[HPiper]

My old computer died and took all my music files with it so I am basically having to start over. I am going to be getting some type of low price win10 pc to store and stream the audio, then either via usb to a dac and then headphone amp or perhaps get an integrated dac/amp setup. One change I want to make in the new system is I want it to be at least capable of doing DSD. I'd like to at least try it and then either use it a lot or not at all depending on how it works out. Most likely just reserve it for a few albums I really really like. The main two things I'd like to know is with regards to the computer, is there anything I should look out for and avoid at all costs? Are there any features or specific things that will make or break a good music server? Secondly as I am not at all familiar with DSD Dacs, are there any suggestions as to some good ones to look for? I have been hearing a lot of good things about the Chord Mojo. Right now that is what I am going to be looking at first.

 

[thompsontechs]

Avoid the cheap E-Machine computers at all cost! 
 
EDIT: It looks like they don't sell them anymore... thank goodness!
 
Most of the stuff these days comes from 4-5 vendors and is relabeled for whomever is selling them. I go local these days. Iused to build my own, but it cost more to build then to buy. Hit Toms Hardware for a good site as a guide.
 
 
 
JT

 

[Currawong]

  My old computer died and took all my music files with it so I am basically having to start over. I am going to be getting some type of low price win10 pc to store and stream the audio, then either via usb to a dac and then headphone amp or perhaps get an integrated dac/amp setup. One change I want to make in the new system is I want it to be at least capable of doing DSD. I'd like to at least try it and then either use it a lot or not at all depending on how it works out. Most likely just reserve it for a few albums I really really like. The main two things I'd like to know is with regards to the computer, is there anything I should look out for and avoid at all costs? Are there any features or specific things that will make or break a good music server? Secondly as I am not at all familiar with DSD Dacs, are there any suggestions as to some good ones to look for? I have been hearing a lot of good things about the Chord Mojo. Right now that is what I am going to be looking at first.

What is your interest in DSD? DACs like the Chord Mojo are optimised to be excellent with CD quality music, which is the vast majority of what is out there. Most of what is different about DSD, apart from the HUGE file size, is the difference in processing done by the DAC. 

 

[deusex3]

http://www.altor.co/products/audio/atdac-8a + external headphone amp if needed

 

[bixby]

Agree with @currawong regards dsd.  Never liked the sound of the stuff and virtually none of the artists I like have ever done sacd.
 
My tips for pc would be to look at older desktops.  Took me years to figure out laptops are at a disadvantage due to the high voltages of the built in screen.
 
I have 3 HP 6300 pro SFF machines that are in used in 2 listening systems for example.  They have outperformed all the laptops I owned and Mac Minis.  Around $200 or less on ebay.
 
I believe Foobar 2k will do dsd.  I have never tried it having formed an opinion on dsd with Audirvana + and JRiver on the Mac side. 
 
Lots of cool things you can do with a pc to incrementally improve the sound.  Try starting with keeping the USB ports clear except for a mouse and the dac and of course do not run other apps while listening to music.
 
Good luck!

 

[drtechno]

I would hold off because there is new digital coming out. As for a consumer style conversion, theoretically there isn't going to be anything significant past a sampling rate of 96K because in the pro audio world that what we record in. Most everything else is smoke and mirrors by tone enhancements.
 
 
But , last quarter of this year,  the 32bit converters will be hitting the pro market, the consumer market should be catching up 6 months later after that.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  My old computer died and took all my music files with it so I am basically having to start over. I am going to be getting some type of low price win10 pc to store and stream the audio, then either via usb to a dac and then headphone amp or perhaps get an integrated dac/amp setup. One change I want to make in the new system is I want it to be at least capable of doing DSD. I'd like to at least try it and then either use it a lot or not at all depending on how it works out. Most likely just reserve it for a few albums I really really like. The main two things I'd like to know is with regards to the computer, is there anything I should look out for and avoid at all costs? Are there any features or specific things that will make or break a good music server? 

