KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 10,261
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Post by KeithL on Jul 2, 2015 13:28:11 GMT -5
Looks cool.... also looks like it might cost a bit more than the SqueezeBox did  Personally, I just use a laptop computer - which I can connect to a local USB hard drive, or a network hard drive, or use to connect to a streaming service over the Internet - connected to the XMC-1 via USB. In fact, I can also use it to buy, download, convert, store, and RIP all my digital music files. Since neither Windows nor Apple computers are dedicated music devices, configuration can be quite a bit more complicated, but in return you get a lot of flexibility (everybody's got a client for Windows and Apple). You can get a quite decent laptop these days for $500 or so (much cheaper than many "audiophile music clients") - and you don't need to worry about issues like jitter and sound quality with an asynch USB input (which the XMC-1 has) - since all we're talking about is a digital source - and all the conversion and analog parts are left to the XMC-1. .... if one can wait. The Auralic Aires Mini (Coming out September, can be found on the web though)... is worth the wait. Its supposed to be a fit for what is missing in the marketplace since the squeezebox left the market. www.auralic.com/en/ |
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Post by Chuck Elliot on Jul 2, 2015 14:32:59 GMT -5
My 2 channel systems uses a Raspberry PI and Volumio Software.
The total cost and equipment:
Raspberry PI $35
Heatsink set for PI $10
HifiBerry DIGI+ $45
Seagate 1 TB external USB drive $70
Powered USB Hub (I had a spare, but my guess is about $40)
USB Ethernet dongle $30
Volumio (Free)
Total cost a little over $200.
Case is DIY.
The HiFiBerry DIGI+ is a SPDIF TOSLink/Coax add-on card. It plugs onto the RPI. On my 2 channel system it goes to a XDA-2. It also can plug directly into a XMC-1 optical port, which I've tried.
The wireless network on the PI is setup as its own AD-Hoc network on 192.168.3.1.
Volumio's GUI is via a web page. I use my old and otherwise useless iPad as the UI. The network connection on the iPad is set to static on 192.168.3.100.
Volumio will play Apple Lossless and any type of FLAC among others.
This little unit is the best sounding method of digital reproduction that I have used.
Plus Volumio is evolving. Version 2 is due out shortly!
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Post by dudeisms7 on Jul 2, 2015 16:47:05 GMT -5
Looks cool.... also looks like it might cost a bit more than the SqueezeBox did Personally, I just use a laptop computer - which I can connect to a local USB hard drive, or a network hard drive, or use to connect to a streaming service over the Internet - connected to the XMC-1 via USB. In fact, I can also use it to buy, download, convert, store, and RIP all my digital music files. Since neither Windows nor Apple computers are dedicated music devices, configuration can be quite a bit more complicated, but in return you get a lot of flexibility (everybody's got a client for Windows and Apple). You can get a quite decent laptop these days for $500 or so (much cheaper than many "audiophile music clients") - and you don't need to worry about issues like jitter and sound quality with an asynch USB input (which the XMC-1 has) - since all we're talking about is a digital source - and all the conversion and analog parts are left to the XMC-1. .... if one can wait. The Auralic Aires Mini (Coming out September, can be found on the web though)... is worth the wait. Its supposed to be a fit for what is missing in the marketplace since the squeezebox left the market. www.auralic.com/en/Its reported as $400... which is what the Squeezebox originally cost (dropped to $250.00 for a Squeezebox touch right before is was discontinued).... So hopefully the reported $400 holds. It releases in Germany at the end of this month then to the U.S. in September.... fingers crossed for the $400. I think for what it does for that price it fits nicely into that segment of the market that has been a void ever since the departure of the Squeezebox. Currently in my 5.1/2.0 room (large air-y sounding room) I run a dedicated mac mini with double the max ram spec (yep double memory still works and registers, each song is loaded onto the memory and plays from there). The mini is connected to a large disk array of A/V files and its running pure music with most background processes shut down so the mini only deals with music... that flows into either my DC-1 or XMC-1 via usb (depending on my mood... as both sound quite nice. My 2.0 room (very warm sounding room, vintage horn loaded speakers)... I'm still running my old Squeezebox (waiting to be replaced by this Auralic Aires). The mac mini in the 5.1 room is running the server for the Squeezebox. |
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Post by drtrey3 on Jul 2, 2015 17:04:56 GMT -5
That auralic unit looks nice dude! Thanks for the post.
