The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.

Joe Mac said:
Difficult. Roon is the obvious call and could probably do the hardware for a core and 1 endpoint for 500/600 and it would use Sonos speakers as endpoints too. Problem Is they it’s US$129 a year or $699 lifetime.
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@jamieanderson1968 I really really love Roon as well and it is perfect for me despite the pretty steep pricetag. With my personal set up, I have an iMac set up in my office area, hooked up via USB to my receiver. I have Qobuz subscription and tons of FLAC files from CD rips, downloads, etc. Roon handles them all with ease and organizes it all awesomely. My computer is the Roon core since I always have my computer on due to work but I might eventually swap over to a NUC. In my living room, I have an additional setup with an Aries Mini streamer with built-in harddrive an external DAC and that's hooked up to my home theater receiver. I have Apple Music too since Qobuz doesn't have everything I want on it and I use Apple Music/Qobuz on my phone for on-the-go.

With me having so many sources (FLAC, Qobuz, etc), Roon keeps it all organized and chooses the best quality source files when playing them. I did not have to reorganize anything, it didn't change my file structure and just scanned the folders I wanted and made my library out of them. I think MAYBE I had to add some artwork but it was really easy (can't recall if I did that for my Aries software or if Roon automatically did it). I can do multi-room audio and have the same music play in my living room and office, or I can have different things playing in different rooms (sometimes I may want to spin a record in my office while my fiancée listens to something in the living room while reading. The software is super easy to use, can be used from an iPhone or iPad or multiple devices.

For $10 or so a month, Roon is totally worth it for me, especially with how my apartment is set up and how much music I have and also how much I listen to it. Working from home has also made my decision to go over to Roon a great one. I tried jRiver and did not like it at all, at least with Mac + iOS devices. I'm not a huge fan of the built-in Aries Mini software (Lightning DS) so Roon was kind of the perfect thing for me. You might be able to get a 30 day free trial of Roon (I got one before I signed up) but beware...you might really want to buy it afterwards...
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
A newbie digital question/request for help here folks. I skimmed this thread and my head is spinning, so sorry if this has been asked and answered.

While working in my office at home over the last several weeks and listening to a lot more music digitally, I have realized that my current set up is rather limited and not ideal for me.

What I have
I currently have over 1TB of Flac files. I converted my 2000+ cd collection a few years ago all to Flac and they are currently sitting on an external hard drive connected to my iMac. Though most of my cds are available on streaming services, I do have quite a few artists from small labels, limited releases and eps that aren’t. I currently subscribe to Apple Music for streaming, but think I will switch over to Tidal as I prefer the higher bit rate and sound quality. I am on their 4bucks/4months intro offer right now.

What I currently do
The hard drive is connected to my computer. Though I am an Apple person (iMac, iPhone etc) I hate iTunes and don’t use it. I use Foobar to play my Flac files and listen to them with headphones through a small DAC.

I have a set of AudioEngine 5+ speakers, and an AudioEngine wireless streaming adaptor. But I am not overly happy with this set up. The speakers are also connected to my turntable.

For the streaming services I will listen via the desktop app with headphones and the DAC mostly, or sometimes streamed to the AudioEngine speakers.

I also have a Sonos One speaker in our kitchen. My wife uses it primarily for streaming podcasts or radio from her phone. I do also use it to stream Tidal from my phone as well.

What I want to do
I think what I am looking for is some sort of streaming device that I can connect my external hard drive to. I would then connect the device to the AudioEngine speakers. I would be able to control the streaming device via either a desktop app or app on my iPhone. I could also get a cheap tablet to control it down the line if need be.

I don’t need a feature rich UI, just being able to easily navigate the folder structure on the hard drive and show the cover art of what is currently playing would make me happy. I don't want to reorganize my flac files as I am happy with the way the file structure is set up, so I also don't want the UI software mucking with the structure.