 

Apart from using a high efficiency Intel NUC that runs fanless, or a MacMini (and the Asus that looks a lot like it), avoid going cheap and just build it yourself, otherwise you'll end up with something that has crappy cooling. Most prebuilts rely on a small exhaust fan to move air, which sucks in a lot more dust and doesn't get enough fresh air into the case fast enough, and over time it will be more and more and more reliant on spinning that tiny fan faster to deal with the heat (but fail), shortening the life of the parts inside it, and having a small fan spinning fast enough to cause a racket. NOT something you'd want in a music server unless it's not going to be in the same room you'll actually listen in (and even you'd at least have to clean it a lot more often than a proper chassis with a large cooling tower).

 

Ask some PC forums on what parts to get so you'd have a very quiet PC with decent cooling, but for starters, if this is just a music/media server and maybe MSOffice and some browsing (ie nothing that will require a lot of processing power much less a graphics card), you can get an AMD A6-6400K processor, any compatible MSI/Gigabyte motherboard (and download the Control App for either, which gives you a graphical user interface for programming fan speed on Windows instead of going into the BIOS) in either mATX or miniITX size, and any small RAM (2x4gb sticks will be enough for this). Get something like an Antec HCG 520 PSU - that amount of wattage is overkill but you're getting a large PSU that doesn't have to rely on a small fan forcing a lot of air into a crammed space by spinning too fast that it just adds to the noise.

 

As for the cooling system, use a case like the Bitfenix Phenom, which unlike the newer gaming-focused cases still has a lot of 3.5in HDD mounts, perfect for a music server (others have gone with 2x2.5in SSD mounts and at most 2x3.5in HDD mounts). Get the the Phanteks 200mm fan and mount it to the front intake (it's very quiet), and it will blow air towards the CPU cooler and through the HDDs. Have the Control App for the system fans keep the 200mm intake and CPU cooler fans at their minimum speed until around 40C, and then from there set the curve on the GUI to hit 100% by 80C. Then get the lowest noise 120mm fan you can get (usually some Enermax models) and put it on the exhaust port at the rear, speed kept to its minimum regardless of the temps, this way the air moving over the waffle grill in the exhaust port will have its noise kept to a minimum. Don't worry about the air flow imbalance as positive pressure will push the hot air out at through the gaps in the case - the exahust fan is there mostly to prevent hot air pooling behind the CPU cooler that can cook some of the motherboard bits.

 

[pinnahertz]

  I would hold off because there is new digital coming out.

What are you referring to?

As for a consumer style conversion, theoretically there isn't going to be anything significant past a sampling rate of 96K because in the pro audio world that what we record in.

And everything is released in 16/44.1, not 96K.  What's being sold as 24/96 is mostly up-sampled.  What little is 24/96 native (that means from original ADC, through post, mastering, and release...all in 24/96) is is not likely to be your favorite music.

But , last quarter of this year,  the 32bit converters will be hitting the pro market, the consumer market should be catching up 6 months later after that.

Lets see now...24 bits...that's theoretically 144dB of DR. That's literally from the threshold of hearing to the threshold of pain. Except, there are no "24 bit" converters, either A>D or D>A , with true 24 bit performance. Oh, and there is virtually no real 24 bit material. In terms of actual real audio performance, there is none available to the consumer.  And even if there were, there are no consumer listening rooms or sound systems capable of that DR.  None.  Zero. Zilch.  
 
So what would we do with 32 bits? 192dB of DR? Now you're going from the threshold of hearing to setting things on fire.  You're nudging the clipping point of air at sea level, for goodnes sakes, the point where air becomes too nonlinear to support undistorted audio, because it's maximum negative peak becomes a vacuum (happens at 194dB SPL at MSL).  There are no power amps, speakers, microphones, preamps, rooms...nothing. That is, IMHO, complete nonsense, as a consumer product, even a pro product.  Internal DAW structure is 32 or 64 bit float, but that does not depend on conversion hardware.
 
If you have some kind of data to back up your 32 bit converter claim, please post it.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Here are a few chassis ideas for dedicated media server PCs. All run fanless and have copper pipes taking heat off the processor and into the chassis, using the whole thing as a large heatsink. Barring very hot ambient temps, any low power CPU will work well enough running a media server.
http://www.streacom.com/products/

Here's a review of one of those:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug9Tk7T043c