Options for full-featured music servers/streamers?
You might want to reach out to Neil at Sound Science -
720 308 4000 I don't own one of his Music Vaults or any of the other "streamers" he sells, but I've read many times that he is very knowledgeable about the subject of digital music streamers. I'm thinking of going that route in the future and I will be giving Neil a call. |
Thank you for the comments. I have read nothing but glowing, positive reviews of not only Neil’s gear, but the customer experience as well. I had researched his products as part of my review, but hadn’t included them above due to the lack of visual display--the Music Vaults require access via a keyboard, mouse, and monitor--and so while technically it can run independently of a PC, you still need either a PC/tablet/mobile device in order to control it, otherwise need to attach a keyboard, mouse, and monitor directly to the unit. I’m looking for a truly independent experience where I can sit in my listening room and navigate / control the listening experience solely with what’s in the rack, using nothing other than maybe a remote the way I do with my Olive. Same with using satellite options in other rooms. It seemed as if only the four options I listed above could provide some semblance of that. I also use a Windows Phone, so chances of any mobile app support are most certainly nil. haha However, I may very well reach out to Neil to chat, get his insights, and inquire more in detail about the Personal Cloud storage he has on his M7SS model. I do also love his hardware specs, software selections, and that all of his units are upgradeable, which is a huge issue when using music servers. It’s why I’ve always done a ton of research when selecting one. |
Um, how about a Linux PC with Logitech Media Server and Squeezelite? There are iPhone and Android apps available, integrates with existing Logitech players, or turn an old android phone into one. :) See my blog here: http://inatinear.blogspot.com/2016/08/ubuntu-mytek-brooklyn-dsd-setup-guide.html It’s geared for a Mytek, but instructions are the same for any USB 2.0 compatible DAC. Supports DSD streaming, you can rip and organize with a variety of music software. I like to use Rhythmbox for ripping, but Amarok or a number of others including JRiver for LInux will work (shiver) By the way, if you don't want to update it, just don't. Once it's all working you can leave it all fixed in place. What may change this is if you start using it as a home theater PC or something. You could go even cheaper with a Raspberi Pi 3 setup. Best, Erik |
@reubent Good point. I've got options for "remotes" ...I used to work in mobile, so I've got stacks of old Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Symbian devices (I think an old iPod as well) lying around that I can convert into a dedicated remote as needed, so that bit would certainly work, and I wouldn't need to have a keyboard and monitor set up with my rack. I wouldn't be able to play directly from the unit, but a mobile remote isn't that big a deal; especially if I can get cloud access as a benefit. Worth exploring for sure. |
@erik_squires Interesting stuff. I quickly scanned your blog, and looks like an option like that could be possible. Yes, I would mostly leave it fixed in place once set up, only upgraded for performance tweaks. This would be for my dedicated 2-channel audio system, so I don't plan to ever introduce home theater options into this setup. Music enjoyment only for this rig. The DAC in this setup I suppose doesn't necessarily have to be built-in physically...what I was intending was that the music server as an entity had a DAC associated with it, solely for use by the music server. It could be a USB DAC, or a standalone if I were going the PC route. If it were an all-in-one unit complete with display and controls, I'd probably prefer the DAC built-in physically. Couple of curiosities... Does Rhythmbox tag the ripped content with the album metadata? What are you using for music management? Do the mobile apps allow for playlist creation, or is that done via logging into the box from another PC? I assume this would stream to any UPnP devices as well? Can it be set up to support cloud streaming (i.e., streaming via log in from outside the home network)? |
> Does Rhythmbox tag the ripped content
