| Music streamer things 16:13 - Apr 8 with 3522 views | BklynRanger |
Any bored hifi-cologists have a recommendation?
I don't need one with an amp etc. Have a four year old NAD D3020 thing for that - just would like it to be able to:
A) Stream Spotify etc over wifi
B) Play the lossless iTunes files from my iMac in the hall through it - believe I need Airplay for that. (Have also thought about splitting the ethernet cable that's sitting in the powerline adaptor nearby to connect directly to whatever streamer I get, but not sure if iTunes approves of that kind of thing).
Am thinking about this:
https://www.arylic.com/products/s10-wireless-preamplifier
Or maybe this:
https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/audio_visual/accessories/wxad-10/index.html
Any others? I know there are more expensive options but they seem to have preamps and DACS which I don't think I need because that's already covered by the NAD thing.
Any and all cabin-fevered views welcome. |  | | |  |
| Music streamer things on 16:15 - Apr 8 with 3516 views | Juzzie |
The Yamaha Music Cast always gets top reccomendations from T3 Magazine so maybe go for that. Really good price too I believe. |  | | |
| Music streamer things on 17:15 - Apr 8 with 3478 views | JimmyR |
Have a look into chromecasts. They are only 25 quid
I have my TV plugged into the amp - That 100% works for spotify
There has to be some way to cast WAV's/FLAC's through the chrome browser
Lossless i tunes files won't sound as good over wifi whatever way you do it. The difference in sound quality between chrome casting spotify directly from my phone and pluging my phone into a mixer (preamp) via a wire is huge and the spotify quality is poor
Otherwise i think you are on the right track with the 2 wireless preamps - No idea what the sound quality will be like with those. I suspect not great (due to price) but let me know if you buy one as I would be interested to find out |  | | |
| Music streamer things on 14:23 - Apr 9 with 3373 views | BklynRanger |
Thanks lads. I very nearly went for that Yamaha one but decided against it in the end. Had been thinking about getting a refurbished chromecast audio so ordered one off ebay as a cheap temporary solution - if it works out well though I'll just keep it and sort out a CD player separately - apparently it does support FLAC and WAV.
It's tricky these days with so much being able to be done by phone - doesn't necessarily make sense to have it on a separate box that's going out of date as soon as its bought. Getting the sound quality is the issue of course. | | | |
| Music streamer things on 18:33 - Apr 9 with 3332 views | CliveWilsonSaid |
| Music streamer things on 14:23 - Apr 9 by BklynRanger |
Thanks lads. I very nearly went for that Yamaha one but decided against it in the end. Had been thinking about getting a refurbished chromecast audio so ordered one off ebay as a cheap temporary solution - if it works out well though I'll just keep it and sort out a CD player separately - apparently it does support FLAC and WAV.
It's tricky these days with so much being able to be done by phone - doesn't necessarily make sense to have it on a separate box that's going out of date as soon as its bought. Getting the sound quality is the issue of course. |
I do most things on my computer these days - which is then connected by Displayport/HDMI cable to my TV - which is then connected to my sound system. I find it much easier to use Spotify/Youtube/BBC Sounds/iTunes etc etc on computer rather than on a small phone screen or using a remote control. Also have a cd player and record player linked to the same system but using these less and less now.
I prefer to use physical cables wherever possible as I find wireless systems more temperamental/less reliable/annoying!
Having said that one really neat feature I've found with Spotify is that you can link your devices together. So I've got a cheap but decent bluetooth speaker in the kitchen and in my bedroom which I can pair to my phone. I then select my phone as the output device on Spotify (on my computer), turn on Spotify on my phone and whatever is playing on my computer is played in whichever room I'm in. Works great mostly. [Post edited 9 Apr 2020 18:35]
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| Music streamer things on 13:58 - Apr 10 with 3238 views | BklynRanger |
Cheers mate. I'll see how the chromecast goes when it arrives.
Ended up buying a CD player this morning. Mixture of caffeine and boredom. It has an updated fancy sounding DAC in it so looking forward to hearing how it sounds. Far more expensive than I originally intended but fcuk it. | | | |
| Music streamer things on 10:49 - Apr 11 with 3199 views | JimmyR |
| Music streamer things on 13:58 - Apr 10 by BklynRanger |
Cheers mate. I'll see how the chromecast goes when it arrives.
