Best Digital Music Server

Ripping and serving are two different things. A third thing is fixing missing metadata -- there are several types of software available for that. You will be better off with best-of-class solutions for each aspect of this. I suggest a little more reading and thought before you spend your $3000.

Trying to be helpful, but if you’re on a different track, maybe it doesn’t seem that way. But please realize, no piece of hardware that has ripping will give you the ability to fix metadata like JRiver’s software will, or dedicated metadata programs like PerfectTunes. And of course, one of Roon’s main reasons to exist is that it manages all the metadata so you don’ t need to.

And I doubt that many hardware boxes with ripping will give the same kind of quality control of the rips as JRiver, dBPoweramp, or Exact AudioCopy. All have systems to ensure that your rip has no errors. Another advantage of dBpoweramp is that it draws from five online tag databases, so you can get the metadata right and as you want it from the beginning.

Another issue with one-box systems is that a CD that won’t rip error-free in one optical drive sometimes will in another. It is nice to use a method that allows you to try more than one drive.

Unfortunately, a lot of the language around computer-based audio is very loosely used by audiophiles, reviewers, magazines, and manufacturers, leading to confusion, or at least lack of clarity. I’m not sure what you mean by "server." A file-storage box with GUI to put on the audio rack and connect via USB to a DAC (or analog cables to a preamp)? Or something connected over the home network? Or something else? (To me, a "server" is software running on a storage device. Something that gives USB out is a "streamer" or more accurately, a "stream renderer." But I know not everyone uses the terms that way.)

Either way, I can recommend the Auralic Aries G1, which is in your price range. It will stream files from various sources, including an attached USB drive, and provides USB output (and others). I get outstanding audio quality from it. Auralic's new firmware, lets you attach an inexpensive CD drive to it via USB and rip or play CDs. It even has DSP that you can use (or disable) to resample or add EQ to control bass nodes, for example. I have an Aries G1 and like it a lot, despite my preference to rip the files another way. You can find many reviews on the Web.

@mhwilliford : Best of luck! Here's hoping you'll find something just right for you!