LMS is very good, it was a remarkable achievement at the time and still holds its own in some respects. You can run it on a NAS or Raspberry Pi, or rubbishy little windows laptop if you have one. If you do try it, do check out the associated remote app for your iPhone or iPad called iPeng - it is excellent.
Hi, when you say LMS still holds its own in some respects,do you mean SQ wise or something else?
SQ wise I am still quite happy with both Audirvana and Pure Music with my mbp and Qutest/Mscaler.
Neither program is free like LMS, but imho both are still holding up well against the admittedly very few Roon and VERY expensive streamer boxes options I have auditioned so far.
To give just one example of MANY.
Last night I played the 24/96 download recording of Varese's Amérique as performed by the Seattle Symphony live via my HEKV2 into my Musical Fidelity V3 complete with its separate PSU box via Qutest/HMS and I have to say, I can only remember it sounding even better via DAVE/HMS and the biggest most expensive Woo Audio amp driving Susvaras.
Effortless and very clean and immensely detailed and realistic SQ, and a very suitable recording to sort the "wheat from the chaff".
A very richly scored work with a large dynamic range,that to the uninitiated may sound a bit like a mix of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with bit of Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin thrown in here and there. And an exotic Oriental Dance at times competing with the Firebrigade going at full speed down Fifth Avenue.
Amérique is certainly not easy listening, but a really good workout for any system,well maybe not a desktop based direct to TT2, small speaker system,but truly fascinating music indeed.
Those who can't hear the difference between an Mscaler IN or not with any of the three current dacs from Chord that can connect one, in a good system, with THIS recording imho,either need their ears properly cleaned or maybe find another more suitable hobby to indulge in, than HIGH END HIFI?
Cheers CC