lap top v raspberry pi

[Gazjam]

Tony...
naa.

No offence to any of the happy Pi users but I tried a good one (built in linear supply etc) and to me its a case of ‘not so much’.
Buy cheap pay twice?

Time to step up your digital mate to match the rest of your kit.
Dont need to oay a fortune either.

My recommendation:
Small but powerful computer running Roon server software.
Roon membership.
Roon interface running on your tablet - choose music from that not a laptop.

Cant recommend Roon highly enough as you know, need to get yer arse over here and I’ll give you a demo.
This setup is as close to a music ‘appliance’ as you’ll get.
Trust me, you dont want to be around when you need to mess about with Linux on a Pi, drive you Benny Bongo.

Do it once, do it right mate.

[Sherwood]

Tony...
naa.

No offence to any of the happy Pi users but I tried a good one (built in linear supply etc) and to me its a case of ‘not so much’.
Buy cheap pay twice?

Time to step up your digital mate to match the rest of your kit.
Dont need to oay a fortune either.

My recommendation:
Small but powerful computer running Roon server software.
Roon membership.
Roon interface running on your tablet - choose music from that not a laptop.

Cant recommend Roon highly enough as you know, need to get yer arse over here and I’ll give you a demo.
This setup is as close to a music ‘appliance’ as you’ll get.
Trust me, you dont want to be around when you need to mess about with Linux on a Pi, drive you Benny Bongo.

Do it once, do it right mate.

Which one?

Geoff

[Gazjam]

One that one of the AOS members built and sold on Geoff, a v2 I recall.
Was a while back so maybe not the latest dac, but knowing Tony as I do I’d steer him away from one.

[RichB]

None of the above...

Get a Chromecast Audio, wire it toslink into your dac.

Honestly, some fowk on here cannot handle owt simple and the more you have to tinker with it the better it sounds right?

Well that's bollocks, Chromecast is cheap, works well.... If you want to faff on then buy a fancy PSU for it or spend the money on drink and hoors for all the good it'll do ye.

The pi crowd are a bit mental if you ask me.... They'll come round one day and realise there's bugger all to be gained by faffing around with this stuff.

[Sherwood]

One that one of the AOS members built and sold on Geoff, a v2 I recall.
Was a while back so maybe not the latest dac, but knowing Tony as I do I’d steer him away from one.

I'm intrigued by your comment, "buy cheap, pay twice". As a development economist the notion of a performance/price ratio is hardwired into my dna. Remind me how much an annual subscription to Roon costs and how this compares to the one off purchase price of the RPi system you auditioned?

I am not disputing that Roon is a polished user interface, but frankly I believe it to be hugely overpriced. Additionally, I have compared my own RPi system to much more expensive digital front ends and have found it better in terms of SQ.

Geoff

[Sherwood]

None of the above...

Get a Chromecast Audio, wire it toslink into your dac.

Honestly, some fowk on here cannot handle owt simple and the more you have to tinker with it the better it sounds right?

Well that's bollocks, Chromecast is cheap, works well.... If you want to faff on then buy a fancy PSU for it or spend the money on drink and hoors for all the good it'll do ye.

The pi crowd are a bit mental if you ask me.... They'll come round one day and realise there's bugger all to be gained by faffing around with this stuff.

I have a Chromecast Audio and I am very pleased with its performance in a good quality bedroom system. I doubt if it can be matched on any performance/price scale. However, it is not in the same league as either of my two RPi systems. Compared to the £30 I paid for the CCA, these other systems cost around £60 and £130 (including cases). Are they significantly better? Yes. Are they twice or four times better? No. However, for me the incremental costs more than justify the higher price?

Geoff (currently in counselling)

[Tim]

None of the above...

Get a Chromecast Audio, wire it toslink into your dac.

Honestly, some fowk on here cannot handle owt simple and the more you have to tinker with it the better it sounds right?

Well that's bollocks, Chromecast is cheap, works well.... If you want to faff on then buy a fancy PSU for it or spend the money on drink and hoors for all the good it'll do ye.

The pi crowd are a bit mental if you ask me.... They'll come round one day and realise there's bugger all to be gained by faffing around with this stuff.

gave me a chuckle, especially the highlighted bit. Not saying I agree, just that it gave me a chuckle.

[Sherwood]

gave me a chuckle, especially the highlighted bit. Not saying I agree, just that it gave me a chuckle.

Get off the fence! Are we or are we not mentally competent? I use this term in preference to the decidedly non-PC "a bit mental"!

Geoff

[RichB]

I tried the whole RPi thing with the fancy dac for it but what a carry on....

Chromecast into a half decent dac. Easy peasy. Of course you don't get the satisfaction of 'building' it or making a fancy case or trying a hundred different operating systems before realising that not one of them makes a difference sound wise but hey, if that's your thing, go wild.

I'll happily offer to bake off with anyone and put it to the test.

[WAD62]

I tried the whole RPi thing with the fancy dac for it but what a carry on....

Chromecast into a half decent dac. Easy peasy. Of course you don't get the satisfaction of 'building' it or making a fancy case or trying a hundred different operating systems before realising that not one of them makes a difference sound wise but hey, if that's your thing, go wild.

I'll happily offer to bake off with anyone and put it to the test.

...how do you play your 'local files' (NAS, HD etc) with the CCA?