Pinnacle Audio Folio review

Music servers were once the preserve of custom installed systems, being more at home with speakers in the ceiling, motorised projector screens and outrageous price tags – but things are changing. Thanks to the iPod, we all want easy access, having our entire music collection in a single device, for instance. Enter then, a new breed of server in the form of the Pinnacle Audio Folio music server.

Of course, it does have to compete with the mighty iPod itself, which when plugged into a suitable dock forms a small, ergonomic and versatile music server. We looked at examples from Wadia and MSB last year, both of which attempt to raise the audio standard that can be achieved and in many respects this is what newcomer Pinnacle Audio is up against with the Folio music server.

The Folio is an attractively cased server that comes in three alternative drive sizes: 250GB, 500GB and 750GB, with the price per gig coming down as the HDD expands (note that prices are due to go up at the end of March).

RAID equipped

Being RAID devices, they have two HDDs onboard – one acting as a back-up should the main one fail. This is something you don't get with an iPod in the full sense, although the chances are the music will have been loaded from a PC where it might still reside.

The Folio is controlled by a web tablet, in this case a Nokia N810, a slick and compact device with a touchscreen and a hidden keyboard that you can use to quickly search for a track. It controls the player via your Wi-Fi router, so the Folio also has to be connected to the same router with an ethernet cable.

You could put a wireless bridge on the back of the Folio, but Pinnacle prefers the reliability of a cable. This link also allows you to take music from the PC and for the device to update itself automatically over the web.

This system might seem complex, but it does mean you can control the Folio with a high-quality touchscreen interface like the Nokia – you can easily pay more than the price of this server for a multi-room style interface from AMX or Crestron, so it seems quite good value.

Pinnacle is looking to replace the Nokia with an Arcos Android device next year and this will be able to upload the music on the HDD and operate as an MP3 player, among other features.

On the formats front, it supports WAV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and MP3 at between 128 and 320kbps, while a format option tells you what the pros and cons are. FLAC appears to be the favourite. WAV is described as offering no quality gain over FLAC and is therefore not recommended.

The interface takes a bit of getting used to, but once mastered you can do most things by using your finger rather than the stylus. It's quite easy to assemble a play list or just play an album, and once you understand that it won't play the rest of the album if you select just one track, you're away.

Getting an album onto hard disk is as simple as pushing it into the slot drive – the system will rip it and find title info and album art via the router. Pinnacle's aim with this product is to make servers simple and on this level they have certainly succeeded.

Beside the main unit, the Folio has a separate linear power supply in a chunky case with a short lead – so short you'll need to put it on the same shelf or very nearby. Apparently, this cable has to be short because it reduces the amount of regulation required in the player itself.

Audio connections extend to analogue in and out (variable) plus digital out on coax and optical sockets. There are also two USBs, an S-Video output for a monitor and connectors for multiroom installation.

Sound quality

Being aware that audio enthusiasts are loth to involve computers with sound systems, Pinnacle has made set up very straightforward. Pretty well all you need to do is remember the password for your Wi-Fi router and type this into the web tablet when prompted.

Allowing the Folio to browse the music you have on your computer is slightly less obvious, but easy really, even if you're a technophobe. And, of course, you don't need to do this at all if you just want to load discs onto the drive itself.