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Music Server or Laptop?

I’m looking for suggestions. I exclusively listen to my music collection ripped to FLAC from my laptop/Foobar--->DAC--->amp--->speakers. I’m wondering if there is a decent, no-frills, music server that I could use in place of my laptop or would I be better suited to just buy another, smaller laptop that I would use solely for music and maybe save a little bit of money? I’m just looking for something that I don’t have to have a wire running across my room all the time or it coming loose when I move the laptop when in use.  If it helps, I do not stream anything.  I prefer to listen to my own collection.

Thanks!
nicodemix
10 responses Add your response
sfar's avatar
sfar
1,758 posts
 
A simple but very good solution, if you can find one, is the Arcam rPlay. It's been discontinued but available on ebay and other places. I have one plugged into my router that works extremely well taking streaming from an iTunes database on an iMac, Spotify and Apple Music HD and passing it on to my DAC. Another option might be the Google Chromecast Audio, also discontinued but available on ebay. I have one and it works well but haven't used it enough to know it very well. Here's a review comparing the rPlay to the Bluesound Node 2.
https://www.whathifi.com/features/arcam-rplay-vs-bluesound-node-2-which-better 
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,152 posts
 
Stick with the laptop.  No need for expensive proprietary music server hardware. 
nicodemix OP
90 posts
 
So, I’m completely dumb when it comes to this stuff but just realized that I can purchase another small footprint laptop, hook it up to my Chord Qutest, and play my music from a shared folder via my network. Does this make sense? Is there a limit to how much I can store on a shared folder?
ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,446 posts
 
I use Bryston BDP 2. You can hook up large (8TB) hard drives to it along with usb drives. It comes with Qoboz, Tidal, and Roon apps.
Very easy to use.

ozzy
matthewrudy's avatar
matthewrudy
1 posts
 
Try daphile.com, if your looking to turn a small pc into a dedicated server.  Requires a little computer knowhow but the results are stupendous.
adurerca
38 posts
 
Laptops provide the most flexibility with trying out different music players. My Macbook pro was in my system for about 10 years and could have gone longer but I had the opportunity for a nice used newer one.  I use the Toslink connection to the Qutest to eliminate the computer power issues of the USB.
artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,925 posts
 
@matthewrudy et al. Just looked at daphile.com site. Is it an OS? The installation method makes it look that way. Or maybe an overlay, like windows was on DOS? Just curious. Seems like a good idea but I like to know the basics. Thanks
erik_squires
16,039 posts
 
Just looked at Daphile.

It is an OS image for x86 type servers. It is based on the Logitech Media Server / Squeezelite packages running on an real time OS for lowest possible jitter playback.

It is a similar idea to piCore.
Personally with the Raspberry Pi 4, I'm going to run Ubuntu on it, with LMS. Tiny and fanless.
erik_squires
16,039 posts
 
oops! Sorry, there is a version of Daphile with a RTOS, but that's not the recommended one.
vegasears
1,173 posts
 
Like mapman wrote:"Stick with the laptop.  No need for expensive proprietary music server hardware".  I have been doing home streaming for many years and have upgraded DAC 3 times.
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