Ended up buying a CD player this morning. Mixture of caffeine and boredom. It has an updated fancy sounding DAC in it so looking forward to hearing how it sounds. Far more expensive than I originally intended but fcuk it. |
I might be a bit late now but has your computer got a CD drive?
I know what you mean about not knowing what to get that is future proof. I have vinyl, CD's, MP3 and WAV files. I never use the CD's but could almost retire if i had of bought all my CD's of youth on vinyl!
Once you have ripped the CD onto your computers hard drive you have 16bit sound at 1,411 kbps. Outside of studio copies/master files/WAV's (24bit) it doesn't get any better than that and you already have a digital copy. I was going to say you could just get an external CD drive for your computer
Once it is on your computer you just need to find a way to get your amp to reproduce the sound through a high quality RCA cable or possibly and audio interface that would plug into your computer through USB. Most audio interfaces would do 24bit sound which is what WAV's/lossless are i think. Of course you might just prefer having a CD player and physically putting in the CD each time.
What i'm trying to say is you could probably get an external CD computer drive and audio interface for 50-100 quid and i'm not sure you notice any difference in quality compared with a high end CD player. I'm not 100% sure so don't take my word for it. But the 24 bit WAV's i own as physical files on my computer sound way better that my CD's used to but they are going through a 24bit DAC via USB into the amp. Whatever way you cut it you need a physical wire going into the amp carrying High Quality sound for high quality sound, a CD player of course does this for you! | | | |
| Music streamer things on 12:13 - Apr 11 with 3172 views | londonscottish |
| Music streamer things on 14:23 - Apr 9 by BklynRanger |
Thanks lads. I very nearly went for that Yamaha one but decided against it in the end. Had been thinking about getting a refurbished chromecast audio so ordered one off ebay as a cheap temporary solution - if it works out well though I'll just keep it and sort out a CD player separately - apparently it does support FLAC and WAV.
It's tricky these days with so much being able to be done by phone - doesn't necessarily make sense to have it on a separate box that's going out of date as soon as its bought. Getting the sound quality is the issue of course. |
I'm a big fan of the Chromecast Audio. In the main living area it's plugged into a pretty meaty Yamaha AV amp which in turn feeds some Monitor Audio speakers and a sub.
It's a million times better than using a bluetooth dongle (ie once the stream is up and running you can walk away with your phone). The audio doesn't have to go through your phone so it's better quality (it just fires it into the amp from your router). It's also open so you cast all manner of streams. But I bet Apple won't enable CCA for their sources. They'll want you to to pay 5 times as much for Airplay which is the same underlying technology bur white, shiny. "designed in California" and closed.
I use Spotify as the source set to max quality and use the optical out into the amp. I really like the CCA as I've got several amps either in use or in the cupboard plus speakers & subs that I've amassed over the years. Amps, speakers and so on don't degrade with age and it's great to be able to continue using them. I know too many mates who've moved house and been persuaded to ditch the "old fashioned big boxes" to get some music-streaming speakers only to realise too late that the new stuff doesn't actually sound that great. At the end of the day, decent amps are still chunky and speakers also need to be of a certain size to shift the air. It's not rocket science.
I've got a second CCA in the bedroom plugged into a Denon micro system.
And a third in the drawer as back up.
Such a shame they stopped making them. I thought it was a genius idea. [Post edited 11 Apr 2020 12:22]
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| Music streamer things on 17:35 - Apr 11 with 3133 views | BklynRanger |
| Music streamer things on 10:49 - Apr 11 by JimmyR |
I might be a bit late now but has your computer got a CD drive?
I know what you mean about not knowing what to get that is future proof. I have vinyl, CD's, MP3 and WAV files. I never use the CD's but could almost retire if i had of bought all my CD's of youth on vinyl!
Once you have ripped the CD onto your computers hard drive you have 16bit sound at 1,411 kbps. Outside of studio copies/master files/WAV's (24bit) it doesn't get any better than that and you already have a digital copy. I was going to say you could just get an external CD drive for your computer
Once it is on your computer you just need to find a way to get your amp to reproduce the sound through a high quality RCA cable or possibly and audio interface that would plug into your computer through USB. Most audio interfaces would do 24bit sound which is what WAV's/lossless are i think. Of course you might just prefer having a CD player and physically putting in the CD each time.
