dBerriff;456453 Wrote: > First para - yes, that is a good suggestion and one I had not really > thought of being stuck in the music server mindset that has served me > well over the last few years. > > Second para - I thought I had managed to steer clear of "approval"; if > not it was not deliberate. What works for me was a starting point; the > rest was to respond to specific posts. It may have confused the > discussion; sorry. > > Third para - I agree and I would not recommend "traditional" server > hardware - it just happened to be what I has at the time. I really would > like to know what could be recommended with recent hardware > developments and there have been some interesting suggestions. > > Fourth para - this follows from the second comment you have made. Of > course I want to sort out my own solution but I should be more patient > and let the wider context unfold so hopefully it is of general > interest. > > Thank you for correcting the drift.
Hey, these forums would be very tedious without our being opinionated and passionate at times. But I also think *that* is what differentiates us from 95% of the mass market: the fact that *we* are passionate about the music - its interpretation and history. And that we have very often very definite needs and know exactly what we must listen to; or worship at the shrine of music by somewhat aimlessly browsing through the treasures we have put together through the years. *We* rip, we catalog, we organize. *We* care about music quality (as evidenced by those *WONDERFUL* ADM 9.1 you have). So very often, when others listen to our system and detect it's something special and ask us, we go overboard in our explanation. While I know several people that are now happy with their SB setup, I also know people who initially copied my approach to then desist and quietly abandon it because it was total overkill for them, and too much upkeep. For an enthusiast system, which at the end of the day I think is what is we are talking here, I think the SB concept has many advantages in the reproduction. But I agree - the ripping and server front end is a hassle. And I don't think there is a lot that can be done about the ripping. I do use dbPoweramp and think it the best around - the Mediaguide interface has a *lot* of even obscure albums, but there will always be the painful exception. And I must say the loss of the album art and the notes (musicians, thank you notes, artist comments) is something I miss, but they are even absent from several CDs these days. I think there is a loss there. I think Deutsche Grammophon does it right: every download comes with a PDF file. It's the way it should be, but customers don't demand it enough. Shame. Oh, another side-track. In a nutshell - the ripping sucks, we all agree. And I for one think dbPoweramp is as good as it'll get. In another few years there'll be no need for it - it'll be like trying to find a dual Betamax and VHS player... The server... I think this is where the market will go into different categories. I for one like an always-on home server. Power management capabilities are imperative. Not just because of the electricity bill, but simply because personally I don't like to be wasteful out of laziness. I think many chipsets so quite well with power these days (I use an Intel E8600 in mine, but there is the whole Atom line that is very cool, and the Via stuff also). I use Ubuntu as a Linux system, but I have to say Vista does a better power management job on my system, at least out of the box. Linux is way too complex for most people - I take pride in the occasional configuration wars, but most people need not apply. Heck, most people get all disoriented when it is a different user interface than they are used to... I have voiced my opinions on being trapped in a proprietary Apple world. If it always worked it'd be nice, but I have witnessed my iTunes buying history being wiped out twice in the Apple store, and iTunes crash spectacularly. Just my opinion - I know it works for many. Windows Media Server... I had one set up, and it was just OK. The Linksys media box I used was a disaster and in the end mercifully decided to euthanize itself. I never bothered to replace it - I guess it means my video needs are already served "from the cloud". I have a nice TV (SO is a big TV person, I am not) and it is connected to (a) a DVD player/recorder that is gathering dust (b) the Roku streaming box, which downloads stuff from Netflix and Amazon on the fly as needed. I would not be surprised if in the end that is the way music is distibuted: I simply buy a license, but it stays on the Amazon server, and whenever I want to play it streams. But that is the future. For now, since I am a music enthusiast, I love the SB. Of course, when I bought into it there weren't as many other choices. But I like the fact I have a wide choice of "slaves" I can pick from for different environments, and the fact the software is flexible and runs on a number of platforms. But those are arguments that would have most people's eyes glazing over. Platform? FLAC? 24 bit? Staging? What? :-) Given what you write, I think you'd be very happy with a lightweight, highly energy efficient mini server. Look at the Atom boards from Intel. I have found Vista 64 to be rock solid for many things, but it costs $. I have made excellent experiences with Ubuntu Linux, which works very well with the SB concept (occasional hair pulling when we go one upgrade too far excepted). -- pablolie ...pablo Server: 3.3 GHz Intel E8600 Core 2 Duo (8GB) - Vista Ultimate 64 and Ubuntu 9.04 64 Sources: SB3 (3), SB Boom (3), Duet, Accuphase DP65v CD Amplifier: Accuphase E306v Loudspeakers: Ceeroy 3-way tower (tuned) Headphones: Grado SR-1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ pablolie's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3816 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=67637 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
