2. pc-audio
  3. 138414-107338

Play music from laptop over WiFi to existing audio system: how?

I want to play music from my laptop to my existing stereo system over WiFi instead of a USB cable. I find plenty of systems designed to stream music from the Internet but I'm not interested in that. I want to play the music from my laptop. I also find plenty of USB DAC's but I don't want to have a USB cable. I also don't favor Bluetooth because WiFi offers my bandwidth and options.
I looked at the Yamaha MusicCast WXC-50 and while I see that it can access files over the network using NFS (my preferred network file share protocol), it appears that in this case the laptop act as be a passive storage device. I am hoping instead to use the music player on my laptop to send music to my DAC/preamp as if it were connected by USB cable. But, of course, I want to do this wirelessly.
Is there a solution similar to what I am looking for?
lowoverdrive

Showing 3 responses by usery

usery
131 posts
 
@lowoverdrive: for < $130 you can build your own with a RaspberryPi 3B+ ($40), HiFiberry Dac+ Pro ($45) as HAT, and all that in a HiFiberry steel case ($30). Throw in a few copper heatsinks for the RPi 3B+ board. ($5).

Then (all free): Volumio as your primary OS _and_ streamer/player, and BubbleUPnP for Android as your control point (or some other control point app - will talk to Volumio via UPnP/DLNA), and your existing laptop basically as NAS (or control point + NAS).

Fun lil'project, great network HW on the RPi 3B+ (Gigabit ethernet and 802.11ac wifi), Hifiberry DAC+ Pro hard to beat for ~$45, Volumio dead-simple ... and all kinds of entertaining and useful extension later (like: set up for multi-boot using Berryboot, then switch bet. Volumio, OSMC/Kodi as media center, and Raspian for all your Linux stuff).
usery
131 posts
 
Each room now has a laptop (connected via wired Ethernet), a USB DAC, a power amp and speakers.

That works too and also fun, though cost may be +multiples of RPi/HiFiberry approach.  What DAC/s are they?


usery
131 posts
 
The Yamaha A-S810 has the ES9010K2M chip in its DAC circuit - kinda the other (lower?) half of the ESS range (ie not the ’Pro Sabre’).  That too may be better than the un-named TI/Burr-Brown chip on the HiFiberry DAC+ Pro HAT ... but again, at $45 this board is no slouch: check out Archimago's review & measurements.

Incidentally, the A-S810 was on a recent short-list of mine, before I swung up-market (Micromega M-100).
More to discover