What form do you imagine that taking? Streaming has been around for a while and I don't see any sign of anything changing. They need to start making money from it at some point, so that might change things, but not in a good way.
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It seems to me that by definition radical breakthroughs are difficult to predict, and also determine the nature of.
I'm thinking primarily of the interface/route between files and the user.
The real world is not like this. Change is constant and not always in the preferred direction. As to vfm and good sound, at £30 the Chromecast Audio is a steal, particularly if you system can take an optical feed. For better SQ, RPi devices are hard to beat, with prices starting at under £100 including case, sd card, and power supply. Yes, vinyl can sound better than digital but frankly not at these prices. A decent cartridge costs more than a complete RPi front end. You may be uncomfortable taking the plunge, but there are definitely many good quality vfm alternatives out there. The prospect of a single, universally rated best solution emerging in my lifetime is not realistic.
Geoff
Excellent post, Geoff. I completely concur :)
The problem with adopting the use of a streaming/file-based audio source is that you need to have some basic ability/understanding of using computers and the software/interfaces necessary (and how they all 'talk' to each other), in order to get the whole shebang to work.
I have to confess that if I hadn't had a friend, who was completely au fait with the whole process, come to my house and initially set-up my RPI/Moode system for me, with my router and associated NAS drives, I'd not have had a clue, and otherwise would've been unlikely to have embraced file-based audio.
So unless you have someone to call on like that, or possess an aptitude for such things, you really need the existence of a great sounding and affordable, 'plug and play' FBA source, with a user-friendly interface, which is piss-easy to operate (and maintain) for all 'non techies' [and I mean piss-easy], and for whom 'getting jiggy with computer technology' is a complete anathema.
Is there such a device in the current marketplace? Not that I'm aware of... And that's your problem!
Marco.
But as time moves on things are getting easier and easier Marco. Check out for example Bluesound Vault 2 which which has a super easy setup process - 4 simple steps and you are done.
Anyone who can load an app onto their smartphone or tablet will be able to use a Bluesound or similar unit.
For sure in the past there was a lot of 'jiggling' required but increasingly less so now.
I would love to go the opposite way and get a well set up TT system but I fear the steep learning curve (and expense). :)
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I'm with Marco on this - while I do use a standalone Lenovo sub-notebook running JRiver MC17 and Fidelizer Pro to play my CD music library over USB, it's not even connected to the internet and I won't upgrade it because all too often 'progress' simply means more features, with little or no actual benefits. I am no more likely to tinker with RPi etc than to start fiddling with the ECU of my car!
One of my customers has an Innuos Zenith music server, which is the closest thing that I've seen and heard which delivers genuinely lovely sound with all the online streaming options that I don't yet understand, and a nice control interface. I was quite surprised when I found out that it wasn't stupidly expensive.
Because I can't ignore streaming etc for ever, I am going to get a Clef Audio Zero One streamer to play with, which is apparently very good and conspicuously good value. That said, the new Lyngdorf TDAi3400 integrated amplifier that was announced last week has some sort of in-built network streaming facility, so maybe that will be the answer (just one box is good).
It’s worth remembering the Pi/DAC route is one using a product designed to be an educational/ earning tool and not a plug and play solution.
I have just installed a Naim Atom and the setup was really simple and quick - even WiFi network connection only needed a button push on my router. I recon the whole setup was under 5 mins from switch on and the hardest part is learning your way around the app but even that was not needed as a remote and on screen menu on the Atom means you don’t even need to read any paper/online instructions instructions. Getting to music was way faster than setting up a record deck.
Mel