Trey
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Post by brubacca on Jul 2, 2015 17:16:28 GMT -5
The Aries Mini looks awesome. I don't even need it and I am excited. The best feature is the ability to add local storage. If it had a touch screen it would be perfect.
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Post by dudeisms7 on Jul 2, 2015 19:11:37 GMT -5
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Post by Boomzilla on Jul 2, 2015 20:43:58 GMT -5
I think the cheapest solution might be an Apple Airport Express (about $70, last time I looked). The APE can provide:
A living-room centered wireless network (allowing control of the server from a graphic device such as a phone or tablet)
An ethernet input for DNLA streaming from the server
An optical output that can be fed to the XMC-1 without any D/A conversion
Disadvantages:
If you're not streaming by ethernet or wireless, why bother with the APE at all? Just go directly to your XMC-1 and be done with it.
No HD music can be streamed (I may be wrong on this, but last time I looked, red-book CDs were the highest streaming supported)
I'm still waiting for Emotiva (or SOMEONE) to introduce a REAL music streaming device that ISN'T proprietary and works with all codecs, all hard-drive formats, and all streaming software.
Boomzilla
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Post by dudeisms7 on Jul 3, 2015 0:06:00 GMT -5
The auralic has an app for control, like the squeezebox and it plays hi-Rez and supports dsd...Apple is pretty mum on the resolution specs now a days... But pretty sure your stuff pgets downgraded to cd quality
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Post by thomasd92 on Jul 3, 2015 9:34:08 GMT -5
I do not have a XMC-1 but I play DSD downloads to my system with a Sony Hap-Z1ES. The sound is excellent and it has balanced outputs to . You can up convert regular cd's with it . I am sure it would sound great with the XMC-1.
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Chris
Emo VIPs 
Posts: 424
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Post by Chris on Jul 3, 2015 10:35:20 GMT -5
The Auralic looks interesting especially if it comes in at or near the $400 price point. I've been doing the media server/client thing for more than 10 years and still use the Squeezebox family of devices. I have most recently been experimenting with the RPi Picoreplayer devices and getting very good results. Frankly, I have grown weary of the multi mega buck streaming systems from the likes of Linn, PS Audio, Meridian, etc. that really just try to reinvent the wheel using open source software and charging big bucks.
I have yet to see any of these systems (all DLNA based) beat the performance of the Slim Server software. I am puzzled why more companies have not experimented with add the open source Squeezelite player software to some of their boxes. I saw once a reference to a Bryston player that claimed to have Squeezelite support?
The results I am getting with a postage size A plus RPi with a DigiBerry DAC addon connected to my LMS is amazing and for me is the real benchmark for these more proprietary and slower (DLNA) solutions.
It looks like the Auralic is running on some kind of ARM processor like the RPi. I wonder why they don't add the Squeezelite client? DLNA is just a really poor performer when you have a library of over 6k albums on nearly 3tb of disc space!
