On 06/04/2010 09:18, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In , housetrained
wrote:

Thanks to all you good people for the advice and maybe someone will make
an external HDD with display and programme to make my wishes come true.


The have made it. But they generally call it "a computer" running relevant
software. :-)


This was the sort of thing I had in mind:

http://www.tradestead.com/wholesale-...side_p247.html

or this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ib-mp302-b-M...49668&sr =1-3

I think they run variations of Linux - as I say, it was all too clunky
for me, and digital audio out doesn't seem to be supported.

On 06/04/2010 08:12, housetrained wrote:
At this time I'm using a Roku soundbridge opticalled into my DAC. This
gets the info from the computer via a router in another room. Just
thought it would be nice to have a HDD in the music room and leave the
Computer etc switched off.
The Philips handset looks OK but on it's own it's about the same price
as the Roku which comes handsetted already.
Thanks to all you good people for the advice and maybe someone will make
an external HDD with display and programme to make my wishes come true.
Many thanks.

It's tricky - I forgot to mention the Brennan unit which looks neat, but
again, too expensive for what it is IMO (although it does amplify), and
accessing a track would be a pain. You could get a Mac Mini/iTouch for
not much more, or a mini PC for a lot less.

In article , Rob
wrote:
On 06/04/2010 09:18, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In , housetrained
wrote:

Thanks to all you good people for the advice and maybe someone will
make an external HDD with display and programme to make my wishes
come true.


The have made it. But they generally call it "a computer" running
relevant software. :-)


This was the sort of thing I had in mind:

http://www.tradestead.com/wholesale-...side_p247.html

I'd be put off by the mention of a fan. I don't want any mechanical 'play
along' noises from the unit I'd use!

or this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ib-mp302-b-M...49668&sr =1-3

I think they run variations of Linux - as I say, it was all too clunky
for me, and digital audio out doesn't seem to be supported.

I'd also be wary of finding that a 'packaged' system became obsolete when
people started using a new file format, etc.

That said, if the system runs Linux and has enough resources you could
probably alter it later on.

So far as I can see, almost any old computer can easily be used for a
'server' these days and with Linux you can get light OS/software
combinations that will run on old kit. If the machine doesn't have its own
digital output then they should work with something like a DACMagic or one
of the cheaper USB-SPDIF boxes.

Main problem from my POV is mechanical noises. However if someone is
serious about this but doesn't to pay out for a fanless SSD machine I guess
they could shove the old 'server' in a sideboard and network control to it
from something like a netbook sitting beside them. The point about this
approach is that it is flexible and updatable. The snag is that you have to
spend time sorting it out, of course. Alternative is to pay dosh to someone
else to supply a system that might end up not being quite what you want
later on...

As with traditional audio, some will 'DIY', others will throw cash at
'experts', etc.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

On 06/04/2010 12:42, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In , Rob
wrote:
On 06/04/2010 09:18, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In , housetrained
wrote:

Thanks to all you good people for the advice and maybe someone will
make an external HDD with display and programme to make my wishes
come true.


The have made it. But they generally call it "a computer" running
relevant software. :-)


This was the sort of thing I had in mind:

http://www.tradestead.com/wholesale-...side_p247.html

I'd be put off by the mention of a fan. I don't want any mechanical 'play
along' noises from the unit I'd use!


Quite so - I had one and it had a fan 1cm dia I think, and made a right
racket. In fact, disconnecting it didn't raise temperatures too much -
it hardly did anything.

or this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ib-mp302-b-M...49668&sr =1-3

I think they run variations of Linux - as I say, it was all too clunky
for me, and digital audio out doesn't seem to be supported.

I'd also be wary of finding that a 'packaged' system became obsolete when
people started using a new file format, etc.


I think they use FAT variants so they can attach to a Windows machine.

That said, if the system runs Linux and has enough resources you could
probably alter it later on.

So far as I can see, almost any old computer can easily be used for a
'server' these days and with Linux you can get light OS/software
combinations that will run on old kit. If the machine doesn't have its own
digital output then they should work with something like a DACMagic or one
of the cheaper USB-SPDIF boxes.


Quite so. But bulky, power hungry, and as you say, noisy . . .

Main problem from my POV is mechanical noises. However if someone is
serious about this but doesn't to pay out for a fanless SSD machine I guess
they could shove the old 'server' in a sideboard and network control to it
from something like a netbook sitting beside them. The point about this
approach is that it is flexible and updatable. The snag is that you have to
spend time sorting it out, of course. Alternative is to pay dosh to someone
else to supply a system that might end up not being quite what you want
later on...

As with traditional audio, some will 'DIY', others will throw cash at
'experts', etc.


It does seem to be something that's difficult to get right, different
needs maybe. Naim and Linn have some interesting variations, but at a price.

In article , Rob
wrote:
On 06/04/2010 12:42, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In , Rob
wrote:
On 06/04/2010 09:18, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In , housetrained


I'd also be wary of finding that a 'packaged' system became obsolete
when people started using a new file format, etc.


I think they use FAT variants so they can attach to a Windows machine.

Sorry, I meant encoding formats - mp3, AAC, FLAC, etc. With your own
computer you can easily install these. But with a packaged device you might
run into problems, depending on how flexible the design may be.


