Hard-drive-based music servers now come in several varieties and styles. And once you find one for you, you can reacquaint yourself with your music.

Brian Looney is showing off his extensive music collection. There are large wooden boxes of old LPs, audiocassettes and CDs, all neatly stored and stacked-in his garage.

Some of the boxes weigh more than 100 pounds, and every time Looney, a former disc jockey, would have a gig somewhere he would have to lug his music collection in and out of a van or truck. Just to play music.

Looney's plight may not be shared by all, but anyone with a growing collection of compact discs-whether it numbers 25 or 2,500-can begin to feel his pain. Finding and transporting music from one location to another, then playing it, is often not worth the effort. Many of us have become so inundated with CD clutter that we can no longer enjoy and appreciate our music.

So now Looney's music collection is collecting dust in the garage, and in his office a few feet away is his solution: a computer-based Music Organizer and Entertainment Center, or MOAEC, that allows him to copy CDs to a computer hard drive, organize them by track, artist, or genre, create customized play lists, and enjoy his music at the touch of a button. No heavy lifting. No CD search-and-rescue missions. Just easily accessible music.

This sort of digital jukebox is nothing brand new. Numerous "music server" hard-drive systems are available today, and in several different flavors. There are high-end audiophile-type music servers and there are more affordable models. There are music servers that can be used in multiple rooms with multiple users, all listening to different music at the same time, or there are single-zone systems. There are music servers that reside on computers and use computer operating systems, and there are those that appear as another audio/video component. Some allow you to navigate your music collection with slick graphics on televisions or touchscreens, while others have small LCD screens on their faceplates to show you the musical way. Some can even be operated by handheld PDAs and Palm Pilots. If you're not the least bit familiar with music servers, they work like this: You place your CD in the slot or tray, and the server "rips," or copies, the music to the hard drive, provides you with title and track information in some sort of readout on an LCD display or monitor, and gives you a way to sort, browse, and access your collection.

Most music servers have some strengths and weaknesses. For example, although MOAEC must reside on a Windows-based PC, its distinguishing feature is that it's more of a digital DJ than just a jukebox. Like a good DJ, it can match the beats of one song to another to create pleasing random play, and it calculates the beats of each song as it records them to allow you to play back just those tunes for, say, a mellow mood or an upbeat, energizing workout, in whatever genre or category you choose.

What to Look For

Finding a music server system that is right for you may not be quite as easy as pressing a button on, however, some of these systems and finding that long-lost Foghat CD.

Choosing a music server will largely depend on your tastes, preferences and musical needs. If you have a family full of music lovers with different musical tastes, you'll probably want a system that is capable of playing in multiple zones simultaneously, meaning that the kids can savor tasteful strains of Stravinsky while Mom head-bangs to Green Day. (Who says your musical tastes have to be cliché?) If you can't fathom the idea of storing your precious music collection on a computer, opt for one of the systems that looks like another black-box audio/video component. If you have an extensive music collection, seek more storage for now and the future, with gigabytes of storage numbering in the hundreds. And keep audio compression in mind as well. If you love MP3s off the Internet, you may not need that much storage, as these files can be highly compressed. But if you're an audiophile and shudder at the thought of compressing even the tiniest of notes, seek a system that provides bit-for-bit recording to a WAV file (with a .wav extension). And for this, you will require more storage.

Compression Rates and Formats

OK, let's deal with this 800-pound gorilla, which when compressed will only be a 50-pound chimp that takes up much less space. That's basically what MP3 audio compression is all about. It throws out all the excess information so the music can be stored more efficiently. And while many claim they can hear no discernible differences between an uncompressed music file and a highly compressed one, many others believe the difference to be that of, well, a gorilla and a chimp. The best test is to take a music track you know and like and rip it to a hard drive at a compressed rate, then listen to it on your best audio system. If you can't hear any difference, compress away. If you don't like it, compress less or not at all.

