Quote:
I am looking for a device to replace my laptop as the device that reads my music files.
I would like to be able to plug in an USB external hard drive on one end, then navigate through the files using a screen on the device, and play the music sending the digital signal to my DAC.
Portability would be a plus, but is not necessary.
Does something like that exist? Usually, I guess people use their computers for such things, but since my laptop is pretty mediocre and has freezing/buffering issues, I would like to find an alternative.
Basically, I'm looking for a CD transport that, instead of reading CD's, reads USB hard drives, and possibly SD cards.
Does a device like that exist?
Benjamin, I have been in the same boat for a while and have done extensive research.
If you do not currently have an IOS device or an Android Jelly Bean device, I would suggest to invest in a faster laptop.
If you already have an IOS device (e.g., iPhone, iTocuh, iPad) or an Android Jelly Bean device (e.g., Samsung Galaxy S3), I would suggest to buy a NAS (e.g., Synology DS211j) and stream to said portable device. That Synology DS212j ($200) has been confirmed to worked as a media server (play flac) and can stream to IOS or Android. I have a thread here that includes one real user experience:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/620238/streaming-flac-to-iphone-ipad-or-android-portables
I guess that Synology DS212j may have faster hard drive-reading speed and/or data transfer speed than your laptop (look at their web site for spec's). It has 2 SATA bays and 2 USB ports for external or internal hdd's (try to use SATA instead of USB2 for faster speed).
On the receiver end of the streaming audio, an IOS device can output digital signal through some docks (e.g., Pure i20) to external DAC/amp. An Android Jelly Bean device (e.g., Samsung Galaxy S3) can output USB digital signal to some USB dac/amp:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs-how-to-increase-the-issues-priority-with-google/225
Edit 1: You can stream from NAS to your current laptop too, if you want.
Edit 2: This thread reviews some streaming audio devices, but most are >$500 :
http://www.head-fi.org/t/582370/streaming-audio-devices-review-and-information-thread-updated-4-23-with-jf-digital-review
The Western Digital WD TV Live would work if your budget is less than $100, but it needs an external screen display and it should not be faster than your current laptop (in terms of reading a 1TB hard drive, expect 5-15 min for the 1st scan). I guess its data transfer speed would be slow as well (its cpu chip is not fast and kind of outdated). This thread has one real user experience:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/603066/audio-player-with-digital-output-hd-and-touch-screen-why-so-few-options/15#post_8542294
