Network Audio. Recommended Media management software itunes for MAC users Media Monkey for Windows. Adding media onto the storage device

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1 Network Audio There are two tasks to be completed in order to get music to the PerfectWave DAC/Bridge combo: Store and access the media on a storage device or the Internet Serve (send) the selected media to the network. In a computer-based system, the stored media is served by software to the soundcard or USB port of the computer. In a network based system the stored media is served by software to the network. Recommended Media management software itunes for MAC users Media Monkey for Windows. Adding media onto the storage device At PS Audio, we have made a number of tests using both itunes (for MAC), Media Monkey (for Windows) and the beta version of our own tagnplay Server for both platforms as the ripping engines for our media. In all cases, the engines in these programs do a great job of ripping the media without a problem and produce bitperfect results when played back on the PS Audio PerfectWave system. Programs such as EAC (Exact Audio Copy) as well as DB Power Amps Asset to rip your media. Many opinions run that using one of these programs produce audibly superior results when building a library. Make sure that you always use the best settings on your media and choose either FLAC (at its highest settings), ALAC (Apple lossless), or WMA lossless at its highest settings and you should be fine. Storage formats acceptable to the PerfectWave system There are three ways to store your music on your computers hard drive: raw, lossless or lossy. The PerfectWave system handles sample rates up to 192kHz and bit depth of 32 bits for any format. We recommend lossless for storing your library. Raw storage formats available for the PerfectWave system are: Waveform Audio File Format (WAV) Audio Interchange Format (AIFF) Lossless bit-perfect storage formats available for the Bridge include: Apple Lossless (ALAC) Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) Windows Media Audio (WMA) (not available with the first release of the Bridge. Will be implemented in future releases of firmware) Server Software The server must be a UPnP based server. This software needs to be installed on your computer, NAS or UPnP router and operates in the background. PS Audios own (upcoming) tagnplay Server, will be available for MAC, Windows and Linux near the end of 2010 Understanding the UPnP based server UPnP or Universal Plug and Play The heart of this UPnP based system is the UPnP server. Once installed on your computer, NAS or router, it will find all your media, find the PS Audio Bridge, and make itself, as well as all your media, available to the PS controller on the ipod/iphone/ipad. We recommend you install Twonky if you are using your computer to store the music. Twonky is available for both MAC and Windows, is very efficient, and works well for the PS PerfectWave system. Twonky Server is available for $19.95 and available for download here: There are other UPnP based servers available such as Asset and James River, but these are only available for Windows. Windows 7 Media Center is also a UPnP based software program, but it is more difficult to set up and not recommended. General connection to the Internet

2 It is not essential that your router be connected to the Internet for the PerfectWave system to operate successfully. However, it is highly recommended, as many of the features of the PerfectWave system are unavailable without the benefit of an Internet connection. Ethernet Bridges A wireless Ethernet Bridge converts a wired Ethernet device (like the Bridge) for use on a wireless computer network. An Ethernet Bridge is used when there is no wired Ethernet connection available near the PS Audio PerfectWave Bridge. Generally we do not recommend the use of an Ethernet Bridge if you do not need one, as a hard wired Ethernet connection will always be preferable. Choosing the appropriate Ethernet Bridge is important. Recommended wireless Ethernet Bridge Our recommended Ethernet Bridge is from Cisco-Linksys. It is the WET610N. What you need to use a computer for the PerfectWave audio system Storing and serving inside a computer While certainly not our favorite option, we suspect the most common method of storing and serving your music to the network will be with a computer. Very little attention to detail must be exercised to make sure files are delivered properly to the PerfectWave DAC. This contrasts with a computer based USB system because in the network setup, the computer never processes the media. You will need: Network computer connection to a wireless router and home network Your computer must be connected to a wireless router to communicate with the wireless controller for the PS PerfectWave system as well as the PerfectWave Bridge. The recommended controller is tagnplay (ipod, iphone, ipad). The PS Audio PerfectWave Bridge must also be connected to the network, either through an Ethernet connection on a network fed from the same wireless router or a wireless connection from this router. If you wish to connect the PerfectWave Bridge to the network through wireless means, you will need either an approved USB wireless dongle from PS Audio or an Ethernet wireless Bridge; available from a number of manufacturers. What you need not to use a computer for the PerfectWave audio system Storing and Serving without a computer The simplest, easiest and safest way to store and serve music over the network is without a computer. A UPnP based Network Attached Storage device (NAS) or a UpnP based router and USB storage device The two simple choices presently available today for storing and serving media without a computer are a UPnP compatible NAS or a UPnP compatible router with a USB share. By far, the NAS option is the easiest of both options from a simple plug-n-play perspective. The wireless router with USB share is the second choice, simply because there are more parts and the setup isnt always as easy. Both categories are rapidly expanding and new choices arrive almost every week. UPnP Network Storage Device (NAS) The good news with this decision is that you do not need a computer, and the storage can be placed anywhere in the network you choose. Using a UPnP based NAS

