Music server

Lot's of folks like the Squeeze Box. Still something I need to look into down the road. I'm a modern, SS, high end pre amp away from thinking about stuff like this....yet.... ;)
 
Told Carly I wanted a Music Hall USB DAC. Would love to go wireless. There are some that aren't to bad. Under 200.00. When you go with a hard drive on board it starts getting spendy. I have some extra puters I could use. Would just need a screen to pick the music. Don't want a big monitor. The squeezebox may just work.

Larry
 
Rex Everything said:
Lot's of folks like the Squeeze Box. Still something I need to look into down the road. I'm a modern, SS, high end pre amp away from thinking about stuff like this....yet.... ;)
Click to expand...

You can still see to solder. You can always get a good kit and add some nice things a little at a time. You know how to and what to do to make a nice preamp cheaper than what a very nice preamp would cost you.

Larry
 
jbeckva said:
Use a computer, hook it up in the living room to your widescreen, and get a decent soundcard. You're 95 percent "there" at that point.
Click to expand...

The one squeeze box has a little screen And is wireless. So yes I could use an old puter I have. There are 3 of them here. Just need a micro tower. Wonder what I would use to receive from the squeeze box. I have more reading to do. Did one of my HDs in the tower have XP on it?

Larry
 
I remember buying Musicmatch Jukebox at Staples back in the stone age...was better for burning CDs than being a jukebox. Had a guy from SC on a Usenet group for antique radios (a wind sailor and a bit of a mild scoundrel as well) who swore by his Archos.

I think there are probably software solutions that take advantage of already existing browsers such as Windows Media Player, Apple and are a bit more fleshed out than some of the media codec add-in players I've seen like VLC/Videolan and K-Lite.

I have an old micro-ATX Compaq case that I have pretty much gutted with tin snips to find room for a up to a 500W PS but all I have to mount inside is an ASUS MB with a 1500 MHz Pentium III. Let me see if I can find the pictures here as the USB floppy is placed somewhere at the moment.

That's gonna be a while it looks like. It has an arched full cover that I painted deep blue, the chassis a dark teal/green. The front panel is an apple green that ended up sort or translucent or antiqued looking (probably not the right type or a rust-preventer) with the top door left the original white. It has these 'legs' built in to the front and ended up reminding me of a 'ninja turtle'.

Well, chalk one up for artisitic merits.
 
i got a Vortexbox a few years ago and its been an excellent all around media and file server. i currently use the Vortexbox with a Squeezebox player for playback, but if i ever get around to updating to the newest version, the Squeezebox becomes unnecessary. i dont know of any other ready-made solution that is as easy or works better than the Vortexbox.
 
Mama's got a squeezebox and that's why I have three siblings.

I remember the Archos but I want my fathers motherboard. I'm the guy with 3X more CEDs and Laserdiscs, after all.

I'm also still pretty upset that I couldn't afford a second Plymouth Duster much less drive 28 miles for electronic parts.

Or eat well.

Or neck in a vehicle that smells like me.

Or something.
 
I think all those players are good, but I feel the best sound and capacity, a pc based player would be more comparable since you can change the sound card and add a huge drive to store your music, a lossless app like flac would need a huge drive. Apple system would be nice but iTunes sucks with the sharing and upgrading devices. I use a IBM Hypertreading pc with dual core 3Ghz proc. with WIN2000 and a audiophile grade sound card located in the basemnt main system and can remote through any pc or laptop in the house and get my music..and with the right app can use a ipad.
I love how everybody raves about digital but it always ends up analog in the end.
 
If one were to take an old computer and put in a "good" soundcard and a decent sized hard drive, what would you recommend? I really don't think I'd do anything but use it as a source...I'd probably let the pre/pro do all the decoding, etc..and try to get by with as little money as possible.

What would ya need to do this? Just use the music folder in a Windows XP program or something? a nice little minitower with a 500 GB hard driver or a 1 TB hard drive to copy CD's to using whatever pops up in Windows to do the copying?

Am I missing something here? I KNOW I want bit for bit copies from CD's and blah...blah...but what else would you need? How bad are the soundcards which come in a Dell or other as built in on the motherboard? I really don't want to get into a full blown state of the art computer ...
 
Well, if Lee would put a "certain" sound card in his PC and get it hooked up and working, you'd have another opinion besides my own..

Go with the ASUS Xonar. The M-Audio is a close second, but you can run into issues with drivers versus motherboard chipsets with the M-Audio.

Start "there"... IMHO...
 
A 1 TB is pretty big. I looked up the Vortex one. Not a bad price. With a squeeze box you can go wifi. I hate having cords every where. We shall see if and when I do it. The only puter I have close to my system is in the garage. I'll bet I lost the password to my network. LOL

We shall see what route I go. Just thoughts at the moment.

Larry
 
jbeckva said:
Well, if Lee would put a "certain" sound card in his PC and get it hooked up and working, you'd have another opinion besides my own..

Go with the ASUS Xonar. The M-Audio is a close second, but you can run into issues with drivers versus motherboard chipsets with the M-Audio.

Start "there"... IMHO...
Click to expand...


One day i gotta go this route as the stock sound card on this new tower is pretty noisy. If I turn up the volume on my pre with no music playing I can hear the his and the HD spinning in my outboard HD.... Never heard that with the 0202
 
Rex Everything said:
jbeckva said:
Well, if Lee would put a "certain" sound card in his PC and get it hooked up and working, you'd have another opinion besides my own..

Go with the ASUS Xonar. The M-Audio is a close second, but you can run into issues with drivers versus motherboard chipsets with the M-Audio.

Start "there"... IMHO...
Click to expand...


One day i gotta go this route as the stock sound card on this new tower is pretty noisy. If I turn up the volume on my pre with no music playing I can hear the his and the HD spinning in my outboard HD.... Never heard that with the 0202
Click to expand...

You're welcome to have that Maudio I have. Let me know tho what kind of OS and MB you'd put it into first.. let me look for any red flags with the drivers.
 
I STILL have an Audigy I found in a dead computer.....
 
Has anyone tried a USB DAC? OK here are some questions. Does the USB signal go through the sound card? If so that answers one question I have. If not. Are there better than other cables. Is fiber optics the best? Better than glass? I am just wondering.

What HD would you pick if you built one? A one TB has a lot of music

Larry
 
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