Vortexbox v Unitiserve

The VB is almost fool-proof and works well for the money, your points are well taken,thanks.

It could be said but it would be wrong. Are speakers the glass of audio? Do Photographers still change digital bodies? It's a nice bit of hyperbole but unfortunately, it's not that easy. As I said before, it's all relative based on biases, beliefs or what is actually auditioned. All should try for themselves. How many here have moved away from tos out of computers and use different interfaces and play programs after vehemently arguing that it couldn't make a difference because bits are bits and only the DAC (glass) mattered. Glad that you like yours but others may prefer the Unitiserve and I guarantee that they dont sound the same.

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Originally posted by powerbench1:

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Originally posted by David Dever:

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as i mentioned mentioned earlier I have more drops from both the Uniti and the Qute than I ever had any other device wired into my network.

Are you using wireless to attach the units to the network? A wireless extender (bridge)? You didn't answer that before, and your network infrastructure may be a factor in your drop-outs, not necessarily the units themselves.

For what it's worth, I have spent some time with the VortexBox software, having paid for it (we test a wide variety of things over here to preempt sales & support questions relating to compatibility / configuration). Doesn't make it any bit better having done so....

I use a Linksys N Router and all my system is wired to it.

Have you tried another, less bargain-basement router?

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Originally posted by David Dever:
Have you tried another, less bargain-basement router?

Just to share some personal experience about router: I have been using a $50 Netgear router for the last 8 years. It has all the security features I have ever needed and more. Since I got it, this machine has been working perfectly.

Not sure if this qualifies as a "bargain basement" router, but in terms of value, it is at the very top of the list of all the gear I have owned.

Based on this experience, I believe that for electronics, good quality and good performance are not incompatible with low price.

The NETGEAR stuff is excellent VFM-Linksys not so much.

I have just installed the vortebox 1.5 distribution on a spare Shuttle XPC ST20G5 that I almost threw out a few months ago because I thought that it was faulty. It was not.

I couldn't make the downloaded ISO work, so I sent for the CD and it installed very easily in 10 minutes. This cost me less than 5£ to set up as I had all the parts spare.

Now I have started re-ripping most of my CDs. A few years ago I ripped them as 320 MP3 when I thought that this would be good enough. Now that terrabyte hardddisks are so very inexpensive there is no excuse not to rip to a lossless format (FLAC).

The Vortexbox server works fine and finds most CD details - even som Danish ones - without problems. However, the Cover Art finder is very poor - one of the Beatles Anthology disks was paired with a Tom Petty Anthology cover, another with yet another artist ... not very good. This clearly needs to be worked on.

The Ripping engine is based on CDParanoia and it matches two separate rips to ensure that the rip is good. However, it would be nice to have Vortexbox compare each "good" rip with an accurate rip database.

I use only the ripping engine now, but the Vortexbox may become my preferred music server if the improvements keep coming. If I would want to use it 24/7, however, I would need to find a less power hungry hardware set-up.

I have no affiliation with Vortexbox, by the way.

Best wishes,
Peter

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This cost me less than 5£

I think the VB is superb vfm - sure it is not perfect, but what is.

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Originally posted by js:
It could be said but it would be wrong. Are speakers the glass of audio? Do Photographers still change digital bodies? It's a nice bit of hyperbole but unfortunately, it's not that easy. As I said before, it's all relative based on biases, beliefs or what is actually auditioned. All should try for themselves. How many here have moved away from tos out of computers and use different interfaces and play programs after vehemently arguing that it couldn't make a difference because bits are bits and only the DAC (glass) mattered. Glad that you like yours but others may prefer the Unitiserve and I guarantee that they dont sound the same.

Hey I am not arguing that, I am just stating unless you try/hear and own something its possibly IMO gives you the right to judge it.

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Originally posted by ROTF:

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This cost me less than 5£

I think the VB is superb vfm - sure it is not perfect, but what is.

It is a perfect example of how open source software should work - highly motivated software engineers - a supportive network of developers and regular updates. Naim is a
electronic engineering firm who have quite obviously moved into the brave new world of
computer audio as a relative newcomer. Like Linn they have adopted the open Source UPnP as
a means of streaming audio between their units and like Linn it has proved harder than they thought to produce the consistency of product we have become accustomed to delaying with from
Naim.

The VB raid unit comes from a culture that has
had to deal with rapid Darwinian change and as such is a far more flexible and cost effective solution.

Tog

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Originally posted by Tog:
My Imac currently spits out a digital UPnP stream to my NaimUnity merrily transcoding aiff to wav and aside from a rather awkward file organization the sound is brilliant. I would love to stream aiff (I know thats like admitting you like cheap beer)and love Naim kit so maybe I should get a Unitiserve with its bespoke UPnP etc etc.

Tog, if I may (as I'm still pretty new to this computer audio stuff), but how are you sending a uPnP stream from your iMac? I have an iMac too so this info would be useful.

Hi JonR

At the moment I use Eyeconnect on the Imac. Simply install, check that it has found the Uniti/Qute and press start.

On the Naim kit check that it has logged into your network.

I run an Airport Extreme wireless setup with two base stations and numerous Macs streaming stuff to each other. I only use UPnP for my Uniti and it still feels a bit primitive.

Works fine though although I have had to adjust radio frequencies as the Uniti's wireless reception isn't great. If I get time I may hardwire the setup.

Hope this helps

Tog

Thanks. I'm hoping to borrow a Unitiqute in the near future so Eyeconnect might be worth a look.