Hi, I’m a noob, and a Jriver Media Center user, considering a switch to Plex. Many years of struggle to get Jriver (an incredibly robust environment, BTW) to work the way I want it. Expertise in Linux, networking admin would likely make Jriver easier to manage, but I have none of those. Plus, I just lost a bunch of hardware in a lightning strike.
So here I am. I’ve heard from friends (and I’ve read) that Plex has made great strides in music management, serving, quality, etc.
Talk to me, new friends. I’m music only. I need to get a new NAS (likely switch from QNAP to Synology), and I know I can run Plex on anything either of those manufacturers makes. But I also care about DAC, and am looking for a good setup, maybe with a separate DAC/renderer (not looking for laptop/desktop… too much power/space/overhead… NUC anyone?). I know I can spend a boatload of bucks on some setups… what’s the conventional wisdom in Plex-land?
Client and server need to be considered separate in Plex land.
I’d say for music-only, you could use almost anything for server.
For ‘client’ you use what has a Plex client available and what fits your demands.
I’d say start with testing plex server on the hardware you already have.
You have a Plex Pass, so you can test all the mobile apps as well.
If you deply care for audio quality, I recommend you to test a combination of a PC with an external DAC.
As software you can start with the web app, then use also Plex Media Player.
Once you have your music library properly set up (that may be a challenge if you are used to another solution), I absolutely recommend you to check out http://plexamp.com
But this will only give you good value if your music has been recognized properly by Plex and all the metadata have been fetched from last.fm etc.
You could also look at a Chromecast Audio for less than high-end environments, like a patio or other rooms where you won’t sit in an optimal listening position
or where you only have regular speakers and not those ultra-highend affairs like in your living room 
Thanks Otto. I’m a big fan of Chromecast. As mentioned, I need to get a new NAS: my QNAP was cooked by lightning. I’ll get the Synology, unless there’s a strong argument for something different. I’ve used a PC/laptop for rendering, but dislike the model: Too much dependence on a heavy OS, always-on (and logged in), and lots of power draw. Looking for alternatives.
Plexamp looks promising!
