[DigitallyChallenged]

I have been reading for weeks about servers. I was strongly considering a sound science music vault. Then I read about raid configurations, system options, eyc. at computeraudio.com and other sites.

Is there any reason not to go with an ipod via digital out from a Wadia into my Meridian DAC? Will the sound quality be any worse than from an Oppo BDP-83 via HDMI? Would the mac-mini be a superior option or not?

At this juncture I am really confused. I don't see the value of a multiple raid configuration for $600 vs. just backing up my data onto a firewire drive. I can do an incremental backup with superduper as needed. I don't add cd's that often. Do I need to spend 2k on a server vs. $600 on the ipod/wadia combo?

[Crimson]

I used to run a raid setup, but found it to be overkill in some regards (I've yet to consider playback of audio files a mission-critical task) and lacking in others (backup/archiving). I do exactly what you're describing running incremental backups via FireWire using Superduper, typically after I've ripped a handful of newly purchased discs. 

That said, I'd also recommend looking at computer-based playback as opposed to an iPod/Wadia combo.

[DigitallyChallenged]

Would mac mini and amarra mini equal the oppo?

[Stu Pitt]

The iTransport is ergonomically inept IMO.  Some models' click wheel doesn't work, sometimes the iPod has to be undocked and re-docked a few times, and on and on.  The remote is also a joke.  Try finding 1 CD out of 100 with that remote.  I'm sure you probably have more CDs than that.  I honestly think it makes Wadia look bush league.

Even if these were corrected, a much smarter way to do it would be a wire rather than a dock.  You can hold the iPod in your hands, read the screen, and not have the dock cover part of the click wheel.  The Naim DAC and UnitiQute have this instead.  They're the only ones so far.

I went with an Apple TV instead of the iTransport.  You can get a refurbished Apple TV and iPod Touch as a remote from Apple's website for cheaper than an iTransport.

The Apple TV is basically a 160 gb iPod with a digital out and video out.  If you have a TV in your listening room, you can skip the iPod Touch/iPhone remote and save a few bucks if you don't have one.  One of my favorite features of the Apple Tv is the YouTube feature.  Audio and video quality vary, but it makes watching music so much fun.  Where are you going to find BB King playing The Thrill is Gone on the Kenny Rogers show back in the 70's?  Where can you find Pearl Jam playing an acoustic set at a Tower Records before anyone knew who they were?

Connect the Apple TV to a good DAC, and you've got an iTransport and iPod Classic in one box that'll do a few more things for less money.

[Stu Pitt]

Just to add, I have my music ripped as Apple Lossless and stored on a 1TB external hard drive.  The music is also synched to my Apple TV's hard drive.  No raid or anything else.  Maybe I should get another hard drive and synch that as a backup? 

[skunark]

Keep in mind a raid drive is not a backup but a slightly more reliable harddrive.  To properly back up your data you will need a second drive or consider off-site backups with something like backblaze (Carbonite won't do external drives).

I think most folks go with what they have honestly.   I have the itransport in the bedroom and I mainly use the airport express over it.  The Apple TV is the device of choice around the tube and I just use the oldest computer to serve the music and have backplaze backing up the data.   

Sadly you can tweak the hell out these setups and it can get daunting.     For me there I have little desire  to put a computer in the same room as my stereo but if you do go to benchmarks wiki and they will give you the best bit-transparent setup without spending a fortune.  Stu's advice with the Apple TV + ipod touch is a solid one if you have a tv in the room.   Perhaps a less expensive option is the airport express (try to get G version for less jitter) along with the touch.      For both I would try to use a dac but if you just want to give it a try it's not necessary.      If setting up network devices isn't your thing than the iTransport with an iPod is probably the next cheapest option and perhaps the best sounding but at the cost of usabilty.   I have all three and I rarely use it.   
Now if you goal is hi-rez music then the Mac mini is probably one of the better options today.   Apple TV and Airport Express will only play 16/44.1 music.

If this is your first venture into to this world you might also look at the competitors. 

[Doublej]

You don't need to spend $2K, you don't even need to spend $600. Buy an external drive, use it to backup your music files and then connect your Macintosh to your Meridian DAC and your are done.

Your Mac will likely have a dual function headphone jack, i.e. it's both a headphone jack and optical digital out. If the Meridian can handle optical digital in you are all set, otherwise you'll need a converter. The converter should not cost more than a few hundred dollars.

[Stu Pitt]

Stu's advice with the Apple TV + ipod touch is a solid one if you have a tv in the room. 

If using an iPod Touch/iPhone, the TV is unnecessary.  Its a niceity for YouTube, but not mandatory.  A lot of people use it srtictly as a music server without any video connection.

The iPad is reportedly capable of digital USB output through the camera attachment.  A bit more expensive than the iTransport or Apple TV, but it seems like a poor man's Sooloos.  Maybe an iPad and Chordette Gem?  Not sure if the Gem takes a digital signal or not.  I know it uses bluetooth to wirelessly play music from an iPod Touch or iPhone on your home system.

[bigjppop]

I love the Apple TV/ iTouch approach and the ONLY thing holding me back from ordering one right now is the lack of support for anything over Redbook.  Now, to be fair, I don't own any Hirez stuff yet, but I really want to try some!

At the end of the day though, I think it's pretty tough to beat this combo, especially if you like the Apple interface (which I do).

