Lloyd,
If you're not limited to a "computer" solution, I would highly recommend you look at Sonore. I've tried at least 3 variation of Mac based servers; Mac Pro with Lynx AES16e, Mac Mini, and Macbook Pro. I've also tried just about all the Mac based software (except Amarra); Pure Music, Fidelia, Bitperfect, Decibel. I'll tell you that my Linux based Sonore server sounds much better than anything else I've used. The only negative is that music is played back on internal hard drives. I would prefer a streaming solution via NAS but that's not an option.
If you're not limited to a "computer" solution, I would highly recommend you look at Sonore. I've tried at least 3 variation of Mac based servers; Mac Pro with Lynx AES16e, Mac Mini, and Macbook Pro. I've also tried just about all the Mac based software (except Amarra); Pure Music, Fidelia, Bitperfect, Decibel. I'll tell you that my Linux based Sonore server sounds much better than anything else I've used. The only negative is that music is played back on internal hard drives. I would prefer a streaming solution via NAS but that's not an option.