Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming Anyone moved from Sonus to Sooloos

Hi Ian
As long as the two iTunes Library Files (.itl and .XML) are also on the NAS, then you can use the Remote App to "send" Music Tracks to the Airport Expresses

Mr Marbach
I have no problems playing 88.2 or 44.1 in a playlist ,its automatic
My Apple optical outs to M518(T3) have never been been crappy or unlocked
Apple ripping really is easy, finding artwork and identifying obscure compilations most of the time, if in trouble drag and drop from CD universe.
To edit /process Garage Band
I can assure I am not a casual user.
However all this only works on a Mac platform
Importing hirez files either with firewire or via realtime Duet.
Roger

At what price though Virus?

Tunes and Garage Band can be made to do so many things. They are great value for money and simple to manipulate by non IT ists.

Tunes on a Mac though.

The latest IMACS are as pretty and silent as any Sooloos

The monitor out to my Kuro 50A HDMI gives fab resolution for artwork or visualiser graphics.

Whats not to like ?

Silly hirez audio that wont be ripped

Play out realtime into GB/ Tunes at native resolution,or copy files via firewire.

Roger

As long as the two iTunes Library Files (.itl and .XML) are also on the NAS, then you can use the Remote App to "send" Music Tracks to the Airport Expresses [/quote]

Thanks Ronnie for your long posting above which filled in some gaps in my knowledge.

If it's really true you don't need a Mac in each Zone then the cost savings are considerable (if not then per Zone it would get expensive). Can you confirm that with just one Mac, one NAS and multiple Airport Expresses you can control three different zones which are streaming simultaneously?

As VK suggests, the complexity of this relative to other solutions may not be to everyone's taste.

Nic
Have a look at the link below for an Airtunes Setup guide.

AirTunes & Zones Setup

There are also multiple resources out there as well as software add ons and work arounds

However, as I've mentioned earlier here, I've been a Multi Zone Sonos user since about 2005 onwards. This is built on top of the iTunes database, but will also work with WMO, dBpoweramp, Media Monkey and others. It will also work on top of a simple Folder and File Structure, with no Database in between

At about $300 per zone (after typical discounts) compared with Apple Express at $100 per zone, that works out at $1,800 compared to $600 for a Six Zone system. This is comparing Digital Out versus Digital Outs, with Controller cost included. ITouches can be used with both systems

At the difference of say $600 for a Three Zone System or $1,200 for a Six Zone System, I would STILL advocate someone to go for the Sonos system due to it's ease of Setup, Flexibility and available Music Services

All I'm trying to say is that Apple, ITunes, Airtunes remains a viable option for many people.

Likewise, Sooloos is a very viable option for many here.

Each of the Sooloos, Squeezebox, Sonos and Apple solutions have their advantages and disadvantages and each option shouldn't be casually dismissed based on previous information

One of Apple's major strengths in this area (IMHO) is the overall direction the company is taking towards domination of the Home & Persoanl Media Consumption

The new ITouches and iOS based iTV's coming very soon will only further this. They will also likely be introducing their own branded TV quite soon as well as other Software which ties the whole thing together. Seven Inch iPad's and other consumer friendly devices will also push this forward.

Lots of options out there, none of them easily dismissed

Many people seem wiling to pay the Apple premium for products in the iPod price range, so Apple are dominant in that market. I'm not so sure they'll pay a proportionally bigger Apple premium for a TV. That seems to be the case for computers, a market where Apple don't dominate.

Mark S

What about an iTV with an iOS Interface and ITunes Integration for $99???

iDon't know.

AppleTV HDMI out to HD621 is unbeatable. Sure there will be those that claim FLAC at higher rez will sound better than apple lossless but what they may be hearing w/ their supersonic ears are intergalactic frequencies on top of the music and/or their brains conforming to specs?

AppleTV or better yet the new mini HDMI out will be superior to anything else out there in simple terms and flexibility etc. And question 3 of this original thread is satisfied, imnsho.

I use an appletv into a HD621 and it sounds great. now if only it supported 96/24 output.. annoyingly the hardware supports it too...

Hi Ian
As long as the two iTunes Library Files (.itl and .XML) are also on the NAS, then you can use the Remote App to "send" Music Tracks to the Airport Expresses[/quote]
I still do not believe that this is possible. Have you actually done this?

I cannot see how what you say can possibly work. The apple remote app requires a pass code to be entered in an itunes server for the remote app to connect to a library. If the iTunes server is switched off, then apple remote cannot connect to the iTunes library. If you try and connect to the library on a NAS, you cannot add another library as there is no way of entering the pass code on the NAS - that I can see anyhow - and it appears from trawling the web, neither can anyone else.

There is a common mis conception that iTunes on NAS' are iTunes, but they are not, they simply present themselves as a shared iTunes library to iTunes itself.

I did alot of investigation into NAS boxes late last year, and I could find no NAS box whose iTunes server could be used in any standalone form without either having iTunes working, need a third party app to actually serve the music or simply present the iTunes library as files again needing something capable of serving the music - Airport Express cannot act in this way and needs iTunes (or other apple apps) to serve it with music.

Don't know about the SQ improvements though I find that the SB Touch into a good DAC can sound great. I'd be interested to compare it to Sooloos, as well as a DAC with asynchronous USB control fed by a computer

I also find the iPhone (iPeng) SB controller and the touchscreen on the SB perfectly fine as interfaces. Maybe not 'the' best, but they work fast, sensibly, and comprehensively at a fraction of the cost. I can quickly get to what I want and have search and shuffle options as well.