[Music Alchemist]

 

Well, I guess the real question comes down to if you'd prefer the sound and features offered by the proprietary hardware, or if a regular computer with an off-the-shelf DAC/amp combo is preferable for you. I'm afraid I can't answer that question, only you can. If you prefer the latter, THEN I can be useful to you.

 
Sound and price being equal, I'd choose the music server; but most of those servers are crazy expensive, so a desktop PC is a more viable option for the time being.
 

Yeah, but it WILL cost more to do it that way, and you have to limit yourself to one site to do that. The advantage of PCPartpicker is it lets you buy from a variety of e-tailers to get the best value on each product in the configuration. It factors in shipping and rebates, too. But to take advantage of this feature, you need to buy from a patchwork cluster of stores, and that means assembling it yourself. You COULD limit yourself to one store, but expect both a fee for assembly and a price hike over if you take the DIY route instead. Preference. Value, or convenience?

 
This would be more of an issue if I wasn't pursuing the cheapest, most stripped-down computer possible that would do the job of storing and playing music just as well as an expensive computer. My only other requirement would be that it has a sufficient cooling system so as to prevent overheating. Any recommendations are appreciated!
 

P.S.: As an all-around PC builder, I feel inclined to point out that sound quality and features to one side, a regular computer can be used for other things, too, in a pinch. (Ex.: The laptop's heating issue finally does it in.) Web browsing, PC gaming if you ever get into it, graphic design, editing your audio, etc. I know that's not what you're getting this for, but it's something you might want to factor into your decision. Whatever the device is, you're gonna be throwing at least a fair amount of cash into it. A well-rounded purchase might just prove a better investment, long-term. Like, what sold me on the FiiO X5 wasn't just its amazingly good sound quality, it was its rich featureset. Tons of potential storage, a durable, tactile mechanical clickwheel which I REALLY liked, flexibility with regards to file formats, high durability, and it came bundled with a ton of extra stuff. If it was about a hundred bucks cheaper and had standard-quality audio, I'd probably have still been happy with it.

 
True, but since I'm going for the most affordable available solution, I can just get a high-end custom PC when the time comes.
 
(Plus I have plenty of other computers for backup anyway.)

 

[343 Grenadier]

Sound and price being equal, I'd choose the music server; but most of those servers are crazy expensive, so a desktop PC is a more viable option for the time being.

 

This would be more of an issue if I wasn't pursuing the cheapest, most stripped-down computer possible that would do the job of storing and playing music just as well as an expensive computer. My only other requirement would be that it has a sufficient cooling system so as to prevent overheating. Any recommendations are appreciated!

 
Alright. So what music programs and files do you use, normally? We'll need to identify the most intensive ones to figure out what to build the computer for. You also don't need to worry so much about cooling. These're desktops: They're larger, have more room for airflow, and they almost always have stock coolers for parts that generate a ton of heat, like the CPU and graphics card.
 

True, but since I'm going for the most affordable available solution, I can just get a high-end custom PC when the time comes.  
(Plus I have plenty of other computers for backup anyway.)

 
So this'll be strictly for audio purposes. Well, I'm not sure about software, but on a hardware/components level, then it just boils down to using the appropriate CPU, RAM, storage drive, and DAC/amp combo and/or sound card. I'm not an expert on the latter or I wouldn't be posting threads like this, but I CAN configure the other internals of the PC which aren't directly related to audio but are required to make it work.
 
My guess just off the top of my head is a Xeon E3 series CPU on a motherboard that provides relatively clean USB power (Some of Gigabyte's latest boards have USB ports purpose-built for DACs/amps.), 'bout 8 gigs of RAM, and a moderately-sized SSD to house your music library. Case can be any ugly old mid-tower, long as it covers the internals. Oh, and a cheap graphics card with appropriate ports for the monitor, since Xeons don't have IGP. (In this context, a Core i7 MAY be more cost-effective.) This assumes programs that play back stuff like DSD files and that virtualization tech you mentioned require hefty amounts of CPU power and take advantage of multithreading. (That is to say, they can use many CPU cores at one time.) If they just need CPU power on a smaller number of threads, a Core i5 should suffice. Again, this isn't familiar territory to me so I can't be entirely sure about that.
 