with the album metadata? Yes, as does Amarok. > Usually Rhythmbox but there are also dedicated tagging tools, as well as sometimes if I get really desperate I'll write a Perl script. > What are you using for music management? I rip, drag and drop files. :) > Do the mobile apps allow for playlist creation, or is that done via logging into the box from another PC? Haven't tried it. Yes, you can do it through the browser very easily. > I assume this would stream to any UPnP devices as well? More or less. >> Can it be set up to support cloud >> streaming (i.e., streaming via log in from outside the home network)? Yes, but you are better off installing Subsonic along side LMS. VERY nice remote streamer and app. Not free, but super cheap. You can use LMS apps however to turn old Android phones into remote playing devices, but it's not really friendly with the outside world. Best, Erik |
Couple of notes. You can always share your music library, manage with Windoze or OSX software, then re-index. Pretty damn fast. Also, I believe there IS software to rip from a playlist. There are a ton of plugins. You can always create a virtual machine on your Windows or OSX and try installing Ubuntu and LMS. Then check out the plugins/features/whatnot. Don't like it, just delete the VM. Best, Erik |
Haha, @erik_squires I promised myself with religious fervor sometime around 2003 that I would never, ever, ever write or debug another Perl script in my lifetime. I’ve kept my word for the past dozen years, and even changed careers to ensure it! But otherwise, thank you for all of the commentary. Very useful food for thought, and will research further. Subsonic sounds interesting to me. Thanks @mahler123 ...I came across Bluesound as well. At first I discounted it because I did really want an integrated visual display without requiring a PC/tablet/mobile device, but, I got to play with Bluesound very briefly the other day, and it does seem to tick all the other boxes. What I really liked is the ecosystem components that map well to replacing the Olive components I already use (so no need to buy preamps, amps, or new speakers for remote listening. The Vault2 would replace the 04HD server, the Powernode2 seems to mimic what the Olive ONE does (with even more power), and I *think* the Node2 could be used to replace the 02. From the website, it seems as if the Node2 does in fact have an onboard DAC as well as analog outputs, but no amp, so in theory it could be used as a remote standalone to connect directly to, say, outdoor self-powered DJ speakers, with no other components needed? Only differences I see, apart from the lack of a visual display, is that the Vault2 requires a hardwired ethernet connection (Olive you can choose ethernet or wi-fi, and I use wi-fi because the router is 10 feet away in a closet so performance not an issue). Not a huge deal to me though, so long as the Node2 and Powernode2 support wi-fi, which they do. Other options, like the well-regarded Sony HAP-Z1ES, have a wonderful integrated little visual display, but is missing an integrated CD ripper, which is probably more important for me as I still have ~5,000 CDs left I want to digitize and prefer to do it directly within the unit, not on a PC and then transfer over the network--again, looking to minimize PC dependence. Also, the Sony doesn’t have as good peripheral support as the Bluesound seems to. Finally, there are new startup companies out there, such as Nativ, that seem to be creating some really cool, fully-featured options. Native provides literally everything I’m looking for (ripping, storage, visual display, DAC, peripheral support, etc.) however, they are all in separate components. I would need 4 separate components (player/storage, ripper, DAC, and power component) to cover what the Olive 04HD does by itself. Also, the design, while beautiful, is a "tall", non-stackable design which would take up a hell of a lot of rack space. The Naim, Musical Fidelity, and Novafidelity options I mentioned earlier all have the main unit functionality I’m looking for, but the multi-room peripherals support looks to be potentially messy. Also, the latter two are British companies and may not even be available to me in the US. If I can get over my lack of visual display issues (my own problem, I know!) Bluesound does sound like a very fine option. |
@monte_15 My Perl scripts are clean and easy to read. :-) I'm like the Perl developer none of the "real" perl developers like. But I get it. Sometimes it's a lot less frustrating to write a script than fight a "wizard" though, or the naming formats used by different music data services or music vendors. The thing that keeps me in the Linux server world is just flexibility. Don't like a music tagger? Get another one. Need to add remote music streaming? Download it. Don't like the UI? Change it. It's not like buying a vendor's solution, paying them thousands of dollars and then being locked in with half the features I want. Best, Erik |
I highly recommend the Salk Streamer. Jim Salk is awesome to deal with. Check it: http://salksound.com/streamplayer.php?model=StreamPlayer+Gen+III Regards, Luis D. Paret Keller, TX |
