View Full Version : Streamer/Music Transport suggestions
Johnny nocash
18-10-2019, 17:53
Bit of advice required folks.
I'm in the process of ripping my cd's to an external hard drive. When completed I feel I may benefit from a better music transport than my old Dell Inspiron 15 laptop!....true? If yes, could you kind techie's supply me with a few suggestions.
Realistically I won't be using any services such as tidal any time soon & I don't have any high Res files as yet. It would mainly be used for the rips, so it seems a lot of the streamers out there have facilities that I'm not gonna use. Mind you, it wouldn't be a bad thing to be 'my-future' proofed, but not a priority.
I currently use a Xiang sheng dac but would consider a streamer with built in Dac.
I'll set a budget at around £500 (2nd hand) but this is not set in stone as if the right kit comes along...etc. In addition, if the unit has a dac I could sell mine.
Fire Away!
Assuming the external hard drive is a network drive (NAS), for £500 second hand I think the Simaudio Moon Mind 180 (https://simaudio.com/en/guides/180-mind/?v=445d337b5cd5) is a great option. It will work with your current DAC, can be controlled from a tablet or phone, and does a great job of playing the music. There are a few on ebay at the moment: here (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sim-Audio-Moon-Mind-180-streamer/223674937669?hash=item341410b145:g:0bQAAOSwDKxdhjq u), here (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sim-Moon-180-MiND-streamer/254390125510?hash=item3b3ad543c6:g:7-cAAOSwZqJdph92), and here (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Moon-180-MiND-Network-Streamer/153603453627?epid=21033835148&hash=item23c37ab2bb:g:6mIAAOSwl7NdSqvF).
Some reviews: here (https://www.hifiwigwam.com/moon-180-mind-network-streamer-review/) and here (https://www.audiostream.com/content/simaudio-moon-mind-0).
https://simaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/128_v_streamer.jpg
Consider a Volumio Primo (https://volumio.org/product/volumio-primo/) Richard. Add your external hard disk and you will be good to go.
Or if you are handy with tinkering consider a Pi or a NUC or similar. Save a load of money and continue using your existing DAC.
Or spend a few more pounds and get something like a Cambridge CXN V2.
All of the above will be better than your Dell laptop (mainly as the Dell will be electrically noisy) and will future proof you to an extent.
Raspberry PI, with DACHat and USB DVD/CD drive.
Less then £100, depending on the DAC you choose - or more!
Can RIP, play and enjoy :)
Bigman80
18-10-2019, 21:16
It agree, but I'd stick a PecanPi on it.
Johnny nocash
18-10-2019, 21:29
Thanks so far guys.
ReggieB - The hard drive is a Western digital Elements so I don't think this can connect to the Simaudio.
gninnam - I'm no techie so all the Rasperry Pi stuff & gizmos seems a bit daunting. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Edward - The Volumio looks interesting & ive read a couple of reviews. Someone else also suggested the Cambridge & is under consideration.
I have to admit that a single, well built box (big or small) will probably grab my attention
Why are you ripping your CDs to files Richard?
When I came round to your place (ages ago now) I seem to recall you had a state of art CD player. Can't recall what now. But a top loader of some sort.
montesquieu
18-10-2019, 22:16
This Moon thingy is quite an interesting piece of kit. I assume it's wifi enabled?.. is there such a thing as a NAS drive that could speak to it over wifi preferably with something like Raid 5 available on it so there would be no data loss if a drive goes down (as they all do in the end). I have no room at the broadband router to add a storage device, so any NAS would need to be wifi-cable rather than attached via cable.
Johnny nocash
18-10-2019, 22:21
Why are you ripping your CDs to files Richard?
When I came round to your place (ages ago now) I seem to recall you had a state of art CD player. Can't recall what now. But a top loader of some sort.
Well remembered Edward. It's a Helios Stargate & not going anywhere barring injury. I just want the convenience of file music in the living space. Still want good quality though. Hope you're well.
Well remembered Edward. It's a Helios Stargate & not going anywhere barring injury. I just want the convenience of file music in the living space. Still want good quality though. Hope you're well.
Oh yeah the Stargate thing you did that time/space shaping thing. :lol:
I'm well ta. Pop round sometime.
This Moon thingy is quite an interesting piece of kit. I assume it's wifi enabled?.. is there such a thing as a NAS drive that could speak to it over wifi preferably with something like Raid 5 available on it so there would be no data loss if a drive goes down (as they all do in the end). I have no room at the broadband router to add a storage device, so any NAS would need to be wifi-cable rather than attached via cable.
Just picking up your interest on the 180 MiND device as well Tom. Not owned one but based on listening to various SimAudio stuff at shows etc my interest is heightened.
Seems that the 180 MiND device can be upgraded (if it has not already been done) to be a Roon end point which is exciting and what I read the sound is second to none.
