DACs are technically only 'o', and if you're planning to use USB or FireWire interfaces then you are building a jukebox, not a music server. Then, there's no networking involved, and you don't need any server software either.
Wow, I feel like such a noob!
So how are the music files on the server converted from zeros and ones into the land of analog signal?
This is the reason I've been putting off building a computer based music "system" for playback!
I work with the most complex music production software in the world for a living and yet I'm a bit lost here.
Is there proprietary hardware that does the conversion to analog from the files that are streaming from the server? I'm assuming that the server just stores the files and that the software plays and organizes the files. So what is hooked up to the stereo amp if not a DAC of some sort??
I would definitely like to have multi-room server capabilities.
My main concerns are that the audio playback be high quality (cd quality and higher) and that the music is easily backed up on removable hard drives for safety and storage.
Thanks! This is
really a lot harder than turntables and cd/dvd players and shelves of records and cds/dvds!
I just need to grok with the whole idea of music media that has shed it's tactile, physical form and is now just zeros and ones to be streamed from a remote hard drive.
Makes my head hurt!