To TL;DR this, tell me the toughest apps you plan to run on it, and I'll try and figure out system requirements so I can configure something cost-effective for ya.
 
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nv6RnQ
 
Here's an example build assuming you need a Xeon/Core i7's level of CPU power and multithreading, 8 gigs of RAM, and a sizable amount of SSD storage space so you can near-instantaneously load even very large files. Onto this, you'll need to add on your own audio gear. It's entirely possible, even likely, that I'm drastically overdoing things, though. Like I said, I'd need to know what you're running and how much CPU power, memory, etc. is needed for it.

 

[Music Alchemist]

 
Thanks for the help, but LOL. Drastically overdoing things is an understatement. I wanted bare minimum here, like under $400. (And that's if I get a new PC for this in the first place.) I don't listen to DSD files as of yet. As long as it has at least 600 GB of hard drive space and can play 16-bit files with audible transparency, I'm covered. JPLAY, JRiver Media Center, and/or foobar2000 are the only audio apps I would be using. I don't think even the most demanding audio setups require much processing power or memory at all.

 

[343 Grenadier]

Thanks for the help, but LOL. Drastically overdoing things is an understatement. I wanted bare minimum here, like under $400. (And that's if I get a new PC for this in the first place.) I don't listen to DSD files as of yet. As long as it has at least 600 GB of hard drive space and can play 16-bit files with audible transparency, I'm covered. JPLAY, JRiver Media Center, and/or foobar2000 are the only audio apps I would be using. I don't think even the most demanding audio setups require much processing power or memory at all.

 
In that case, a fairly inexpensive arrangement should cut it. By the way, I looked at my old build recommendation and my palm left an exit wound at the back of my head: I'D FORGOTTEN THE POWER SUPPLY. Very careless of me. I mean, that's like 30 extra bucks, so not much, but still.
 
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Dv3tkL
 
Unfortunately, inclusion of the amp/DAC-friendly mainboard (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4485#ov) and a PSU kinda drove prices up a bit. Without input and output peripherals, this WOULD fit your budget, but factor in a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and it's at about $440. If you have a spare set of input peripherals, that can help matters. I.E.: Old HDMI-capable monitor or TV, spare mouse and/or keyboard. The monitor for this thing is about 120 on its own. Now, I could shave a few tens off by gimping the hard drive, but that would drastically cut capacity. Like, it's 1 TB now. That could be cut down by like, 13 dollars or so, but at the cost of it being only 500 GBs, half that, and under your specified requirements. I guess that's a downside to DIY PCs: They're all-rounders. This thing is capable of far more than just music, even at this low price range. You can easily browse on it, and play old games like Starcraft 1 or Source titles at low settings. So you're not just paying for its audio processing capabilities. 
 
By comparison, the cheapest fit-PC (Fit-PC2) I can see is about 300 but requires its own monitor (+120), hard drive (+50), mouse (+6), keyboard (+10), and OS (+0 for Linux or pirated Windows) and has inferior specs when it comes to raw processing power, sporting half as much RAM, a CPU about a third as powerful, and uh...the audio specs are actually inferior, so you'll need a DAC/amp combo anyway to REALLY get good audio out of it. On the other hand, it's a tiny, fanless design which can be placed anywhere and has built-in wifi. I don't know about heating issues as it's using passive cooling, but you won't even know it's there. (Of course, if background noise is an issue, you can get passive cooling for the tower.) The Fit-PC3 is a bit cheaper at 275, but doesn't come with its own RAM, so it's likely costlier in practice than the 2 model.
 
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zalman-cpu-cooler-fx70
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ss400fl2
 
Add these in and you wind up with this:
 
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Fsp8P6
 
It's occurred to me that if you have an old PC with sufficient specs which isn't being used for anything, you COULD just dust it off, slap a DAC/amp onto it, and use that instead. It doesn't look like your requirements are exactly high. Of course, there's the clean USB power on this build's mainboard, which your hardware more than likely doesn't have. That might be a complicating factor for going this route.

