Thanks for the comments Henry and yes I�m having a lot of fun with it. I have done comparisons with all of the media players that I mentioned in my previous post and this beats them all hands down. I would say the nearest thing to what I have made is the Bryston BDP-1

http://www.hifix.co.uk/sku2.lasso?&item=4716fc9ac2bc9b5920f99c010f2df04c

That runs on the Linux Operating system (Debian is a form of Linux) and also runs MPD but that costs �2100 where mine cost �100 � after the next phase it will have a raided hard drive system with redundancy and it will surpass the Bryston as they don�t have that built in and a lot of other digital systems on the market.

The way MPD works is amazing as it�s not a system hungry bit of software and you don�t need stacks of memory and being on Debian means its rock solid unlike windows software. I contacted the MPD development team and nearly chocked when they said 32mb of ram would handle 60,000 files� I asked what would it run like on 100,000 plus files and was told that no one has ever commented past 120,000 files as no one has a music collection bigger than that size who has reported back to them. The Thecus N2100 has the capability for me to upgrade the ram but it has 128mb in already and i may never need to change that.

The beauty of this system when finished will be the low cost (roughly �300 - �400) but you get maximum quality and a lot of flexibility. I really want to develop this a lot more in the future to become wireless based system as FLAC transfer rate is roughly 100k a sec (the Thecus has a slot for wireless card) so the Thecus doesn�t have to be in the same room and use a fan less win-terminal with Debian installed (about �20 off eBay) to connect the VLink and then to the DSP speakers (or DAC, Amp) so it�s a totally silent system. It could also be used for multi room but I�m getting ahead of myself, as I need to get to the next phase first and then move on to the wireless stage before I try anything else.

I have been using this basic setup for a couple of months now and it doesn�t have any pitfalls. When its finished I would love to let someone else give it a try to see what they think.

I will give an update in a few months, as I just don�t have the money atm to complete it right now.

Last edited by John Hurst; 2011-04-28 08:16.
Home Cinema: 861v4, 4x DSP5000, DSP5000C, SW5500.
Music: 47 laboratory - Shigaraki CD Transport, Mark Levinson 335, Benchmark HDR DAC, Dynaudio C1's, REL Stadium III.