Goodwin's High End

 

FAQ - Computer-Based Silent Music Servers

 

Why would I wish to get one of these music servers?

If you wish to play High Resolution files such as the Reference Recordings HRx files then to our knowledge this is the best sounding music server available today. The reason is that this uses the lowest jitter digital audio output card available in an optimal setup which are both critically important for high resolution files. It can also do a great job sonically with your CD files too.

The only real drawback is if you wish to control your system with a Crestron remote control. At this point there is no way that we're aware of to control these servers with a Crestron. The other thing to consider is that while a music server from a company such as ReQuest or Kaleidescape will have a better GUI interface and be Crestron controllable, this music server will be a significantly less expensive alternative.

UPDATE: There are now some more choices in Music Servers. Here is a link for more info.
 

Would you recommend the Music Server that sits on the shelf or the tower version?

 
The advantages of the tower version are:
  • It is less expensive.
  • It is significantly easier to work on the inside. (The shelf version is very cramped inside and is much harder to work on.)
  • The DVD drive is better.
Note: For the above reasons the tower version is the one that we have on demo.

 

I read a review in January 2009 issue of The Absolute Sound on the tower style music server when used with the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC and the Reference Recording HRX files. Has anyone reviewed the component style server?

Yes. Computer Audiophile recently published one here:  http://www.computeraudiophile.com/mCubed-hFX-Silent-Fanless-Music-Server-Review 

In addition Chris (the person who publishes the Computer Audiophile website) also published a review of one that they built which is almost exactly the same configuration as our tower style computer here:  http://www.computeraudiophile.com/Absolutely-Silent-Audiophile-Music-Server

He also published a review of the Berkeley DAC here:  http://www.computeraudiophile.com/Absolutely-Silent-Audiophile-Music-Server

 

What is the price of the Berkeley Alpha DAC?

For pricing and options information click this link.

 

What is the price of the silent computer?

The price on the tower-style computer can be found here: 

And the price of the component-style computer can be found here: 

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=mcubed_music_server.html

 

Where can I learn more about this?

With regard to both the tower style and the component style computer that can be configured as a music server, you can see them both here:

 
http://www.goodwinshighend.com/silentmusicservers.htm

You can also read the review in the January 2009 issue of The Absolute Sound by the editor Robert Harley.

What else do I need besides the computer and what are the costs of the other parts?

In addition to the computer you need the Lynx AES16 card which is $695 plus a digital output cable. There is one that is available that has the proper connectors on each end and it is $60.   

If you would like us to set up the computer for you — by installing the Lynx card and configuring all of the software and finally testing it to make sure that it is locking to word clock properly and that it sounds good—our labor charge to do that would be a flat fee of $500.

 
So to summarize, those costs (the computer prices have just come down) would be approximately as follows:
 

Silent computer in the basic configuration:  approx $2300 (tower style)   (plus keyboard, mouse, & monitor)

Lynx AES-16                                                         695
Digital cable                                                            60
Labor                                                                    500 

Keyboard and mouse are of course personal choices. You may have a keyboard preferences with regard to variables such as wired vs wireless, key layout, key feel, click or non-click. A mouse also has options like wired or wireless and the number of buttons. (For long term reliability we recommend wired as you can use really long cables to extend them--but some people prefer wireless for obvious reasons.) Note: once your music server is set up you will not normally use a keyboard, only the mouse. Or if you use a touchscreen you don't even need to use a mouse.

 
You will also need some software so that this computer can function as a music server. If you wish to use Media Monkey Gold ($40) on Windows XP it is available at www.mediamonkey.com. Alternatively, although we haven't tested it ourselves, you can use J. River Media Center music server software ($50) on Windows 7.
 
Also if you would like to purchase a Reference Recordings HRx file (176.4kHz /24 bit) it would be $45 per file. The HRx files have top quality sound—and you owe it to yourself to hear at least one!
 
Lastly shipping to wherever you are would probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 plus or minus—depending upon where you live and how fast you want it shipped, cost of shipping insurance, etc.

    

Which size and type of LCD computer monitor would you recommend?

Which monitor to choose obviously comes down to personal choice, as there are many variables to consider. First you should choose the size, aspect ratio, and pixel pitch. (Note: larger pixels means larger letters for increased readability.)

Here are some various monitor sizes in different aspect ratios with typical pixel pitches. Please note that some monitors of the same size will have different pixel pitches.