 

[Music Alchemist]

 
I appreciate you going to the trouble of helping me with this, but again, I want the bare minimum that would get the job done.
 
"amp-friendly mainboard"?

I don't think this has anything to do with what I want, because I will be using an external amp/DAC which bypasses the computer stuff. The connection is via USB, but it has its own power supply, so the expensive motherboard is probably unnecessary. The processor, memory, etc. don't need to be that much. Again, bare minimum here. I'm pretty sure I don't need to spend so much on a power supply, especially for something as basic as this. Looks like you selected the best hard drive option. I already have an external CD/DVD drive, so I can scratch that off the list. I have an HDTV, but it's far too large to use as a computer monitor. I would honestly prefer the smallest monitor possible. Looks like the cheapest one listed on that site is about $78. I hate normal desktop keyboards. I prefer flat keys, such as the ones on my Alienware...but I'm assuming that would be more expensive. Doesn't really matter, though, since I wouldn't be using the keyboard much. All my other computers are ones I would not use for this purpose. That's why I described them as backups.
 
What is involved with clean USB power, and how would this affect sound quality, to your reckoning?

 

[343 Grenadier]

 I appreciate you going to the trouble of helping me with this, but again, I want the bare minimum that would get the job done.

 
That's the idea, yeah.
 

"amp-friendly mainboard"? 

 I don't think this has anything to do with what I want, because I will be using an external amp/DAC which bypasses the computer stuff. The connection is via USB, but it has its own power supply, so the expensive motherboard is probably unnecessary.

 
That's good news, if anything. It means you can roll a cheaper H81 board. I just thought you might want the option, since you might use something that runs off of USB power instead, which I'm given to understand is rather dirty. I.E.: It was a "just-in-case" measure since I don't know what you're planning to use with the PC.
 

 The processor, memory, etc. don't need to be that much. Again, bare minimum here.

 
This is about as low as it'll go. You can use a bottom-tier Celeron CPU, but that'll save you about 17 bucks and you'll be losing quite a bit of performance. It's PROBABLY enough, but still. And I personally wouldn't recommend going under 4 gigs of RAM: Sure, you can cut the price of the RAM in half (40 to 20) by using half as much but even basic tasks become kind of a pain with that little memory. I.E.: You CAN do it, but I wouldn't advise it. The CPU will be about 10% slower and having just 2 gigs of RAM will be an infernal nuisance if you do ANY kind of multitasking at all, which you probably will, even on this budget music server. (To be fair, it will still be more powerful than the Fit-PC, but like I said, that thing made me CRINGE when I saw the specs.)
 

 I'm pretty sure I don't need to spend so much on a power supply, especially for something as basic as this.

 
I recommended that as an option in case you needed complete silence. If you're okay with a PSU and/or CPU heatsink that has a fan in/on it, then the original build will suffice.
 

 I already have an external CD/DVD drive, so I can scratch that off the list.

 
Okay, good. That'll shave 15 or so. Again, I don't know these things, so I'm makin' sure.
 

 I have an HDTV, but it's far too large to use as a computer monitor. I would honestly prefer the smallest monitor possible. Looks like the cheapest one listed on that site is about $78.

 
Whatever monitor you use has to be compatible with the mainboard's rear ports. I set up the full HD monitor since you can happily reuse it for other things later on, and because HDMI doesn't seem to get any cheaper on PCPartpicker.
 

I hate normal desktop keyboards. I prefer flat keys, such as the ones on my Alienware...but I'm assuming that would be more expensive.

 
Scissor-switch keys. They would be a bit more expensive, although I personally hate them and use tactile mechanical keyboards whenever possible, but that's personal preference. Consider yourself lucky: Mechanicals are durable and comfortable but quite expensive.
 

 Doesn't really matter, though, since I wouldn't be using the keyboard much. All my other computers are ones I would not use for this purpose. That's why I described them as backups.

 
Yeah, well, you'll need a keyboard to get the computer up and running. Same deal with the Fit-PCs, which apparently aren't music servers at all, they're just low-profile, low-power computers.
 

