Music Server Options in 2014, a.k.a, Yup, my old music server broke

[Jon L]

I find myself in a pickle today.  I turned on my old, Win XP audio PC/music server and found it broke.  Specifically, 2 separate components were malfunctioning.  One was the Rocketfish eSATA hard drive enclosure, which housed my 3.5" drive with Win XP OS AND music (I do have data backup), which developed some kind of error, leading to my PC not even booting up, at times citing "disc read error" or "I/O error," depending on which time I rebooted.  

 

I temporarily solved the issue by simply moving my hard drive inside my PC in SATA bay.  This is not optimal because I had previously found my system to sound cleaner and purer with the hard drive outside the computer via eSATA enclosure's own power supply.  

 

I then found the computer power supply's rocker button button broke.  At first I thought the PS was broken, but after I pushed the power rocker briskly several times, power actually went on.  If I turn the switch off or pull the power cord, I have to go through the several brisk pushes, which turns on power.  I am afraid the switch is going bad and I will no longer be able to turn it on in the future at all.  

P.S.  Anybody know where to buy one of these rocker switches or how to repair it?  (perhaps just bypass the switch and keep the PS permanently "on")

 

switchJPG by drjlo1, on Flickr

 

 

All this is leading up to me finally getting a new music server, which I have been putting off for several reasons:

 

1.  Windows XP had sounded best to me over newer Windows, and it's difficult to set up a new server around Win XP now.  Heck, I would have to hunt down a XP installation disc (hopefully genuine).  

2.  I have TONS of music on this 3.5" drive, and I have a bazillion music tracks neatly organized into numerous Foobar 0.8.3 Playlists.  Would HATE to lose all my playlists, so the new server would have to work with Foobar 0.8.3 (which I found best sounding over newer Foobar versions) and Foobar playlists.  

3.  I used to use Lynx card for spdif out but use Xmos based USB DAC's these days, so the server would have to have "good" USB output.  (Is "audiophile" USB card like SOtM good idea?)  

 

Looking around, it was surprising to STILL see not too many good off-the-shelf options for audiophile music servers from major companies.  One can also spend quite a bit $$$ from "audiophile" companies, but I'm not sure it would be worth it.  

 

Taking all insights and inputs! 

Edited June 4, 2014 by Jon L

[Jon L]

 

Edited June 4, 2014 by Jon L

[nikongod]

Do you have a spare power supply to swap into the computer? 

[nikongod]

Do you have a spare power supply to swap into the computer? 

[Jon L]

Do you have a spare power supply to swap into the computer? 

 

No.  It was an old Seasonic fanless power supply, which worked fabulously all these years.  It still works, except for the power switch. 

If I am going to go around buying another good fanless power supply and eSATA enclosure to revive this old XP machine, I figured I would ask about brand-new server options.  

 

On the plus side, I don't mind if the server ends up being large (old one's full ATX)), and I don't need fancy things like headless monitor.  I don't mind fans, as long as they are quiet ones.  In fact, I prefer to have fans as my old fanless, large-heatsink setup burned up in 100+ degree Summer one year.  

Edited June 4, 2014 by Jon L

[tkam]

1) I'm skeptical Windows XP sounds any better than Windows 7/8 (especially if using WASAPI output is an option).

 

2) Even more skeptical there are differences in sound between foobar versions.  Just use the latest version and keep the drivers for your dac up-to-date.

 

3) USB is USB - I wouldn't bother with any of those special 'audiophile' cards.  Total waste of money.

[CarlSeibert]

Maybe it's just me, but I would try to find a replacement power switch, get frustrated, and then just bypass the damned thing.

I turn the machine on and off from the front. And that power cord IEC looks switch-like enough to me ) Or maybe I've watched one to many episodes of 'Justified'

[Audio Jester]

Have you looked into the CAPS systems? You can build them yourself or there are some businesses that make them for you. Some servers that I have been looking at are from Aurender, Auralic, Bryston and Antipodes. Sadly, all of these "off the shelf" ones seem overpriced.

[ktm]

You're going to have to pull apart the power supply to see what you need. Most likely, the switch is held in place

with plastic tabs you will have to compress, and it will pop right out. That isn't a big issue. Radio shack

may still carry one that works. OR you could scab one out of a broken computer power supply.(thrift shop!).

The big issue is that XP is dead. At the beginning of the year I tried reloading a couple of XP machines.

Nothing but headaches. At that time, updates weren't working. I had to spend hours researching why.

Seems MS knew it was broken, but why worry about a soon to be dead OS? Who knows if you could get

it updated or activated. I have a couple of XP beaters here, and all they do is nag me about upgrading.

I use a Antec quiet case with my music PC. Works fairly well. A couple year old laptop in a docking station works well too,

and it's quiet. Whatever you do, avoid windows 8 like the plague. I just can't seem to get it to behave with Foobar.

XP was easy, win 7 ok. But 8  just is such a pita.

[morphsci]

1) I'm skeptical Windows XP sounds any better than Windows 7/8 (especially if using WASAPI output is an option).

 

2) Even more skeptical there are differences in sound between foobar versions.  Just use the latest version and keep the drivers for your dac up-to-date.

 

3) USB is USB - I wouldn't bother with any of those special 'audiophile' cards.  Total waste of money.

This, This and This.

[Dusty Chalk]

Do they still make Mac Minis?

[Grahame]

This, This and This.

This.

People still play audio from a server, rather that using a distributed, networked, client based approach, eliminating the server from the equation?

How quaint

[Jon L]

Whatever you do, avoid windows 8 like the plague. I just can't seem to get it to behave with Foobar.

XP was easy, win 7 ok. But 8  just is such a pita.

 

Doh!  I was just able to install the old Foobar 0.8.3 onto my Windows 8.1 laptop, and it seems to be working, so my alternate plan was Win 8.1 with Foobar 0.8.3, with preserved Playlists (would Foobar 0.8.3. playlists still work with current Foobar version anyway?).  

 

In what way does Win 8 not behave with Foobar?  

[grawk]

in the way Luddites don't like change

[ktm]

Windows background processes take over and cause 100% cpu or disk usage.

Then the playback gets flakey. Tuning things is harder in 8/8.1.

There most likely is a fix, I just haven't found it yet. And Metro sucks.

But from a baseline perspective, foobar runs just fine .

I tried to do a downgrade to 7 (which is supposed to be supported and free).

But support told me I had to buy a support contract in order for them to

give me a downgrade keycode, which cost more than a copy of win 7.

I've got a Lenovo laptop on Vista that runs with no issues at all.

Normal round of tweaks worked great on it.