Archimago wrote: > JH901. Have you not been running a computer music server all this time!? > Did you used to own a Squeezebox? > > Missing out man! It doesn't cost much to buy a simple quiet/silent > computer and storage these days and start the ripping/tagging process! > Invest in a good DAC and you'll be able to use it when you transfer > things over to the machine you intend to upgrade to in a year or 2 if > you're waiting for the market to mature! Of course, from my perspective > sound quality is a function of the DAC, not the computer itself... > You'll also have gained useful experience in the computer server > hardware/software world and figure out what works for you and what > doesn't. This will of course help when you look at the different > computers on offer and the kind of platform they run off.
I could not agree more! The Squeezebox ecosystem is very mature, robust and yet very flexible. As I stated earlier many audiophile music servers are little more than an overpriced media server computer. They do not offer Ethernet or WiFi streaming to other locations and depend on sub-par third party programs to handle the music library management functions. Here are several good examples of how the Squeezebox ecosystem can be used to good advantage, all based on my present set up. 1) Expandable - at present I have four (4) external hard drives connected to the computer which is running LMS (Logitech Media Server) and may soon be adding a fifth hard drive. LMS has no trouble seeing, scanning or accessing these hard drives. 2) Streaming to multiple locations - at present I have seven (7) Squeezebox devices located throughout my house and when I run iPeng on either my iPhone or iPad, each of these then becomes yet another "Squeezebox device", capable of accessing and playing audio file in my LMS music library. In several of these locations I use some type external DAC, either a stand alone DAC or the built-in DAC of a home theater receiver. The ability to use an external DAC makes the Squeezebox devices somewhat future proof. 3) Third party apps - this wonderful feature should NOT be overlooked. At present I use both Moose and Muso to both select music to play and control any of the various Squeezebox devices. Plus Muso provides handy access to the graphic and information files that are an important part of my music library. And of course iPeng - a first rate iPhone/iPad controller app. And speaking of Ipeng - I recently purchased a blue tooth "boom box" for use on my backyard deck and by having iPeng turn my iPhone into a Squeezebox player I can now stream any music from my LMS library to the boom box. Pretty damn cool! (LMS -> WiFi -> iPhone running iPeng -> blue tooth -> boom box (or any other blue tooth audio system). 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