Regarding your lack of ports on your router - suggest you just purchase an ethernet switch - cheap as chips. For example like this (https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-GS108UK-Gigabit-Ethernet-Unmanaged/dp/B0000E5SES). There are cheaper ones with less ports.
Stratmangler
18-10-2019, 22:52
I have no room at the broadband router to add a storage device
All the ports full?
Connect one of the ports to one of these.
https://www.scan.co.uk/images/products/1748111-a.jpg
This Moon thingy is quite an interesting piece of kit. I assume it's wifi enabled?.. is there such a thing as a NAS drive that could speak to it over wifi preferably with something like Raid 5 available on it so there would be no data loss if a drive goes down (as they all do in the end). I have no room at the broadband router to add a storage device, so any NAS would need to be wifi-cable rather than attached via cable.
I first used mine with a LaCie Cloudbox NAS (http://www.laciestorage.com/CloudBox.asp), which is simply an external hard drive with a network socket. It connects to one of the network ports on my router. (I have second one connected via network over main and a gigabit hub at the other end of the house which is used purely for backup). I'd used cloudbox with my previous network player - Marantz NA7004, various Raspberry Pi + DAC iterations for example. The Moon Mind 180 bettered them all.
I now use it with a Melco N1A/2 (as well as the Cloudbox) which the Mind 180 connects to directly (rather than through a hub or router). You could connect it via Wifi, but cable connection is better.
There are a wide range of NAS boxes (https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/storage/best-nas-drives-3217608/) available but they are usually designed to connect via cable. You could connect them to a Wifi via a wireless network extender, but I'd suggest a much better solution would be to connect it to your router via a small gigabit hub if the router only has one network port.
montesquieu
18-10-2019, 23:32
All the ports full?
Connect one of the ports to one of these.
https://www.scan.co.uk/images/products/1748111-a.jpg
I have at least one mini hub in a box in the garage. It’s not about full ports it’s about not having physical space to put a hard drive in that location (which is in my wife’s study - that’s where the people we bought the house from decided to have the connection wired into)
If all the router ports are full and you buy a hub, get one that will take all the current connections plus the new connection and have a couple spare. Then connect everything to the new hub.
That is, if the router has 4 network ports, get an 8 port hub/switch and connect everything to the hub, with just a single connection to the router.
Don't connect half the devices to the router, and half to the hub! Why, because if you do that half the network traffic will need to pass over the single connection between hub and the router. It will be a bottleneck. If you connect everything to the hub, all the traffic between ports will go over the hub backbone which has a lot more bandwidth than any of the external network ports.
ive got one of these.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AFVB41S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have at least one mini hub in a box in the garage. It’s not about full ports it’s about not having physical space to put a hard drive in that location (which is in my wife’s study - that’s where the people we bought the house from decided to have the connection wired into)
Tom, is it possible for you to run an ethernet cable from the router to another room and then from there to plug in your spare hub and your hard disc etc. And if that new location is not near your hifi to run an extra ethernet cable to your hifi location?
Yes - putting together a Raspberry PI based music streamer/player is technical but fairly simple if the many millions of on-line tutorials are followed
Regarding NAS drives and using different raids to protect yourself against drive failure - good idea but do not forget to also have a backup!!
Been in IT for many years (coming up to 40 years next year!!) and relying on just the raid is foolhardy - NAS drives fail as a total entity so all data is lost.
I use 2 PI's running as NAS drives and use one as the media source and the other as a backup to the first.
With the size of storage available in the cloud, this is also a good idea to use as a backup location if you don't want multiple machines and storage dotted around your house.
Please do not just rely on the raid in your NAS drive - can end in tears!
Please do not just rely on the raid in your NAS drive - can end in tears!
+1
I've known of too many instances of raid controllers becoming defective and no suitable alternative controllers being available to rescue the locked up data.
montesquieu
19-10-2019, 09:37
I work in IT myself albeit in a management consulting / commercial role. I’m well aware of backup and redundancy requirements indeed telling people to be worried about this is my own standard advice to anyone pondering moving to file-based listening - the risk of losing everything is bigger than you think. My preference is cloud backup for any raid array - but that’s another question.
What I’m asking for here isnt cabling advice it’s suggestions on Wi-fi connected (Non hard wired) NAS. (If it has a cloud backup facility all the better). Also a streamer / networking device to plug into my DAC. If nobody has done this then no worries it was just a question. There should be no need in 2019 to run cables from room to room.
I be been down the Pi route before (indeed I had two at one point) and it has no interest for me.
Johnny nocash
19-10-2019, 14:06
After further reading (thanks) I don't think the Pi route is for me, albeit very much cheaper. Two brands that seem highly thought of are the Cambridge CXN & Bluesound Node ... Whatever incarnation. Has anyone experienced both these models. A comparison in sound would be great.
