[Tacoma]

I've spent a couple of days looking at as many posts and past threads on as many different sites as I can and have not been able to actually find one that answers my questions, so I thought I'd post.

Just bought the Transporter, and the next step is a dedicated music computer  Then once that's done a Modwright.

What's the feedback on the Music Vault II? 

Is it worth it?

Would  FLAC files be better (a nice home stereo where a bad source makes a big difference).

If it's not worth it, what would a guy use for parts and software to make a stripped down music computer.

This would be only for storage and accessing the Pandora/internet radio/and built in CD or DVD ripper with 1 to 1/12 TB storage with total backup.(which brands, stability being a major factor)   The Internet radio accessible 24/7 is what made the Music Vault appealing.

This again would only be for CD storage, and would be sitting next to my PC, so it would not be used for anything else. This would be on constantly so noise and power consumption would be a factor.  A keyboard/mouse/monitor would only be used to setup and then removed.

I would have the local computer shop build it as I don't have the knowledge to pick the best components that work in symmetry  They've built me two already, and done fine long lasting computers. Infotechnow.com in Federal Way Wa.

Anyone that would be willing to help and needs any advice on any building projects, I'd be glad to help out-plumbing/electrical/structural etc.  I'm a hands on trouble shooter for large property management companies and residential.  Not much I can't do.

[tomm]

I don't have a Music Vault.  Here is what I found in my set up or environment:

I found that network cables do make a difference, matter of fact that almost everything makes a difference on the source side to the Transporter.
Use CAT6A which is a SSTP type of network cable, not the regular CAT5. It has a braided copper shielding around all wires then the nylon (or something) outer jacket.  Got mine from Lindy-USA.  Insist on the braided copper shielding ones which is better, the second one I got from them did not have it because they were out of stock and did a substitute/outsourced it, so I was told.

Wireless to the Transporter because I don't have a hardwire connection to that location of the house. CAT6A & wireless from laptop to the router.  Static IP address for the CAT6A connection from the laptop to the router with no internet connection.  Wireless from the laptop to the router with internet connection. The Transporter will be using wireless and the CAT6A connection for music source.  I found that 100% wireless configuration is not as good.  And I tried a direct connect from/to, using a crossover adapter & CAT6A cable, between the Transporter & the Laptop to be not as good.  I just did a quick test of this connection with no burn-in time.  I might try it again some other time, because I thought it would be the best configuration. 
Music files thru a laptop are better than thru a desktop.

It is better to have external drives than internal drives for music files.

I found WAV files are warmer than FLAC files, where FLAC files are squeaky clean though.

One may prefer the sound from one brand of enclosure over another. I have settled on a Lian Li EX-125 PATA enclosure with FW800, FW400, USB connections.  I did not like the sound from my expense raid enclosure which I used for network storage that was purchased a couple years ago nor an off the shelf external disk drive.

One may prefer the sound from one brand of disk drives over another.  I only compared the brands that I already own.  Seagate drives are good on mid frequencies and more pleasant to listen to, these are the older PATA drives.  I tried a Seagate SATA drives with a SATA enclosure, but the sound was not as good. It could be due to the type of enclosure, but not sure what or why.

Best is to use firewire800 (1394b) than any other connection.  In my case I have to use a PCI express card to get FW800 connections on the laptop.  MacBook Pro has FW800 connections on the MB, but I don't own one.

Cables to the external enclosure make a difference.  In my case the FW800 cable that came with the Lian Li EX-125 is better than the shielded ones I bought from elsewhere.

I am using a Plextor Premium2 CD drive, which is no longer sells in the US, to burn the CDs.  I found that it is better than my newer CD drives. Since the Lian Li EX-125 is a 5.25" enclosure, I put the Premium2 in its own Lian Li EX-125 enclosure.

To get cleaner sound, all electrical cord to the hardware on the source side need to be shielded from EMI/RF as well, even the DC cord to the wireless router, but is NOT needed on the network cables and FW800 cables.  USB cables benefit from shielding.  One could use ERS paper.

All of the above were run from a passive AC conditioner.

[Tacoma]

Thanks, Tomm

Good tips, especially on cables and the PATA vs SATA drives. 

Would still like to explore having a dedicated box without the laptop and hear about experience with the Music Vault.

Thanks

[tomm]

On the PATA HDD, I found the older models, Seagate barracuda 7200.7 ones sound better than the newer ones 7200.10.  However, the older models come in 160GB or less, at least I didn't find any in larger capacity.