Sooloos - the ultimate music server?

[Marco]

Hi Neal,

Nice to hear from you again.

It's interesting what you said. I have no budget in mind as far as a music server goes and if the Sooloos is what I want then I'll get it. Like I said, user friendliness is of paramount importance to me, perhaps even more so than ultimate sound quality, as I already have two top-notch music sources available to me. I like the idea of downloading music/computer audio but I hate (with a passion!) the 'techy' aspect of it.

I want something which does it all for me at the touch of a button in as neat a package as possible, but that also gives me sound quality comparable to my other music sources.

Regarding the Sonos, is it from the same company, and what was so good about it that you were sad to see it go - in fact, if it was so good why did you let it go?

Marco.

[Marco]

It's features like this which excite me (apart from the fact it looks so cool). From the website:

The control one allows you to import CDs in minutes using the world’s most advanced error detection and correction algorithms.

Audio circuitry is based on the same designs used in professional recording studios.

Touch control devices provide a uniquely engaging means of interacting with your music.

I wonder if it's cheaper than a Naim HDX?


Marco.

[Mike]

Naim HDX is around £4500 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/digitalmusic...9296736,00.htm

Sooloos is around $12,000 (plus shipping, duty & VAT) http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/10/s...ossless-tunes/

Sonos around £750 - £1500 depending on config. http://www.electricshopping.com/shop...utm_medium=cpc

I think I'd be looking at the Sonos.

[Marco]

Thanks for posting the links, Mike.

Wow, pricey, but if it's *THAT* good I would go there. I love the simplicity of it all, the user-friendly layout, and the fact that all the techy stuff is done for you.

I found these comments particularly interesting:

Quite an elegantly simple solution compared to the other alternatives offered here in the comments. The user needs no computer or technical knowledge, there is no ripping, importing or configuration settings to have to go through or worse, mess up.

I've actually played with this thing and it's worth every penny.. believe me. The DA converters are top notch and the system is solidly built.....Nothing out there comes close and the developer tweeaks the software constantly for better features.

I presume you can connect your own DAC to it, though? I would definitely want to use my Sony DAS-R1.

Marco.

[Mike]

Christ man!... you must really value your 'convenience' factor! OR you've got too much money to burn. This technology is moving so fast ATM that it's most likely going to be out of date before it's even crossed the Atlantic. I think you'd be paying a massive premium for the designer/lifestyle look of the thing too.

I quite like the modular approach of the Sonos though (and the price of course!), seems like bits n' pieces could be added as and when needed.

Non of it's for me at the moment though, like I said, the technology is moving so fast. Better and cheaper isn't far away!

Cheers,
Mike.

[Marco]

Mikey, I won't be doing anything about it at least until the end of the year. I'm just putting out some feelers at the moment.

I have other jobs to do on the hi-fi front first, so if it's out of date by then so be it, although according to the chap I quoted who wrote that: "the developer tweaks the software constantly for better features", it seems that the system is kept up to date.

I'll see what's around when the time comes to buy, however it's this type of 'no thought required' cool looking music server, which offers top-notch sound quality I'm looking for.

Marco.

[Mr. C]

Would be interesting to see how dac reconstitutes a full high res signal Marco?
Quality high end dac's require 2 digital data streams to give sample rates over 96Khz.
With out the so to be formalised data transport rates, can the older SPDIF and AES handle the the newer streaming formats to the fullest capacity?
There is another way of doing this, not quite so pretty, however the results are making vinyl lovers weep into the camera ale :-)

[Marco]

There is another way of doing this, not quite so pretty, however the results are making vinyl lovers weep into the camera ale :-)

I'm all ears, Tony

Thing is, the user-friendliness factor is crucial. I will go to the nth detail to understand the intricacies of traditional formats such as vinyl, CD, valves, etc, because it interests me and I enjoy studying technical info about cartridges, phono stages, DACs, etc, but mention things like Airport Express and all that bollocks my eyes just glaze over... <YAWN>.

I'm not a computer geek (in fact I hate most things about computers) - I just want a music server that removes all the technical headache and leaves me with a simple touch button system to access my music and enjoy it with the highest possible sound quality

Marco.

[Mike]

according to the chap I quoted who wrote that: "the developer tweaks the software constantly for better features", it seems that the system is kept up to date.

That's fine for the software Marco, I wouldn't expect anything less. But I foresee plenty of scope for hardware changes too!

For one thing, spinning hard drives will be a thing of the past quite a bit sooner rather than later.

[Mr. C]

Marco,
It is fairly simple, no box between the pc and dac, just raw data being feed into the dac. Via pro PC card/s
You can use what ever software you wish.
However those true high res formats now become a reality, the main issue for yourself would be your dac's inability to full utilise the 24 bits and 192khz.
And genuinely the differences are quite staggering.
Lots more of this technology will be evolving in the next 12-18months or so.
I would be inclined to wait a wee while yet.