Help with Digital Music management
 

I have done my share of research on this topic and still not clear how to get where I want to be. My future plans are to upgrade Amp and pre (preamp being first priority) and will most likely be sticking with McIntosh. Thinking maybe along the lines of MC302 amp and C2600 preamp. Really don’t want to purchase a separate DAC ever and have no current plans to get into vinyl. Need to be able to stream from IOS device at highest rate available. Will do some hi res downloading /purchasing, but, not a ton. My desktop computer is not conveniently located to use that with a USB connection to pre. So I guess the question is will a Bluesound product as the streaming tool be a quality solution? I would want the preamp DAC to process not the Bluesound Device. Or alternatively can I use a dedicated laptop in some way running Jriver or something to take care of streaming and download storage and playback? With a laptop option, how do you ensure the laptop is not dumbing down the single? Of course the goal is the best sound possible with minimal devices in my case. Currently using airport express via toslink to Pre which I know has limitations (works pretty well though). Not ready for Silenzio.. Simple and effective is my goal. Airport Express setup is perfect in that respect except the obvious limitations and no help with downloaded hi res music. Any and all help and direction would be appreciated.

Bluesound looks like a cool product, but it also uses toslink for connecting to the preamp dac. So a laptop will be better than that for sheer sound quality (not convenience). Not sure what you mean by the laptop dumbing down the signal.

While I believe some of the older Bluesound products like the original Node only had a Toslink digital output, the current Node2 has a coaxial digital output.

By dumbing down I mean how to be sure laptop isn't processing the signal in someway

torxx,
I had the same conundrum and decided to go the dedicated music server route.
I use a Microsoft SurfacePro3 running JRiver. All my music is on another PC remote to my listening room. I control the SurfacePro with JRemote running on an iPad.
I did this because it affords the most flexibility in choosing the SW interface you like the best. JRiver and Roon are both excellent examples. Also there is no hardware lock-in so you can change things and update without having to learn a new user interface.

If I understand your question, you asked how to ensure your laptop is outputting the correct data to your DAC.
1. The setup info that comes with the software must be followed explicitly.
2. The correct drivers must be installed.
3. If you use USB, the computer USB hub should be dedicated to driving your DAC and nothing else.
4. Software volume controls must be disabled.
5. You must check to see if your configuration is bit perfect. I do this by playing a DD encoded 5.1 channel file and making sure an HT receiver or pre/pro connected to the laptop can correctly decode the DD bitstream. If it does, you are good to go.

Tom

I use audirvana 3.0 on a mac mini, and it uses it's own core library for audio to transmit the data bit-perfect to the dac. Otherwise macs use their built in core audio. I believe Jriver uses that and it still sounds great.

As long as you are going through USB I don't think it's processing the data stream to where it messes up the sound quality.

Not sure about Windows, but if your dac comes with a driver, that should be the same situation.

You did not mention a budget. But here is a solution: Get a Sony hap-z1es ($2k) and add a subscription to Spotify premium.
It has its own Hardrive where you can store your digital music as well. Sounds great, comes with App for you phone, iPad, etc. And just as important, you avoid computer gremlins associated with laptops/computer.

He said he wanted high quality and hi rez, so Spotify is out (for now). It's only 320kbps mp3.

My solution to the issue was the same as Tom's. I wanted to avoid having the computer sound card process the sound files so I went with USB connectivity.

I have a Synology NAS which stores all my files. I built a CAPS 3 (ZUMA) media server, installed Windoze on it along with JRiver and TeamViewer. I control that server from my laptop using TeamViewer.

The pathway looks like this:

NAS ==Network via switch & CAT 6 cable ===> CAPS 3 server == USB A to B ==> Wyred4Sound Recovery Reclocker == USB A to B ==> D100 DAC == Balanced XLR ==> pre-amp

Budget is undetermined but hoping for simple low cost solution relatively speaking. Sony product is interesting but aren't you paying a premium for the built in dac? I assume it wouldn't hold up against a nice Mac pre like a c2600 or even a D150? Am I missing something on that? .bluesound node and maybe a NAS seem simple enough. With a good pre/dac would the bluesound degrade the signal in some way?