 

16:9 wide aspect ratio
size        pixels                 pixel pitch
            
21.5"     1920x1080           .248
23"        1920x1080           .248 or .265
24"        1920x1080           .282 or .27 or .276 or 0.2715
         

 
16:10 wide aspect ratio
size        pixels                 pixel pitch
 
17"        1440x900              .255
19"        1440x900              .282 - .285
22"        1680x1050            .282
24"        1920x1200            .27
26"        1920x1200            .2865
28"        1920x1200            .309
30"        2560x1600          
 

4:3 aspect ratio

size        pixels                 pixel pitch
 
15"         1024X768             .297
21"         1600x1200           .27

 

 
5:4 aspect ratio
size        pixels                 pixel pitch
 
17"         1280x1024           .264
19"         1280x1024           .294
 

Obviously for a given size, the viewing area of wider aspect ratio monitors is not as high. As for the number of horizontal pixels, a larger number of them means that you can show more columns if you should wish to.

Another choice to be considered is the type of LCD panel. Various types available include: TN or S-PVA/MVA or e-IPS or S-IPS/H-IPS.

TN Panels are the least expensive but suffer from limited viewing angles, especially verticallynot to mention inferior color reproduction and contrast ratio.

S-PVA/MVA Panels offer better viewing angles than TN panels--as well as better color reproduction.

e-IPS Panels offer better viewing angles than either TN or s-PVA panels--as well as better color reproduction than either

S-IPS/H-IPS Panels have the best viewing angles and are generally considered the best all around panel type, but they are much more expensive.

With regard to selecting the type of monitor panel for a music server, most people will consider that application to be non-critical in terms of monitor performance so it may not be of great concern to them.

Something else to consider is backlighting. You can get CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps) or white LED backlighting or RGB LED backlighting. LED backlighting is more desirable as it is more energy efficient than CCFL. In addition CCFL's contain mercury which is environmentally harmful which is yet another reason to choose LED backlighting.

Then there is bezel size, shape, and colorplus the quality, adjustability, and styling of the monitor stand utilized.

Alternatively you can also get a touchscreen which you can use without a mouse. For instance 17" or 19" 5:4 1280x1024 or a 20.1" 4:3 1600x1200 touchscreens are available.

What type of keyboard and mouse is recommended?

Personal preference obviously plays a role here. Some people prefer wired and some wireless. Obviously wired will be more reliable long term as you are not dependent on batteries that way.

If you would like a waterproof and spill-proof keyboard and mouse, either wired or wireless, that can be cleaned in the dishwasher here is a link.

How can I transfer my library of CD's into my Music Server?

Extracting music from your CD's so the music can be transferred to your computer or music server can be very time consuming if you wish to do a good jobespecially for classical music. So if you would like to set up a music server but don't want to spend the time necessary to get your CD library transferred you can simply call us and we will take care of getting it done for you.

However if you wish to do it yourself click here for some suggestions.

How much storage space is required for CD's?

 

The table below shows approximately how much storage space is need for 100 CD's in various formats:

Format Bit Rate kbit/s Storage Estimate (GB)
AAC 96 - lossy compressed 5.5GB
AAC 128 - lossy compressed 7.3GB
AAC 160 - lossy compressed 9.2GB
AAC 192 - lossy compressed 11.0GB
AIFF 1411 - Uncompressed 78.0GB
AIF-C Compressed Varies
FLAC Variable Bit Rate, typically 650-1100 - Lossless Compressed 45.0GB
MP3 128 - lossy compressed 7.3GB
MP3 192 - lossy compressed 11.0GB
MP3 224 - lossy compressed 12.8GB
MP3 320 - lossy compressed 18.3GB
WAV 1411 - Uncompressed 78.0GB
WMA 64 - lossy compressed 3.7GB
WMA 96 - lossy compressed 5.5GB
WMA 128 - lossy compressed 7.3GB
WMA 160 - lossy compressed 9.2GB
WMA 192 - lossy compressed 11.0GB
WMA Lossless Compressed 47.0GB

However because storage is quite inexpensive there really is no reason to use lossless files anymore. For high end audio playback we recommend any of the following formats: WAV or FLAC or AIFF.

Note: AIF is the same as AIFF.

Where can I get high resolution files?

For a link to a listing of various companies now offering high resolution files Click here :

UPDATE:  One of our clients told us that he has transferred his music from his collection of DVD-A (DVD-Audio), DAD, HDAD, and DualDisc to his music server using some software called "DVD-Audio Explorer". Many of these formats contain tracks at 96/24—while some are 48/24 or even 192/24. Click the links above for more information and some listings of available recordings.

Where can I get CD resolution 44.1/16 files? Where can I get HDCD encoded CD's which when decoded are 44.1/20?

