Do you serve your music on a music server?

[babydoc]

Given the growing list of digital music servers that are out there and the increasing sales of digital file downloads, I wonder if MLC members are going this way. I would be interested in hearing about the following:
1. Do you usea music server in your system?
2. If so, which one(s) do you use?
3. Is this your primary listening source?
4. Do you use the server to archive CDs you already own or do you use it to store digital download files or both?
5. In the future, do you see your buying habits shifting away from physical discs to downloads?

To get the ball rolling, I currently have 4(!) servers in my system: Meridian Sooloos, Logitech Squeezebox Touch, Olive 06HD, and Bryston BDP-1 player.

Bring it on!

 

[amey01]

There are quite a few of us that have been using servers for many years. I have a Squeezebox and it is my primary source, with both downloaded music and all physical CDs (that was a horrible job - make sure you have a good backup or 3).

If buying new music, I will try to download in the highest quality I can find. Usually - that means buying the CD.

I'm not really into downloading music that I've never heard of - just because it is available in 24/96!

Do you mean you have four systems?

Why in the world would you have more than a single server in a single system? The whole idea is that everything is available from the server - there is no need for more than one! And it would simplify things a lot (if you have multiple systems) to also have them all the same. That way you can synchronise and control all from the one point. Personally, I have two Squeezeboxes - one in the listening room and the other in the main kitchen/lounge area.

 

[babydoc]

Four servers?!

There are quite a few of us that have been using servers for many years. I have a Squeezebox and it is my primary source, with both downloaded music and all physical CDs (that was a horrible job - make sure you have a good backup or 3).

If buying new music, I will try to download in the highest quality I can find. Usually - that means buying the CD.

I'm not really into downloading music that I've never heard of - just because it is available in 24/96!

Do you mean you have four systems?

Why in the world would you have more than a single server in a single system? The whole idea is that everything is available from the server - there is no need for more than one! And it would simplify things a lot (if you have multiple systems) to also have them all the same. That way you can synchronise and control all from the one point. Personally, I have two Squeezeboxes - one in the listening room and the other in the main kitchen/lounge area.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a hardware reviewer, so I need to have gear at differing levels and price points for evaluating equipment in the future, in the spirit of apples to apples. I have also found that server functionalities differ considerably. For example, the Sooloos has a remarkable user interface, the Squeezebox has a treasure trove of internet radio stations, the Bryston is independent of the internet and allows 4 USB devices to be connected, the Olive is a literal Swiss army knife being a CD player and burner as well as server. I expect that versatility will become a more common feature in future servers.

 

[Necrosuit]

I have the Sonos 90 that is attached to an HP ML110 1.5TB raid 10.
I have multiple folders with different attributes but the Sonos cannot play over certain sampling but all in all I find it very enjoyable and as long as I copied the cd as lossless to a folder, it sounds really good.

 

[zaphod]

windows XP home box running Itunes. i share that library with my wife's computer and we feed our personal ipods/phones from those. an airport express also streams from that iTumes server.

the squeezebox s/w is also on that server, using the iTunes library as a source. everything is stored in Apple lossless format.

as this server is also my desktop, i'm moving it soon with a dedicated machine and reimaging the desktop with linux.

everything on the server is ripped CDs. streamed music is not the primary music source, we tend to listen to as much radio and real CDs as we do the squeezebox and the airport express is down in the dark unfinished basement so you can guess how much that gets used. in fact it might not even be down there anymore

overall it all works well, save for the wireless connexions that aren't the fastest or most reliable. i'll be pulling wire throughout to get 1G throughout.

 

[amey01]

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a hardware reviewer,

Ahh, that explains things then!

 

[sleepysurf]

It's pretty obvious that music servers are the wave of the future. My Squeezebox Touch is now my primary source, but I still think we need to get to (more inexpensive and widespread) 24/96 and 24/192 downloads, which includes complete album art/liner notes, along with a more user-friendly ripping/downloading/backup setup, before this playback medium achieves full high-end acceptance. I still fear that the Apple/iTunes model will continue to dominate the market, and high-res playback could eventually fade into oblivion. Time will tell.

 

[usbyte]

i have 2 apple tvs streaming from itunes on a mac pro. all audio in apple lossless format. i hardly buy downloadable music. i buy cds and rip them.

