[shoenberg3]

Hello,

I used to only play music through my desktop in my room.

Now that I finally moved into a proper place with a living room, I am wondering what would be the best way to access my massive music file collection from the living room, listening to music on the couch.

Some ideas that I had:

Use my laptop with external HD (for music collection) from the couch, streaming music to something like a PowerNode hooked to a speaker in the living room -> seems like the most logical solution (and least nunmber of new things to buy) but I think using a laptop from the couch is not ideal.

Buy a mini computer to be placed near the TV (and speaker) which holds music, and I navigate the music collection through the TV screen via using a mouse from the couch -> Using a mouse from couch is probably bit awkward. Also, probably more expensive since I have to buy another PC.

Get an phone app which allows me to receive music from PC and stream to something like a PowerNode ->not sure what app/setup would allow me to do that. Plus, navigating through 2tb of music through a phone doesn't sound so easy.

There has to be a more elegant solution!! Please help.

 

[msing539]

Can't say if it's the best solution, but I have a Denon AVR which has a companion HEOS app on my phone. Using the app, I can access all music on a network share, in my case, a Synology NAS.

 

[dunring]

A wireless WIFI hard drive is really simple to share with devices. If your router has a USB port you can share one on the network as well.

 

[musicloverca]

If you leave your computer on you could use Foobar2000 with a UPnP plugin and a physical streamer. You could also stream Qobuz over UPnP with a mobile app like BubbleUPnP.

 

[shoenberg3]

If you leave your computer on you could use Foobar2000 with a UPnP plugin and a physical streamer. You could also stream Qobuz over UPnP with a mobile app like BubbleUPnP.

Thank you all for your replies.,

Can you explain what you mean by a physical streamer? Is it something that you'd attach on the PC to stream over the wireless?

 

[musicloverca]

Thank you all for your replies.,

Can you explain what you mean by a physical streamer? Is it something that you'd attach on the PC to stream over the wireless?

A streamer is something like this https://ifi-audio.com/products/neo-stream/ The streamer would connect to your local network other ethernet, but you can buy a wifi range extender as a trick to use wifi. The streamer takes an internet connection as an input, and outputs to your DAC. Besides letting you access files or streaming services without a computer it also has other benefits like providing more audio clarity than USB (which carries some electrical noise from the computer its attached to) or optical (which has jitter).

 

[irishpatrick33]

This is an increasingly difficult task. Manufacturers are more interested in getting you to stream commercially, rather than hosting your own content locally. Knowing your exact setup would help.

Regarding your mini computer solution, Volumio might be your friend. You can DIY: purchase a Raspberry Pi, install Volumio (free), connect to your system, and interact through app (free) on your phone/tablet. You could store the music internally on the Volumio device, plug it in via USB, or locally stream. Roon and Plex might be alternatives.

Volumio also has prebuilt hardware that functions similarly. Other manufacturers have similar hardware too, but all of these tend to be pricey (some don't support onboard storage). A search of network players on retailler's sites should give lots of retail options.

Other options involve a NAS connected to your router for local streaming. Then you would use some sort of front end device which connects to your amp, etc. Chromecast Audio was one affordable device that fit the bill (seemed to get good reviews too)--Google dropped that though; AudioCast makes a clone of that. Search NAS music server for more ideas.

 

[DKenn]

I use a Sonos connected to my PC. The only downside is leaving the PC on.

When I have completely organized my collection, I might invest in a NAS for convenience.