The easy answer is to purchase CD's or HDCD-encoded CD's and then transfer them to your music server. That way you always have a backup on CD—plus you have the CD booklet which can be nice to have. If you would prefer to not have to do the transferring yourself we can have your whole CD collection transferred to hard disk—and as part of that service all of the metadata will be done too. Even though metadata can usually be downloaded, sometimes certain things need to be corrected by hand. Also some obscure albums don't have the metadata available for download so then the whole album's metadata has to be typed in by hand.

If you would like to download some CD files here is a link:

http://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/cat/result?SearchString=&ALBUM_TYPE=L

 

How can I get the best possible transfer of my music CD's into my music server?

The goal is to make a bit-for-bit copy of the music data—and the best way to do that is to use either Exact Audio Copy or dBpoweramp along with AccurateRip. You can do this yourself—or you can send us your CD's if you don't wish to bother as it is time consuming to do. If you wish to have it done for you can also have the metadata entered or corrected if needed. For more details on this service please give us a call. Of course you can start off doing it yourself and then if you get tired of doing it you can always send us the rest of your CD collection.

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/

 

Tip: If you are going to transfer music from an HDCD-encoded CD's to a music server,  Illustrate's dBpoweramp CDGrabber has a DSP effect that allows tracks from HDCDs to be ripped to 24-bit WAV files. The files have a bit rate of 2116.8 kbit/x and are about 1.5 times as large as 16-bit WAV files. For example if a 16-bit WAV file was 60 MB in size, then that same file in 24-bit WAV file would be about 90 MB. Not that this will affect anything, but you might be interested to know that while the files will be listed as 24-bit, technically speaking only 20 bits per sample will contain actual data. However, if your D-A converter will decode HDCD there is no need to do this. The only reason to do this is if your D-A converter will not decode HDCD. In fact there is a distinct advantage in not doing this, as if your D-A will decode HDCD the HDCD light will be illuminated when decoding HDCD, and when it does that is an excellent indicator that you have an accurate file transfer to your music server.

If you use Exact Audio Copy make sure that you read the website thoroughly as there are a number of important things to know before using the program in order to obtain optimal results. Here are the links:

http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/

http://www.accuraterip.com/

You will need something like WinZip to unzip Exact Audio Copy which you can get here:

http://www.winzip.com/index.htm

I will need more space than what than an 80GB or 160GB SSD can provide. How can I add more storage space?

With regard to adding more storage space, right now you can go to the configuration webpage (click the link below) and add another internal 160GB SSD (solid state drive) or a hard disk:

 
 
However if you add a spinning hard drive instead of an SSD as the 2nd drive please understand that a spinning internal hard drive will make some noise, however small it might be. Also in the future there will be larger SSD's available which could be installed later—and we are expecting 500GB and even 1TB or larger SSD's.
 
Another alternative is a remoted NAS (network attached storage box). We have been using a Netgear ReadyNAS Pro in our demo system and so far it has been able to deliver Red Book (CD quality at 44.1kHz 16 bit) and high resolution files at up to 192kHz 24 bit without dropouts. As so far our testing has proven to be successful we are now offering a ReadyNAS Pioneer for $1400 (price as of 2/09) plus the cost of the hard disks which can number anywhere from 2 to 6. If you wish you can purchase this NAS and then buy your own hard disks and install them yourself. Or you can have us buy the hard disks and install and test them for you.

The final price will of course depend upon how many TB (terabytes) of storage you would wish to have inside. Just for example, a ReadyNAS Pro with close to 4TB (4x1TB or 2x2TB) of raw hard drive space would be less than $2000—although this can also be configured to hold far more if you utilize the maximum of 6 hard disks. (Note raw space per hard disk is actually a bit less in actual use. For instance a 2TB hard disk actually is about 1.81TB.) Please understand though that if this is setup as RAID 1 that that would roughly cut the available storage space in half. There are other RAID configurations however which would use the storage space more efficiently of course such as X-RAID. One advantage to the NAS approach to adding more storage is that in theory you can run an ethernet cable up to about 100 meters (328 feet).

November 2009 UPDATE: When using the Western Digital 2TB RE4-GP WD2002FYPS drives the following add-on must be installed (this code will be included in the next RAIDiator releases).]

December 2009 UPDATE: We are now looking at using 2TB hard drives as Western Digital is now shipping 2TB RE4-GP WD2002FYPS 5400 RPM drives (with firmware version 04.05G05 or later) which means that storage space in RAID could be increased to something in the neighborhood of 9TB. [Note: The WD 2TB RE4-GP WD2002FYPS drive has been qualified by Netgear for the Pro Business and Pro Pioneer.

