Author Topic: Need a new music player PC  (Read 11086 times)

Offline Carlman

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Need a new music player PC
« on: November 25, 2014, 08:54:03 AM »
I have an audio PC running Windows 7 and Foobar.  It works fine.  The fan emits a 20db noise that I don't like.  I want pure silence... fanless.  I'm using an M-tech hiface USB dongle to convert USB to SPDIF.

I 'heard' that Windows 8 was somehow better than 7 for audio playback.  I have the perfect laptop for this purpose.. a fairly new tiny Toshiba.. but there is some problem with the USB output... everything is a little scratchy in the music... like there is small short or something.

I'm adding a USB input to my DAC so it'll convert i2s directly, without spdif. That 'may' alleviate the short or whatever problem is with the laptop USB but I'll never be satisfied knowing there is some functional problem on the source laptop.

SO, what do you recommend that has a really great USB 2.0 output?  3.0 is out now but I'm guessing it'll be a while for DAC stuff to catch up.

I found this machine: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KB5YCK/ref=gno_cart_title_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AEELF2HAVZFED

I see other small PC's out there that could do what I need.

I am no Linux or UNIX guy.. I would have to stick to Windows 7 or 8.  I can remote desktop to it or use a tablet to interface to the player.. but I have a monitor and keyboard for general work. 

This would be a music player only.. I have a SS hard drive I can use... but am OK if the new one comes with one.

Thanks,
Carl
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline richidoo

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Re: Need a new music player PC
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2014, 10:14:18 AM »
I think this is the most exciting part of the hobby now. The developments in streaming digital music. Making it better quality, easier to use, low price, and just wicked cool.

Not too long ago the cool thing was to have remove control over the digital trasnsport. Then it was cool to have networked display of the song choices in our hands, within old fart eyesight range. Then it was cool to reduce jitter with asynch USB, then came high rez files, then came smart phones with many sophisticated apps competing against each other to control all hardware players. Now the latest is music streaming services offering full resolution music with complete catalog. We want to stream that silently, inexpensively, without jitter and without geekout, to a USB DAC using our smart phone to control it with a colorful, beautiful screen with fast response. Right?

While wandering off of the Windows reservation used to mean walking the linux plank, or relying on a friend to do everything for you, there are now fully baked software solutions that are as easy as Windows to setup and use - so they say...

One that appeals to me is Volumio software, running on a Cubox device. Volumio is free dedicated high end audio streaming player with many smartphone control apps.  Cubox is cheap silent tiny headless SOC with i/o ports.

But, but, but, ewwwww, it's not Windows, I need cartoon screen or I get assceeeeeeeerd!  How to do it:
http://volumio.org/get-started/
Doesn't seem too difficult for me, and I'm almost 50!  :shock:  Of course I've never tried it myself, but I can assure you that is it will be very easy and you will love it. If you try it I promise I will watch (and laugh if necessary.)

Not relevant to you, Carl, but semi-relevant to the topic, Russ White who developed the Buffalo DAC posted about using an older version of RaspberryPi, a cheap tiny silent general purpose embedded computer to stream music via I2S directly to Buffalo (no USB) with excellent sound quality. This is still a bit of diy and figure out how to make it go, but interesting high end audio digital transport solution for $50.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/twisted-pear/250583-building-open-embedded-audio-applicance.html
The last posts in that thread suggest that Twisted Pear is developing a new USB>I2S board of their own to replace their old USB input for Buffalo that is woefully obsolete now.

OK, I just arrived back from fantasyland, and finally ready to address your question directly. No linux, no risk, no effort, just plug and play. If you want to use Windows, you need a more powerful computer than these embedded smartphone SOCs. This mobo is more than enough to do anything music related except convolution:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157495
It has DC input from wall wart or battery, so totally silent. Just add memory and a box. CPU and heat sink already installed. It is a Celeron (Atom) quad core, more than enough to run Win and stream audio. It will run DSP within JRiver. Also look for finished systems with J1900 board.

The noise you are hearing might clear up with your new USB>I2S card, making the toshiba laptop useable.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2014, 10:24:38 AM by richidoo »

Offline tmazz

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Re: Need a new music player PC
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2014, 11:00:29 AM »
The Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized motherboard that runs a Linux kernel. My son is playing with one right now trying to use is as the foundation of a small music server. He is no computer geek, but he has been able to muddle through it by using info from online forums. A bit tougher to do than using a standard MAC or windows based solution, but in his case he has the free time and is doing it more for just the challenge of getting it done. One problem he did run into was getting a USB hard drive to work under both windows and Linux so he can rip CDs on his laptop and then play them back on the R Pi music server. Did not work right out of the box, but last night he told be he thinks he has a workable solution using some old DOS commands that are able to low level format the drive suchthat it can be read and written to by both operating systems. I will keep you guys posted on his progress.
Remember, it's all about the music........

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• VPI HW-19 Mk IV/SDS/SME IV/Soundsmith Carmen Mk II ES
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• DigiBuss/TWL PC&USB/MIT Cables

Offline Carlman

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Re: Need a new music player PC
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2014, 11:16:09 AM »
I love the idea of Cubox... but I don't see a single screen shot... nor do they talk about what player they use...

I fear it's the Linux/Voyage MPD type of thing all over... Load software onto a card, put it in, then see if it works...
But.. if you load the software on a PC, you have to get this other software to make it bootable.. well, sometimes.. and then you get a friend to do it and make a few configuration changes... then save them.. but did they really save?  
The values look the same but you know you changed them so you know it's right and it should work.  Did it work? I don't know.. is that the right IP I'm supposed to use?  Let me check my router to see which IP shows up when I power up that device... Man, I wish I knew the MAC address...

Got all that?  Yes, that's the usual situation for me when installing anything other than Windows.  At least with Windows, it says "installing" and I can boot the PC after it's finished... and I can actually see the PC operating.

For $80 it's VERY tempting.  But the $800 worth of my time to set it up and get started.. just to be able to analyze the sound quality... might be steep compared to a $200 PC or free laptop.

I still have 2 Linux based 'computers'? that Shane lent me a long time ago... I've tried installing things on it, I just go in circles... So, yeah, I'm a little gun shy. ;)
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline Carlman

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Re: Need a new music player PC
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2014, 11:59:23 AM »
Tom, every one of these installations sounds like what your son is working with... a challenge requiring a lot of research and time.... to make it work - at all - ...  I wish him luck and hope he enjoys it.
I really enjoy listening to music.

Offline richidoo

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Re: Need a new music player PC
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2014, 12:43:06 PM »
Love Mars Attacks! Great movie, and the greatest pinball machine ever created!

Volumio supports UPNP and DLNA, so there are many apps that can control it, they each have different features and look. They used parts of MPC to make this possible, with open source development and community involvement. Just like back in the day when we were young and innocent, with Squeezebox 2 on slimdevices.com. BubbleUPNP is a popular DLNA client for android.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp&hl=en

Some screenshots of Volumio's own built in WebUi, and info about latest release 1.5.
http://volumio.org/volumio-1-5-best-volumio-audiophile-player-ever/

Tom, for your son: http://volumio.org/volumio-raspberry-pi-b-plus/

I am the Volumio pied piper. I want someone to try it and tell me if it's any good.  :rofl:

Offline shadowlight

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Re: Need a new music player PC
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2014, 04:37:13 PM »
Another option is HP Stream 11 or something similar.  I believe Microsoft Store has it on sale.

Review
« Last Edit: November 25, 2014, 05:41:19 PM by shadowlight »