I found some reviews of servers/ nas that seem interesting.
german nas/ server/ ripper, from Hifi pig magazine.
fidata, japan server/nas
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My local dealer was trying to convince me to get an Antipodes DX before I got my Core.I have not heard one,but he says they are world class,but too much money for me.
Frenchrooster,…And the price is.?
/Peder🙂
around 7k GBP. Expensive. Like top melco or top innuos. In the review of the xylone, the reviewer found that it was much better vs the melco n1/2, with better prat. ( Hifi Pig).
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In looking for alternatives to Melco and Innuos servers, I would search for systems that offer more features for a comparable price or comparable features for a lower price. I am not sure that Xolone and Fidata fit into this picture.
I have been watching the music server market for a couple of years and I still have to find an “expensive” system that I would like to have. I have to admit that, in contrast to other markets where I typically find myself appreciating expensive products, I tend to value many expensive music servers as uninteresting or worthless. Perhaps Pink Faun is an exception.
I guess my problem is that most manufacturers of expensive music server tend to deploy proprietary, crippled down operating systems and to provide no guarantees, that their devices can run a standard OS. I have to admit that I find it difficult to take such manufacturers seriously, perhaps this is a prejudice.
I am going to buy an Innuos Zenith which plays into my nDAC via an Audiophilleo 2 + PurePower Mk 2. It knocks spots off my CDX2 as a transport. It gives me a music store and runs Roon Core if I want (I do). Innuos put a lot of effort into measures that improve SQ as you move up the range. These measures apply equally for USB and uPnP.
Phil
you have auralic or lumin servers, the prices seem raisonnable. A lot of features and good reviews :
auralic aries
lumin u1
I like black boxes! No energy to try anything else.
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Anyone heard a system fronted by an Audiostore Prestige 2? Looks like outstanding value for a Roon based system.
The Antipodes CX server & EX Roon endpoint are supposed to be close to the ultimate though, provided that you have a lot of money to throw at it.
Best regards, BF
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Personally I think these high priced servers are the emporerors new clothes, just like ethernet cables. They offer little value that can be actually quantified for their high price but of course of if you feel spending thousands on such a thing is worth it do so.
it was for nbpf, searching less expensive servers with more functions or features.
The lumin exists in black however…
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I agree. Especially once you start getting higher up the range. All they are… Simple hardware with upgrades on isolation and power.
I’d like to see an allo signature with a great power supply up against a top lumin or other brand.
I recently spoke to a dealer about this and he was actually quite honest. “You’re paying for the software/app/usability.” I’ll give him that, up to a point. But If you’re running roon, that all goes out the door.
If I were to go expensive, I’d look at dcs network bridge. They have tons of inputs and configurations, and in the software you can control and modify just about everything. You’re also paying for a company with a track record of great R&D.
You could also consider an Innuos Zen mini mk3: it can be connected directly to the nDAC via S/PDIF without having to use any USB to S/PDIF convertor (and respective power supply) in between.
The market for music servers that support high quality S/PDIF outputs is rather small. Apart from the Zen mini, you have the DigiOne by Allo, the Naim Core and a few others.
It is perhaps also worth considering the fact that the new Naim streamers can also serve files from attached USB drives. The UPnP server running on these systems is however very spartane and by far not comparable with a modern UPnP server like MinimServer or Asset, I understand.
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Nbpf, Thanks, but if you read my quite long Innuos Zen Mini - Feedback Requested thread you will see I have tried the Mini. Briefly the sound quality of the Zenith with the Audiophilleo USB to spdif kit is on a par with/better than NDS. The Mini does not cut it for me.
I don’t want a Naim Streamer or a Core because of the App having tried them. If you read what SiS says he uses spdif into his Hugo from NDX2, but as with all these interfaces it is the quality of the implementation that matters. I wanted to keep my nDAC and I am really really pleased. I now have in effect a USB DAC.
Phil
Thanks for the explanations, enjoy the Zenit + Audiophilleo + nDAC system! Best, nbpf
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I would be happy to pay for better software and usability but, as a matter of fact, some servers happen to be expensive and at the same time run poor or outdated software components.
A few manufacturers have been found to have disregarded open source licences and the support for propritary software is often quite poor. It is not all negative, of course. But distingushing between a device that suit one’s needs and a lemon is not always easy.
I tend to think that Innuos, Antipodes and perhaps Pink Faun build solid devices but I have never tried any of these systems. I can imagine that I could be disappointed if I had to do so.
The major problem is, again, that most devices do not offer any certification for standard operating systems. Thus, if you buy a 7000$ device and you find its software to be lacking or the support to be poor, you are stuck.
The situation would be very different if one would know that, in the worst case, one can wipe out the original system from the 7000$ brick, install a standard OS and run Roon, MinimServer, Asset or whatever software one fancies to use.
The Innuos support is very responsive. The hardware delivers at prices well below Naim. Ripping and metadata editing is very good. The right album is 99.5% right while cover photos are > 90%.
Phil
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I know it requires geekery that not everyone is into but you can build some amazing pcs, no fans, quiet power etc etc for much much less money. Running standard OSes you are not in the hands of a company that may or may not support the 7k device in the future.
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In today’s world…Unless you’re playing from local storage or a NAS, the software shouldn’t matter much because you’re most likely using Roon, Tidal, Spotify, etc…
So theoretically we should all be focusing on quality well priced hardware. The digital world seems to be simpler.
Many of us do play from local storage, some of us exclusively, some also streaming online!
Aside from that, whether sourcing from Tidal or Spotify the software doing the rendering is still important, whether that be in a Naim Streamer, or on some other device. And there have been suggestions on the forum that Roon may not sound as good as some other software. So it seems the software may well be important. As for well priced hardware, I couldn’t agree more - it is just a matter of finding what (and what software as well, which may depend on the hardware).