January 2010 UPDATE: Western Digital has also recently announced the 2TB WD2003FYYS which also may work in the NAS, although it hasn't been tested yet so it would be premature to use it until it has been tested and approved for the Netgear NAS RAID array usage. NOTE: Only certain specific models of hard drives are recommended for this application. Here is a Netgear ReadyNAS hard drive compatibility list.

March 2010 UPDATE:  We have recently seen several 2TB Western Digital RE4-GP WD2002FYPS 5400 RPM drives fail. At first we thought that maybe they were not being sufficiently cooled and therefore that was a contributing factor. However after some research, including the Google white paper on hard drive reliability (just google it!), it would seem that drive temperatures, unless they are extreme are probably not the cause. So it would appear that some percentage of these drives have indeed been problematicalthough our sample size is too small to draw any valid overall conclusions. Going forward we will continue to monitor the reliability of these hard drives. If we continue to see problems we may alternatively try the 2TB Hitachi Ultrastar A7K2000 HUA722020ALA330 drives (an Enterprise level drive)--however any drive from any manufacturer can fail which is why of course all data on every system needs to be backed up. In any case, for now we are continuing to use Western Digital RE (RAID Edition) drives at the 2TB sizeespecially as we have heard that Western Digital tech support is better than that of Hitachi here in the US.

April 2010 UPDATE: So far the 1TB WD RE3 drives have continued to work reliably long term so at present that is our top recommendation unless you need the larger 2TB size.

June 2010 UPDATE: We haven't seen any of the above mentioned 1TB or 2TB Western Digital drives have any problems over the past few months.

At some point In the future we will also be testing an eSATA SSD RAID array. However in the near future a NAS (Network Attached Storage) will be a less expensive proposition if you have a large music library. Plus you should know that eSATA is limited to a cable length of about 2 meterswhereas, as previously mentioned, the NAS can have an ethernet cable that is up to 100 meters (328 feet) long.

 
How much does it cost for a NAS (Network Attached Storage) unit and the hard disks to go inside it?

As of April 2010 the cost for the NAS that we have been using along with the recommended hard drives is approximately as follows:

ReadyNAS Pioneer $1400 without hard drives (minimum number of hard drives to put in is 2maximum is 6)

Western Digital 1TB RE3 hard drives $160 each (approx.) or Western Digital 2TB RE4-GP hard drives (firmware version 04.05G05 or later) $300 each (approx.). For redundancy a minimum 2 hard drives is necessary to start.

If you would like us to set up the NAS for you we charge a flat fee of $500 to install the hard drives, set up the software, and test it here with your music server. However if you are savvy with regard to NAS and networking this is something that you can do yourself.

You also will need a gig ethernet switch and ethernet cables to hook up the NAS to the music server computer.

 
If I order a complete setup how long will it take before I actually have it in my hands?

Assuming that all parts are in stock, it takes a minimum of about 7-10 days to have the computer built. Then it takes about a week for it to get here. Then, depending upon how busy we are, it usually takes us about a week or two to set it up and test it. Then add in however long it takes to ship or deliver it to you. So an estimate of the total time it would take could be approximately 4 weeks or more from time of order.

Can this play encoded formats such as Dolby True HD or DTS-HD Master?

As for what formats can be played, any format for which there is computer software available can be played as long as it can be outputted over AES-EBU which is the recommended type of digital cable connection. (We recommend AES-EBU in this configuration as that has the lowest jitter. To make a long story short, the lower the jitter the better the sound quality. In case you don't know jitter is defined as timing errors in the digital domain and is measured in picoseconds.)  We are not familiar with what software there currently is that would play Dolby True-HD — however it may exist either now or in the future. However please understand that currently Dolby True HD as well as encoded formats such as DTS-HD Master are limited to HDMI which incorporates HDCP.

What type of files can this play?

Currently most people are using this computer with Windows XP SP3 as the OS and Media Monkey Gold to play audio Wave files that range from 44.1/16 up to 192/24. However you can also use it for lossy compressed files such as MP3 or lossless compressed files such as FLAC. There is a fairly complete list of file types that are supported on Media Monkey that you can find on their website:

 www.mediamonkey.com

AIFF (which can be also tagged as AIF) files can be played with a plug-in which is available from the aforementioned Media Monkey website. Click this link and scroll down to "WAVE Input Plug-in 2.07" and follow the instructions.

SHD files also can be played—though we haven't tested this file type yet.

Can other Operating Systems besides Windows XP be used?

