Author Topic: Building an Audio Player PC  (Read 12188 times)

Offline TomS

  • Certifiable
  • ***
  • Posts: 193
  • Yeah, it's just a hobby...
Re: Building an Audio Player PC
« Reply #15 on: July 07, 2011, 03:40:49 PM »
W7 and OSX currently need those players (and drivers) to manage the sample rate switching at the least. Voyage Linux running MPD with the current ALSA version does all of this natively. The player is actually MPD. So, you can choose whatever client you want to control the MPD server/player (running on Alix or whatever Linux box). I have the Alix in the listening room and a fanless Atom based box (Intel D945GSEJT mobo) running Vortexbox (Fedora Linux) in my utility room where my other network stuff sits. The Vortexbox does ripping, file serving, etc and also has a SqueezeCenter server pointed to the same database, so works with both Squeezebox and MPD from the common source. I control it from a browser on Macbook, MPod on iPod Touch, etc from my listening chair. No fans or spinning drives are in the listening room at all.
PS Audio Directstream DAC, PS Audio BHK Signature Preamp, Nagra Classic Amp, Focal Sopra No 2's, SVS SB16 Ultra

Offline Carlman

  • Audio Neurotic
  • *****
  • Posts: 3037
Re: Building an Audio Player PC
« Reply #16 on: September 26, 2011, 08:23:09 AM »
After comparing my M-Audio Delta DIO (a little old) to the hiface USB-digital connector dongle thing, it is a no brainer that the hiface is a better device.  BTW, thanks to Shane for the loaner so I could compare. :)

The M-audio had a familiar sound, funny enough.  I'd used it for years before moving to our new house and getting a USB DAC.  Limited dynamics, punch, and frequency range.  Just dead and veiled in comparison.  

I didn't think it'd be THAT much of a difference.. but it is.  Would the Juli@ card be better?  I don't know... but I can't imagine it'd be worlds better... based on what I've read it doesn't seem to get 'leaps and bounds' better after the hiface with anything else...

So, now I have a very quiet PC that can do PCI cards.  Great.  I wish I had a fanless completely silent PC with a hiface now.

The Alix is becoming very appealing now.  Sigh.  Looks like I'll be on the learning curve... Wish I could see it working somewhere and understand it in person before diving in and trying to figure out what it's supposed to do.  I'm a little nervous about introducing a Linux box with a W7 network... Especially one that I don't want to have to work on all the time.

Anyone need a small little PC that is very quiet? $250, no hard drive but everything else. :)

-C
I really enjoy listening to music.

mgalusha

  • Guest
Re: Building an Audio Player PC
« Reply #17 on: September 26, 2011, 10:40:47 AM »
Sad to say you can't use the hiFace with an Alix. M2Tech has never released any Linux drivers and without them the OS won't even notice the device. :(

My PC is fanless with an SSD, so completely silent but I boot it from Win7 since at present I'm using a hacked hiFace for the USB interface.

The Audiophlieo stuff is very nice and works well with Linux  but quite a bit more expensive than the hiFace.

Offline richidoo

  • Out Of My Speaker Cabinet
  • ******
  • Posts: 11144
Re: Building an Audio Player PC
« Reply #18 on: September 26, 2011, 11:08:08 AM »
The Nixon TubeDAC is much more sensitive to digital transport than the ESS DAC you intend to get, which eliminates jitter internally. 

The Hiface costs about the same as a Juli@. The only advantage of the Juli@ is analog out, which you will not use because you have a DAC. I assume that the Hiface is better than the Juli@ digital output anyway.

It would be nice to have a processor fast enough to handle DSP. Alix can't do that.

So I'd say stand pat.  :thumb:

Offline Carlman

  • Audio Neurotic
  • *****
  • Posts: 3037
Re: Building an Audio Player PC
« Reply #19 on: September 26, 2011, 03:56:18 PM »
Thanks, Mike and Rich...
I'll keep the PC, then... The hiface makes more sense because it's so portable... I could do digital out from my laptop in a pinch.
Just glad to know it is good and works.. .even for my jitter-sensitive DAC. ;)
-C
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline Carlman

  • Audio Neurotic
  • *****
  • Posts: 3037
Re: Building an Audio Player PC
« Reply #20 on: May 25, 2013, 05:54:00 PM »
Reviving an old thread because I'm reviving this old project.
Thanks to a friend, I now have a working Alix board with Voyage MPD installed...
I have a couple or few issues but here are my first 2:

1- I cannot get past the fact that nothing is editable so I can't make any changes. 
I typed "remountrw" but everything I try to edit is still 'read-only'. 

2- Editor woes.  I HATE vi but it is all I can remember from the Unix world right now... if there is a simpler editor included, please let me know the command to open it.  'ed' didn't work.

Any help is appreciated.
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline Carlman

  • Audio Neurotic
  • *****
  • Posts: 3037
Re: Building an Audio Player PC
« Reply #21 on: May 26, 2013, 05:32:33 AM »
Also, do I setup users to log into the web interface? How?
I really enjoy listening to music.