pwhartman

Using your laptop as the sever is the most robust option. The Touch has a "mini" version of the server software and does not handle large collections of music very well.

I also have a Touch and am generally very happy with it. I would not, however, use the built-in server on the Touch to access a large hard drive, it will not operate well and at best very sluggishly. The built-in server (I believe) is more for the spur of the moment when a friend comes over and wants you to listen to some new music that he has on a USB thumb drive. The Touch really shines when the server software resides on a computer or NAS. Hope this helps. Paul

It allows AU plug-ins which should give you access to several high quality EQ options and it works with in conjunction with iTunes.

I saw these as well; interesting idea... I had a couple of concerns: it is USB and my DAC is USB and would like to keep everything else off the USB controller. Also, what is the CPU overhead and would this affect Pure Music performance. There is only a beta driver for Snow Leopard. This device is meant as a secondary monitor; don't know how it would function as primary display. I have been considering contacting the company but haven't done so yet. Paul

If you are looking for desktop (nearfield) speakers I would suggest the Focal XS system. Chris posted a nice review a while back. Not in the same league as the AVI but neither is the price and it is visually a very clean system as well. The satellites are on pedestals at ear height rather than sitting on the desk so imaging, etc. is right on.