I have been using an SB3 for the last 30 months. I have been extremely happy with the SB3, and later my Boom, but have never been entirely happy with the ripping/ tagging/ storage/ distribution side. I want good quality sound but I want the hardware to fade into the background so I do not feel the urge to keep tinkering with it. To me that is the great advantage of digital storage and replay - the music comes first and is accessible.
I have been down a few blind alleys with the hardware/software side. PC/SqueezeCenter worked ok but I don't want or need my PC on all the time. Mac/SqueezeCenter worked ok but I do not really want a music server running on my iMac all the time. Ubuntu-Server/SqueezeCenter worked best of all on a dedicated Dell server (cheap but fast) at the expense of noise and electricity waste. Netgear NAS: worked but too slow for me especially when using iPeng. I have used dbPowerAmp for ripping to FLAC but I find it a slightly odd product in that it works well but installation and upgrade can be confusing and their website does not inspire confidence in me. The tagging side is just a pain in the proverbial. For some reason I ended up with a good fraction of my tracks seen as compilation tracks, even Jaikoz (bought to fix this problem) showed the flag was not set. As I approach retirement and need to cut costs, I decided to review all the boxes I had around the house consuming electricity and to try to cut our running costs. The SB fans will not like the result. I realised I could do everything with an Apple TV (previously a disappointment but we had one anyway), active speakers and iTunes on our iMac, with an iPod Touch to control it all. I might hang on to dbPowerAmp for Accurate Rip and then convert FLAC to Apple Lossless. So far I have had no problems with the usability and while I have doubts about the ripping side of iTunes I have no doubts about its ability to manage my library, create playlists and deliver the songs. It "just works" for me and in my experience over the last 3 years works with complete reliability. OK, so what is the point of this post? Please don't waste your time telling me how awful iTunes is as a closed system or about the shortcomings of the Apple TV (I already have my opinions based on my experience and my particular requirements). Any system is a compromise. Instead, show me the error of my ways by responding to the following scenario: If a neighbour or friend came to you today and asked for advice on a complete, turnkey setup for someone who just wanted to replay music and not spend their time tinkering with the software or pleading for help on these bulletin boards: what would you recommend? Assumptions: the end user owns a computer but is only computer literate to point of being able to install software, browse the web, deal with e-mails and use MS Office (this is meant to be the "typical user"). They have WiFi but haven't touched it since their ISP told them how to configure it. You will not be there to hold their hands during the install process. They want good quality sound driving an existing "stereo system" (let's assume an analogue input is most likely here, and that they are not an audiophile) in their living area and might like a Boom or Radio at some point for multi-room listening. The system should use Logitech hardware (Touch?) (this is their forum after all). So you need to propose a complete system up to the point where they connect to the stereo. Over to you ... -- dBerriff iMac/SqueezeCenter, SB3, Boom, AVI ADM9.1 active speakers ------------------------------------------------------------------------ dBerriff's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=12247 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=67614 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