AJSki2fly
19-10-2019, 14:10
After further reading (thanks) I don't think the Pi route is for me, albeit very much cheaper. Two brands that seem highly thought of are the Cambridge CXN & Bluesound Node ... Whatever incarnation. Has anyone experienced both these models. A comparison in sound would be great.
If you are going to spend that sort of money then take a look at the Volumio Primo, a great single box solution that has had very good sound reviews.
Johnny nocash
19-10-2019, 17:53
If you are going to spend that sort of money then take a look at the Volumio Primo, a great single box solution that has had very good sound reviews.
Yes, it looks interesting as I mentioned earlier. Anyone know it compares to the Bluesound & Cambridge sound wise?
sourplum
19-10-2019, 18:33
Yes, it looks interesting as I mentioned earlier. Anyone know it compares to the Bluesound & Cambridge sound wise?
I do not own a Volumio Primo but if you look here you will pe pointed in the right direction:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-bluesound-node-2i-streamer.6631/
https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?64133-Volumio-PRIMO-Audio-streamer-review
After further reading (thanks) I don't think the Pi route is for me, albeit very much cheaper. Two brands that seem highly thought of are the Cambridge CXN & Bluesound Node ... Whatever incarnation. Has anyone experienced both these models. A comparison in sound would be great.
The Cambridge CXN always seem to do well in reviews. Not tried one myself. I think it looks like a good option if you want a solution that combines the streamer and DAC in one box.
I still prefer using my laptop as the source. Either straight to dac, or via the pi to dac.
But there are a hundred ways to skin the cat. Just do what suits.
Johnny nocash
19-10-2019, 19:14
The Cambridge CXN always seem to do well in reviews. Not tried one myself. I think it looks like a good option if you want a solution that combines the streamer and DAC in one box.
A couple of remarks that weren't too favourable towards the Bluesound in that link Mark.
Yeh Rob, I think I'm leaning towards the CXN. Whether it's the mark 1 or 2 remains to be seen. I have to be honest & admit that the more traditional box works for me.
Bit of a long shot but, are there any opinions in relation to the Cambridge's dac in comparison to other stand alone DACs. I'm currently use a Xiang Sheng 05 but comparisons to any model would be helpful.
Cheers
Johnny nocash
19-10-2019, 19:40
I still prefer using my laptop as the source. Either straight to dac, or via the pi to dac.
But there are a hundred ways to skin the cat. Just do what suits.
I know what you're saying Grant but it's the nagging feeling that I could get a better sound. Even though the Dell is nearly only used for Music, it is quite old & clunky. Also the music is being fed via USB to the dac which a few people think ain't the best.
Good thing re a pi is from a laptop you can send the music over WiFi or ethernet to it. Then depending on board its good to have a digi board on pi so its coax out to dac.
Just need to find a pi user near you who can show you. It's actually pretty easy
I know what you're saying Grant but it's the nagging feeling that I could get a better sound. Even though the Dell is nearly only used for Music, it is quite old & clunky. Also the music is being fed via USB to the dac which a few people think ain't the best.
Hi Richard, may I suggest that whatever you choose, try to audition it at home first, find something on amazon with 30 day return or any good hifi retailer should provide such an option. Im sure your aware that as we get older we loose a lot off the top end, my hearing is down to bellow 12khz. Download PA Tone to your phone and try it, Im in one bedroom on the PC right now and havnt tried it for a while so just did a test, the wife is in another bedroom and she just asked me what im doing, its at 12khz and i have to put the phone speaker virtually into my ear to hear it, she is 17 years younger than me (im 54) and has not looked after her hearing but she can hear it above the noise of the PC which is loud. So how are you using the laptop? you say its clunky, do you have an app on your phone that controls the music on the laptop? If the answer is no then maybe try downloading SqueezePlay or Sqeezelite, they are players that use the Logitech Media Server and have app control. Heres a link. https://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?108550-Announce-Squeezelite-X
https://sourceforge.net/projects/lmsclients/files/squeezeplay/windows/
You can get LMS (logitech media server) here. https://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?108957-Logitech-Media-Server-7-9-1-is-out!
or the latest nightly builds here http://downloads.slimdevices.com/nightly/?ver=7.9
Even though the hardware is no longer made it has a massive following and its still supported by the guys over at slimdevices. If you decide to give it a try then I would use this guide to get the best from the server, (https://soundcheck-audio.blogspot.com/search?q=squeezebox+server) its not a MUST do so if it looks daunting I would still try the software, its all free. I use a paid for app but there is Squeezer on android which is free and works a treat.
Johnny nocash
20-10-2019, 16:49
Thanks for that comprehensive post Alan.
There's nothing wrong with my hearing.... Mind you, my missus is outside banging on the window & it looks like she's been there ages!
I've PM'd ya, cheers.
Thanks for that comprehensive post Alan.
There's nothing wrong with my hearing.... Mind you, my missus is outside banging on the window & it looks like she's been there ages!
I've PM'd ya, cheers.
:lol:
Nothing in my inbox?
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