You have the option of buying the computer with no OS (operating system) and then installing whichever OS you wish. For instance using some version of Linux plus whatever music server software that would run on it if that were your choice. In theory you might even be able to put the Mac OS on it if you so chose—however we have never attempted to do that and we don't recommend going the "Hackintosh" route as it violates the Apple OS X EULA (software agreement) and obviously is completely unsupported. We do not recommend using Vista as it has been superseded by Win 7. However Windows 7 with J. River Media Center music server software is another combination that you could choose but we have not yet tested it ourselves.

From all of the testing that has been done so far though the best sound quality is currently being made with Windows XP if the setup is precisely done to optimize sound quality. Although having said that there is no reason why Linux couldn't be as good given the right software--assuming that you have Linux expertise of course.

How do I set up Media Monkey for best sonic results?

If you would like to do it yourself here is a link. It is recommended that you follow the instructions precisely!

How do I set up the Lynx AES16 digital audio card for best sonic results?

If you would like to do it yourself here is a link. It is recommended that you follow the instructions precisely!

 
What other ports are on the silent computer?

The computer also has the normal ports such as Gig Ethernet and USB.

How do I get my CD's and other files transferred into my new music server?

Normally we recommend that ripping be done on another computer—although it can be done on the music server itself. However what most clients do is they send us their entire CD collection and we get it ripped and install it on the music server for them so when they receive their music server it is ready to go with all of their music pre-installed. If you have several hundred or several thousand CD's it would take quite a bit of your time to rip if you do it yourself. Once your collection is in place of course then you could rip any new CD's or install any new files going forward—it is up to you. From our perspective the ideal for this computer is to keep it  functioning solely as a music server and have it do nothing else in order to keep it working in a pristine state.  However once you own the server you could of course rip CD's from that computer if you decided to do so and also do whatever else you wish on it.

If you choose to rip your own CD's we recommend using Exact Audio Copy with AccurateRip.  (Note: AccurateRip is included as a part of the normal EAC download). If you rip on another computer then you can easily transfer the files into the music server either over a network or with an external USB hard drive by simply dragging the files over.

 

How can I control the music server from my listening position without using a wireless remote control?

What we have in our soundroom is a long extension cable for the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. That way the music server is sitting by the equipment rack right next to the DAC so the digital cable is nice and short. And the user interface hardware (monitor, keyboard, and mouse) are on a side table right next to the listening chair.  (In normal use we only use the mouse and the monitor for operating the music server. The keyboard is only used for set-up and inputting metadata)

Can I use the wireless remote control MonkeyTunes or iMonkey software apps to control MediaMonkey with the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad?

The Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad can be used as remotes to control MediaMonkey, though unlike traditional remote controls these devices will send commands to MediaMonkey through a Wi-Fi signal instead of infrared transmission. With either the iMonkey or MonkeyTunes applications available from the iPhone app store, you can control MediaMonkey on your PC from your iPhone or iPod touch!

After you purchase the iMonkey application from the Apple AppStore, all that's needed is to make a quick download of the iMonkey server from: http://melloware.com/products/imonkey/ You'll have to start MediaMonkey with this modified MediaMonkey.exe file so that the iPhone or Touch can access MediaMonkey (no installation needed, just extract and double click the downloaded MediaMonkey.exe file).

Please note that when using iMonkey software that it only allows you to select from playlists. And it shows you lots of info on the current playlist (artist, song, bitrate, length).

Whereas MonkeyTunes uses an iTunes interface so you can navigate/search your whole library not just playlists. However it only shows the song title and cover art when playing the song--but you can also "turn the screen over" and on the "back" is the Album name and list of tracks of the album playing. Nevertheless it offers a lot more than iMonkey does in terms of control.

April 2010 UPDATE: We have tested the iPad with iMonkey and MonkeyTunes they both work like charm via WiFi--as long as you are in range of course. Please note that there have been reports of iPad having somewhat weak WiFi—although in our initial testing of several different iPads we haven't experienced this. However if you do experience a problem here is a link for info on WiFi connectivity problem resolution from Apple. Or if you should experience a firewall blocking issue here is some information on how to fix it.

Note: In case you don't already know, you should be aware that like the iPod Touch, the iPad battery is not designed to be user replaceable--for more info see this link

How else can I control MediaMonkey with a wireless remote?

There are other ways to do so and you can find them on the MediaMonkey site here and here

Please note that we have not tested any of the other wireless remote controls so we can't vouch for how well they work or if there could possibly be any sonic consequences from using any of them.

If you have any further questions please let us know.

You can reach us at 781-893-9000 if you have any further questions.

 

   
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