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What's my ideal music server? Read and recommend please

Right now I use a MacBook Pro as my server, and it drives my DAC. My MacBook Pro is getting cranky, it's storage is so full I don't have space to do a current Mac update and I am beginning to think better sound quality can be achieved than a MacBook Pro via USB to a DAC. I use JRiver media center, v.27, and right now, my JRiver and MacBook Pro aren't working properly together as I keep loosing the proper MIDI setting and get no audio output.

I'm aware of the Aurender N100H. I know that uses a USB output and I'm starting to wonder if USB is my best bet. Then I see the Aurender N100C which has a digital coax out, but that output is derived from the USB, so what's the point?

My wish list- probably no less than 2 TB storage; got to be easy to use in terms of getting music into it and playing music (downloading music from say HDTracks to JRiver is the bleeding edge of my technical skills); sound quality has to be first rate. I would also be interested in a server that has a BNC output, as a regular coaxial output can never be a true 75 ohm connection but a BNC can be. 

So- what should I have on my short list? Recommend away please, and thanks-
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cleeds
5,659 posts
 
rockrider
@cleeds experience is irrelevant to me no matter how many times he repeats it.
That’s as it should be! Similarly, your experience is irrelevant to me. However, my information may have relevance to someone still making a decision. That’s the point.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
I went from a PC based set up to an Aurender N10 and the N10 blew it away in both ease of use, lack of needing to be a network admin to get things going, and a definite sound improvement.  I would KEEP AWAY from USB at ANY and ALL costs as the USB interface truly sucks from a sound perspective.  USB is effected by almost every computer process which causes jitter and other digital remnants that you don't want going through your dac.  
sacman
125 posts
 
I have 10TB of music sitting inside a Synology NAS but personally, the best/ideal music server is TIDAL
mgrif104
328 posts
 
@cerrot 

The sound quality of USB is highly system dependent. There are plenty of high quality DACs for which the manufacturer is recommending USB as the preferred connection. Certainly, If I were using a traditional computer as a source, I would agree with you and convert from USB to S/PDIF to the DAC to reduce noise.  However, with a high quality server/streamer such as the N10 you have,  it will really be dependent on your DAC.  In my own applications, I’ve found USB (with a decent cable - it makes a difference) to be better than S/PDIF - even when the latter was an expensive 75 ohm digital cable in the preferred 1.5M length.   Fortunately our the various servers many of us have are able to output in most any flavor so that the user can try for themselves. 
ejr1953
895 posts
 
I have enjoyed using a Roon Nucleus Plus server for a while now, I've used Roon for several years (at first on a Dell laptop/PS Audio DirectStream DAC), and the Roon server sounds significantly better.

For my purchased music I purchased a pair of Western Digital 4 TB USB external hard drives (a primary & a backup), back it up to the Google cloud and Carbonite.  I use iTunes to record as AIFF files, not the best interface (I must go into each recording and correct/add metadata fields and sometimes the album art).

I have a subscription to Qobuz and most of the time stream, especially when a master is available that is newer than the one I've recorded.

I have friends who are very happy with their Aurender servers, another great option!
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