 

[churchill]

I'm running a Squeezebox Classic running off a Windows XP machine using Apple lossless and running it through a W4S DAC2. I mainly buy CD's and rip them. I still like having a hard copy!

I haven't found much of 24/96 that's in the genres that I like.

My Squeezebox is my main listening source, CDP a distant 2nd.

 

[Shoe]

I completely moved to the dark side in using a Sony Viao laptop that is striped down as a dedicated sever. I use JRiver 16 in memory playback. The external dac is a Red Wine (NOS) Isabellina interface with a Halide bridge converter. Over 800 hundred cd ripped in FLAC. I think downloading music sound better than cd,s so I prefer downloads if I can find music that I like. (one of the benefits in downloading it has encourage to explore other kinds of music)

 

[Ron]

I use the new Wadia 171i ipod dock with the McIntosh MCD500 as the dac. My music is from cd's in the WAV format using itunes. I own two 160 gig ipods, and one ipod touch. One of the ipods is loaded in the lossless format. That one has about 9500 songs. I also listen to Pandora One on my ipod touch. Pandora sounds much better on the ipod, than using Pandora through one of my blu ray players connected to the processor. I still listen to cd's now and then.

 

[tsv_1]

1. Do you use a music server in your system?
> Yes I do, in my 2-channel system (not my HT or other systems)

2. If so, which one(s) do you use?
> Olive 04HD -> W4S DAC2

3. Is this your primary listening source?
> Yes

4. Do you use the server to archive CDs you already own or do you use it to store digital download files or both?
> Both

5. In the future, do you see your buying habits shifting away from physical discs to downloads?
> Eventually, yes, since that's where it's all headed

 

[babydoc]

24/96 source genres

I'm running a Squeezebox Classic running off a Windows XP machine using Apple lossless. I mainly buy CD's and rip them. I still like having a hard copy!

I haven't found much of 24/96 that's in the genres that I like.

My Squeezebox is my main listening source, CDP a distant 2nd.

You might consider upgrading to a Squeezebox Touch. Logitech was having a trade-in sale this month that is still ongoing. The nice thing about the Touch is that it has a USB port that will allow memory sticks or powered drives. I had a Classic but it had some reliability problems so I traded it in. Never looked back. Regarding 96/24 sources, you probably have visited HDTracks which is the main site offering high res stuff. They have just about every music genre there is with some high res in each. Linn Records, AIX, and Gimell are some of the other sites, mostly classical and jazz. Just to pique your curiosity, there are recordings in 176.4 and 192/24-bit versions that have to be heard to be believed. I have downloaded a number of these higher res files but they cannot be played as such on a Squeezebox yet. You would have to download them to your computer and port them into a DAC capable of handling the higher sample rates. Believe me, it is worth the effort.

 

[sleepysurf]

The new Oppo BDP-95 (as well as the BDP-93) are also capable of streaming 24/96 and 24/192 high-res music from a USB memory stick, USB Hard Drive, or DLNA networked server, so it's the ultimate Universal Player! Just now putting mine through it's paces, and I'm very impressed thus far!

 

[churchill]

You might consider upgrading to a Squeezebox Touch. Logitech was having a trade-in sale this month that is still ongoing. The nice thing about the Touch is that it has a USB port that will allow memory sticks or powered drives. I had a Classic but it had some reliability problems so I traded it in. Never looked back. Regarding 96/24 sources, you probably have visited HDTracks which is the main site offering high res stuff. They have just about every music genre there is with some high res in each. Linn Records, AIX, and Gimell are some of the other sites, mostly classical and jazz. Just to pique your curiosity, there are recordings in 176.4 and 192/24-bit versions that have to be heard to be believed. I have downloaded a number of these higher res files but they cannot be played as such on a Squeezebox yet. You would have to download them to your computer and port them into a DAC capable of handling the higher sample rates. Believe me, it is worth the effort.

You must have read my mind as I've been considering upgrading to the Touch! Looks like a no brainer and should match well with my W4S DAC2!

 

[Audiophiliac]

I almost feel ashamed coming here now since I do not really have a "hi-fi" system at the moment. But I store all my music in FLAC on my PC and use TVersity to stream it to my Xbox360 in the living room. I have a set of Audioengine A5 powered monitors connected to the TV output. It is fine for background music.

But I am looking at doing something more appropriate in the near future. I find that the clumsiness of the setup I have now makes it impractical to listen to my music. It needs to change. I am throwing around a few ideas and may deploy several of them to compare.