Many music server systems offer different compression levels to choose from, from the more highly compressed 128-kilobits-per-second (kbps) MP3 files to less-compressed 320 kbps, to "lossless" compression, to uncompressed computer WAV files. (See "What Compression, Huh?" below, for a simple explanation of each). If you seek flexibility, it's a good idea to look for a music server that offers you several different recording options.

If you're an audiophile and the only things you want to compress are all those people listening to MP3s, take heart. There are several systems available for your purity of heart and quest for sound quality. High-end audio manufacturer Linn offers its hard-drive Knekt Kivor System, containing four components, up to eleven 76GB hard drives in one chassis, providing 1,380 hours of uncompressed musical pleasure and at a full-blown system cost of $20,000. Yes, you pay for every bit-to-bit of full musical enjoyment.

If your budget is a little different but your music tastes remain uncompromised, there's Audio Design Associates (ADA) and its Aquarius music server, which offers a 500-disc capacity server for $4,500. If you want more, add $1,000 per every 500 discs worth of storage up to 2,500 discs. The Aquarius can be used with ADA's high-end multiroom audio system or as a standalone unit, and it is made by Media Access Solutions.

Media Access' Integrated Music Servers offer the same capacities and use a Free Lossless Audio Compression (FLAC) that, simply put, compresses and decompresses the audio file like a computer Zip file so it takes up less space on the hard drive, without losing any data. It's the closest you're going to come to pure CD-quality encoding without taking up gobs of precious hard-drive space. Another system that offers uncompressed as well as compressed audio options is the $7,700 Swiss-built Revox M57, an 80GB system expandable to 240GB with a capacity of up to 1,350 hours of music. Yes, while some of these systems may not compress your music, they can certainly compress your bank account, but don't hyperventilate just yet. There are many more "affordable" options as well. You tend to pay for two things in music servers: capacity, as in disc space, and the ability to play in multiple rooms at the same time. This is sometimes referred to as the ability to have "concurrent users." You know: Stravinsky for the kids and Green Day for Mom or vice-versa.

Multizone Capability

This is yet another sticky wicket in the wonderful world of music servers, because while some of these systems say they can have three, four, eight, or however many users accessing the system simultaneously, that doesn't necessarily mean they can distribute the audio there themselves and control it remotely. That often requires add-on "clients" or specific modules for each zone that cost extra, or whole-house music distribution systems to control the music server from each zone. But looking at the potential for multizone capability in these systems is important, especially if you plan a multiroom audio system and have a houseful of conflicting musical tastes.

ReQuest Multimedia's Nitro, Fusion, and high-end Tera systems, for example, claim virtually unlimited zone expansion via "Zone" modules that contain secondary hard drives and sync with the central "Pro" unit. And you pay the price for storage, from a 40GB Nitro Pro for $2,500 to a 960GB Tera at $25,000, with corresponding costs for Zone modules of $2,000 to $12,500 per Zone.

This fall, expect to see less expensive Zone modules that operate with Flash memory rather than hard drives. ReQuest's NetSync architecture also makes it possible to synchronize its music server in a primary residence with one in a secondary residence, over an Internet connection (broadband recommended), which is a great feature if you have more than one home and want to take all your music with you.

Escient's FireBall systems, at $1,999 for the 40GB E-40 and $2,999 for the 120GB E-120, use $1,000 MP-100 flash-based modules to expand to up to four additional zones. Elan's $3,600 VIA!dj can be used with its multiroom audio system to send tunes to up to four zones. Many others claim anywhere from two zones to infinity, but check first to see what the costs are for individual room modules or for pairing it with a whole-house audio system.

Ease of Use

This is what happened a few years ago when people bought all those big 200- and 400-disc CD changers for their burgeoning music collections: They finally had all their CDs in one neat place, but then they had to memorize the slot number each CD occupied in order to control the things. Not a good way to peruse your musical options.

