How do you listen to your digital files in your stereo?

Living room setup is mostly Chromecast Audio > LS50W via optical.
Bedroom setup is Computer or Chromecast Audio > Schiit Modi MB via USB or Opt. > Schiit Lyr 2 > Mackie MR624
Music library is either Spotify or stored locally on a QNAP NAS.

 

I have a NAD wireless DAC that I use with my laptop to send to my old school 2-channel NAD integrated amp.

 

Over USB to my DAC

 

Cocktailaudio X40 all in one with 5TB internal hd, controlled by app/webinterface but mostly just by remote control. Every cd I play is also automatically ripped to its hd in flac format.

 

newer arrangement, still have the pc with 8tb but it's just for backup.
these days it's a 4tb easystore WD plugged into the back of the oppo 103. 103 feeds my pre amp via analog jacks and 103 feeds a mimby with coax.

 

Pono aux out.

 

Sonos connect to a DAC to my preamp Sounds great!

 

Iphone 7+ - Chord Mojo
PC - JRiver - Chord Mojo
Sonos Play5 - Alexa - Amazon Music
But prefer my vynil!!

 

Recently I got a Synology NAS and put a pair of 4TB disks in it. I run the Synology DLNA server and play the files, mostly high bitrate MP3s, on my various DLNA clients in the house, which consist of mostly Sony Blu-Ray players, but my new LG TV is a DLNA client as well.

Everything (MP3 at least) is mirrored to Google Play so I can play anything anywhere as long as I have WiFi or LTE.

 

USB from my MacBook Pro to my Peachtree Nova mostly. Secondary system is either Sonos (90%) or CD through a Denon 2910.

 

Just curious why MP3 is your go-to format when you have so much space on your NAS. Do you need your music files compressed due to other storage needs?

 

Foobar2000 -> Creative Sound Blaster Z -> Creative GigaWorks 5.1 ProGamer or Takstar pro80

 

USB to my Bel Canto REFlink which is connected to a Berkeley Alpha DAC Series 2 (AES) and a Chord QuteHD (BNC). The Alpha DAC is balanced out to the preamp. QuteHD is RCA.

 

Mac Book Pro USB to a Prism Sound Calia into Focal Shape 65’s

Or streamed to a Naim Muso QB

 

Music is ripped or downloaded to a NAS and from there the sky is basically the limit. Each room has its own way to access the files on the NAS and the control is also different. The living room has both an HTPC running JRiver Media Center and a NT-503 Network Media Streamer/DAC. The HTPC is usually run in theater mode so is controlled with a Logitech Harmony remote. The NT-503 is controlled with a phone app or used as the USB DAC for the HTPC. The JRiver media server can also be controlled with a phone app and that's how I listen to my music when I'm away from the house.

The study has another PC running JRiver. Both PC shares the same library server on the NAS so any change made in one is reflected to the other. The study PC is connected to a small integrated amplifier and to a headphone amplifier.

The rest of the rooms have Sonos speakers. Each room is defined as a zone in JRiver so I can also control what is played in each room through one of the JRiver installations, use the SONOS app to access external services or even control the play/stop, selection of internet radio stations and sleep timer through the smart home setup that has a Sonos binding interface (openHAB in case it anyone is interested).

The NAS is also running a PLEX and a Roon server so any smart TV can access the movie, show or music libraries on the NAS and I have yet to find a device which couldn't access at least 2 of the media servers running in the home.

Digital music has been a blessing for me it freed me from all type of constraints and enabled the music to follow me anywhere.

 

Nivida Shield ---> Kodi App ---> Receiver. Plays 24bit Hi-Rez files, DSD, DSF. (PCM) Great customizable interface too.

 

I don't think 4TB is much space... But yeah those MP3s are the library linked to Google Play for synching, and I use them in my phone, etc. They're used for casual listening, and I can't tell the difference between high bitrate MP3 and the original. I still spin discs a lot to listen to music.

 

1. iTunes>Creative Sound Blaster X-FI HD>Sony TA-E9000ES pre/pro optical S/PDIF input @ 24/96
2. iTunes>OPPO UDP-205 usb DAC>Sony TA-E9000ES pre/pro RCA input
3. iTunes>Airplay via Airport Express>Sony TA-E9000ES pre/pro optical S/PDIF input @ 16/44.1

Notes: Music stored in iTunes Library consists of AAC, ALAC, AIFF, and wav. files. Whether listening from 1.,2., or 3. it all sounds great. Listening via #2 music is so detailed that I can unfortunately here more sounds associated with poor mastering.

 

UPDATE: with a push to digitize all of my SACDs, I've now moved to two 5 TB servers (one for DSD files and the other for 320MP3 files) connected to my router - which leaves some room for eventual growth / expansion of the collection.

 

Main system:
All files on 40Tb RAID5 NAS.
Played on Baetis Prodigy-X server with JRiver or Roon
Output via USB to exaSound e38 multichannel DAC or, via U-DIO8, to 3 Benchmark DAC3s.

Weekend system:
All files on a pair of 20Tb RAID5 NAS drives.
Played on a Bootcamped MacMini running Win7 and Jriver
Output via HDMI to Marantz AV8805 preamp/processor

P.S.: All files are backed up on 2 other off-site NAS drives. Files includes stereo, multichannel, DSD and FLAC.

 

I run a NAS for high res digital file storage and stream them using Logitech Media Server over ethernet to a Naim ND5-XS network streamer. I would use wireless, but I get dropouts with 24/192 files.

I have been thinking about getting a newer NAS that supports running software in Docker containers. Not sure what to get just yet.

 

I want to download or buy mp3 songs since these days some artist do not have their song on cd

What the cheapest way to hook it up to my stereo? I don t have receiver but has preamplifier

 

Bluesound Vault2 (library)/Tidal>Gungnir DS DAC >main system
Bluesound Node2 in family room system and master bedroom system.
Seamless playback on three systems at once...what a country!!!

 

Have the RR2150 (older model). The DAC in this thing is actually very pleasing to my ears! Happy I don’t need to splurge for a new one.

 

How do you digitize your SACDs?