1. SONOS.....because it is inexpensive, expandable, super easy to use, has a killer iPad app, access to Pandora, etc. Downside is no high-rez.

2. iTunes/Airplay....I just started with iTunes. I normally use Foobar as my music library and playback on my PC. It works well, is simple, and customizable. But after experimenting a bit with iTunes, I have found that it actually works great if you know how to set it up right. The only hang up is that there is not really a solid and reliable way to play all my FLAC files. This is because I am running Windows.

If I were to switch to a Mac Mini, I would buy the Channel D Pure Music software which allows native support and playback of FLAC "through" iTunes.

Then the Airplay receiver comes into play. Do I use an Airport Expree? Apple TV? Denon or Integra AVR? Classe CP-800 will also have Airplay support in the near future. Out of my budget this go around though.

The question I cannot seem to find a good answer too is whether Airplay is able to stream hi-rez files. Some things I read hint that yes it can....others are iffy. I sent an email to Channel D as well to see if they knew...and also to ask if Pure Music still allowed the use of Airplay when using it with iTunes.

Downside to this method is I would be limited to one source. You can send the music from iTunes to multiple Airplay devices, but you are limited to a single stream...so the same music in every room. For me, probably not a huge problem.

3. Mac Mini/Pure Music...connected to a DAC and controlled via Apple Remote from iPad/iPod Touch. This is the simplest to setup and control. But again....same music in all zones.

4. DLNA. This is largely dependent on the connected equipment. I am shopping for a new AV receiver in the next year or so. Whatever I end up with will have DLNA capabilities. I have played around a bit with my G1 Android phone (yep....still have it and use it), using it to control Foobar and send the tunes to the Xbox.....or something like that.....worked ok. Not as polished an interface as iTunes/Airplay/Apple Remote, but it worked.


There are lots of other options. I have considered Kaleidescape as well. I would use it also as a movie server. It is the most expensive solution but would be bulletproof and serve multiple functions. Crestron ADMS has also come up....expensive again, but reliable and a great interface.

I think I will end up trying SONOS as well as something utilizing Airplay and see what I come up with.

 

[amey01]

I think I will end up trying SONOS as well as something utilizing Airplay and see what I come up with.

Or......

5. Squeezebox Touch. Has none of the downsides you have listed. Plays FLAC natively. Plays high rez natively. Has access to Pandora and a plethora of other music services and internet radio. Doesn't care if you're on Windows, Mac, Linux or Unix. Plenty of iPhone and Android controllers.

 

[JonFo]

My music server / player is as follows:

- Win7 QuadCore PC with several TB of storage
- > 1,300 CD's ripped to FLAC
- > 50 DVD-A's ripped to mch FLAC
- Purchased mch FLAC's downloads from AIX and others
- FooBar2000 player

-using WASAPI interface
-fooTouchRemote so I can remote control via iPhone/iPad and Apple Remote app
- VST plug-in host + several VST effects (tube emulators and the such) for fun, rarely used.
-Cool visualization modules (MilkDrop) since this in my HT​

- Multichannel HDMI feed to my Denon AVP-A1 preamp

The ability to play 24/96 multichannel ripped form DVD-A or purchased is the winner here. Great sound quality and extreme convenience.

I still feel the Denon universal player using DenonLink (clock synch with pre-amp) still wins on raw audio-quality, but the delta is super small. And of course, I still need that player for the stupid SACD's which I still can't rip.

I use the server about 98% of the time when listening to music.

 

[JonFo]

...
5. In the future, do you see your buying habits shifting away from physical discs to downloads?
...

Yes, I will buy downloads as long as:

1. they are higher resolution than a CD
2. they contain all metadata
3. are priced reasonably

Except for a Rachmaninoff piece from AIX, I've yet to find an instance where the above applies.

Most of my music purchases are CD's which immediately get ripped to the server.
Used CD's are soooo cheap these days, that downloads of same content are 3 to 4x the cost, and often at lesser quality. And I have a physical backup.

 

[Bernard]

I am almost embarrassed to say that I do not own a music server of any kind. All of my music listening is done via vinyl or CD's. I do, however, have one song on my iPhone that I downloaded. Does that count ?

I find that I no longer sit and listen critically to music; I'm more into just enjoying the music. My perspective on life has changed after doing battle with a recent serious illness.