2. pc-audio
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Best PC to use as a Server

Sure this one has been asked before but I couldn’t dig up anything recent and this stuff changes over time anyway.  I use a Mac Air but it apparently is out of HD.  It is 7 years old and has been stuttering badly lately, especially since I loaded Audirvana Plus and dbpoweramp.  
  I am interested in a Windows based PC, because I want to run a Windows based program called MusiCHI and I also would like to have an HDMI port, which Macs don’t offer afaik.  I won’t use it for much else, maybe for surfing, occasional downloads, etc.  I haven’t owned a Windows Computer for years but use them at work, where the Dell Laptops that we are given seem particularly crappy to me.
  My daughter had a Sony PC that I demoed in my system a few years ago that impressed me, but it seems that Sony has gotten out of that business.  Is there any particular brand that works well for music?
mahler123

Showing 2 responses by whart

whart's avatar
whart
1,930 posts
 
I’m really new to digital, though an old analog hand. My impression is that a lot of folks think that general utility computers are not going to sound as good as purpose built audiophile type servers, even though those are computers too.
I’m still in the early throes of exploring all this for the first time. I have gotten a good Redbook transport, which most people seem to think is unnecessary, a modest NOS DAC, and set up a Mac Mini, tried to strip it down and adjust the settings according to some ’best practices’ I found on the web.
In the course of my research, which is continuing, I saw that HDPLEX offers builds that are meant for audio-- linear power supply, SSD and no excess stuff (though I can’t remember the operating system, if it is Windows, it’s gonna have a lot of bloat in it- how that impacts sound, I dunno). NB- a quick look disclosed some use a Windows server system, which is probably stripped down.

 Be interested to see what the responses are to this. So count me in on your side of the question, rather than providing any good answer.
whart's avatar
whart
1,930 posts
 
@mahler123-- You said you had issues with Audirvana, but attributed that to the maxed out hard drive in your computer. Apparently, Audirvana now has a Windows-based program.
I’m using the Audirvana for Mac-- it sounds good, but I haven’t really compared it to much. I did have an Oppo 95 and found that the transport was a ’choke point’, i.e. there wasn’t a huge difference between the Oppo full on (using it both to spin the disc and using its DAC) vs Oppo as transport into a Border Patrol DAC. But, when I swapped out the Oppo for a better, Redbook only transport, that made a difference.
I’ve been reading as much as I can, but obviously, none of that is a substitute for listening to the set up in one’s own system.
As a long time vinyl guy, I’m pretty impressed with how good some of these Redbook CDs and files (even though I’m only processing them at Redbook resolution via the Border Patrol) sound. SACD sounded good via the Oppo, but my main interest is in obscure stuff, which I’m more likely to find on old CDs.
Again, no statement of absolutes here--I’m still just getting my feet (or ears) wet.
PS: this thread bears on the issue: [url]https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/better-cdp-or-network-player/post?postid=1597772#1597772[/url]
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