markg

I have a couple different machines. I use my dual boot Linux/Vista machine for ripping. At the moment I use dbPowerAmp for ripping and for bulk tag editing (under Vista). I'm a big Linux advocate, but there are a lot of great free tools for Windows as well.

I too have an older Wadia 861se. Mine happens to be modified by Great Northern Sound as well. It sounds fantastic, even in comparison to my BADA2. I use an Alpha USB at the moment to drive either the 861se or the BADA2. Note that Wadia is now offering a USB input card for the 861 series. I'm not aware of the costs associated with that upgrade. I'd be surprised if Wadia could better the various outboard USB-AES/EBU converters though (e.g. Wavelength, Berkeley, etc.). And it's still a 96/24 solution. If you're going to spend all that time and money on a new laptop, why not just buy a dedicated server for less money. A Auraliti PK90 with SDD and stripped Linux OS is far less than a new laptop, and will sound much better. Same can be said for a Bryston BDP-1 or even a used Transporter. I'd probably hang onto the Wadia at 96/24 until ready to drop a similiar amount on a new 192 capable DAC, of which there are now many great choices. If you limit yourself to the hi-res music that you really would buy regardless of resolution, the choices are still fairly limited compared to 44.1/16. My goal is to maximize the sound quality of my existing (extensive) collection of 44.1/16 material first. Good luck. For what it's worth, I'm typing this on a dual boot Linux/Vista box. It was painless to setup. But Linux sysAdmin does require some basic geek skills.

Is there any reason not to use the 1.24 digital filter for 16/44.1 material. The Alpha Dac2 defaults to filter 1.16 for 44.1 material, but the 1.24 filter sounds a little more natural to me. A little more bloom, less dry or less analytical. Have other experimented with these two filters for 44.1 material?

The new Pioneer unit looks interesting, and there are three price points. The ZP90 is hard to beat at $350. Of course a used PC works great if you are capable. They all have their own trade-offs and limitiations.

I'd question the value in making upgrades to a ZP90. The money seems better spent on a PK90 or similiar. The ZP90 ultimately will be limited by what it is, and how it was made. The ZP90 is an excellent piece of equipment (I still own one), but it's CPU and circuitry were designed to handle 44/16. If you really have a need for hi-rez, then I'd look at another option. The ZP90 is hard to beat for casual listening, and multi-zone operation.

Whether it's worth the extra cost is only a question you can answer. The interface on the Mac will be nicer, but that might not matter to you. There are functional differences that you need to consider. The Mac can render hi rez files, where as the Sonos box is limited to to 44.1/16. Don't know if that matters to you. Unless you really spend a lot of time tailoring the mini, and minimizing the software footprint on it, the ultimate sound quality, through external DAC's will be about the same. Do you already have a DAC that can handle either the Mini or the Sonos? Will you stream 96/24 or higher files, do you need Sonos specific features (e.g. multizone). Does the improved user interface of Mac software provide enough value to you, to justify the added cost. Unless you really have a need for another computer, ignore that, as using for that will degrade the sound quality (and a computer is obsolete the day you buy it). Unless you have a high end rig, and spend a lot of time tailoringing the mini, the sound quality, using an external DAC, will be a wash. I've listened to Mini's, but I own a Sonos ZP90, and an Auraliti PK90.