So many music servers and related products appeared at the 2011 CES, that we can now sort them into various sub-categories depending on what is included in the box.

Below is a list of new or upgraded products that caught my eye at the show.

Optimized Music Computers
These are hot-rodded off-the-shelf computers and software packages from Amarra and Pure Music to help you set up your own computer as a high quality server. Couple that with all of those USB DACs now appearing (see below) and a stack of hard drives and you're set:

• Mach2 Music Mac Mini Upgrade Package

Disc Players/Music Streamers
These are disc players that also stream files and can connect to hard drives with varying ability:

• Constellation Cygnus
• Esoteric K-01 and K-03
• mbl Corona C31
• MSB Technology's Universal Media Transport

Disc Players/Music Streamers/Preamps
Same as the list above, but also have varying degrees of preamp functionality built in:

• Audio Aero La Fontaine
• Audio Aero La Source
• Bladelius Embla (This once could go in the Complete Systems below since it does have an upgradable hard drive)
• Resolution Audio Cantata

Music Server Hubs
These are the servers which don't include music storage and at the same time leverage Apple or Microsoft products for an interface and file management. Some have disc drives for ripping discs and some don't (another sub-category perhaps?). They provide an optimized center portion of an audiophile music server, but not the edges. Some include streaming from internet radio sources:

• Auraliti L1000
• Blue Smoke Black Box
• Cambridge Audio NP-30
• Cary Audio Design MS-1
• Musical Fidelity M1CL:C
• Weiss MAN 202

Music Server Hubs with Storage
Some companies include varying degrees of internal music storage, but still leverage Apple devices to control their systems:

• Purist HDR 6D.
• Sonneteer

Complete Music Server Solutions
Then there are the tip-to-tail solutions all of which provide everything you need straight out of the box with varying degrees of upgradability. You can add an iPod/iPad interface if you like, but it is not necessary:

• Meridian Sooloos
• Olive
• qsonix

USB DACs
These are sprouting all over, and have varying capabilities regarding higher sampling rates (note that most of the above products have USB inputs on them as well):

• AcousticPlan DriveMaster Transport and DacMaster DAC
• Arcam rDAC and rDACkw
• Conrad-Johnson HD USB³ DAC
• dCS Debussy DAC USB Upgrade
• Electrocompaniet PD 1 DAC and EMS 1 Wireless Streamer
• Hegel Music Systems HD2, HD10, and HD20 DACs
• HRT iStreamer
• Peachtree Audio iDac
• Rega DAC
• Simaudio Moon 100 D DAC

There are likely more new products in addition to those mentioned here (feel free to add what I missed at CES in the comments). What will work for you depends on how you approach your music collection in particular, and technology in general. But clearly, music servers as a broad category is here to stay, and will likely be the future of audio for a very long time.

That is until we can all stream high resolution audio straight from the cloud, with its infinite library of all music ever recorded, to anyplace we are, for $9.99 a month. Hey it could happen.