-CB
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Post by qdtjni on Jul 3, 2015 11:02:04 GMT -5
The Auralic looks interesting especially if it comes in at or near the $400 price point. I've been doing the media server/client thing for more than 10 years and still use the Squeezebox family of devices. I have most recently been experimenting with the RPi Picoreplayer devices and getting very good results. Frankly, I have grown weary of the multi mega buck streaming systems from the likes of Linn, PS Audio, Meridian, etc. that really just try to reinvent the wheel using open source software and charging big bucks. I have yet to see any of these systems (all DLNA based) beat the performance of the Slim Server software. I am puzzled why more companies have not experimented with add the open source Squeezelite player software to some of their boxes. I saw once a reference to a Bryston player that claimed to have Squeezelite support? The results I am getting with a postage size A plus RPi with a DigiBerry DAC addon connected to my LMS is amazing and for me is the real benchmark for these more proprietary and slower (DLNA) solutions. It looks like the Auralic is running on some kind of ARM processor like the RPi. I wonder why they don't add the Squeezelite client? DLNA is just a really poor performer when you have a library of over 6k albums on nearly 3tb of disc space! -CB I'm with you there! Still have my SB3, Transporter and SBT. I used the RPI before but couldn't get it to work with the XMC-1 until you posted the fix, many thanks for that!  Why so many companies insist on using DLNA (or UPnP) instead of the also open and way superior LMS infrastructure, is a mystery.  |
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Post by jambam on Jul 3, 2015 12:05:15 GMT -5
I use a pogoplug hacked as a squeezebox replacement device . It was only $20 , before when supplies were plentiful ... Output is via usb. It can stream files to the limit of 192khz of the xmc-1 usb input
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Post by jambam on Jul 6, 2015 2:39:48 GMT -5
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Post by qdtjni on Jul 6, 2015 4:47:22 GMT -5
I use a pogoplug hacked as a squeezebox replacement device . It was only $20 , before when supplies were plentiful ... Output is via usb. It can stream files to the limit of 192khz of the xmc-1 usb input Should be possible to stream DSD via DoP too as long as you use a recent version of squeezelite. |
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Post by jambam on Jul 6, 2015 7:46:06 GMT -5
Yup except the xmc-1 does not accept dsd via usb , I have successfully tried dsd with other dacs using squeezelite.
Hopefully a future firmware rev will add the dsd via usb on the xmc
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Post by qdtjni on Jul 6, 2015 7:55:32 GMT -5
Yup except the xmc-1 does not accept dsd via usb , I have successfully tried dsd with other dacs using squeezelite. Hopefully a future firmware rev will add the dsd via usb on the xmc True and let's hope for DSD in some new fw. |
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Post by goodfellas27 on Jul 6, 2015 8:44:27 GMT -5
I play 24bit/FLACs on my Win8 Intel NUC with SSD, using Jriver/WAPASI via USB cable to the XMC-1; best sound possible for the unit. I hope they update the firmware to support native DSD via USB. So far, it's only via HDMI.
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Post by qdtjni on Jul 6, 2015 9:25:17 GMT -5
I play 24bit/FLACs on my Win8 Intel NUC with SSD, using Jriver/WAPASI via USB cable to the XMC-1. Best sound possible for the unit. I hot they update the firmware to support native DSD via USB. So far, it's only via HDMI. Best sound possible for the unit? |
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Post by foggy1956 on Jul 6, 2015 12:10:28 GMT -5
I play 24bit/FLACs on my Win8 Intel NUC with SSD, using Jriver/WAPASI via USB cable to the XMC-1. Best sound possible for the unit. I hot they update the firmware to support native DSD via USB. So far, it's only via HDMI. Don't think the XMC-1 supports DSD over HDMI |
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,261
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Post by KeithL on Jul 6, 2015 13:51:24 GMT -5
YES, the XMC-1 supports DSD via HDMI (on an Oppo you can play both SACDs and DSD files through your XMC-1 via HDMI). I play 24bit/FLACs on my Win8 Intel NUC with SSD, using Jriver/WAPASI via USB cable to the XMC-1. Best sound possible for the unit. I hot they update the firmware to support native DSD via USB. So far, it's only via HDMI. Don't think the XMC-1 supports DSD over HDMI
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.... if one can wait. The Auralic Aires Mini (Coming out September, can be found on the web though)... is worth the wait. Its supposed to be a fit for what is missing in the marketplace since the squeezebox left the market.
