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Does this exist: A device to stream music from my computer's library over my wireless network?...

post #1 of 13
10/27/12 at 11:28am
Thread Starter 

In a perfect world, I'd like to have something to put in my bedroom that connects to my DAC that I can control from my computer in another room and use to stream stuff.

So I would play something on my computer, and it would play over my setup in the next room.

If this doesn't exist I could always just get an extremely long USB cable, I guess.

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post #2 of 13
10/27/12 at 11:37am

This forum over at AVS should be able to help you out a lot. 

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post #3 of 13
10/27/12 at 11:51am
Logitech's Squeeze Box does this, but it's a radio as well and may have a lot of features you may not want.
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post #4 of 13
10/27/12 at 3:38pm

an apple tv?  apple express?  Both would do the trick.  My fav is the SB touch.  

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post #5 of 13
10/27/12 at 3:56pm

How badly will the audio quality of music be affected over Airplay and Wi-Fi? I can't imagine it being too good.

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post #6 of 13
10/27/12 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by suica View Post

How badly will the audio quality of music be affected over Airplay and Wi-Fi? I can't imagine it being too good.

If it's streaming the digital file, it won't be affected one bit.

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post #7 of 13
10/27/12 at 5:56pm
SB Touch would have been perfect, but they're discontinuing it.
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post #8 of 13
10/27/12 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oggranak View Post

If it's streaming the digital file, it won't be affected one bit.

Ah, awesome. I was always a little scared to get wireless speakers because of a possible drop in quality.

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post #9 of 13
10/27/12 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by suica View Post

Ah, awesome. I was always a little scared to get wireless speakers because of a possible drop in quality.

 

Wireless speakers are different from streaming digital to another device. You could get a loss of quality there because it is sending analog over the airwaves. By streaming digital, the SQ on the other end depends on the quality of the DAC, other electronics, and the speakers. 

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post #10 of 13
10/28/12 at 7:26pm
AirPlay works perfectly. At least for 44.1 files which is all I know. You set up an Airport Express or two and then you run a Toslink cable from that to a DAC of your choice and from there to a headphone or speaker amplifier. The airport express has its own DAC and will output an analogue signal but if you connect Toslink you'll get the original digital signal to feed the DAC.

If you really want to be fancy get Airfoil. Then you can use Amarra or Adirvana or any advanced bit perfect player and send the signal out to the Airport Expresses.

If you want to be fancier still you can use Airfoil Speakers to add any other computer or laptop to the list of devices to send the signal to. Then you can take USB out as well as digital optical. That comes free with Airfoil.

These are all in the Macintosh environment. Again thats all I know about. That's what I'm using here very happily.
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post #11 of 13
10/29/12 at 5:05am

Here are some:

 

http://reviews.cnet.com/home-audio-reviews/?filter=500891_103222_#filter=500891_103222&sort=lowPrice9%20asc

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post #12 of 13
10/29/12 at 5:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by suica View Post

How badly will the audio quality of music be affected over Airplay and Wi-Fi? I can't imagine it being too good.

The audio quality if fine using airplay.  The key is to use the digital out from the apple express or tv rather than the analog out.  The dacs in those two devices are uber cheap and don't sound very good.  They are also both inexpensive at $100 each.  So you can add a good dac and stream wirelessly for as little as a bit over $100 if you buy an inexpensive dac (fiio makes some) or quite a bit more.  Personally, I'd go for the musical fidelity v dac II or cambridge dacmagic 100.  I own and use extensively the dacmagic plus; I stream to it using either a squeezebox touch or an apple express.  Both work really well.

 

Btw, squeezebox is no longer being produced which is too bad; it is just a terrific unit.  Sonos is, by all accounts, very good but it is expensive.  Given the current choices, I'd opt for the apple express or apple TV.


Edited by alexsj - 10/29/12 at 5:44am
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post #13 of 13
10/29/12 at 4:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oggranak View Post

In a perfect world, I'd like to have something to put in my bedroom that connects to my DAC that I can control from my computer in another room and use to stream stuff.

So I would play something on my computer, and it would play over my setup in the next room.

If this doesn't exist I could always just get an extremely long USB cable, I guess.


Yes - a netbook! £200 or less.

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