Off the shelf fanless low power computers

[firedog]

Not really. Some people just like Apple and Mac minis. 

 

Several years ago, before there really were specialized audio playback/music server PCs being produced, the Mini was generally thought to be a superior sounding player/server than the parallel off the shelf Windows PCs.

 

 Today there are lots of relatively quiet Windows and Linux based solutions, some especially designed and built for audio. Most people today opt for those solutions, unless they particularly want a Mac. 

[firedog]

41 minutes ago, nbpf said:

Thanks! What would be today's options for a low-power server+renderer designed and built for audio and certified for a generic Linux distribution? The SOtM SMS-200Ultra comes to mind but it is not clear that one can run a generic Linux distribution on it. The Pi is probably the best supported platform but the general wisdom seems to be that it is not particularly well suited for audio replay ...  

 

Generic Linux? I don't know how many commerical server/renderers like that there are. Most of the Linux ones seem to be a specialized stripped down version of Linux, designed to run only the audio software they need. And often the Linux version is optimized for the particular hardware and software. 

Try allo.com They make some audio specialized versions that take a relatively generic version of Linux, AFAIK. But they aren't servers, per se, they are renderers (playback devices). 

You might be better off thinking about a generic Linux server and a separate, relatively inexpensive specialized Linux based renderer like the Allo units, or similar devices by other companies. Those start at prices like those of the Allo devices and go as high as 25 times that for hi-end audiophile devices. Most of us think that type  of setup works and sounds better ,anyway. 

 

You can also try Small Green Computer to see if they have what you want. If they don't ask them. They will build to order at a reasonable price.