Ctsooner, you will be in my thoughts. I lost my Dad over the Christmas holidays and he was career Army/National Guard. It is a tough time, even when they are older. I was impressed with the quality of friends and comrades that showed up to pay respects. For me, the military honors were special as they reminded me of the sacrifices made by those who serve to keep us safe, and how proud of them we should be.
On audio topics, I remain interested in servers and I am where you are with a dedicated tricked out Mojo Mac mini, with external linear PS, external AV drive, internal SSD, 5V USB power isolation (do not use power from the mini), and filtered USB. I am currently looking hard at Antipodes but I agree the better/best servers seem expensive for what they are (basically computers). The main benefits of the best servers, like Antipodes, over our minis seem to be running the Linux OS, a few optimizations of noise that are not feasible with the mini (no fan, etc.), and better isolated USB outputs. I have not jumped yet for the same reason as you, because pricing is likely to come down, and sound quality up, as manufacturers figure out what folks want and how to best deliver it. I would like to see a really good server made in the USA and the main options I am aware of are the Baetis and CAPS servers.
As you guys explore and hear options, it would be nice to have an active thread dedicated to servers. I started one in August titled, "State of the Source: Server, computer....or what? and while a few folks provided input it eventually fizzled out for lack of interest.
On audio topics, I remain interested in servers and I am where you are with a dedicated tricked out Mojo Mac mini, with external linear PS, external AV drive, internal SSD, 5V USB power isolation (do not use power from the mini), and filtered USB. I am currently looking hard at Antipodes but I agree the better/best servers seem expensive for what they are (basically computers). The main benefits of the best servers, like Antipodes, over our minis seem to be running the Linux OS, a few optimizations of noise that are not feasible with the mini (no fan, etc.), and better isolated USB outputs. I have not jumped yet for the same reason as you, because pricing is likely to come down, and sound quality up, as manufacturers figure out what folks want and how to best deliver it. I would like to see a really good server made in the USA and the main options I am aware of are the Baetis and CAPS servers.
As you guys explore and hear options, it would be nice to have an active thread dedicated to servers. I started one in August titled, "State of the Source: Server, computer....or what? and while a few folks provided input it eventually fizzled out for lack of interest.