famoej

I'm having a similar problem. I have the free version (original). In audio preferences it notes output, hdmi and my King Rex converter. I get audio for the first 2 settings but no audio output when I set it to King Rex. Also- is the free version much different than the free with regard to organizing the music? Seems like it simply lists music without reason

seems pretty logical to me- I am still the proud owner of a few hundred GD bootlegs (the rest have vanished). Many of these shows are now available but many are not. I do own a nice direct drive 3 head player that I use in my basement and would like to get these tapes transferred before they fade to dust. I am going to guess that running the outs to the microphone jack on the mini using audacity would work but not certain. Also have an old link dac and I think it has analog inputs- would that help???

are you not the same elf as in stereo exchange- not fair- Oh... I love the Harbeth

Well- this topic spans beyond servers, but I thought that since we are all revved up by this new venue, I would post here. If our two channel nirvana is to have a fantastic yet simple system that conveyed music at it's best, why are we all so crazy about every new "must have" item marketed to us. We always talk about keeping the chain simple yet we seem to look to add tons of tweaks that push us further away from our goal. I just added to a thread regarding bus vs ac powered drives. I need one and don't know which would be best. I would have thought bus is best because it uses a common current to power it. Speed during playback??? Now it's drives to back up drives to back up drives. I want more for adding less! This hobby is a marketers wet dream. It's all about the music-As I type this, I am listening to a great sax with Garcia player lead- it's sounds like heaven

I am also looking for a new drive. Apple suggested that I manage my collection from an external source. I currently run a new mac mini as a dedicated server and convert the usb to spdif uses a kingrex 32/192. I would prefer to use bus power as it is an easy to use interface without adding additional cables and in my mind, one less source of interference. Does speed matter for play back- I don't think so... AC powered drives are faster for transfer. Either for burning or HD Tracks type sources. Not sure if that is such a big deal. I would love to be able to just plug in a slick little 1T bus drive and get all my music (or most of it anyway) onto the drive. Thoughts?

I have finally put together what I think will be a great music server. Mac Mini into King Rex spdif converter into my Parasound Halo C2. The mini will be here monday so I have been using my mac book pro for music. Once the Mini arrives, I will install pure music. What I do not understand is that when the signal is fed from the king rex to the halo, the halo identifies the signal as PCM. My CD player does not when using another dig input, nor does my cable box. This only appears with the sqeazexbox and computer. I don't know if there is anything wrong with this, but I am under the impression the PCM is compressed in some why. How can I alter this, if at all possible or does it not really matter. As an aside. I purchased an iDac, but felt the sound was thin. The King Rex using the Halo's dacs sound much better to my ear. Looking for guidance

Seems to me this should be the start of an interesting string- Might be a bit early, but no time like the present to stir the pot. I have reads tons of posts regarding music servers. You can't buy a stereophile mag w/o seeing something about USB. I guess they have jumped on board. The market is filled with products that claim to remove vibrations and unwanted interference- a must. It would make sense that SSD would be IT! Unfortunately, the SSD's current storage capacity is paultry. We all know this will change down the road, but for those itching for the next big thing.... OSX users (i am one) need not apply at the moment as there is a conflict that greatly degrades performance. The lifespan on non-dram storage type is limited (I'm not a tech guy so don't ask me why), but the thing does not spin so I would assume it to be a great storage platform that needs work. I am certain that their are techies on the site who know a lot about this and I am anxious to have them share their thoughts.

While I have not heard this DAC yet, I would say that unless it is built as an asynchronus DAC- it will never aproach to $900 WL Proton. If you don't have an asynchronus DAC then why not simply buy an Olive and streamline the entire chain. They just came out with the model 3 with a 500g drive and the 4 is 2T FOR $1999--Oh Yeh...they will even load 500 discs for you for free

I have been trying come up with solution to building my server system. I have the old link dac in the basement but would need to use a toslink converter for the mini. I could buy the rdac as well. What power supply would you suggest as I am sure almost anythng is better than the walwart.

nice LP- What to do... I really don't think you need to spend 3k on a DAC. I know there will be some tradeoffs as at that price point they are using lesser components but I still believe that great sound with low jitter can be had. Someone need just point the way. Not using as a hp amp, so I don't want volume and the remote has little value to me. Keep Listening

might MF improve the performance of the USB input. Whats the point if your intention is to run this from a MAC Mini using usb when you can't take advantage of your hi-rez files???

Just remember all the variables when auditioning anything. The acoustics of your room will sound completely different than a showroom. Also consider listening position. My take would be to audition whatever you can in your own home. That way you have the best chance at an accurate assessment. Also, when trying to do A/B comparisons, you should only listen to short selections as the human brain can retain short passage differences better than you might expect.

Thanks for all the responses. I guess it will be a bit of trial and error. My MACBook Pro will act as the server which I can add additional drives for storage. As I mentioned, I currently use the Squeezebox via wifi and the dig out of the SQBX into my McIntosh MX132's dig in. All my cables have been selected based on my sound tastes (as opposed to stereophile article about the entire chain being the same, I run a mix of types). If I keep the SQBX as the receiving/control unit, am I limited to 16 bit 44.4 sound as the SQBX states? If that is the case then I guess the only way to improve this part of the system would be to run a dig cable direct to my McIntosh. Can I do that? Looks like I will be spending a lot of time reading this site!! :-) Phil

I am about 30 minutes into this site so this will be my first posting. At the end of the day (never put that on a resume) , it's all about music. I tell my friends that as long as it sounds good to you, it's good. There are MANY of us always looking for the next best thing in sound or at least another reason to spend money on what one would hope will bring it to the next level. This leads me to this post. I want it to sound good. I want to take all my redbook/sacd titles and file them onto a huge drive in order to access/play them on my system. Now it would seem to me that most all have a computer, whether it be a mac which I prefer or a PC. All of us have the basis of a music server. The price of DACS range from $150-I must be crazy. The last I read, the quality of USB cables is mediocre at best. Someone tell me things have changed please. If that is the case, then the end result can only be as good as the best cable, correct??? I happen to have a squeezebox which sounds ok, but gets the job done. I can stream tons of internet radio and locals that I can't get through my system without FM static. I do notice limited dynamics, but again, it's not for hard core listening, just tunes. I have attempted to improve the sound by running the dig out into my Mc mx132 but aren't I not limited by the squeezebox? I guess, if you spend big money on an Olive or Naim, eliminating the mac and the USB would create a high-end system, I guess. There is just so much BLA BLA BLA out there that I do not know who speaks with fork tung. Hope some genius can enlighten me. Thx