3 NAS stands for Network Attached Storage device; basically an external hard drive that connects up to a network and is controlled with its own built in computer. Not all NAS are UPnP compatible, Make sure it says UPnP and/or DLNA capable. A UPnP compatible NAS has the server software built in and ready to go for the PSsystem, so this is really all you need to run the PerfectWave setup. Think of a NAS as a small, dedicated computer, running server software and connected to your network. Its sole function in life is to serve your music to your PerfectWave system. NAS devices are available from a number of different manufacturers and can be chosen for their hard drive storage size and UPnP software availability. If you decide to go with a NAS, you will need to set it up on your network and then transfer all your media files to the hard drive on the NAS. Over the network this can sometimes take a day depending on the size of your library. The size of your NAS is determined by its internal hard drive. Here are some figures for you when making your choice. The figures are all based on our recommended lossless storage approach. If you want to store everything in RAW format (WAV or AIFF), cut these numbers in half. 500GB 1400 albums 17,000 tracks 1TB 2800 albums 34,000 tracks 4TB 12,000 albums 140,000 tracks 7TB 20,000 albums 240,000 tracks Our recommendations for NAS devices Lacie Lacie makes some great, low cost, UPnP compatible NAS devices and is our first choice because of the value of this product. Our first choice is the newest Network Space product from Lacie, available in 1tB to 2tB versions and includes the ability for auto backup of your music. Lacie also makes many other UPnP DLNA NAS network servers as well. Their complete listing is available here: Qnap Qnap products are more expensive than Lacie and many users love the better UPnP server program and ease of use provided by Qnap. Our recommended Qnap product is the Turbo NAS series. Network NAS connection to a wireless router and home network Your NAS must be connected to a network router with wireless capabilities to communicate with the wireless controller for the PS PerfectWave system as well as the PerfectWave Bridge. The recommended controller is tagnplay, available on the Apple itunes store for download. The PS Audio PerfectWave Bridge must also be connected to the same network as the NAS, either through an Ethernet connection on a network fed from the same wireless router or a wireless connection from this router. If you wish to connect the PerfectWave Bridge to the network through wireless means, you will need either an approved USB wireless dongle from PS Audio or an Ethernet wireless Bridge, available from a number of manufacturers. Using a UPnP based router There are a growing number of UPnP based wireless routers that can accommodate the addition of a USB hard drive, forming a perfect storage and server setup. You will need:

4 A UPnP based router and USB storage device. Network connection to a wireless router and home network Connection to the internet (if you want artists bio information, cover art, Bridge updates, internet radio) Our recommendations for a UPnP based router In our opinion, as of this writing, there is only one really good choice, the Netgear WNDR3700. We have tried many of these and so far, only the Netgear has lived up to our standards for a server. The information for the Netgear router is available here: The external USB hard drive One of the advantages of going with a UPnP based router is the ability to connect an external USB hard drive. These hard drives are available in many sizes and are generally extremely low cost. You can purchase any USB external hard drive from manufacturers such as Seagate, Western Digital, Iomega, or Toshiba. Our preference is Western Digital as they seem to have the lowest failure rate we have seen. You can also take any SATA hard drive you have around the house and convert it into a USB hard drive. A number of low cost USB enclosures are available for this purpose. If you wish to use an existing SATA hard drive and adapt it to the USB standard, we would recommend Vantec s line of enclosures. Network UPnP router connection to the home network Your UPnP based wireless router must form the basis of your network to communicate with the wireless controller for the PS PerfectWave system as well as the PerfectWave Bridge. The recommended controller is tagnplay, available on the Apple itunes store for download The PS Audio PerfectWave Bridge must also be connected to the same network as the UPnP router, either through an Ethernet connection on a network fed from the same router or a wireless connection from this router. If you wish to connect the PerfectWave Bridge to the network through wireless means, you will need either an approved USB wireless dongle from PS Audio or an Ethernet wireless Bridge, available from a number of manufacturers. Complete list of recommended components UPnP server software If you are planning on using a computer to store and serve your media, here are our recommended packages PS Audio tagnplay Server. PS Audio will be introducing tagnplay Server, available for Windows, MAC and Linux users. tagnplay will offer full control over your entire library and eventually be exactly what you want. In the meantime, we recommend the following options in the order they are listed Twonky Server is available for PC and MAC: Twonky can be used as both the server and the controller if you wish. Asset Server is available for $26 and will work with: We do not recommend this program for MAC. James River Media Center is available for $49.95 and works with Windows systems only. Network Attached Storage (NAS) If you wish to run your system without a computer required, use a NAS with UPnP server software built in. Lacie UPnP wireless router

5 For simple systems based on USB storage, a UPnP wireless router with USB share for the storage medium is quick and easy. Netgear WNDR Routers wired and Wireless The PS Audio Bridge must connect to a wired or wireless router. To communicate with an Apple mobile device such as an ipod or iphone, or a wireless Ethernet Bridge you must have a wireless router. The brand of router really doesn t matter, although we prefer wireless N routers from Cisco, Linksys and Netgear. Ethernet Bridge The preferred method of connection between the PS Audio Network Bridge and the router is via CAT5 cable. It is also possible to create a wireless connection through a wireless Ethernet Bridge which connects to your wireless router. Our recommendation here is: Linksys WET610N