What Music Server Are We All Using?

RamZet

Well, what Music servers do we all have in our homes, what do you like and dislike about them?

I have:
Sonos Zone Player
LogicTech Transporter
Savant SMS-001A-00 (Autonomic product)
Autonomic MMS-2A
(Removed, BlueSound Node2)

Nightfall

I plug this



into here

RamZet

My favorite interface is hands down the Sonos. Sonos has created the best interface but the product is limited to 16bit 1440 flac files.

My favorite to look at is the Logitech Transporter. This thing has a goofy but super simple interface on the front that can be navigated with a remote. However you can also use the web browser or a custom control system like Crestron or Savant. The built in AKM DAC is a giant bonus too, unit sounds awesome. I really like all the digital inputs they put on that device.

Savant single zone server is cool in its own way because of how well it integrates into a Savant audio system.
Sound quality is only as good as the 3.5mm output you're limited too. This is not a HiFi device but its not bad either.

Autonomic MMS-2A can be used from a tablet, phone, web browser, Crestron, Savant, and other control systems.
This things doesn't have the highest quality DAC but it does offer three zones of audio. The first zone is a Coax Digital output, second zone is a RCA analog out, and the third is USB to any USB DAC you may have.
One player will let you stream three different sources at the same time.
(MMS-5A will allow for 6 zones)

What I am really excited for is the release of Savant 8. Savant and Sonos are owned by the same hedge fund company (KKR), the new Savant/Autonomic interface looks just like the Sonos but with all the flexibility of a MMS.

I had some time with a Node2, it was awesome. It felt like a mix of the MMS and Sonos.

RamZet

Nightfall wrote: »

I plug this



into here

That is awesome, the Oppo stuff really is some of the best stuff out there.

Nightfall

It sure makes it simple to be able to play everything from a USB drive. If I had more than one setup in more than one room that all needed to stream the same media I'd be looking into a setup like you have but since It's just the one stereo/HT setup there really isn't any need for it.

FTGV

An ASUS desktop running JRiver MC.USB output feeds an async USB-SPDIF convertor which then feeds one of four DAC's.Choice depending upon mood.

BlueFox

Lumin S1, PCM and DSD with integrated DAC. Doesn't get much better than this.

FTGV

BlueFox wrote: »

Lumin S1, PCM and DSD with integrated DAC. Doesn't get much better than this.

A nice piece of audio engineering that.

trj

Strange this topic came up. Just yesterday I put all my digital audio video in a powered external hard drive. Connected it to the USB port of my router. Now its my media server. I can access everything from any device connected to my router.
Raspberry pi, blu-ray player, phones, computers, tablets, receivers, you name it. I can access my media with any device. Need to setup a VPN so I can access it from anywhere. Amazingly raspberry pi (OSMC loaded) can decode almost any AV codec and feed it to my receiver. Of course its not an OPPO quality DAC, but having everything in a single place is so much easier and I can add a USB DAC to Raspberry pi if I want to.
Not having to spend so much for NAS and having a similar usability is awesome. Plus the hard drive connected to USB goes to sleep when its not being accessed. So, its not spinning all the time.
I am using a cheap Wireless router; Western Digital N750 and a toshiba canvio powered external hard drive. For how cheap that router and hard drive is, I am very very happy.

Oh, my printer is connected to the second USB port of the router. So, yah its my print server too

D'prived

Stream from this...



To this Yamaha NP-S2000



Using a Samsung 7" tablet as the controller with the Yamaha app.

tonyb

Lots of ways to skin that cat today. I have two Sonos players, one being a Cullen modded unit.

I wanted simple, and great software, and the Sonos fits that bill. So easy a caveman can do it, to steal a slogan.

steveinaz

WD USB Ext Hard drive---->Oppo BDP-103---->Benchmark DAC2
flac files.

machone

Powered USB external hard drive>>>Dell M4400 laptop running JRiver>>>Marantz 8005 SACD via USB.

98Badger

Home built pc running JRiver. Ethernet connection to Marantz 7702 and SoTM SMS-100. Love the significant boost in sq compared to Hdmi. Only complaint is that there is a few second delay using the Marantz when starting/changing tracks. No issue with the SoTM. IMO, if you are using computer audio without Ethernet, you are missing out on better sq.

machone

After looking at Nightfall's post I see that I can use a externally powered USB drive and connect directly to the Marantz SA8005. I have used this port with a thumb drive but never with a hard drive.
Interesting.

afterburnt

Laptop to Parasound P5 via USB the other systems use wifi up pertable hard drives when the wifi act up

Moose68Bash

Synology DiskStation 713+ with 2 x WD Red 4TB HDs, using Audio Station ---->
Ethernet ---->
PS Audio Bridge I ---->
PS Audio DirectStream DAC or
PS Audio PerfectWave DAC II or
PS Audio PerfectWave DAC I.

AIFF files.

Nightfall

machone wrote: »

After looking at Nightfall's post I see that I can use a externally powered USB drive and connect directly to the Marantz SA8005. I have used this port with a thumb drive but never with a hard drive.
Interesting.

I believe with Marantz you just have to make sure the drive is formatted in FAT32 and not NTFS. I could be wrong on that though, check the manual. FAT32 limits maximum single file size to 2 gig.

DaveHo

Synology NAS streaming to a Pioneer N50 in the main rig & a Chromecast Audio in the bedroom setup.

billbillw

A pair of 2TB Hitachi enterprise drives (RAID1) in a Zyxel NSA325 for storage. To playback, its PC or Laptop running Foobar 2000.