Music servers tend to come in two different varieties here. Systems from Escient, ReQuest and Elan use intuitive graphical interfaces that display the cover art and track information and can be displayed on touchscreens or televisions. In fact, Escient and ReQuest view themselves more as user interface companies than hard-drive manufacturers. "We build an interface so the new way of sorting through your music is the same as the old way of sorting through your music," says former Escient senior vice president of sales Bob Pankratz. Only you don't have to spend days or weeks organizing your music collection alphabetically or by artist or genre; you can do that now at a press of a button. Imerge's SoundServers can display your options on TVs as well.

These brands tend to be the most popular with high-end custom electronics installers and can also work with high-end home control systems such as AMX and Crestron that often use touchpanels and touchscreens to control a variety of home systems. Other robust systems, such as Arrakis' DC6-1000, can be controlled by AMX, Crestron, or a PC or laptop.

Many other music servers incorporate LCD screens onto their faceplates and use text-based systems to search and scroll through your music choices. And still others, such as Xabler's $1,849 Digital Music Server, are designed to be accessed through the new breed of Internet Protocol (IP) home control systems that turn your home control network into its own little World Wide Web. This is the future of home control, so if you foresee accessing your music collection throughout your house, make sure a music server has an Ethernet connection to enable this. Lansonic's DAS-750, with options for a 40GB or two 60GB drives at $1,295 to $1,995, features a built-in Web server for IP control. Integra's 80GB, $2,000 Net-Tune NAS-2.3 music server can operate over IP control as well and can stream music over the Ethernet network. Automated Audio's mBox, a single zone, $350 software program for a PC, can run on IP, or Crestron or AMX controllers. And if you have a Macintosh computer and Apple's iTunes 4 software, you can turn your Mac into a music server with downloads you buy from the iTunes Music Store. Additionally you can import CDs and stream your music to other Macs.

Modems for Dialing Out

Where, you might ask, do some of these music server systems get all the track information and, in the cases of some of the aforementioned graphical-based systems, the cover art? Generally, the systems dial out on the Internet via a built-in modem or with a broadband connection to a music database such as that from Gracenote. The music server automatically downloads the information as the disc is being encoded on the hard drive, presenting you with the appropriate track information for your music library. Make sure your music server has either a built-in modem or broadband connectivity to achieve this.

A few systems embed the track information for hundreds of thousands of song titles right in their systems, which provides immediate information, though these still need to be updated occasionally with downloads.

Ripping Your Own

Wait a minute, you say. I've got hundreds of CDs, and I don't want to have to load each one in and wait and wait. OK, there are ways around this. Some ReQuest dealers, for example, have ripping stations and can copy your entire collection to a ReQuest hard-drive system for a small price per disc. Lansonic's MusicLoader system works with some large CD changers to automatically record all the CDs at one time. You can also buy entire music collections, such as '70s music or '80s music or dance music, through MOAEC. It's best to ask your dealer or the manufacturer the options for having your collection copied to the music server for you.

Backing You Up

Some music servers also offer hard-drive backups, because, even if you have a music server that doesn't look like a computer, it's still a computer, and it can crash. "The fact is that it's a hard drive; they are complex mechanical devices that over time can and will fail," says ReQuest Multimedia executive vice president Nick Carter. "Plus, you're going to personalize it with playlists," and you definitely do not want to lose highly personalized preferences that you have built up over time. That's one of the reasons ReQuest has used hard drives in each zone of a house. ADA and Media Access Solutions offer hard-drive backups as well.

Portability

Hey, now that you've got all your music in one place, is it only available in one place? Check on the portability, meaning whether you can record from the hard drive to an MP3 player, for example. "What if you want to put this on your iPod and take it with you on a plane?" Carter asks.

Burning Your Own

You may also want the option of burning your own discs to use elsewhere, such as in a computer or a portable player. If so, make sure you can record to either CD-R or CD-RW.

