A 'FLAC transport'. Does such a thing exist?

[Moppit]

I use an Allo Digione and recommend you just leave it on 24/7. Switching it on and off only messes things up and it uses next to no power compared to a laptop.

Volumio works fine with all my 450gb of flac material on a Nas via ethernet and there is a plugin that lets you run Radio Paradise which offers flac streaming. You can run Spotify, roon, etc.too. I'm strictly android too.

To save you any messing with tech you can buy an Allo Digione player pre-configured or just assemble yourself if you fancy a dabble. Not tricky.

 

[Fulci]

Thanks both - it seems the Auralic Aries needs Apple to work natively, while I need an Android-compatible device.

I believe you can control the Aries with any UPnP or DLNA app with the android but you should check that better first.

 

[MarkW]

Daphile on your current hardware would be my suggestion. Everyone is raving about the Innuos thing but it is just Logitech Media Server running on a computer, same as the rest. The very expensive versions may have some customised power and clocks, but if you are going to live with the compromises of USB or Spdif, the biggest benefit is the nice box and the packaged and tested nature of the software.

Daphile is exactly that, but free if you already have a basic computer. It's been around for a few years now, is stable and although I find LMS has its own library indexing quirks, the Innuos jobbing will have those too.

 

[Strictly Stereo]

I believe you can control the Aries with any UPnP or DLNA app with the android but you should check that better first.

That is correct.

 

[Man in a van]

Back to the Allo DigiOne and to Raspberry Pi solutions: does anyone have experience with this kind of micro computer and would be able to advise on how long it takes to boot and reach operating condition?

If you pm me your address I can "borrow" you a pi with spdif hat and a few pre-configured cards for you to try.
Just post it back after a week or so.

ronnie

 

[simon g]

If you want a simple solution that is reliable, starts in a few seconds, is stable on a network and has a great control app, then just buy a Bluesound Node 2i and plug in your hard drive.

 

[sunbeamgls]

Bluesound, Aries or Lumin.

Why bother changing a computer to another type of computer when you don't like using a computer?

 

[Peter Stockwell]

Right so I'm putting back together a hi-fi setup after a major house move and I've decided I want to improve the digital chain of the set-up...

I really miss the immediacy of slapping a CD in the tray and listening to stuff; although if I went back to a CD player, I'd miss the immediacy of having access to all my music at a fingertip (once the whole netbook thing is up&running).

So I'm looking for a dedicated FLAC-playing solution. I guess what I'm asking is: is there a FLAC transport, i.e. a separate, that will give me the CD player experience but starting from my FLAC material instead? Importantly,

1. I won't need a new DAC: I'm quite happy with my Benchmark already. Ideally, this component will allow me to capture digital out and send it to the Benchmark. It's fine if there's a DAC in, but I will need digital out.
2. I don't need the capability to play millions of multiple external streams of music: digital radio, spotify, etc. I have more music that I can listen to in a lifetime and it all sits there, in a physical hard drive, in one room. So ideally no need for multi room, LAN-based devices etc.

What I need is a good interface to browse the media: so either a nice display on the device itself, allowing me to browse by, say, genre, year, artist, album; or (even better) an associated android app which does the same.

Does such a thing exist? Hope I'm not asking too much (or too little). Cheers

I am in a similar position. I have decided to give this a go :

Music on NAS, Minimserver on NAS:
USB player pro on android phone ->
USB C to USB B (printer cable) ->
USB DAC/Pre

USB Player pro integrates Qobuz and other streaming services, as well as accessing your Wifi network as well as local content on your phone/tablet.

Has anybody else gone this route ?

 

[Yomanze]

Bluesound, Aries or Lumin.

Why bother changing a computer to another type of computer when you don't like using a computer?

They're all computers really, just some have restrictive operating systems. I don't think any of these options are going provide a) a better user experience and b) better technical performance than using a DigiOne. The MDAC USB front end is not the best rated, so in this case adding an ultra-low jitter, Pi-based streamer (SPDIF) is the way to go, and of course costs a lot less.

