/2” to 3” LCD display. I took a few pictures display under my “system”. The display options are very well thought out. The remote control functions perfectly but is a bit on the cheesy side. All in all, the Roku M2000 is my best bang-for-buck investment in high-end audio to date. Anyone want to purchase a Marantz SA14? I've got it listed.

Islandflyfisher - just picked up this thread. While you could rip all your CDs onto your PC, I am using Yahoo! Music Unlimited and streaming WMA files. Not only do I get to select music from the 1MM+ catalog ($60/annual subscription), but the WMAs streamed via Ethernet to my Roku Soundbridge fed into a Musical Fidelity A3.24 via SPDIF and A3 integrated amp sound great! I also get Internet radio, so I nearly never turn on my tuner or CD player anymore.

Islandflyfisher,

Congrats on your purchase of the soundbridge. I have the M1001 feeding a MF Tri-Vista. Computer to ethernet cable to Soundbridge to DAC to Integrated. I honestly can not tell a difference between this setup and using my transport. It is also a lot more convient.

Michael

my understanding is that all such PC based wireless solutions....including Airport Express, Rokus and Sonateer etc...all have perfect byte for byte transmission yes, but are very poor in rejecting jitter. In fact JA at Stereophile measured this awhile back in one of his follow ups on Airport Express. so to assume it will be "better" than your current CD player is not a given by any means.