I'm pretty happy with my setup. Have looked at a ton of options and this particular arrangement meets a variety of important needs for me - scalable, flexible, uncompromised music quality, value quotient, convenience.
- CDs ripped to FLAC (and MP3 VBR ~256) using EAC/AccurateRip/MAREO. FLAC for home audio, MP3 for portable. 600 CDs now put happily out of sight in a closet as archive.
- Linksys NSLU2 network storage link for USB2 hard drives. Two 300GB hard drives connected - one for primary use and second one for nightly backup. This device is extremely handy, very inexpensive, and does the job, although I have to admit that overall quality is less than I'd like; glitchy, counter-intuitive firmware, and low-spec'd hardware, but: once setup it's stable and does what it needs to do reliably.
- SlimDevices Squeezebox3 music player. High audio quality, great design, great concept, versatile, and growable to whole-house audio.
running into:
- Audio Note DAC, then into the receiver (HT 7.1; the system also serves as the family HT)
Since setting this up I've listened to more of my music collection than I've listened to in years. Quality-wise, even with a cheap-ola receiver and speakers, hands-down beats my old mid-grade (denon/nakamichi/linn/b&o) stereo system. A pleasure to listen to and even more of a pleasure, fun actually, to use.
Have a set of Amphion speakers on the way, and eventually I'll pull the trigger on something like the Outlaw or Rotel HT separates.
I am VERY happy with this whole setup. Only drawback might be, for some, that one computer in the house needs to act as the server to which the Squeezebox connects. I don't personally find this to be a problem. This system doesn't need to be particularly robust, an older unused computer or laptop would do fine.
- CDs ripped to FLAC (and MP3 VBR ~256) using EAC/AccurateRip/MAREO. FLAC for home audio, MP3 for portable. 600 CDs now put happily out of sight in a closet as archive.
- Linksys NSLU2 network storage link for USB2 hard drives. Two 300GB hard drives connected - one for primary use and second one for nightly backup. This device is extremely handy, very inexpensive, and does the job, although I have to admit that overall quality is less than I'd like; glitchy, counter-intuitive firmware, and low-spec'd hardware, but: once setup it's stable and does what it needs to do reliably.
- SlimDevices Squeezebox3 music player. High audio quality, great design, great concept, versatile, and growable to whole-house audio.
running into:
- Audio Note DAC, then into the receiver (HT 7.1; the system also serves as the family HT)
Since setting this up I've listened to more of my music collection than I've listened to in years. Quality-wise, even with a cheap-ola receiver and speakers, hands-down beats my old mid-grade (denon/nakamichi/linn/b&o) stereo system. A pleasure to listen to and even more of a pleasure, fun actually, to use.
Have a set of Amphion speakers on the way, and eventually I'll pull the trigger on something like the Outlaw or Rotel HT separates.
I am VERY happy with this whole setup. Only drawback might be, for some, that one computer in the house needs to act as the server to which the Squeezebox connects. I don't personally find this to be a problem. This system doesn't need to be particularly robust, an older unused computer or laptop would do fine.