[Excelsius]

I've been out of the high quality audio loop for over a decade. Now that I'm more set in my career, I thought it's time to build a high quality wireless audio system. The problem is that I don't know where to start. Here is what I'm trying to achieve:

I'm building a very high end Windows computer right now for my work that also contains all of my classical and other music, most of which are lossless. I would like to use my PC as the central hub to play music both in the office and in other rooms wirelessly. But just as importantly, I want to achieve high quality sound. I believe very high quality monitors could be obtained for about $1000, at least when I looked at this some years ago. I don't have a good idea about DACs whether it's the speakers or the DACs that need to be wireless.

Additional goals:

1. I'd like to be able to control which monitors are on remotely (for example, turn on music in living room but off in the office) and maybe have a timer to turn them off.
2. As a plus, it would also be nice to be able to play different music in different rooms, as needed.
3. Some sort of an interface where other users could choose music to play in a given room would also be great, without having to log into the computer to do that (I do have a Synology server as well, if that matters, and my music is hosted there)
4. Would also be very efficient if I could utilize the speakers in the living room to play the sounds from TV as well, when needed.

I'd be curious to get some recommendations of possible solutions or maybe tips on what I need to research (such as system names, etc).

 

[msing539]

I don't have enough experience with the setup you're trying to achieve.

Roon endpoints are a possibility, but I think it'll get pricey fast. https://roonlabs.com/howroonworks

You might also be able to achieve this with Raspberry Pis as network streamers and Roon endpoints.

 

[Excelsius]

Not sure exactly what roon is, but a quick lookup shows that it's a subscription service with $10-$13 a month. Everything in my system is DIY and I don't want to rely on a third party subscription, which in addition to cost, one day may go under. Too much time investment in a system that's not fully controlled by me. I'd be ok if I have to buy software/hardware upfront, but no subscriptions. I'm aware of Sonos system and I guess this can be a last resort and half-baked solution, but I'd prefer a system where I can choose my exact high quality monitors and stream to them with some sort of a wireless connection.

Setting up separate Raspberry Pis also doesn't sound great because it's a fully custom solution where each device has to be set up separately. I could do this if there is a detailed guide somewhere, but I'd prefer to just buy a system I could use. I'd think that in 2022 some sort of a wireless system exists for audiophiles...

 

[msing539]

Roon is not just software but hardware devices that you buy and connect in each room. The Raspberry Pi is the homegrown way to create those same endpoints on the cheap, meaning you configure each as a Roon endpoint and they allow streaming control from PC, Mac, Android, iPad, etc.

I'm sure there are other solutions for what you're trying to achieve. I do mine the old fashioned way, using HT Receivers wired for multiroom audio. But anything I stream comes off the PC or my phone, not pulled directly by the device from the streaming service, so there's loss.

 

[Roseval]

Have a look at UPnP / DLNA
UPnP is an open standaard for streaming AV
Windows Media Sharing is DLNA
There are apps like BubbleUPnP to control UPnP enable devices.
https://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/KB/UPnP.html

You might also have lok at simple devices like the WiiM
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/wiim-mini-review-streamer.33099/

 

[Excelsius]

Alright, maybe I don't understand how Roon works then. I'll look more into it. As long as I can buy it once and own it, it can work I suppose. Still, doing custom with Raspberry Pi sounds like quite bit of work. Are there really no pre-made solutions that exist in 2022?

I don't know if UPnP would work. It's a security risk and I have my own server and custom router and I've disabled it. Highly unlikely I'll enable it for audio.

 

[tjl5709]

OK, I am going to throw some spitballs at the wall. When I see you state wireless and then state Synology server, I assume WIFI, not bluetooth.

That said, over the past winter, I put a monitor in my shop/garage/toy box that is about 50 ft from the house. I have both fire TV and a windows 10 stick PC feeding it. They are connected to the home wifi network. The windows stick can stream my cable video and you tube video as required. I was tired of walking back into my office to watch a video of some procedure to fix or do a project. The stick PC has plenty of memory (micro SD card) and USB output. If it can stream video as well as it does, audio is going to be no problem.

Why not put a stick PC in an area you want connected to a 4K TV. With USB output you could load Musicbee (or your audio program of choice) to pull audio from your server. It could feed a nice USB DAC into your powered speakers or an amp.

Serach this:

Fanless Mini PC Stick​

Just a thought.......