Music Server format?

Hey @awoof,

You’re asking good questions and you have good timing. You’ll find plenty of choices in your price range. Take your time. I suggest focussing on getting familiar with building your library by starting to rip some cds using your existing PC. There’s plenty of free software that will give you the basic tools you need for ripping, orgainizing, and playback. I suggest the iTunes download from Apple as a start. If you set up the format to lossless, you can move these files to the server, once you get one.

Here’s a good resource to start learning some basics:.

http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/

There’s a lot of good info and wisdom on the computeraudiophile.com forum but finding it and sifting through a ton of opinions can be overwhelming at first. It is a great forum so I suggest you become familiar with it.

Ripping is a chore so you will want to avoid having to do it more than once to your collection. ( I am on my second pass. Ugh).

I use a MacMini with a 2TB USB harddrive to hold my 2500 albums or so. I started with iTunes for listening but now I use Roon. I still manage my library using iTunes, XLD, and TagEditor. I rip to AIFF because I am not concerned with storage size and the format is as universal as any I know. Back that library up!

You will enjoy finding the forgotten gems in your library as you rip. I have plenty of "What was I thinking when I bought this?" albums in my collection. But there’s many more that I find and wonder how I could have forgotten how much I liked them.

Good luck.

Roon is software subscription ($120 yr) that combines your library with a rich grphics and music database.  It is a player that handles virtually every music file format including high resolution files.  it has powerful yet easy to use features that allow for whole house music systems where different music could be playing ineach room (endpoint) or the same music in every room. Or it could be as simple as running on your laptop with headphones. It can be integrated with a Tidal subscription (10 or 20 mth depending on service). You have hyperlinks between artists, albums, composers with bios and reviews. Roonlabs.com for more info.

Roon is definitely a high fidelity product meant for listeners who want to get the best out of their hifi investment. But, though sophisticated, it is easy to use.  Very powerful features.  

Roon can help manage your library but youll still need to use another piece of software to rip cds.  The Roon community forum is another excellent resource for help from people who are doing or have done what you want to do. I recommend it and if your pc is ready, give the Roon free two week trial a go. At the very least, join the Roon community and start asking questions there.  Start by describing the size of your collection and what you want your server to do. Looking for a multiroom setup or just a great way to listen to your cds sitting in your listening chair and controlling playback with your phone or pad? See you there.