As with traditional audio, some will 'DIY', others will throw cash at
'experts', etc.


It does seem to be something that's difficult to get right, different
needs maybe. Naim and Linn have some interesting variations, but at a
price.

I have the feeling that a lot of the problem is that many computer hardware
makers and vendors are a mix of clueless and unconcerned about audio. The
attitude is that "You can hear something, so it works!" This exposes buyers
to the situation where to get something that works *correctly* as a package
you get presented with Sooloos, Naim, etc, etc. i.e. expensive badged
packages you are expected to throw your money at.

No doubt they work very nicely. But given that playing a soundfile only
demands a trivial load in modern CPU terms this should be something almost
any old computer can do with ease without any fans whirring. Alas people
have been 'educated' sic to go, "X GHz, whoo! that's fast!" and "3 GB
RAM. Massive!", without thinking that a *silent* *low power* slower and
simpler setup would actually do such tasks with less fuss and cost.

That said, people perhaps have bypassed this to some extent without being
aware of it when they use ARM variants, etc, in other mobile devices. :-)

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

"housetrained" wrote in message
...
Hi
Is this the newsgroup to advise on living room [quiet] media players -
basically a HDD containing my music files connected to my DAC by digital
coax [or optical] with a window where I can see what's playing and a
remote? Don't need visual [i.e. TV out or HDMI] at all.
Any recommendations?
TIA

One solution to this problem is to store your music on a NAS which you keep
well away from you listening area, and then use something like a Logitech
Transporter to read the music from the NAS and pass it to your DAC.

As an alternative to the Transporter you could use a laptop with a M2Tech
HiFace USB/SPIF converter.

The transporter is expensive. I don't know of an alternative, but I do know
that there are a number of Apple products in this area.

You would need to use a PC to rip the music from CDs and store in on the
NAS.

You then have to address such issues as to what file format to use e.g. flac
and how to keep backup copies.

It would appear that the HiFi world is moving in this direction. Perhaps
partly for convenience, and because it offers the opportunity to use better
than CD quality digital music.


--
Michael Chare

"Michael Chare" wrote

As an alternative to the Transporter you could use a laptop with a M2Tech
HiFace USB/SPIF converter.

Why specify that particular USB/SPDIF converter?, other converters are
available at lower cost but equal performance.


It would appear that the HiFi world is moving in this direction. Perhaps
partly for convenience, and because it offers the opportunity to use
better than CD quality digital music.


Convenience is clearly the major driver in this move. But I'm not at all
convinced by "better than CD quality". As we know very few recordings on CD
actually use more than a small fraction of the dynamic range available from
CD, whilst few people old enough to be able to afford this sort of kit can
hear the full range of frequencies present on a CD, let alone anything
supposedly "better".

What limits the quality of domestically reproduced music nowadays is the
quality of the original recording, the disc mastering, the loudspeakers and
the acoustic environment of the listening area.

David.

In article , Michael
Chare scribeth thus
"housetrained" wrote in message
. ..
Hi
Is this the newsgroup to advise on living room [quiet] media players -
basically a HDD containing my music files connected to my DAC by digital
coax [or optical] with a window where I can see what's playing and a
remote? Don't need visual [i.e. TV out or HDMI] at all.
Any recommendations?
TIA

One solution to this problem is to store your music on a NAS which you keep
well away from you listening area, and then use something like a Logitech
Transporter to read the music from the NAS and pass it to your DAC.

As an alternative to the Transporter you could use a laptop with a M2Tech
HiFace USB/SPIF converter.

The transporter is expensive. I don't know of an alternative, but I do know
that there are a number of Apple products in this area.

You would need to use a PC to rip the music from CDs and store in on the
NAS.

You then have to address such issues as to what file format to use e.g. flac
and how to keep backup copies.

It would appear that the HiFi world is moving in this direction. Perhaps
partly for convenience, and because it offers the opportunity to use better
than CD quality digital music.



Better than CD eh?, so just where do you obtain this from?...
--
Tony Sayer

"David Looser" wrote in message
...
"Michael Chare" wrote

As an alternative to the Transporter you could use a laptop with a
M2Tech HiFace USB/SPIF converter.

Why specify that particular USB/SPDIF converter?, other converters are
available at lower cost but equal performance.

I just happened to know of it, and I don't know of any alternatives, but I
am happy to improve my knowledge!

It was an example not a recommendation.


It would appear that the HiFi world is moving in this direction. Perhaps
partly for convenience, and because it offers the opportunity to use
better than CD quality digital music.


whilst few people old enough to be able to afford this sort of kit can
hear the full range of frequencies present on a CD, let alone anything
supposedly "better".

Yes I have proved that point, as I found that my daughter could quite easily
distinguish between 16/44 and 24/96 flac music files when played via my
hifi, where as I struggle to do this.


What limits the quality of domestically reproduced music nowadays is the
quality of the original recording, the disc mastering, the loudspeakers
and the acoustic environment of the listening area.

That has been the case for a long time.


--
Michael Chare

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...


Better than CD eh?, so just where do you obtain this from?...
--

There are a number of websites which offer downloads.


--
Michael Chare