Simple Network Audio Device?

[tdot]

Hello

I am hoping that you can give me some advice on what seems to me to be quite simple!

I have an existing hi fi setup, an existing I.P. network throughout my house, (both hard wired and wireless) and a laptop computer running ITunes.

What I am looking for (if it exists) is a device that will sit on my network, and interface to my existing amplifier. On the laptop end, I do not want to have to connect to a USB device to stream the audio, I would like to have some kind of software driver route the audio

through the network port to the receiver on my network.

 

I have spent some time looking into this, with no luck so far.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Tom

 

 

 

 

[kaka]

The squeezebox/transporter family do that

 

However a squeezebox is not the last word in audio quality - they are plenty of improvements that can be made to its power supply, and I'm told removing its dac helps too (you would always want to use an external dac with a SB, buyt I've heard that removing it helps too)

 

[Elprior]

You've got the Linn DS family too.

Based on UPnP, it can suck the music out of your nas, or whatever speaks UPnP too (JRMC, ...)

 

Elp

 

[ldolse]

Are you saying you want your laptop to be the audio source, but you want the audio signal to go across the network to the device attached to your stereo rig?

 

If the answer is yes, then you may want to look at Jack and/or PulseAudio.

 

Jack:

http://jackaudio.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JACK_Audio_Connection_Kit

 

PulseAudio:

http://pulseaudio.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulseaudio

 

You'd then need to build a little Linux box that connected to a DAC/Amplifier. e.g.:

http://cheap-silent-usb-linux-music-server.blogspot.com/

But running Jack/PulseAudio instead of/in addition to MPD. If you didn't want a DAC you'd need to choose a form factor that supports a sound card, much like the C.A.P.S. server.

 

I wouldn't call this an easy solution or one for the faint of heart, but I think it would accomplish the goal as I'm interpreting it.

 

Generally speaking I think it would be easier to just use your laptop for remote control and actually use the device itself as the music server, ala mpd or similar.

 

[Paul R]

.. very well to an Airport Express? ($99 at any Apple Store, or online.) You should listen to one to see how you like it on your network though.

 

-Paul

 

 

[byron902]

The patent-pending network audio configuration allows different audio to be broadcast to each network audio devices, so different bell schedules can be set for different areas and announcements can be targeted to a single network audio device.

RegCure Review

 

[Mr.C]

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