
- MUSICSERVER FULL VERSION
- MUSICSERVER GENERATOR
- MUSICSERVER SOFTWARE
- MUSICSERVER TRIAL
- MUSICSERVER MAC
The only input is an RJ45 jack for connection to a network for file storage and remote control. The addition of the card requires only a screwdriver, and should be within the capability of anyone who can mount a cartridge in a tonearm.
MUSICSERVER GENERATOR
The sMS-200ultra also has a matching sCLK-OCX10 master-clock generator which is said to improve the sound even more.Īn expansion card that plugs into a slot on the back of PS Audio’s DirectStream DAC and turns the DAC into a complete digital audio file player. For even better sound, if your space and budget are larger, you might consider the sMS-200ultra and its matching sPS-500 power supply.

The sMS-200 with Roon was very dynamic, with fully-fleshed-out harmonics and excellent momentum. Additional power supplies are available (VF used the mBPS-d2s battery-powered supply).
MUSICSERVER SOFTWARE
A software suite called Eunhasu give you lots of software playback options, including the popular Roon (but you need a Roon license). It lets you store your audio files either on a network or an external USB drive. With a silver isosceles trapezoidal faceplate and a wall-wart power supply, the sMS-200 is just right for a space-limited digital audio player. Sonore provides a list of nine recommended units.Ī very small device that plays PCM digital audio files up to 384/32 and DSD256. Want better sound? Get a better power supply. It ships with several playback programs, including Roon (but you need a Roon license). The microRendu produces a pure, quiet, detailed output that sounds far more expensive than its paltry cost. It plays PCM files up to 768kHz and DSD512. What you’d have is Sonore’s microRendu player, which further minimizes its size by offering only a network (RJ45) input.

Suppose you took the playback, or rendering, function from a full-fledged server, installed it on a tiny computer, wrapped it in an enclosure no larger than many USB flash drives, and plugged it directly into a DAC’s USB input. $499 without power supply $549 with iFi Audio power supply Still, after all these years, if you want to hear how good a Mac-based system can really sound, Amarra is one of the few playback programs you must have. While there are sonic differences between Amarra and its competitors, the nature, scope, and perceptibility of those differences will vary drastically depending on the other components, both hardware and software, in your system. But with current pricing, that barrier to ownership has been greatly reduced. When Amarra first appeared on the scene it was pricier than most of its software competition. $189, $99, $85, $49 (price varies depending on the feature set) Mate this front end with a top-flight DAC and you have a digital playback system that will catapult you to the forefront of the new computer-playback revolution.

MUSICSERVER MAC
Combine Pure Music with any recent Mac computer and you have a front end that will play back any digital file from FLACs to lowly MP3s on up to 192/24 high-resolution files with ease. Pure Music is a great piece of software at a price that even a flea market-scrounging hobbyist audiophile can afford. Most importantly, Roon just sounded good-a little different from, and in some ways better than JRiver.

VF found playing music on Tidal easier through Roon than through Tidal’s own playback program. Its flexible and easy metadata-editing tools make it simple to fix the inevitable errors that creep into Roon’s (and any other playback program’s) graphic display of your albums. The Roon music management program offers a rich interface with far more information about the music in your collection than any other program reviewer Vade Forrester has seen. Roon Labs 1.5 Computer Audio Playback Software The harmonic balance is a bit dark, with forgiving treble and a warmish upper bass. The Cobblestone produces listenable, if not riveting sound. Although the Cobblestone won’t be right for a reference system, it simply and inexpensively adds Internet radio, smartphone streaming, and NAS playback capabilities to a secondary “lifestyle” or background music system. This inexpensive little device provides wireless streaming to any audio system. I’d be very surprised if, by the sixteenth day, you haven’t anted up that $50 to become a licensed user.
MUSICSERVER FULL VERSION
For fifteen days you can use the full version with no restrictions.
MUSICSERVER TRIAL
And for readers who need to see and hear for themselves, you can download the trial version of Audirvana Plus for free. Especially if you use multiple DACs or listen to higher-res files and DSD, Audirvana Plus is a more ergonomically elegant and sonically superior alternative to iTunes. If you have so far resisted buying any third-party music playback software for your Mac, Audirvana offers some compelling reasons to reevaluate that decision.
