Newbie setup for Streaming / Transport

[Melvin]

Check out this iOS app .. https://www.stratospherix.com/products/musicstreamer/. I used it for quite some time with music located on a Mac mini and with music stored on an external hard drive connected to the network (via AirPort Extreme router). It's both AirPlay and Chromecast capable. You have several configuration options. For example, you could leave your music on the laptop and point the app to your iTunes library. Or purchase an Airport Express and external hard drive. Very simple and very convenient to use on either iPhone or iPad (the bigger iPad screen is nice though). 

[Melvin]

@abulr there are plenty of good options at every price-point for you to look at.

 

5 hours ago, abulr said:

Truth be told I would rather put that $500 towards something like new hardware (that could potentially make an audible difference) than software that would be better at parsing metadata and provide a good UI.

 

 

For the same price as a Roon lifetime subscription you can pick up a Bluesound Node 2i. It's well-reviewed, easy to set-up and use, nice app for control, WiFi or ethernet connections, support for lots of streaming services, can connect an external USB hard drive or thumb drive, NAS support, AirPlay 2, sounds good, and is even a Roon end-point if you ever decide to go down that road. Roon is the darling of the audiophile world (rightly so) but expensive. Great for large libraries and Qobuz/Tidal integration. I gave it a trial and passed. I liked it BTW, I just don't need it. 

[Melvin]

53 minutes ago, abulr said:

Why do people love the urendu so much? What is different about their hardware vs say other PCs etc (if it's a small form factor PC?)... and for similar price, why would I choose Bluesound over Sonore?

 

Because the Rendu's sound fantastic. The Rendu products are Ethernet renderers built for audio, not a general-purpose computer. Sonore has a forum section here where you can read all about the designs etc. (and plenty of more knowledgeable folks than I to help you out). Actually, I replaced my Bluesound Node 2 (previous generation) with a microRendu, which proved to be a wonderful sonic upgrade for my system. I had the Node 2 for 2.5 years or so and now use it in my work system .. I still like it a lot. Realize they are vastly different designs and implementations. The microRendu, for example, is Ethernet-in / USB-out, and has no on-board DAC. The Node 2i is Ethernet-in or WiFi / SPDIF-out, and has an on-board DAC, thus RCA-out as well. For the microRendu I use Asset UPnP for the library and either mconnect or BubbleUPnP Android apps for control. The Node 2i uses their own proprietary BluOS and companion app, which work quite well. Like everything in audio, it's about your needs/wants.