Not deal breakers - nice to haves (in order)
  • Ideally I would also be able to stream to the Sonos speaker via the app.
  • It would be nice to be able to stream via the app on my phone when I am outside the house, specifically while at work. I would just listen with headphones.
  • Integration with streaming services (Apple or Tidal) - of these 3, the least important.
I don’t want to go the Raspberry Pi home brew route as I think that is a bit too under-the-hood for my skill level I think. The solution does not need to be plug and play but looking for something that is fairly straightforward to get setup and running. I like the idea that once it is set up, I don’t need to constantly tinker with it, but if I want to tweak it I can. I would like to keep cost for the streaming device toget less than $500 USD.

thanks
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I have the Bluesound node 2i and have been totally happy with it and I believe it covers all the requirements you mentioned. I haven't tinkered with accessing folders with it, but that is part of the functionality. The BlueOS app it utilizes is super easy to navigate and has been completely stable. Full retail is $549, but I've seen open box deals out there if you really want to stick to $500 or less.
 
Splunders said:
I have the Bluesound node 2i and have been totally happy with it and I believe it covers all the requirements you mentioned. I haven't tinkered with accessing folders with it, but that is part of the functionality. The BlueOS app it utilizes is super easy to navigate and has been completely stable. Full retail is $549, but I've seen open box deals out there if you really want to stick to $500 or less.
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Does the blue sound app allow for streaming to pre existing Sonos speakers? I didn’t think it could do that!
 
Also @jamieanderson1968 none of these options allow access to your files remotely outside the home. I don’t know if any such services that allow that. Roon has native qobuz or tidal, but none of the major, that said your end point could well allow for steaming direct from them on top of Roon.

The pi/home brew root is not as complex as you think it is but if it’s out so is Roon. the core/endpoint hardware on budget that I was thinking of was a pi and NUC lol!
 
i'm tempted by the dragonfly red because of its apparently great performance, its small size (im using my laptop in bed so all my FLAC and tidal will be portable and basically mobile), and MQA support (because maybe i might use tidal full time). but the thing is it cant even do 192K and any other format so i wonder if i should get another dongle like the monolith, the ikko, or even just give up on mobile dongles and get something like a zendac which is bigger but not too big that i cant use it in my bed
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
A newbie digital question/request for help here folks. I skimmed this thread and my head is spinning, so sorry if this has been asked and answered.

While working in my office at home over the last several weeks and listening to a lot more music digitally, I have realized that my current set up is rather limited and not ideal for me.

What I have
I currently have over 1TB of Flac files. I converted my 2000+ cd collection a few years ago all to Flac and they are currently sitting on an external hard drive connected to my iMac. Though most of my cds are available on streaming services, I do have quite a few artists from small labels, limited releases and eps that aren’t. I currently subscribe to Apple Music for streaming, but think I will switch over to Tidal as I prefer the higher bit rate and sound quality. I am on their 4bucks/4months intro offer right now.

What I currently do
The hard drive is connected to my computer. Though I am an Apple person (iMac, iPhone etc) I hate iTunes and don’t use it. I use Foobar to play my Flac files and listen to them with headphones through a small DAC.

I have a set of AudioEngine 5+ speakers, and an AudioEngine wireless streaming adaptor. But I am not overly happy with this set up. The speakers are also connected to my turntable.

For the streaming services I will listen via the desktop app with headphones and the DAC mostly, or sometimes streamed to the AudioEngine speakers.

I also have a Sonos One speaker in our kitchen. My wife uses it primarily for streaming podcasts or radio from her phone. I do also use it to stream Tidal from my phone as well.

What I want to do
I think what I am looking for is some sort of streaming device that I can connect my external hard drive to. I would then connect the device to the AudioEngine speakers. I would be able to control the streaming device via either a desktop app or app on my iPhone. I could also get a cheap tablet to control it down the line if need be.

I don’t need a feature rich UI, just being able to easily navigate the folder structure on the hard drive and show the cover art of what is currently playing would make me happy. I don't want to reorganize my flac files as I am happy with the way the file structure is set up, so I also don't want the UI software mucking with the structure.

