Music Server with no DAC?

Just my $0.02. Its a great unit, esp w the Modwright Signature treatment.

I'll add .02 more cents and you'll have all of .04 cents towards your new Transporter. A big second vote for the Modwright Signature TP as a superb digital front end, either via network (wireless or ethernet) or via various digital inputs using a decent transport. Dan's output stage is excellent and very responsive (in my system) to tube changes. The AKM DAC in the Transporter is very good (at least one Esoteric player uses an AKM DAC), and, as Swampwalker points out, especially so via the Modwright output. I think the MWTP is not likely to be bested by most DAC's in the typical $1-3K pricepoint and you'll likely find your DAC redundant and one extra box you don't need. Disclaimer: Modwright is a client of mine. I'd say the DAC chip is not the big expense, as Swamp points out. Also it's more likely folks are looking for a one-box solution rather than having an extra box. If you love your DAC, and don't mind extra boxes, why not just get and Airport Express and use the optical output (Toslink mini) into a good de-jitter device like the Empirical Pacecar to your DAC of choice? I'm no fan of the AE's stock digital out, but I'd bet the Pacecar would bring it up to snuff.

Because they are not a high end company, they are an IPOD fed industry which most people on the street that buy this stuff don't have a clue what the acronym "DAC" means nor do they want to know. Its a waste of time and money for them to try and sell on that point to 1 out of 1000 people interested.

I also recently purchased a MW Transporter, and I find myself putting on Padora and just letting it play all day. Less and less attention is being paid to the "system".

There are sonic differences between my MW Transporter and my Esoteric universal player with the Esoteric providing the higher resolution and more transparent presentation, but the differences are relatively small, IMO.

Also, I'm occasionally using my MacBook Pro as a wireless transport, and I find AIFF or WAV files have better resolution in my system than do Apple Lossless. Just for those interested in the absolute sound.

The Transporter has largely freed me of listening for the absolute sound, and has opened the door to just enjoying music with lots of freedom and ease.

"I find myself putting on Padora and just letting it play all day"

I find myself in a similar mode these days mostly queuing things up randomly off my music server or tuning in my prefered Internet radio station of the day using the Roku Soundbridges in my system with external mhdt DACs.

I spend less and less time queuing up records and CDs and more time listening when I can.

There is a lot of stuff I have on vinyl still though that will take some time that I seldom have these days to convert over to digital.

That is cool.

I'm sort of heading towards a MediaMonkey - Laptop - ExternalUSBDrive - Beresford DAC TC-2750 way of getting equal or more quality and functionality than the MW Transporter or Sonos for a total price of $500 (250 for DAC, between 30 and 50 for MediaMonkey depending on which one you get,, and between 100 and 300 for external HD)... Assuming you already have a laptop and docking station. What I do is have a docking station with S/PDIF-out next to my Audio system, and via USB a Costco-purchased HD with 1 TB of space for like 200/300... Also, you can drive such a device with an IPhone now as remote.

Just another option... And then its all 16/44.1 CD-ripped or 24/96 from the web...

What I'm really thinking of in asking the original question is that the 'real' DACs seem to be the Berkeley DAC at 5k which is a but much for many, but seems to be astonishing in what it can do, and the Bryston DAC for 2k. Both can intake 24/192 and of course the more common, and still not yet widely popularized 24/96. I'm trying to focus on 24/96 as I gather more music as that seems to be the format of the near future.

So, for example, in the present, Media-Monkey, Bryston DAC, 24/96 downloads, Laptop w/external HD, should completely kill the Transporter at a cost of just 300 or so more depending on details.

The modwright signature treatment surely sounds like it might do something very helpful, I would believe that would bring it to a pretty good level.

Just thinking... This area is still so new, in 2 years I'm sure all of this will be straightforward and be of very high quality.