What i'm trying to say is you could probably get an external CD computer drive and audio interface for 50-100 quid and i'm not sure you notice any difference in quality compared with a high end CD player. I'm not 100% sure so don't take my word for it. But the 24 bit WAV's i own as physical files on my computer sound way better that my CD's used to but they are going through a 24bit DAC via USB into the amp. Whatever way you cut it you need a physical wire going into the amp carrying High Quality sound for high quality sound, a CD player of course does this for you! |
Yeah we had the same idea there Jimmy. Before I re-immigrated back here from Bklyn I spent a couple of months putting nearly every CD I owned onto my computer. Sold about a hundred, had to chuck a couple of hundred (no buyer) and kept 500 in the biggest case I could find. So they've been sitting there for 3 years and the iMac has been on about 100gb free out of 3Tb ever since - kept the ones I physically had on there too in case something happened to the computer in transit.
I looked at quite a few of the kind of solutions you mention, but have decided that the simplest solution is to replace the CD player that I sold to the Hells Angel from New Jersey before I left (good deal he got), delete all those off the iMac and free up the space. Will see how that goes. | | | |
| Music streamer things on 17:38 - Apr 11 with 3129 views | BklynRanger |
| Music streamer things on 12:13 - Apr 11 by londonscottish |
I'm a big fan of the Chromecast Audio. In the main living area it's plugged into a pretty meaty Yamaha AV amp which in turn feeds some Monitor Audio speakers and a sub.
It's a million times better than using a bluetooth dongle (ie once the stream is up and running you can walk away with your phone). The audio doesn't have to go through your phone so it's better quality (it just fires it into the amp from your router). It's also open so you cast all manner of streams. But I bet Apple won't enable CCA for their sources. They'll want you to to pay 5 times as much for Airplay which is the same underlying technology bur white, shiny. "designed in California" and closed.
I use Spotify as the source set to max quality and use the optical out into the amp. I really like the CCA as I've got several amps either in use or in the cupboard plus speakers & subs that I've amassed over the years. Amps, speakers and so on don't degrade with age and it's great to be able to continue using them. I know too many mates who've moved house and been persuaded to ditch the "old fashioned big boxes" to get some music-streaming speakers only to realise too late that the new stuff doesn't actually sound that great. At the end of the day, decent amps are still chunky and speakers also need to be of a certain size to shift the air. It's not rocket science.
I've got a second CCA in the bedroom plugged into a Denon micro system.
And a third in the drawer as back up.
Such a shame they stopped making them. I thought it was a genius idea. [Post edited 11 Apr 2020 12:22]
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I'll be having a very similar set-up to you, Scottish, when the refurbed CCA arrives - also into an amp with Monitor audios and a sub - great minds etc... Yeah there must be some sort of market reason why they stopped but I haven't figured it out. | | | |
| Music streamer things on 05:42 - Jul 18 with 1318 views | ruthere |
| Music streamer things on 17:38 - Apr 11 by BklynRanger |
I'll be having a very similar set-up to you, Scottish, when the refurbed CCA arrives - also into an amp with Monitor audios and a sub - great minds etc... Yeah there must be some sort of market reason why they stopped but I haven't figured it out. |
It's great to hear that you're also a big fan of the Chromecast Audio and have a similar setup with your Yamaha AV amp and Monitor Audio speakers! Having a solid audio system with the convenience of the Chromecast Audio is truly a winning combination.
As for your idea of adding a phone holder( https://bulkphoneholders.com/) to the setup, that's an excellent suggestion. A phone holder can be a practical addition to keep your phone easily accessible and visible while you're streaming music through the Chromecast Audio. It can make controlling your music playback and browsing for new content much more convenient, especially if you want to walk away from your phone and still have access to playback controls.
There are various phone holder options available in the market, from wall-mounted ones to stands that can be placed on a table or near your audio system. You can choose a design that fits well with your room aesthetics and enhances the overall experience of using your audio setup.
