Next step into Digital Streaming


I recently stepped into the world of digital streaming thanks to many of the discussions I read on this site and a couple others. Your advice and recommendations have been invaluable, thanks much. I acquired a Bluenode 2ia few months ago to get a taste of this world and I couldn't by happier.

I have my main audio/ht system down in the dungeon and that's where the node went, I also have another smaller audio/ht system up in the living room that I would now like to add streaming to. Cabling is possible but not easy so I'm leaning towards another streamer just for the convenience.

I have a collection on my own music that I would like to incorporate into a server/streamer as running it from the computer means i have to leave the computer running all the time, this is not my first choice as it is only used occasionally.  The house is cabled with Cat 6 so all locations "talk" to each other. 

Can I setup a server/streamer in the dungeon, load up my tunes and access them using a streamer in the living room? Is this a good way to expand? 

attila7

Showing 1 response by tk21

The Bluesound Vault would be a convenient option, since you already have a Node. I'd probably lean toward a general purpose computer instead.  You can get a Mac Mini M2 for less than the price of a Vault, and it will do more.  You could set it up as a music server with Roon Core or Audirvana, or simply store downloaded/ripped music files on its hard drive then expose them as a shared Bluesound library to the Node. 

Some people favor a dedicated music server (such as Small Green Computer's sonicTransporter, an Aurender, an Auralic Aries, or a Roon Nucleus.)  I'm sceptical that these devices deliver any noticeable sound quality improvements. They tend to be much more expensive than a Mac Mini or a NUC, and usually don't support a wide variety of music-related applications (like the HD Tracks music file downloader, Apple Music, or REW). I do have one, though (the sonicTransporter i9,) in addition to a Mac Mini.

You don't necessarily need to buy anything new, if you happen to have an old computer lying around.  Whether it's a general purpose computer, an Aurender, a Vault, a NAS, etc., basically what you're doing is setting up a network-accessible storage device to expose your music to one or more networked endpoint device(s) attached to your HiFi system.  There are many ways to do this.