Not deal breakers - nice to haves (in order)
  • Ideally I would also be able to stream to the Sonos speaker via the app.
  • It would be nice to be able to stream via the app on my phone when I am outside the house, specifically while at work. I would just listen with headphones.
  • Integration with streaming services (Apple or Tidal) - of these 3, the least important.
I don’t want to go the Raspberry Pi home brew route as I think that is a bit too under-the-hood for my skill level I think. The solution does not need to be plug and play but looking for something that is fairly straightforward to get setup and running. I like the idea that once it is set up, I don’t need to constantly tinker with it, but if I want to tweak it I can. I would like to keep cost for the streaming device to less than $500 USD.

thanks
Click to expand...
I think you are going to have a very hard time checking all your boxes for under $500. When it comes to streaming outside of the home, I think you're ultimately doing to need to copy all that music onto a server housed in your home.
Roon certainly feels like an element to this equation, and I think there are some hardware solutions that might get you close, but they aren't $500 or less even used.
 
Thanks @Joe Mac @duke86fan @MikeH @Splunders for your input. Definitely a lot for me to think about. Looking at the Bluesound Node, it might tick a lot of my boxes. Plus they do their own wireless speakers, so I might send the Sonos up to my wife's sewing room at a later date so that gets around the Sonos connectivity issue. Also, Bluesound is a Canadian company, so would be nice to support them.

I also came across the Volumio Primo. Looks interesting and work similar to the Node, but a bit more expensive.
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
Thanks @Joe Mac @duke86fan @MikeH @Splunders for your input. Definitely a lot for me to think about. Looking at the Bluesound Node, it might tick a lot of my boxes. Plus they do their own wireless speakers, so I might send the Sonos up to my wife's sewing room at a later date so that gets around the Sonos connectivity issue. Also, Bluesound is a Canadian company, so would be nice to support them.

I also came across the Volumio Primo. Looks interesting and work similar to the Node, but a bit more expensive.
Click to expand...
I lucked out big time with getting my Aries Mini. The seller included the linear power supply for me and mine had an internal HD already installed. I wish they still sold the Aries Mini or I would whole-heartedly recommend that one.

The Volumio does look intriguing too. Personally, when I was looking for a streamer, I wanted something Roon compatible in case I wanted to go that route later. The Aries has optional internal HD storage which just meant one less device to have out. But anything where you can attach an external HD would be great for your purposes. I also wanted something where I could bypass the internal DAC if I wanted to upgrade later--seems like the Volumio does too. Not sure if anybody here has experience with the Volumio, but I'd say try to see if you can find out more about the iOS app or how you can control it. I also did find an app on OS that can turn chromecast devices into Airplay, so that widened my speaker options as I have some chromecast audios and could hook those up if I wanted. I looked into Sonos at one point but it's just SO expensive per speaker that I never thought I would actually fit a house with sonos speakers.

I think it would be hard to beat Roon's software, but from my limited research, it seems some people like the Volumio software:
audiophilestyle.com

Volumio Primo review

primo | ˈprēmō | noun (plural primos) Music the leading or upper part in a duet. adjective North American informal of top quality or importance: the primo team in the land. origin mid 18th century: Italian, literally ‘first’. I am always on the lookout for exciting ways of getting music into my e...
audiophilestyle.com audiophilestyle.com
There are some screengrabs in there. Overall, Volumio might be a good option for your needs, but if anybody else here has direct experience with it, might be best off talking to them!
 
MikeH said:
I lucked out big time with getting my Aries Mini. The seller included the linear power supply for me and mine had an internal HD already installed. I wish they still sold the Aries Mini or I would whole-heartedly recommend that one.

The Volumio does look intriguing too. Personally, when I was looking for a streamer, I wanted something Roon compatible in case I wanted to go that route later. The Aries has optional internal HD storage which just meant one less device to have out. But anything where you can attach an external HD would be great for your purposes. I also wanted something where I could bypass the internal DAC if I wanted to upgrade later--seems like the Volumio does too. Not sure if anybody here has experience with the Volumio, but I'd say try to see if you can find out more about the iOS app or how you can control it. I also did find an app on OS that can turn chromecast devices into Airplay, so that widened my speaker options as I have some chromecast audios and could hook those up if I wanted. I looked into Sonos at one point but it's just SO expensive per speaker that I never thought I would actually fit a house with sonos speakers.

