jh901 wrote: > Michanders are first class! I sent my cables out Monday and Analysis > Plus called today to confirm that they'll be shipping them back so that > I might get them before the holiday. Great service. > > Meantime, I've added -Monk's Dream- and -Tijuana Moods- (Mingus) to my > jazz collection. ORG has released these two with original mastering > work and the result is fantastic. > > As to the original thread topic, well, I wouldn't know how to get a > productive discussion going. I did try. The market for audiophile > servers is heating up and with any luck the competition will result in > affordable excellence in no time. Of course, that leads us into a DAC > discussion of the top units today. Nagra, for example, worked with > Andreas Koch in the somewhat recent past. I wonder how theirs will > compare to the hot products from Lampizator?
Please note: this response is not meant to start a flame war. First off - those are two truly excellent recordings by two true jazz giants. As for audiophile servers perhaps there should be a discussion about whether or not many of these so called servers are actually even servers in the Squeezebox sense of server. By Squeezebox sense of server I am referring to the following characteristics: A central server (computer) which is able to stream via Ethernet or WiFi to a playback device or devices which are located near and connected to stereo system. These devices are capable of displaying information about the files being played. A central server which maintains a well organized database of the files in one's music library. A central server where new files can be added to the music library (and database) by several method - direct ripping of a CD/DVD/SACD or purchasing a download. The ability to control the central in many different ways - at the playback device, via a computer or smartphone/tablet app. Based on the above characteristics many of the current crop of audiophile servers are not servers at all. For example many of these audiophile servers are nothing more than a simple computer (motherboard, DVD drive, hard drive) sitting in some fancy case. One places a CD into the drive and rips the files onto the hard drive. The tagging ability is worse than bad and the device's ability to create a useable database and music library is, at best, laughable and. at worst, completely useless. Many of these devices have no streaming capabilities at all and simply connected to only one stereo via analog outputs. Many of handful units that can actually stream rely on the UPnP/DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) protocol, which as anyone has ever tried use this protocol knows, is pretty much worthless. So in other words, for the vast majority of audiophile servers what one is actually getting is either an overpriced, underpowered single function computer (the former above) or a DAC which only really works with some form of USB drive and no real music library functions. Now if I am mistaken and there is actually an audiophile server presently available that successfully replicates all the functionality of the Squeezebox system please let me know. However please do not quote me from some review from one of the audiophile publications or from the manufacturers literature but rather from an independent source such as a user forum or customer review. Living Rm: Transporter-SimAudio pre/power amps-Vandersteen 3A Sign. & sub Home Theater: Touch-Marantz HTR-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Linn sub Computer Rm: Touch-Headroom Desktop w/DAC-Aragon amp-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Energy sub Bedroom: Touch-HR Desktop w/DAC-Audio Refinement amp-Energy Veritas 2.0 Guest Rm: Duet-Sony soundbar Garage: SB3-JVC compact system Controls: iPeng; SB Controller; Moose & Muso Server: SBS on dedicated windows 7 computer w/2 Drobos 'Last.fm' (http://www.last.fm/user/jazzfann/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ralphpnj's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10827 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=96407 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
