starcat

Yes, just to XLD for the conversion to AIFF as Max IGNORES TAGS WHEN CONVERTING TO AIFF. This has been said numerous times. XLD is far superior in converting FLAC to AIFF. It can delete source files, it can also add the AIFF files to iTunes, it can also split flac/cuesheet files to single AIFF files while inserting all Tags including cover art!!

What is the benefit of using the CA04 solution? I mean for that money you can get instead of the Thecus a Qnap (running directly SlimCenter) and a Transporter as frontend and you are all set!? If you need Remote-like Apple iPhone/iPod there is iPeng for the Squeeze devices! This is a much better solution with a lot lower count on boxes laying around. Cheers<br />

I can also highly recommend XLD for conversions. It will show an error if the source file is not perfect (skips, etc). It supports full tag transfer into/from AIFF and can also split single flac/cue into multiple files.

If your target format is AIFF (instead of ALAC, Apple Lossless Codec), then try to use XLD whenever possible instead of Max as it handles and transfers all tags correctly within the AIFF container (which Max can not do). Also, use XLD if you have a single flac/cue and want to convert it to multiple files (ALAC or AIFF). It is even puts the cover art into the generated new files. <br /> <br /> edit: If you want to open multiple files to batch convert within XLD, just cmd-O and then select the root directory structure holding all the files. Within the preferences you may restrict to open only specified file extensions.

Max is excellent for FLAC to ALAC conversion, however it do not handle tags when converting to AIFF. Just to let you know in case you have tags and want to preserve them.

One more side comment regarding tagging: use Picard http://musicbrainz.org/doc/PicardTagger instead of iTunes. Use it with FLAC files before converting them with MAX to ALC/AIFF. Picard can rename and move files based on tags inside, can also automatically add tags from filenames, etc.

To overcome the Alias Problem Max (and other apps) are having you have to use a (unix) symbolic link. This is made within the terminal with the ln -s command (check out the man page by typing 'man ln'). Symbolic links look to *all* processes (and programs) as if they were real files or directories. An Alias is actually a file with special attribues which not all programs are able to read. Most of them see a file and creates their own (just ignoring the Alias).

Jasper, forget about the iTunes server thing as there is no iTunes server (only a monolithic app for Windows and Mac OS X), everything else is kind of UPnP linux service *for* iTunes. The best thing you can do is: you install SlimCenter directly on your Qnap (http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=44325), then you install as many Squeezebox Duet, Receiver, Box, Boom or Transport clients from SlimDevices (http://www.slimdevices.com/) throughout your home as audio-only clients. They all can play directrly from your Qnap (running the SlimCenter server software, remember) either different tracks or peferctly synced together (in a so-called party mode). You control each client through the server, i.e. you use either your iPhone (iPeng App, same look and feel as Apple Remote for iTunes), Squeezbox Controller, any Web browser or web enabled device or AMX TouchPanels (both cheaper G3 and/or more expensive G4 panels and there is a readymade Netlinx module for them which I am using too). This is the most advanced and flexible solution! I am using the Transporter in my B+W 801 stereo-only setup and Squeezebox Receiver for each room. I am controlling 2-way with full feedback and *at the same time* with iPhone iPeng, AMX TPs and Web browser, depending on where I am and what I am doing (from all this interfaces you may control any client). In case you don't need the Squeezebox Controller for control, you don't to buy the Duet (SB Receiver including the Controller), just get the SB Receivers standalone and use Net-UDAP (http://projects.robinbowes.com/Net-UDAP/trac/wiki/GettingStarted) to configure/setup them without the SB Controller). Then, you may want to use iTunes too. Set it up in a way that it loads its files from the Qnap, manage all your playlists from iTunes, etc. Then, setup the SlimCenter server software on the Qnap to (1) rescan the iTunes lib (files on the Qnap) for changes (and make it available to all SB clients) as often as you wish and if you wish (2) to import all playlist from iTunes! This is a killer solution and there is nothing better available, as you have (1) total control of everthing from everywhere, (2) plays all file formats (iTunes don't do flac), (3) cheap but very high quality clients available, (4) all of them are able to play sync'ed, (5) a high-end client with 24/96 kHz is available too (SB Transporter), etc, etc. The Transporter is also used in this, probably most expensive $6 Mio install: http://blog.audiovideointeriors.com/208great/ more details here http://www.kipnis-studios.com/The_Kipnis_Studio_Standard/Equipment.html To answer your questions directly, you can't execte anything else but iTunes in order to have an Airport Express to sync to it. The piece of software called "iTunes server" on any NAS box is a linux package which is not from Apple, but an UPnP server and it do not work with Airport Express clients (connections is proprietary to Apple). Then, Airport Express only syncs to the master iTunes, there is no way it can play something different, and I am also not sure if you can use more than one Airport Express with iTunes, I believe you can't. You don't need any soundcard on the Qnap NAS, it is a server only thing! You need sound capability in your clients (for playing the data they ger from your NAS/server). Have fun! PS: SlimCenter doesn't run on any NAS, so don't buy boxes with limited software support (Lacie, Thecus, Drobo with Ethershare comes to mind). The best you can do is get a Qnap, ReadyNAS or any linux, Mac or Windows box and set it up as a server. In my eyes there best are the Qnap's. SlimCenter is opensource and there is excellent support for it.

Absolutely amazing and highly recommended. I can advise anyone prior spending $3k on an esoteric USB converter with "very low jitter", please do you a favor and invest in top speakers, then in amps and *then* in anything like DAC or transport. You will get incredibly better sound spending $3k on speakers and $200 on something like the UD-10.1 than the other way round! This is even more valid for $100 USB cables.

Hey Chris, was wondering if you have got the UD-10.1 and can comment already? Thanks and greetings

I have heard lot of high-end DACs like Levinsons, Lavry's, EMM labs and was *anyway* more than excited how well a $200 Behringer SRC2496 can sound!! I haven't had the chance to do A/B in the same systemm, thus I asked?!

This is a highly recommend 24/96 DAC (not upsamling) with volume control, all kind of digital inputs and chinch and balanced outputs. It even has a headamp in there. Just connect to power amps and you are done (not that powerful and matched to your speakers so that the volume control is at least kind of 50..60%). But remember the speakers are the most important part of your system. Try to spend about 50% of your budget in there. Followed by the amp. Get a class-A amp if you can (and there are small amps like Musical Fidelity A20 which operate in class-A). Listen to B&W speakers, if you can afford try to find used Nautilus 805 (now the new 805D is out so that you can find them on ebay for less than $1k). You can not get this quality somewhere else and those are used as reference speakers in a lot of very prestigeous studios all the way up to the $20k N800.

Steve, you are talking about USB but there are a lot of Firewire interfaces too - any comment on them?

Steve, why do you assume that no buffering and re-clocking takes place? The Weiss DACs does this, just as an example.

but there is NO jitter associated with USB cables, period. I understand you have to be on your sponsors side, this is ok. Sorry, but arguments valid for cables in general and especially for analog cables are of no interest with asynchronous data cables. If USB would alter data so would network cable alter data too. Of course there are different qualities cables, like shielded or not shielded, thicker AWG, rated for higher speeds, better insulation, installation quality, etc, but everything else like the "audiophile" nonsense associated to USB and network cables is really only to mislead consumers buying expensive "high-end" USB cables. Noone in the pro-industry *mastering* the music we are listeing to would accept this s***t. And Chris, I am by no means sarcastic, I was just into understanding what is the impact of audiophile grade network cable as I actually care for the whole reproduction chain and if I was going to swap the USB cable I have to swap the network cable too.