Trevor Whittle Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Help (Please) I want to get into music streaming for the lowest possible cost as I want to make a small investing before upgrading (which is inevitable). Any ideas? Or anything for sale? Thanks IA Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy8 Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Don't you have a computer you can use? There is usually an application you can download to access a particular music streaming service. If you want a cheap box, then a DIY approach using a Pi computer is one way to go, but you will need to tinker. However, if you want an easy to use box, a used BlueSound Node is my suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Whittle Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 THANK you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batty Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 I repurposed an old laptop a couple of weeks ago, USB into my DAC, sounding pretty good to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Easiest start is a phone paired with a DAC. You may have an old phone or tablet which you can use. Doesn't need a SIM if you are just streaming via your Wifi. I prefer this to a laptop, tends to be less noisy sitting next to your hifi equipment. others suggested an rPi. This is what I do. I run MoOde audio on it I think the rPi is the best choice. Pair it with a USB DAC or a HAT that plugs straight on to the pi. I prefer USB. No downsides, especially with the new rPi 4. It streams radio stations, local, and network files, spotify etc. It also runs other good stuff like a DSP and Sox resampling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBlackDisc Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Pretty sure old mate still has this: @FNQ Outcast? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FNQ Outcast Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 1 minute ago, TheBlackDisc said: Pretty sure old mate still has this: @FNQ Outcast? Yes, still have it & its still for sale although the ad has expired... PM me if interested @Trevor Whittle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugPowderDust Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 Any old Sonos Connect (should be circa $100) will get you most of the way there with one of the broadest supported streaming offerings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batty Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 3 hours ago, aussievintage said: snip I prefer this to a laptop, tends to be less noisy sitting next to your hifi equipment. I fitted an SSD in place of the HDD, totally silent now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 3 hours ago, Batty said: I fitted an SSD in place of the HDD, totally silent now. I also meant the electrical noise, but yes, an SSD helps, as long as the latptop fan isn't noisy, then OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripitaka Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 19 hours ago, Trevor Whittle said: Help (Please) I want to get into music streaming for the lowest possible cost as I want to make a small investing before upgrading (which is inevitable). Any ideas? Or anything for sale? Thanks IA Trevor Hey Trev, you'll get some good advice here but I just wanted to say that you are taking the right path if you love music. While tens of millions of albums is too much to ever listen to, it does mean that you can check out any artist that you ever hear about, at effectively no cost. You can always buy the artist's work to support them, but if you didn't get to hear them in the first place then that wouldn't have been a possibility. I use an RPi, with a i2s hat and a chip-based DSD upsampling unit. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blairy Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 20 hours ago, Trevor Whittle said: Help (Please) I want to get into music streaming for the lowest possible cost as I want to make a small investing before upgrading (which is inevitable). Any ideas? Or anything for sale? Thanks IA Trevor How are you listening to music today? Or phrasing that another way, what existing gear do you already have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonooo Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 @Trevor Whittle Roon has a black Friday special of 3 months for $1 if that's something you were considering https://roonlabs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Whittle Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 Great offer thank you Will have a look On 29/11/2021 at 9:25 AM, aussievintage said: Easiest start is a phone paired with a DAC. You may have an old phone or tablet which you can use. Doesn't need a SIM if you are just streaming via your Wifi. I prefer this to a laptop, tends to be less noisy sitting next to your hifi equipment. others suggested an rPi. This is what I do. I run MoOde audio on it I think the rPi is the best choice. Pair it with a USB DAC or a HAT that plugs straight on to the pi. I prefer USB. No downsides, especially with the new rPi 4. It streams radio stations, local, and network files, spotify etc. It also runs other good stuff like a DSP and Sox resampling. I ll start with a phone. How do I connect a dac to the phone? I assume that the headphones out is analogue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batty Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 I use an OTG adaptor to connect my Samsung tablet to my DAC USB input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Whittle Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 What about an android phone? It has only a headphone socket... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Trevor Whittle said: Great offer thank you Will have a look I ll start with a phone. How do I connect a dac to the phone? I assume that the headphones out is analogue? 1 hour ago, Trevor Whittle said: What about an android phone? It has only a headphone socket... No, it has a usb socket that you use for charging. That socket can also connect to a computer, an external hard drive, or a DAC, using an OTG connecter. Edited November 30, 2021 by aussievintage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Whittle Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 great -- that's what I was unsure of... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pezzy Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 theres also bluetooth if youre dac/streamer supports it. just pair the phone and youre set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 6 minutes ago, pezzy said: theres also bluetooth if youre dac/streamer supports it. just pair the phone and youre set. OK to start with. Bluetooth codecs ARE getting better. I still don't like the idea of my flac files being sent in a lossy fashion. I admit I find bluetooth quite suitable for portable music however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Whittle Posted December 1, 2021 Author Share Posted December 1, 2021 I;ll try a usb dac.... Very interesting,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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