Desktop uses Foobar to Sony UDA-1 DAC to playback.

Main 2-ch system uses an old Dell Latitude D830 with a Digigram VX Pocket sound card (PCMCIA) connected to the amp with balanced cables.

Pretty low cost, all around due to re-purposed hardware.

What I like is the nearly unlimited storage (out of 2TB, only 1/4 full), the ability to play back on any network connected device (I can play through Kodi or my Yamaha receiver as well).
What I don't like, at least with the main 2-ch system (laptop) is the lack of remote control for the laptop when playing. Also, I have to set the laptop on top of my turntable dust cover. It works, but its not the best looking setup. Unfortunately, the balanced cables are not long enough to bring the laptop back to my listening area. I suppose I could get longer ones...

vcwatkins

Samsung 4tb USB3 >> Roon >> Bryston BDP-1 (ethernet to TP-Link WiFi Extender), Squeezebox Touches, FireTV's

gce

I network this...


To this...


But hope to someday have this...

recoveryone

Squeezebox system setup throughout the house:

4 touch
1 classic
1duet
LMS running on dell GTX 660 duo core 3.0 4gig ram ext HD 500 gig win7
in garage.

polk500

recoveryone wrote: »

Squeezebox system setup throughout the house:

4 touch
1 classic
1duet
LMS running on dell GTX 660 duo core 3.0 4gig ram ext HD 500 gig win7
in garage.

Same here, well not quite just one squeeze box, but I've tried a couple of ways Sonus, Jriver. But SB analog to my Yamaha 2040, using the Ipeng 9 app so simple sounds so good.

Cheers

ukcolin99

Mac Pro 3.1 containing all my cds, in iTunes ALAC, via usb2 into Cambridge 851D.
Managed on iPad mini using Remote app. Albums, Playlists & single songs with instant album art, immediate play, in my hand.
Height of laziness, really simple, works very well & sounds good to me.

RamZet

Nightfall wrote: »

It sure makes it simple to be able to play everything from a USB drive. If I had more than one setup in more than one room that all needed to stream the same media I'd be looking into a setup like you have but since It's just the one stereo/HT setup there really isn't any need for it.

I have the Savant audio server running my kitchen, bathroom, living room, deck, and back yard via Savant audio matrix switch ( fancy preamp).

The rest just go in and out of my 2ch rig for fun.

RamZet

Anyone using a AudioRequest ARQ or have they all died by now?

Another cool server I have used (and install) is an actual Savant system itself. The control system runs from a Mac Mini and with that it enables you to use it as a music server.
You get 4 independent streams of iTunes from the HDMI cable and you can use a display port to HDMI cable to add more.
So you connect this host to a Savant matrix switch and it enables the GUI to navigate the iTunes collection on the host.
A cool part of that is iTunes match and iTunes itself , when ever you buy a song on any of your Apple devices it will download the song automatically to the server because the server is just running iTunes.

Thorton

Sonos > Dac > Prepro. Easy peasy Japanesey + it sounds great too.

DarqueKnight

Home Theater:

Bryston BDP-1 via coax connection to Sony TA-E9000ES digital preamp/processor.
BDP-1 is controlled with a Dell Venue Pro 7140 tablet.

No dislikes.
Likes: Sound quality, can be controlled from any computer on my home LAN.

2 Channel System

Bryston BDP-2 via AES connection to a dCS Debussy DAC. Output of BDP-2 is synched to a dCS Puccini word clock.

BDP-2 is controlled with a Dell Venue Pro 7140 tablet.

Dislikes: Cannot insert a gap between songs (required by the Debussy to avoid muting the first couple of seconds of the next song if it has a different sampling rate).

Likes: Sound quality, can be controlled from any computer on my home LAN.

Office System

Bryston BDP-2 via USB and coax connection to a Bryston BDA-3 DAC.
BDP-2 is controlled with a Dell Venue Pro 7140 tablet.

Dislikes: The BDA-3 only does DSD via the USB connection, and the AES and coax outputs are better sounding than the USB. The BDP-2 outputs DSD via coax, AES, and USB.

Likes: Sound quality.

BDP-2 is controlled with a Dell Venue Pro 7140 tablet.

thsmith

Mac Mini using Amarra, USB to W4S DAC 2, using Ipad to headlessly control MM.

No dislikes.

Like how simple and reliable it is.

SCompRacer

Signature Series Sonore Server with Deux Power Supply. Fanless and headless. SoTM USB card, SATA power filter, hard drive isolation box. One PS for 'putie, one for USB. Vortexbox 2.4 (Fedora release 23, 64 bit Linux). Updated with msata 1/2 card SSD boot drive and 6TB music storage drive.







Connects to Sonore USB to I2S card in diy BIII DAC. The module sports isolation from USB input and reclocking with low noise clocks. It was designed to be used with an ESS Sabre chip and has optional (via dipswitch) 8x/4x/2x oversampling using a semi minimum phase design for reduced pre-ringing. I run it in sync mode, with OSF on, that is using clock on USB board with ESS Sabre clock disabled and OS turned off. Supports 44.1 KHz-384 KHz PCM and 2.8 MHz (DSD64) to 22.5 MHz (DSD512) DSD.



I control it from 10" Samsung tablet, also has android apps available like BubbleUPnP. The server has LMS, Plex and MinimServer loaded on it.

The best digital I've had here so far. Dead quiet.

Drawbacks, no room for more drives once the 6TB is filled. But I can use Minim Server in Sonore Server to point to an external drive or NAS.