 What is involved with clean USB power, and how would this affect sound quality, to your reckoning?

 
I've read a thread or two on Head-Fi about this. If you're using a USB DAC which draws power from the USB port itself (Which you aren't, so this is really irrelevant, but what the hell, no fun in skipping details. That's how you AVOID getting roasted and zapped by several-hundred dollar headphones.), the delivery of power on normal ports is very inconsistent, resulting in persnickety, and generally fuzzier audio quality on the DAC. These Gigabyte ports are apparently designed specifically to reduce this issue, and the threads where I've seen it tested seem to say it DOES result in noticeable improvements.
 
Bearing your revised parameters in mind, here's another configuration: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JBhgZL
 
Notes: I added in about six dollars to upgrade to a case that has front USB 3.0 ports. Figured it was worth it. I also put in a cheap chiclet keyboard. There are user complaints that the keys are too squishy and not clicky enough, though. Honestly, I recommend picking out the keyboard yourself. You'll have to do it either way.

 

[Music Alchemist]

 
This is better, but I see no reason for the 3 GHz processor. If it can be downsized without harming the sound quality / audio playback, I'm all for it. Good call for the USB ports.
 

I recommended that as an option in case you needed complete silence. If you're okay with a PSU and/or CPU heatsink that has a fan in/on it, then the original build will suffice.

 
Care to elaborate? Can the power supply make the difference between no noise and a loud fan?
 
Anyway...this is exhausting. I'm just going to see how things go with the laptop, and if any problems arise, then I'll look into these other options.

 

[343 Grenadier]

 This is better, but I see no reason for the 3 GHz processor. If it can be downsized without harming the sound quality / audio playback, I'm all for it. Good call for the USB ports.

 
Like I said, PC builders tend to err on the side of generosity when devising a build that'll hold up for a while. The Celeron also has less L3 cache so we're talking more than just a raw GHz vs. GHz battle. It's probably enough...for audio. Not much else. Neither CPU is particularly impressive, mind. If you want something significantly more powerful, you'll be spending in the ballpark of about 180+ USD (Core i5s and non-Hyperthreaded Xeon E3s, which have four CPU cores).
 

 Care to elaborate? Can the power supply make the difference between no noise and a loud fan?

 
If the PSU doesn't have a fan of its own, which is the case with that Seasonic, then yes. It's honestly not loud at all even without the passive cooling solutions, but I figured that even a tiny little background noise might be irritating for an audiophile, although as you're using headphones, maybe not. As an alternative, you could try a noise-dampening case but that'll jack up prices a bit, too.
 

 Anyway...this is exhausting. I'm just going to see how things go with the laptop, and if any problems arise, then I'll look into these other options.

 
Probably for the better. I'm not seeing much of an advantage to using a Fit-PC aside from form factor and silence.
 
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6VmgZL
 
Here's the build using a Celeron, as requested.

 

[Music Alchemist]

 
The HD 800 is an open-back headphone, meaning that sound leaks in and out, so it's easy to hear any background noise. Due to this, the quieter, the better. I don't mind paying a little extra for that. I saved that last link you made for me. If I decide to go for a custom PC, I'll use it as a reference point.

 

[343 Grenadier]

The HD 800 is an open-back headphone, meaning that sound leaks in and out, so it's easy to hear any background noise. Due to this, the quieter, the better. I don't mind paying a little extra for that. I saved that last link you made for me. If I decide to go for a custom PC, I'll use it as a reference point.

 
A word of warning: Some will argue the PSUs I used in this set of builds are overkill. To answer that, I say it's a precautionary measure. It's more power than you need but when PSUs fail, they fail spectacularly. If you're unlucky, they can even fry the whole PC. NEVER cheap out on the PSU. Make sure it has a good OEM and user reviews. Besides, counting rebates and shipping costs, you're getting a vastly superior product for very little more in cash. As is the case with the HDD, the law of diminishing returns goes down, not just up. I also feel inclined to point out that you don't need passive cooling solutions to get background noise to practically-inaudible levels. Quite a few aftermarket coolers for the CPU, and many a PSU's fan is already dead-silent. You'd have to strain to hear them.

