[Hoshyoto]

Howdy,

Like many, I’m now working from home on a regular basis instead of in an office. I’ve decided to put together a desktop audio system to use while I’m working. I‘ve figured out all of the pieces except one. I will be using a 1 TB HDD , a Schiit Modi3 DAC, a Schiit Vali 2 headphone amp, and a pair of Sennheiser 6xx headphones. The piece I’m missing is how to get the audio from the HDD to the DAC. I have a 2020 MacBook Air that I will be using for work. I also have an older Windows laptop, an iPad, and an iPhone that I could use. I also wouldn’t mind getting something like a Raspberry pi, or another device, although I would like to keep additional expenses under $250. There are a ton of options and I would appreciate some advice as to the best solution from both an audio quality and a user interface standpoint.

I’ve dipped in and out of the community over the past several years and can’t say that I’ve ever been steered wrong. Any help that you all could give would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.

-EDITED title from “Looking for desktop music player advice” for subject clarity

 

[Sonic Defender]

Howdy,

Like many, I’m now working from home on a regular basis instead of in an office. I’ve decided to put together a desktop audio system to use while I’m working. I‘ve figured out all of the pieces except one. I will be using a 1 TB HDD , a Schiit Modi3 DAC, a Schiit Vali 2 headphone amp, and a pair of Sennheiser 6xx headphones. The piece I’m missing is how to get the audio from the HDD to the DAC. I have a 2020 MacBook Air that I will be using for work. I also have an older Windows laptop, an iPad, and an iPhone that I could use. I also wouldn’t mind getting something like a Raspberry pi, or another device, although I would like to keep additional expenses under $250. There are a ton of options and I would appreciate some advice as to the best solution from both an audio quality and a user interface standpoint.

I’ve dipped in and out of the community over the past several years and can’t say that I’ve ever been steered wrong. Any help that you all could give would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.

Unless I am totally misunderstanding the scenario you can use JRiver Media Center, or Foobar2000 and I am quite sure there are others. Hopefully I understood your post correctly.

 

[baskingshark]

Assuming I read your title of the OP correctly in looking for a desktop music player, I use MusicBee, totally free and has many options for beginners to more advanced users. The learning curve is a bit steep at the start, but I like the many features it brings to the table at zero cost.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Like many, I’m now working from home on a regular basis instead of in an office. I’ve decided to put together a desktop audio system to use while I’m working. I‘ve figured out all of the pieces except one. I will be using a 1 TB HDD , a Schiit Modi3 DAC, a Schiit Vali 2 headphone amp, and a pair of Sennheiser 6xx headphones. The piece I’m missing is how to get the audio from the HDD to the DAC. I have a 2020 MacBook Air that I will be using for work. I also have an older Windows laptop, an iPad, and an iPhone that I could use. I also wouldn’t mind getting something like a Raspberry pi, or another device, although I would like to keep additional expenses under $250. There are a ton of options and I would appreciate some advice as to the best solution from both an audio quality and a user interface standpoint.

https://www.cocktailaudio.com/home/sub01_10.php

 

[Mightygrey]

You could be well-served with either iTunes on your MacBook or Foobar2000 on your Pc if you're looking for a simple and free solution.

 

[Hoshyoto]

Unless I am totally misunderstanding the scenario you can use JRiver Media Center, or Foobar2000 and I am quite sure there are others. Hopefully I understood your post correctly.

Thanks for the suggestions! I haven’t used either of those before so I will definitely look into them. I‘m definitely open to a software solution, although I am also open to a hardware option as well. I edited my post title to make it less confusing.

 

[Hoshyoto]

Assuming I read your title of the OP correctly in looking for a desktop music player, I use MusicBee, totally free and has many options for beginners to more advanced users. The learning curve is a bit steep at the start, but I like the many features it brings to the table at zero cost.

I haven’t heard of MusicBee before, so I will definitely check it out Thanks! As I mentioned in my response toSonic Defender, I think my post title was a little confusing. I edited it to try and make it more clear that I am interested in hardware solu as well as software. Thanks for pointing it out. I guess that’s what happens when I post at the end of the day.

 

[Hoshyoto]

https://www.cocktailaudio.com/home/sub01_10.php

Wow, that looks amazing, although I think it’s a bit beyond the $250 I was hoping to stay under.

 

[Hoshyoto]

You could be well-served with either iTunes on your MacBook or Foobar2000 on your Pc if you're looking for a simple and free solution.

Thanks for the suggestions. That’s a second for Foobar2000, so I’ll definitely look into that and using iTunes would certainly be a convenient option. I wasn’t sure if using my computer would be the best solution sonically for moving the music from the HDD to the DAC or if I should use another device, like a Raspberry P, digital music player, or something else.