I am in the process of researching this as well because I want to buy one soon. Based on what I've read, I may be able to answer some of your questions:
1 - From what I've read, the Cambridge Audio Azur 640H provides the best audio quality for music. In fact, it's so good you'll want to use the analog outputs instead of the optical output. This way you can take advantage of the Aazur's superior DACs.
2 - You will need to re-rip your CDs to get better audio quality. If you plan on getting a DMA with a modest hard drive, I would recommend a lossless format. If you plan on using a large hard drive....try ripping them uncompressed.
3 - I can't answer the internet radio question because that feature never really interested me.
4 - I no of no digital media servers that can output 5.1. Maybe the more expensive ones do, like the ReQuest line? If that is a concern of yours, you may want to get a digital video server as I am sure that they would also support audio and 5.1 audio.
1 - From what I've read, the Cambridge Audio Azur 640H provides the best audio quality for music. In fact, it's so good you'll want to use the analog outputs instead of the optical output. This way you can take advantage of the Aazur's superior DACs.
2 - You will need to re-rip your CDs to get better audio quality. If you plan on getting a DMA with a modest hard drive, I would recommend a lossless format. If you plan on using a large hard drive....try ripping them uncompressed.
3 - I can't answer the internet radio question because that feature never really interested me.
4 - I no of no digital media servers that can output 5.1. Maybe the more expensive ones do, like the ReQuest line? If that is a concern of yours, you may want to get a digital video server as I am sure that they would also support audio and 5.1 audio.
, anything higher than 192 kbps will probably make no difference (at least to me). Hope this helps. I'm sorry that I cannot find that article as it explains all this in detail.