 

[cmander10]

   
A word of warning: Some will argue the PSUs I used in this set of builds are overkill. To answer that, I say it's a precautionary measure. It's more power than you need but when PSUs fail, they fail spectacularly. If you're unlucky, they can even fry the whole PC. NEVER cheap out on the PSU. Make sure it has a good OEM and user reviews. Besides, counting rebates and shipping costs, you're getting a vastly superior product for very little more in cash. As is the case with the HDD, the law of diminishing returns goes down, not just up. I also feel inclined to point out that you don't need passive cooling solutions to get background noise to practically-inaudible levels. Quite a few aftermarket coolers for the CPU, and many a PSU's fan is already dead-silent. You'd have to strain to hear them.

Yes, always get a PSU with a little more power than needed. It loses its strength as time goes on and will not be able to provide the power it originally did. I got an 860W when my system will only use 450W on full power (gaming). However, if you buy a good brand, Seasonic, then you probably don't have to worry about power degradation that much. You don't want to go too much overboard because efficiency will decrease significantly. You want to find that sweet spot of power and efficiency since lower efficiency mean more heat.

 

[343 Grenadier]

Yes, always get a PSU with a little more power than needed. It loses its strength as time goes on and will not be able to provide the power it originally did. I got an 860W when my system will only use 450W on full power (gaming). However, if you buy a good brand, Seasonic, then you probably don't have to worry about power degradation that much. You don't want to go too much overboard because efficiency will decrease significantly. You want to find that sweet spot of power and efficiency since lower efficiency mean more heat.

 
Yeah, you can find a lot of good Gold-rated PSUs without breaking the bank. Like, Rosewill's Capstones are rebranded Seasonics. So are just about all of XFX's PSUs. Not that Seasonic is the only good OEM, it's just generally the best. Enermax is good, too. So are FSP Group and Super Flower (At least if they're making PSUs for a reputable company like Corsair.) if you don't feel like using those. If you wanna see what OEM a PSU has, a great place to look is RealhardtechX's database.

 

[cmander10]

   
Yeah, you can find a lot of good Gold-rated PSUs without breaking the bank. Like, Rosewill's Capstones are rebranded Seasonics. So are just about all of XFX's PSUs. Not that Seasonic is the only good OEM, it's just generally the best. Enermax is good, too. So are FSP Group and Super Flower (At least if they're making PSUs for a reputable company like Corsair.) if you don't feel like using those. If you wanna see what OEM a PSU has, a great place to look is RealhardtechX's database.

I would have gotten a re-branded Seasonic one as well, or some other decent brand. I managed to get my platinum Seasonic for $130 over the $190 price tag today. Basically stole it.  

 
 
Buy your electronics around the end of November. It turns out they start making things ridiculously cheap.

 

[343 Grenadier]

I would have gotten a re-branded Seasonic one as well, or some other decent brand. I managed to get my platinum Seasonic for $130 over the $190 price tag today. Basically stole it.  

   
Buy your electronics around the end of November. It turns out they start making things ridiculously cheap.

 
Sometimes you can get deals like that. They vary from day to day on PCPartpicker.
 
That said, I THINK we're getting a bit off track here. This thread's for audio. So let's see about identifying other sets of headphones and sources which are good at this stuff.

 

[cmander10]

I will say I thought the DT880/600 had slightly better gaming capabilities than the HD600. The DT800 was more detailed as well as having slightly better positioning. However, the HD600 sounded more natural so I choose that.
 
With the Sound Blaster Z, the sound quality was so distorted to get slightly better 3D positioning. Much detail was lost because of this when using SBX. It sounded like a veil with everything having more bass (not impact). Without SBX active, the card basically sounded the same for 3D as the onboard did, though my onboard sound is fairly good. However, their still was a slight added bass even with no features active. I'll write my full impressions when I find the time and can get my amp fully upgraded. But for me, the sound card did not do it for me.
 
Listen to this if you are deciding on getting a particular soundcard or just keeping onboard. It is pretty representative of what you will get, say 80%.