Now that hi-rez files without DRM are starting to become available for download from several labels, are you ready for an audiophile music server?
COMMENTS
I am computer literate and can appreciate new technology, but for some reason for which I cannot even fully validate, I don't want a music server. I also don't pay or steal music off the Internet, or would even consider owning an iPod. The only way it will happen for me is if the industry stops selling hard copies of CDs and the audio industry discontinues production of all line components preamps and power amps, etc.
I resent the demise of the vinyl record as such while it not only contained music but quality printwork as well, if artists at least bothered. Most independent record labels (UK) did anyway. The print quality (and what else they surprised us with) was by far superior to that of the CD cover 'artwork'. Moreover, records will still be playable 100 years from now at least (alas, tapes aren't). For classical music CD meant a big improvement indeed, but what counts most is the musical quality of the works. How it sounds comes second if you believe it or not. Most people don't even bother to listen to acceptable (or decent) loudspeakers anyway. I know that my musical preferences are somewhat far off the middle of the road, so it will take some time until this niche will be available on this unpersonalized way of enjoying fruits of creativity. This same fringe of musicians loathe the majority of music industry policies and rather sell their work for a dime a piece themselves rather than being under contract of some major sort of label operated by a bunch of juridical and economical parasites that live on tapping other person's creativity as a way of life, although that might be less of a shame than the stockbroker industry that has nothing whatsoever to do anymore with investment in quality, so it seems. Playing records is a ritual while pushbutton pleasure is symbolical for demise of society as a whole.
Definitely not, but I'd never say "Never," the music means more than any format, as long as we can actually hear it (in the manner to which we are accustomed). It bears telling though, and the subject merits at least a side bar in the next Stereophile music server review, that every hard drive will eventually fail. My experience supports this contention. In the meantime, short of theft, disaster, or the absence of a player, my disc collection should never deny me access.
Unimpressed by the dedicated music servers by far, but I own to Logitech Transporters and could not be happier. It is a top tier DAC as well. It has changed the way I listen to music. I am giving serious thought to selling my Linn Sondek CD12 because I use it so little and it offers so little, if any, sound quality advantage. (For music ripped losslessly, of course.)
Never a music server for me, thank you very much. But again (and again), it's time to look way farther down the road technologically. The advent of large scale application of molecular nanomanufacturing circa the 2030s will enable us to make eccentric items at will, not just churn out standardized products in phenomenal quantities. Granted the marketplace still will determine what gets made and how, we can have then several major playback formats in audio and video if we consumers so choose. Both physical music products and purely electronic storage, if we want--probably we will, owing to our natural urge to experience all the channels of raw sensory apparatus to the fullest. Each medium will be no trouble at all to manufacture in a profitable manner, so physically efficient will nanomanufacturing become. We eventually will be able to make almost any audio gadgets or parts we desire, whether newly designed gizmos that rise to near-perfect functionality and specs, uncanny almost exact replicas of old components and parts we still love, or old bits made better, e.g., old design vacuum tubes made to perform better than the originals and last a lifetime. Neither the possibilities nor probabilities in this are limitless, but if we audio and video nuts take imaginative advantage of the new manufacturing and electronic technologies, it's going to be an awful lot of fun!
I am sitting here with my dial-up connection wondering why everyone keeps bugging me to get broadband. I can't handle the thought of downloading a song and not having the label's package in my hand. That's what collecting music is all about. But then again I keep thinking about Tower's demise.
Yes, of course the question for me is how many. This is without a doubt the way forward. All your music at your finger tips—CD quality and better with hi-rez. So easy once you have climbed the mountain of ripping your CD collection. Stunning performance of the Linn Klimax DS is the new benchmark. Now can we achieve 80% sound quality at 20% of the price?
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