Other Cool Features

Some other cool features we've found in products: If you don't trust a hard drive or just can't let go of having your CDs there, Escient's FireBall also works with some CD changers. Yamaha's MusicCAST stores up to 1,000 hours of music and can distribute music to other rooms wirelessly. (It can also be wired if you like.) Some servers can play Internet radio stations and satellite radio such as that from Sirius and XM. RCA's new $699 RTD750 Home Theater Music Jukebox doubles as a DVD player, though you can't copy the DVD to the hard drive inside. Escient's FireBall, Kenwood's Sovereign Entré ($1,500-$1,750) and RCA's Home Theater Music Jukebox can access Escient's OpenGlobe Web portal service that presents screen-based bios and information about artists and offers a way to purchase albums. Imerge's XiVa-Net web portal offers event news, tickets, reviews, and customized content for systems that use the XiVa operating system as well.

We expect to see a lot more of this in the future, with these portals and others someday offering music downloads like Apple's iTunes Music Store. Of course, that will have to wait for digital copyright issues with the music labels to be sorted out, and that may take a few more years. Some companies, like ReQuest Multimedia, see themselves becoming a storefront for music, perhaps automatically updating people's hard-drive-based music collections.

"If that could happen in the background, like online banking, the music industry could sell a ton," says ReQuest's Carter. "And an uncompressed WAV file could become a repository and sync with portable devices, so you could take that file with you as an MP3."

It's a beautiful vision, that's for sure. Music servers such as these are a start toward that day, as are iTunes and portals such as OpenGlobe and XiVa-Net. Our best advice: If you're in the market for a music server, stock up on storage. You're gonna need it-someday.

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What Compression, Huh?

Here are some common audio compression rates and generally what they mean for audio quality, if you can hear the difference. And remember, MP3 does not refer to MPEG-3. It refers to MPEG-1, Audio Layer III, which compresses audio files by discarding repetitive or unneeded information. Apple's iTunes software can also copy music to MPEG-4 standards, also known as AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), which is said to provide better sound quality and higher storage efficiency than MP3. Just some info to correct your misinformed friends.

128kbps-Typical MP3 download, highly compressed, OK for background music.
192kbps-Near CD quality, good enough for many multiroom systems.
320kbps-Very near CD quality, great for most listeners.
FLAC-Lossless compression, true CD quality, great for high-end systems.
WAV-Uncompressed, bit-for-bit copy of the original CD.

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Now Serving DVDs

Now that we have a way to store, catalog and access our music collections, what are we going to do with our movies on DVDs? Some music-or should we say media-server companies already have some solutions.

ReQuest Multimedia this fall is premiering its VRQ-1, a $3,000 DVD library interface that works with a 400-disc DVD changer from Sony. The VRQ-1 can also work with a ReQuest music server system, so you can have CD and DVD libraries.

Likewise, Escient has introduced its DVDM-100 DVD manager, which will work with some DVD changers and allow you to browse your movie collection as a stand-alone unit or in conjunction with Escient's FireBall music server.

But no DVDs being copied to hard drives? Like the early music library systems that provided a graphic interface to browse large CD changers, we're really just getting started with the DVD storage solutions. Besides, not that many people have extensive collections of DVDs. Or do they? Media Access Solutions has made the leap to hard-drive DVD storage, with its Multimedia Servers (MMS) in 125- to 350-disc capacities. The DVDs are stored to the hard drive without compression. And we're not talking little ol' gigabytes any more. We're talking about 1.2 to 3.9 terabytes. Get used to seeing this term in the future. And in place of any one DVD, you can store 25 CDs. The servers can be controlled by AMX and Crestron controllers or Windows-based PCs. Costs for Media Access's Multimedia Servers range from $8,500 to $36,000, and yes, there are commercial applications with hotels and others. Audio Design Associates rebrands the MMS systems as its DVD Vault.

Steven Castle is a Senior Editor and the resident wit of Electronic House magazine. Email Steve at scastle@ehpub.com.

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