 

[Darren]

Thanks awkward - this sounds interesting, but it also sounds like another hack, just like the one I was using. I'm looking more for a 'just works' kind of thing. An instant solution to set up once, forget, and just think about the music. I've been actually toying with the idea of digging up my cd collection again and just going back to CDs and a CD player honestly.

Mmmmm.... CDs.... simple, shiny, reliable, cheap and such a pleasure.

 

[sunbeamgls]

They're all computers really, just some have restrictive operating systems. I don't think any of these options are going provide a) a better user experience and b) better technical performance than using a DigiOne. The MDAC USB front end is not the best rated, so in this case adding an ultra-low jitter, Pi-based streamer (SPDIF) is the way to go, and of course costs a lot less.

I think you really knew what I meant It is precisely the point - a one use computer that doesn't behave like a computer is a much quicker and more stable means to the end, which is listening to music, not faffing about with general purpose computers.

 

[camverton]

Mmmmm.... CDs.... simple, shiny, reliable, cheap and such a pleasure.

But as you get older and more creaky with more CDs and worse eyesight, it becomes a pain in the arse trying to read the tiny print on the spine and find them amongst the other 3000.

 

[zippy]

But as you get older and more creaky with more CDs and worse eyesight, it becomes a pain in the arse trying to read the tiny print on the spine and find them amongst the other 3000.

and of course having to walk over to the player and insert the CD....

 

[camverton]

They're all computers really, just some have restrictive operating systems. I don't think any of these options are going provide a) a better user experience and b) better technical performance than using a DigiOne. The MDAC USB front end is not the best rated, so in this case adding an ultra-low jitter, Pi-based streamer (SPDIF) is the way to go, and of course costs a lot less.

The problem with these various "hifi computers" is that you are often locked into the manufacturers software. I started off with Sonos which worked great and was easy to find any particular recording. Then they changed the software and it became pretty well unuseable for classical music users. I was on the beta testing team at the time, but did they listen, not at all. You may like the software and apps that are available now but there is no guarantee that it will stay that way as they improve their software; improvements for some may be disadvantages for others.

The solution for me, but maybe not for the OP, was JRiver on a dedicated Intel NUC controlled by JRemote. The point is that alternative software is available should JRiver do the unthinkable.

 

[Darren]

But as you get older and more creaky with more CDs and worse eyesight, it becomes a pain in the arse trying to read the tiny print on the spine and find them amongst the other 3000.

Fair Play. Each to their own. my collection is far smaller and, as yet, I lack creaks.

 

[camverton]

and of course having to walk over to the player and insert the CD....

A very good point, even if you didn't intend it to be .

 

[camverton]

Fair Play. Each to their own. my collection is far smaller and, as yet, I lack creaks.

Lucky sod!
My CD collection extended from ceiling to floor. I didn't listen to much Elgar for years as they were on the lowest shelf!

 

[Peter Stockwell]

Lucky sod!
My CD collection extended from ceiling to floor. I didn't listen to much Elgar for years as they were on the lowest shelf!

I would pretty much only listen to what was at eye level on the CD shelves!

 

[camverton]

I would pretty much only listen to what was at eye level on the CD shelves!

Ah well, I did make sure that Bach, Beethoven and Shostakovich were on the shelves at eye level. It saved me having to install a hoist to lift me back up off the floor . The ripping and tagging process did take a few years off and on, but I have found it very worthwhile. Back in the day when I had my classical collection on a database I often thought how nice it would be if I could click on the database and the piece of music would play. Quite a few years further on that is now possible; ain't technology wonderful - well sometimes.

 

[awkwardbydesign]

But as you get older and more creaky with more CDs and worse eyesight, it becomes a pain in the arse trying to read the tiny print on the spine and find them amongst the other 3000.

There's print on the spines? Damn!