jsalk

I guess a little background on our StreamPlayer models might be in order. About a decade ago, we were looking for a music server to stream music at audio shows. We looked around and didn't really find anything that met our wish list. Our goals were simple. We wanted a model that was essentially silent. This meant passively cooled with no fans. We wanted a minimalist system with no extra bells and whistles (no LED display, no useless buttons, etc.) to keep things very simple and stable (and to eliminate any extraneous RF). Since we were unable to find what we were looking for, we built our own. Our system was built on the basic Linux kernel and we added only those additional packages required for the task at hand. (No graphical user interface, no mouse, no keyboard, etc. are required since a tablet or phone is used for remote control.) We have basically two models: the StreamPlayer Gen III ($1695 base price) and the StreamPlayer Gen III SE (special edition)($2495 base price). The functionality of the units is the same. The difference is that the SE version supports multiple drives. So in a standard SE version configuration, an SSD drive is used for the OS and Roon and a secondary drive is used for music storage. The standard processor is a low power i7Core processor (to provide for passive cooling). With the SE version, we can also build a custom StreamPlayer using a newer i9Core processor for customers who need more processing power to manipulate and process multi-channel recordings. As with our speakers, we are willing to customize a system to meet specific customer needs. In a typical set-up, there are three connections required: power, Ethernet and a connection to a DAC (normally USB). Both versions also support DLNA and AirPlay. And with Roon, you can run multiple additional Roon end points or Roon-enabled DAC's. (End points can be as simple as a Raspberry Pi 3 running Roon Bridge.) If you have any questions on this, please feel free to post them. I'd be happy to answer. - Jim

Bought a CuBox just for fun and installed Voyage MPD (MuBox) on it. Ran the system for a few days on various DSD DACs with no major issues. Seemed to do a respectable job. - Jim

You would have to refer to the specs for the other units as I am not all that familiar with them. However, as far as I know, all three units are based on the same embedded processor and perhaps the same stripped-down version of Linux. The StreamPlayer can interface with any music storage device on the network - computers, NAS, etc. It can handle ALAC as well. When designing the StreamPlayer, we did not want to add anything that would complicate the system and compromise performance. So there are no RF-generating displays or unnecessary buttons, etc. One unique feature of the StreamPlayer is a built-in web interface that allows you to use any browser to configure the system, control it and check various performance aspects. This interface also includes links to resources you can use with the player. Finally, we included a simply web-based control program you can use to operate the StreamPlayer until you have your preferred remote control app set up. I hope this answers your questions. - Jim

Mike - The StreamPlayer is priced at $1299. But I reserved an initial batch of "beta" players for $995. I have about 8 of these left. They are no different than production products. The reason I did went with this "beta" program was to help us gauge the amount of support users will need and to determine what changes might be required to the web interface to make it user-friendly. Once these are gone, the $1299 price will be in effect. - Jim

The StreamPlayer uses an embedded processor based on the LX800 Geode CPU. The idea is to keep things clean by reducing hardware to the absolute minimum required to stream music. There is no RF-generating video circuitry or other circuitry required in a full-blown computer. This is a typical "headless" embedded processor, the type of which you would find in many digital devices (DVR's, routers, phones, etc.). The OS is a stripped-down version of Linux. There is no graphical user interface (not required since there is no video port) and the system includes only the basic Linux kernel and those applications required for the functionality of the player. The entire OS resides on a compact flash card that serves as the main drive for the system. Since the system is so minimalistic, it is as rock solid as an OS can be. The music streaming software itself is MPD. It is the oldest, and some would argue the most mature, music streaming software in existence. There are many "client" applications available on a number of different platforms. Probably the most popular client is MPaD running on the iPad. MPod is another version of this program that runs on Apple iPhones or iPod Touch. For Android tablets or phones, Droid MPD , MPDroid, bit MPC, MPD Remote and MPC do the job. On a Windows or Linux computer, Gnome Music Player Client is the most popular. There are also applications that run in a typical web browser, one of which is included in the StreamPlayer's web interface. It certainly can, although playlists, the music database and other control files are generally stored on the same device that holds the music files. (For those who do not feel comfortable with computer networking, don't have a music storage device or would prefer to have an all-in-one server, StreamPlayer units can be configured with a built-in storage for music files.) Yes, provided that the music files contain the appropriate lame headers. I hope this answers your questions. If not, I would be happy to answer any additional questions you may have. - Jim