With Chromecast Audio and the phone holder, you'll continue to enjoy high-quality audio streaming without the limitations of Bluetooth, and you can make the most out of your existing amps and speakers. It's a smart way to keep the "old fashioned big boxes" relevant in the age of music streaming.
As for why they stopped making Chromecast Audio, as you mentioned, it's likely due to market reasons or shifts in product strategies. Technology companies often discontinue products to focus on new ventures or updates to existing products. Nevertheless, you've got a backup Chromecast Audio, so you can continue enjoying your preferred setup for a long time to come.
Keep on enjoying your music streaming setup with Chromecast Audio and your high-quality audio system! It's evident that you appreciate the value of a well-built audio setup, and I couldn't agree more. Cheers to great sound and music enjoyment! | |
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| Music streamer things on 09:04 - Jul 18 with 1195 views | w7r |
I’ve built a couple based on Raspberry Pi’s. One using an on board DAC the other using an an on board SPDIF for using an external DAC. Used both VolumIO and PiCore Player as the streaming software, both the platforms support Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, etc and local media. Both sound absolutely stunning for very little money.
Let me know if you want more info, more than happy to help. |  | | |
| Music streamer things on 10:12 - Jul 18 with 1115 views | BklynRanger |
April 2020 I see this was written, what a time that was. For some reason my grammar seemed better then.
I've since been using the second hand chromecast I mention, and all working well I must say.
One of those situations where I decided on a solution and then forgot about it. I find that with audio equipment actually - love the stuff but once it's sorted there's not much of an incentive (on my part at least) to buy more.
Despite how decent the blokes in my local Richer Sounds are, and despite what the ruthere chatbot AI algorithm overlord might think. | | | |
| Music streamer things on 10:53 - Jul 18 with 1065 views | BlackCrowe |
Probably not what you're looking for but i wanted to stream through my old Marantz amp and through the great (wired) speakers i've got in the kitchen and living room. I bought a bluetooth adapter to connect to the amp but the sounds quality and performance was pretty substandard.
So i went onto the What HiFi forum (a superb messageboard) and asked them what to do. The result was i spent quite a lot on Cyrus One integrated bluetooth amp and haven't looked back - it's flipping amazing and the sound is fab. Also it's come down a lot in price since i bought it 3+ years ago and also bargains to be had secondhand on ebay. |  |
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| Music streamer things on 11:05 - Jul 18 with 1054 views | londonscottish |
| Music streamer things on 10:12 - Jul 18 by BklynRanger |
April 2020 I see this was written, what a time that was. For some reason my grammar seemed better then.
I've since been using the second hand chromecast I mention, and all working well I must say.
One of those situations where I decided on a solution and then forgot about it. I find that with audio equipment actually - love the stuff but once it's sorted there's not much of an incentive (on my part at least) to buy more.
Despite how decent the blokes in my local Richer Sounds are, and despite what the ruthere chatbot AI algorithm overlord might think. |
My problem was that once I got used to the convenience and sound quality of my home hifi, the stuff in my car was pants.
It had a music register onto which I could load MP3's and various ways I could plug in memory cards, etc (and a 6 x CD player) I just wasn't buying CDs and longer and therefore not getting the MP3 files. So I had loads of music I was getting more and more bored of and no way of updating it.
So last year I went and had an Apple/Android unit installed that plugs into the existing screen and uses the existing controls. My 2010 car was immediately bang up to to date. While I was there I "cough" had a hidden sub install in the boot. And, when my wife recently took a short holiday, I may have sneaked back and had some f9kc off door speakers added.
The sounds quality is amazing now plus I can access all my Spotify playlists (and pocasts, audio books, digital radio, Googe Maps, Waze, etc etc) on the go.
Really happy with it. | |
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| Music streamer things on 12:07 - Jul 18 with 1017 views | BklynRanger |
These furtive upgrades sound good, LS - sounds like you've got away with it too for now.
"Is that an f9kc I'm hearing?..." | | | |
| Music streamer things on 23:59 - Jul 18 with 926 views | rbee |
I recently got a Marantz ND 8006 which is a Streamer, DAC, CD player and it does loads of other things that I haven't looked at yet such as Internet Radio, HEOS, Music Servers, Bluetooth.
It was 1300 quid but if you look around you can find it at half price. |  | | |
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