Have your say & ask the experts

My CDP is an Arcam Alpha 7SE. Given recent developments, I don't think I'll be buying another CDP. The squeezebox duet seems like a good alternative source, complete with Beresford DAC ofcourse, allowing me to stream lossless files.

The PS3 would still perform streaming duties.....although this would be limited to photos, home movies, etc.

Any thoughts?[/quote] That sounds like me talking... :)

I have PS3, Arcam Alpha 7SE , PS3 , Squeezebox duet, and a Beresford.

It works really well. PS3 I use for blu-ray, DVD, and home videos, photos and GAMES! :)

I now mainly use the squeezebox for music. Both that, and the CD player are routed through the DAC, and the PS3 through my rather ageing Yamaha E800.

Flac files through the SB sound every bit as good as the CD player.

The only drawback, is that you need a PC on all the time, or a NAS that will run Squeezecenter 7 (not the older slimserver).

I have a QNAP TS 101 and this was able to run slimserver, but not yet the new Squeezecenter.

I am looking at this Tiny Tuxbox as a potential alternative. A very low power using, cheap computer, that I can simply attach an external USB, and keep on all the time... :)

I'll probably get an external usb drive to back the QNAP onto every month or so and store it in the garage/at work/not in the house.

I'm looking at upgrading my network as well. I've been using powerline ethernet adapters and found them, well, really rather good. However, with the number of devices I want to connect to the network growing, I've decided to buy a couple of Netgear GS605 5-Port Gigabit switchs (£25 ish each) and upgrade the whole network to have gigabit capacity.

So, I'm spending my money to invest in the areas I believe home entertainment is going and I feel that the network/hardware infrastructure is something I need to get sorted early on. Wireless is OK......but you can't beat the speed, stability and security of a wired solution.

Prof, you'll know that you need the right cable to realise the gigabit capability of course. For the benefit of others, this should be CAT5e or CAT6. Have a look at this if you're considering the upgrade.

Oh, and fr0g, by the way. My Beresford DAC is due to arrive tomorrow morning. I only ordered it today!

Thanks for this mate - though I'd be looking for one 8 port switch I reckon. I might get a 5 port for the bedroom as well though considering how cheap they are now.

Yup, sorted on the cables, one of the benefits of working in the IT world is these are very easy to come by!

I have PS3, Arcam Alpha 7SE , PS3 , Squeezebox duet, and a Beresford.

[/quote] I've just noticed you got the MS902s speakers. Guess what? Got mine about 7 years ago from Richer Sounds.

I don't have the Arcam A80 amp......I went for the Sony TA-FB940R also from Richer Sounds.

Pity, the 109 looked like a good product.....let down by customer service?

Now looking for an alternative. TraquilPC looks good?

Home movies play without the image stuttering and you can really whizz through the playlist tracks to select the one you want. Previously, I could scroll down so far and then would have to wait as track information was streamed down one by one.

Twonky may have worked also but I'll have to check when I'm home if people want concrete confirmation.

As a side note, you'll notice in the Sound Settings of the PS3 that the optical can be output as 44, 88, or 176; does this mean anything to anyone?