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Budget digital music storage?

679 views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  pickering.tim 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I'm currently using my laptop and schiit modi DAC to listen to music in my new stereo setup. It sounds great, but I really don't want to be constrained to a laptop that I have to carry between my stereo and bedroom all the time. Is there a good budget minded digital music storage device that I can play all my files from instead that I can dedicate to my stereo? Most of my music is FLAC, and my whole setup was only about $800 so Im not really looking to drop $2000 on something really high end. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Depends how much you want to spend.
You could buy a media streamer and
Stream music to your system. WDTV live
Comes to mind. Check for FLAC compatibility.

There are these units for Sony.
http://t.store.sony.com/products/27-HAPS1~
 
#3 · (Edited)
A few things that I can think of that wouldn't break the bank:

Sonos players support flac, and you could leave your laptop where it is, and stream from it across the network. A Sonos "connect" would hook up to your receiver, ~$349

Another option would be to convert the flac to ALAC, and stream from iTunes to an Apple TV. $99

If your receiver supports DLNA, and you are using a PC, you might be able to stream without anything new (receiver might have to support flac, too) $0


EDITs-

note that these are just "players", and would still use the laptop for storage- you just wouldn't need to move it.
You could also move/copy the music to a NAS, and still use options 1 & 3 without the laptop being on.

If you have high-res FLACs, then the Sonos isn't the right choice...
 
#4 · (Edited)
...If you have high-res FLACs, then the Sonos isn't the right choice...
Bluesound Nodes will give same/similar functionality as Sonos devices, adds high-res playback capability, but at a higher cost @ $449 per unit. Files can be played from a centrally located PC, or one of the Nodes.

You could also go with a cheap tablet to dedicate to either system...Android apps are out that play high-res files (Neutron, PowerAmp?), and I'm sure there are some Apple apps. Though it may be hard to find a $150 Apple tablet.
 
#6 ·
it is an lossless audio codec, google audio codecs and check wikipedia....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLAC

i am also toying with different file formats and storage/streaming options...it your playback device/devices are going to be connected to your home network (personally I stay far away from wireless as possible and go ethernet for all audio devices if i can) than a NAS as previously mentioned fits the bill really well.

I have been playing files of a WD mycloud for quite some time now and it works quite well. the tricky part is getting all your media organized in a way that makes it easily accessible.

My Marantz units (sr7009 and ud7007) dont have the greatest interface for playback of files off a network unless you are very diligent about how you organize your media.

I am venturing into the DAC/Network streaming domain myself and I am about to go pick up a cocktail audio x40 today. There are almost no reviews that i can find so I am taking a risk here as it costs almost 2500 bucks. however, it was a built in high quality DAC that plays almost every file type imaginable and unlike the x30 (previous version) it does not have a built in amplifier which is what I was looking for.

I couldnt tell from the website of your DAC what types of files it can play back - it looks pretty solid otherwise tho for the price

I never noticed the massive difference (and havoc) various codecs can have on your audio system until I upgraded my set up and am not even using my sr7009 for music playback currently. (I am currently running my ud7007 through a parasound p5 stereo preamp to a parasound A21 power amp. The A21 is by far and away the best thing I ever added to my system and has changed my perception of my CM10s (relatively new as well) in a drastic way.

I would suggest a reasonably priced NAS storage device with ethernet if that fits your setup and just make sure you have something that can play back the music you want ( i personally avoid my computer at all costs for this but that is just my preference). Hence why it was suggested above in the thread to check for compabitibility of FLAC for whatever you end up using to playback the files.
 
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