[bebop86]

guys - I currently have the Sound Science music vault top of the line server- my question is what would give me better sound- the server or a hi end transport- thks

[FullRangeMan]

guys - I currently have the Sound Science music vault top of the line server- my question is what would give me better sound- the server or a hi end transport- thks

I understand you mean say CD/optical transport, unfortunatelly they suffer from Jitter and after 1990s they have planed short life through planned obsolescence techniques, aside this computer hard disk reading also have better sound quality even at first glance.

[lokie]

I don't know the answer to your question from first hand experience but I'll make some observations.

The high end transport used market is holding strong on pricing. I would think if the streamers were better, those prices would come down.
The market doesn't lie.

I really like what I'm hearing from my server (SonoreRendu), but I have no disillusion that even the moderate priced CEC's or Esoteric's are probably better. But I'll never go back to the loading a CD... the server is just too convenient, fun "good enough" sounding.

[Early B.]

I've been waiting for several years for server technology to surpass high end transports in price/performance. Still waiting...

I won't sacrifice sound quality for convenience. This includes employing servers, remotes, lifestyle systems, multi-function components (i.e., amp/pre/dac combos), and all other audio abominations.   

[RDavidson]

I've been waiting for several years for server technology to surpass high end transports in price/performance. Still waiting...

I won't sacrifice sound quality for convenience. This includes employing servers, remotes, lifestyle systems, multi-function components (i.e., amp/pre/dac combos), and all other audio abominations.

+1

[mcgsxr]

I guess I am on the other end of the spectrum.

I sold my transport the year the Squeezebox came out, ripped my cds and have never looked back.

Do I th8nk there are transports out there better than my meagre investment in h/w?  Of course.  Would I ever spend the $?  Nope.  I want really good sound.  I gave up on perfect sound. 

Currently running Logitech Media Server on an old netbook.  My players are Logitech Touch and a hacked Linux box that thinks it is one.

A modern version would be a Raspi running any number of Linux distros. 

[PSB Guy]

My Salkstreamer music server cost me $1500. I can't imagine you could find a CD player that sounds as good at the same price. Plus, the convenience of having ALL my music in one box can't  be beat.
http://www.salksound.com/streamplayer.php?model=StreamPlayer+Gen+II

Cornelis

[NHSkier]

I second that. If you're patient, you can find SalkStreamer IIs for ~$600 used. I like having the music stored locally (on the SalkStreamer's 2TB HD) versus dealing with server complexities and bandwidth issues. Mine has both USB and SPDIF output but USB-only is the more common model.

[mcgsxr]

I am not lucky enough to have had a high end transport though, so I am not sure that I can truly impact this discussion.

I simply shared what I have done, to my satisfaction.

The right TEAC VRDS or Esoteric transport might change my mind.  But man it would be hard to go back to all those discs and load them one at a time after ~13 years of remote access!

[orientalexpress]

or bought this transports http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=156818.0
this one is pretty good 

[WGH]

If your system is good enough to tell the difference between transports then stick with the server.
Generally speaking 24bit/96kHz recordings sound better than 16bit/44.1kHz CD's and I have yet to see a high-res CD, most DAC's can decode high-res these days.

[Stu Pitt]

I’d assume all servers sound different and all transports sound different.  How how different, if they’re even audible, and is it worth the expense and/or inconvenience is another argument.

If you really want to know what a high end transport will sound like in your system, the only way to find out for certain is to try one.  Listening to others’ experience will yield yes, yes in a good way, yes in a bad way, and no.  Sorry... and yes, but not enough to justify the cost or a change.

Trust your ears.  They are yours after all.

[Stu Pitt]

I’m not a fan of single disc players/transports.  I guess I’m too ADD to listen to the entire disc most times and I’m too lazy to keep getting up to change discs.  I had a multi-disc changer for quite a while because it sounded 99% as good as any single disc player I could afford, and the convenience of it easily justified giving up that very last little bit of improvement.  I then bought a Rega Apollo because it was so much better than my NAD changer that was getting old. 

But I hated constantly changing discs.  I wanted a way to play my iPod classic through a DAC, so I improvised and bought an Apple TV gen 1 and my dealer let me borrow a Theta DAC a customer traded in.  The Apollo sounded much better, so I kept it alongside the ATV and Theta.  I found myself listening to the ATV more often.  Once Rega announced their DAC, I put in an order with my dealer.  The ATV and Rega DAC sounded a good amount better and was far more convenient.  I tried the Apollo as a transport for giggles, and it did sound a little better than the ATV as a transport.   Not enough to keep it by any means.  A lot of reviewers praised the Apollo as a transport, so it wasn’t like I had a bad transport for comparison.

My next move is a Bluesound Node 2. 

[DogsPart2]

+1

+ 2

Word!

[pstrisik]

The OP hasn't yet returned to post in this thread.  I just want to point out that "transport" is used as one of the many terms to describe renderer, streamer, network bridge, etc.

So, OP, are you talking about transport for files or for discs?

Similarly, server can also refer to NAS.  I have a NAS, running Roon (or UPnP), sending files to my "transport" to render and send to DAC. 

With everything else the same, I've gone from a Cambridge Audio CXN to an Auralic Aries (femto) to Auralic Aries G2 and the differences each step of the way were not subtle. 

So, if we are talking transports in this sense, yes, they do make a difference.

If we are talking disc player vs. streamer, then I am strongly in the streamer is better camp.

            .........Peter

[gregfisk]

I have compared a few different transports to my mac mini and I would never go back to a disc player. This is with both of them running into my Lampi Atlantic dac. My mac mini sounds better than most players and is at least equal to the best I tried. I just have no reason to play discs again and I won't be again.

[lokie]

I've been waiting for several years for server technology to surpass high end transports in price/performance. Still waiting...

I won't sacrifice sound quality for convenience. This includes employing servers, remotes, lifestyle systems, multi-function components (i.e., amp/pre/dac combos), and all other audio abominations.

I wouldn't get too sanctimonious about this or that. We all make decisions and compromises. Including big screen TV's and couches mucking up our sound-fields. And some would consider anything by PS Audio an abomination.

[gregfisk]

I've been waiting for several years for server technology to surpass high end transports in price/performance. Still waiting...

I won't sacrifice sound quality for convenience. This includes employing servers, remotes, lifestyle systems, multi-function components (i.e., amp/pre/dac combos), and all other audio abominations.

I don't know what equipment you have but I would put my Lampizator Atlantic dac with volume control and a dreaded remote against it. I don't think combo gear is a problem at all as long as it's implemented properly. It will be a cold day in hell before I get rid of my remote and now that I think about it not having a remote would be a day in hell