I think it would be hard to beat Roon's software, but from my limited research, it seems some people like the Volumio software:
audiophilestyle.com

Volumio Primo review

primo | ˈprēmō | noun (plural primos) Music the leading or upper part in a duet. adjective North American informal of top quality or importance: the primo team in the land. origin mid 18th century: Italian, literally ‘first’. I am always on the lookout for exciting ways of getting music into my e...
audiophilestyle.com audiophilestyle.com
There are some screengrabs in there. Overall, Volumio might be a good option for your needs, but if anybody else here has direct experience with it, might be best off talking to them!
Click to expand...

Id not buy the volumio because of software limitations. I’ve used it before, it’s a really cool piece of software in lots of ways on a raspberry pi, I would want much more functionality and a much user friendly interface for something costing that money.
 
This is a bit of a vague question, but do people have any go-to digital releases that they think sound amazing in FLAC/WAV/Digital? I grabbed a download of the Shine On Pink Floyd box set today to throw on my new DAC and it sounds awesome. Started going down a rabbithole of what digital versions are the best for certain albums but wanted to know if anybody has some favorites?
 
I am probably not the best for suggestions since my hearing is shot to hell, but I like to use anything that has a lot of detailed instrumentation and a good dynamic range (DR 10 or higher). It also helps that it is an album you are very familiar with so if you are hearing things in the recording you never heard before it really jumps out at you.

One of my gotos is the first High Llamas album, Gideon Gaye. I have nice hi-res copy and the first time I listened to it through a DAC I was shocked at how much I could hear.
 
MikeH said:
This is a bit of a vague question, but do people have any go-to digital releases that they think sound amazing in FLAC/WAV/Digital? I grabbed a download of the Shine On Pink Floyd box set today to throw on my new DAC and it sounds awesome. Started going down a rabbithole of what digital versions are the best for certain albums but wanted to know if anybody has some favorites?
Click to expand...
does that include CDs too because if you are talking about WYWH the analogue productions SACD probably would win
 
duke86fan said:
does that include CDs too because if you are talking about WYWH the analogue productions SACD probably would win
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Yea CD rips too. The Shine On versions sound pretty amazing and people seem to like that version a lot. I'll try to check out a rip of the AP SACD too! Thanks.
 
MikeH said:
This is a bit of a vague question, but do people have any go-to digital releases that they think sound amazing in FLAC/WAV/Digital? I grabbed a download of the Shine On Pink Floyd box set today to throw on my new DAC and it sounds awesome. Started going down a rabbithole of what digital versions are the best for certain albums but wanted to know if anybody has some favorites?
Click to expand...

In terms of 16/44.1, the Nils Lofgren Acoustic Live album still ranks close to an optimal demonstration of the art of the possible. More recently, the 24/96 version of Ayo's Royal on Qobuz is basically audiophile pornography too.
 
MikeH said:
This is a bit of a vague question, but do people have any go-to digital releases that they think sound amazing in FLAC/WAV/Digital? I grabbed a download of the Shine On Pink Floyd box set today to throw on my new DAC and it sounds awesome. Started going down a rabbithole of what digital versions are the best for certain albums but wanted to know if anybody has some favorites?
Click to expand...

I have an SACD of Carlos Kleiber conducting the Vienna Philharmonic through Beethoven’s 5th and 7th. It’s just about the nicest, most dynamic, recording that I have. I imagine it’s also available as a DSD download somewhere. I’d love to get hold of the original 70s vinyl presses just to compare!
 
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Joe Mac said:
I have an SACD of Carlos Kleiber conduction the Vienna Philharmonic Through Beethoven’s 5th and 7th. It’s just about the nicest, most dynamic, recording that I have. I imagine it’s also available as a DSD download somewhere. I’d love to get hold of the original 70s vinyl presses just to compare!
Click to expand...
Thanks to you @Ed Selley @jamieanderson1968 and @duke86fan , Looks like I have some listening to do this weekend! Listening to the Nils Lofgren Live Acoustic album now and it sounds real good!
 
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