[DigitallyChallenged]

You don't need to spend $2K, you don't even need to spend $600. Buy an external drive, use it to backup your music files and then connect your Macintosh to your Meridian DAC and your are done.

Your Mac will likely have a dual function headphone jack, i.e. it's both a headphone jack and optical digital out. If the Meridian can handle optical digital in you are all set, otherwise you'll need a converter. The converter should not cost more than a few hundred dollars.

I have a macbook pro but I need a separate computer for the HT. The mac mini may be the key since it has hdmi out and I already own a lacie external HD plus superduper. Will the sound quality equal or better the oppo that I use?

[Stu Pitt]

I love the Apple TV/ iTouch approach and the ONLY thing holding me back from ordering one right now is the lack of support for anything over Redbook.  Now, to be fair, I don't own any Hirez stuff yet, but I really want to try some!

At the end of the day though, I think it's pretty tough to beat this combo, especially if you like the Apple interface (which I do).

I don't think hi res will become the standard for a long time.  I'd love to get into it too, but I can't find much if anything that I like.   

My approach is to make sure my next DAC does hi res, in an attempt at future proofing.  Until high res becomes the standard or it's appearent that it'll be very soon, I won't fret about it when it comes to choosing a server.   The Apple TV is cheap enough that if high res becomes the norm in 5 years, I won't mind replacing it. 

I honestly think too many people are hung up on the high res thing.  Unless you've got a ton of it already, I wouldn't make playing high res a make or break thing. 

Investing several hundred bucks in a DAC changes that a bit.  A $150 streamer doesn't IMO. 

[Doublej]

I have a macbook pro but I need a separate computer for the HT. The mac mini may be the key since it has hdmi out and I already own a lacie external HD plus superduper. Will the sound quality equal or better the oppo that I use?

No clue. Do you have an old mac mini or one of the current generation mac mini? The power supply was changed in the current mini and there are folks that say the previous generation power supply is better for audio. I would A/B the macbook pro (plugged into A/C of course) vs the oppo to possibly get some sense of how the two might compare.

[Quiet Earth]

Hi guys. I have a basic question about Apple Tv.

When you use Apple Tv, do you still stream i-tunes from your desktop computer via wifi into Apple Tv, or can you actually use Apple Tv as a stand alone player sitting next to your DAC?

[Stu Pitt]

I have everything synched to the Apple TV's hard drive.  I do that so the computer doesn't need to be on.  I have iTunes on a laptop with the music on an external hard drive. 

I've got everything CD I own plus some downloaded stuff (legally) on the Apple TV.  About 300 or so CDs in Apple Lossless and the few dozen downloads take up about 5/8 of the 160gb hard drive, last I checked.  If I run out of room, I'll delete the stuff I don't listen to very often and stream it when I'm in the mood for it. 

I have nothing else on the Apple TV - videos, pics, etc.  I don't see why people don't synch their library, or the stuff they listen to the most.   The initial synch takes a very long time.   After that, a CD takes about 2 minutes or so.  A lot of that depends on your wifi speed.  Mine isn't the latest and greatest. 

During the initial synch, I connected the Apple TV to my router using an Ethernet cable.  That helped a lot, but it still took about 2 days (4pm - 11pm-ish). 

The biggest advantage with synching is that there's no possibility of drop outs.  Some Squeezebox owners had issues with dropouts and lagging.   None of that with synching.   

[Stu Pitt]

So in a nutshell, everything's on the Apple TV itself.  It's a completely autonomous system.   Basically like a huge and easy/fun to use CD changer. 

[Quiet Earth]

Thanks Stu!

So tell me if I have this right :

1. Syncing the Apple Tv to your i-tunes library is like syncing an i-pod to your i-tunes library. It's really just a data transfer from one hard drive to another.

2. After the sync, you can fire up your ipod touch and communicate with the Apple Tv. You see it on the ipod as Apple Tv, and you can control it by clicking on that icon.

3. If you run out of space on your Apple Tv, you can't connect another hard drive to it, you are just out of space.

Thanks for the help!
QE

[Stu Pitt]

To answer -

1.  Yes

2.  Pretty much.   Download the remote app (free), click on the icon, and it's the same interface as the iPod Touch's music, only your Apple TV's music comes up. 

3.   Sort of.  You can't connect an external HD.  But when the HD is full, you can stream the rest, kind of like the Squeezebox and Sonos.   That's why I suggested synching the stuff you listen to most often and deleting rare listens after the HD fills up. 

I've played around with the Squeezebox (the last few versions).  The Apple TV is so much better IMO.  The iPod Touch/iPhone remote makes it even better. 

I like the Sonos, but it's overpriced compared to the Apple TV/iPod Touch combo.

I'm sure a lot of people would disagree.  I'm ok with that.  If you have an Apple store locally, check it out.  Forget about what the employees say; I got so much misinformation from them.  After the 3rd time on there and about 10 employees, there was a guy who used it as a music server.  He made the other guys look pretty stupid. 

[omasciarotte]

Would mac mini and amarra mini equal the oppo?

Hey DigitallyChallenged,

If you already have a Mac Mini, have the guys at Sonic Studio cut you a trial license. That way, you can listen to Amarra MINI uninterrupted and, with the right discs & software, you can play back both MINI and the Oppo and compare…