denis_hr

I use mpdPup on other hardware - it does not run on RasPi. Otherwise, it's my preferred SW server (I even modified it a bit and added some more bits and pieces, including the UI...) piCorePlayer is nice, but lacks the server part. I might do some serious hacking on it and see what can be done with MPD and lighttpd... to ultimately turn it into something like mpdPup (BTW; I just LOVE Puppy Linux, there's nothing else like it....) On the other hand, I see a lot of demand for full multimedia server by non-demanding users - in this case RasPi is ideal, since it runs XBMC (Kodi) just fine (for watching movies), and also works just fine headless when used as a source for listening to Internet radio and/or Google Music... Like I said, the only downside is the problem with power failure - which Odroid might handle a bit more gracefully, perhaps...

I'm using 5V/2A (or even 3A) power supplies, so it's not a problem of underrated PS. The problem is with interrupted SD card writes in case of premature power turn off. I'm careful with my RasPi, so no problems here - but I've made a couple of servers for others, and I always have to warn them about proper shutdown procedure: first do the software "shutdown", and then wait 30 secs, and only then pull the power... And you know how other people are like: this is the first thing they'll mess up... Besides, in case of power blackout or even brownout, the RPi will reset, sometimes (not always) corrupting the SD card. The only (expensive and complicated) solution is to provide some kind of UPS power for the Pi.... not really practical

Anyone tried one of those new Odroid C1 boards? Pollin.de (Europe) doesn't seem to have them yet... Should be a very interesting board. I'm currently using RasPi B+, but the problem, like with all RasPis, is the SD card... susceptible to data corruption in case of brownouts, etc. This one (Odroid C1) in combination with eMMC memory module could be a real winner... I guess the existing I2C DACs (e.g. hifiberry and others) could work with this board - depending on the distro used...

For those with Android devices, the best I've found so far (and it's free!) is MPDroid: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.namelessdev.mpdroid&hl=en Just like with MPad, you just enter the IP address of your server, and that's it...

Ooops, sorry.... My bad. Just wanted to show the possibilities, and I already had a gallery put up on my (commercial) site. Didn't realize that there's a strict non-commercial link policy.

The possibilities are practically endless, if you're at least a biti familiar with Linux... Check out the stauff I built in the past year only: HANA LAB You can start with cheap hardware like second-hand "thin client" computers (pros: small, fanless, reliable) with external USB disks, to "serious" machines with lots of RAM (not really necessary, but...), to Raspberry Pi with any of the available add-on audio cards (DACs). For myself, I'm quite happy with Raspberry and Wolfson audio card (24/192 DAC), that goes via analog line out into a relatively cheap TPA3116-based amp (se photos on the link above...). It's practically the cheapest available solution (audio source plus amp) that gets you anywhere near a decent SQ. As for audio source, if you want automatic CD ripping, then you'll need a "standard" computer, ranging from various Mac Mini models, smallish mini-ITX motherboards and cases, to "real" PCs. For such servers (with CD rippping) I usually use a standard Linux distro (mostly Xubuntu), which I "prune" by disabling and/or uninstalling unnecessary services (Pulse audio, printing, etc.), and adding automatic CD ripping scripts, based usually on CDparanoia for high-reliability ripping. Add to that a LMS (Squeezebox) server, and you have a flexible audio server, that serves HQ sound, plays Internet radio, automatically rips audio CD, anything you might want. Also, the command interface can use free apps for Android or IOS, so you control everything from a smartphone or a tablet - but you can easliy also add a "classic" remote control (like the one for TV). Everything will depend on the amount you're willing to spend and your ability to either install any of the ready-made distros (e.g. Volumio for RasPi or Vortexbox for standard PC) or hack something for yourself.

Interesting you mentioned puppy linux - that's how I started my computer audio saga about a year and a half ago: I mostly use mpdPup, modified with some of my own additions.... IMHO, mpdPup puppy distribution is still the best option for older hardware: I run it without glitch on old thin clients (700MHz Via processor, 256MB RAM). It runs MPD + several web clients, outputs bitperfect audio, up to 24/192 (depending on the USB DAC connected).... The best thing is that you get totally silent (fanless AND diskless) audio server for peanuts - it runs from 128MB CF card! As for Linux on a Mini PPC - search around for the install image: I have an Xubuntu PPC install version, and it works perfectly for this purpose. Just install the basics (XFCE for desktop), remove pulseaudio, etc.... Basically, a "lean" install, and then build from there: install LMS server (with some prerequisites for playing all audio formats, like lame, faad, etc.) and squeezelite, and you have a functional bitperfect audio server. Not much RAM needed: my Mac Mini (G4 1.42Ghz) LMS server runs with 1GB RAM, no issues at all.

As regards the Mac Mini issues with Squeezelite and MP3 playing, etc., there's another take on this: simply install Linux on the Mini I did that on one of my audio servers recently, an old Mac Mini G4 PPC (1.42GHz). I simply set it up for dual boot with XUbuntu/Original OS X, and once Linux is installed, everything goes just like under any PC machine: Squeezelite works just fine, no isues whatever. Squeezelite sound output is to an external USB DAC. I also set up an automatic audio CD ripping to high-quality FLAC files, with automatic info and cover downloads... So, if you're in USA, I guess you can get old Mac Mini PPC machine for peanuts, and set up a very good squeezebox+squeezelite audio server practically in an afternoon If you have a more recent (and powerful) Mac Mini, you can easily add a video server function, using XBMC or something similar. Audio server (LMS server) then runs headless, using mobile phone/tablet for command interface, and when you want to watch movies, just hook it up to a HDMI-enabled TV, and start XBMC.... It's not that difficult to do, and there's really no need to use the latest and greatest (and expensive) Apple hardware... I've been setting up various audio servers for the past year, including various thin clients, Raspberry Pis, small netbooks, nettops, etc. and I must admit that a Mac Mini running Linux is probably the best of the lot

Hi, My first post, I registered just to be able to provide some info, perhaps it will be of use... My background: Linux enthusiast (almost 15 years using Linux), have been building mostly "minimalistic" Linux-based bit-perfect audio servers out of various thin client computers, nettops, etc. for the past year or so. Have also built several "high-power" servers similar to C.A.P.S. with automatic audio CD ripping, like what Vortexbox does. I also build Linux-based multimedia servers, with bit-perfect audio and e.g. XBMC for video (HD movies). For audio, I'm usually using either mpdPup (Puppy Linux) distro or some "lighweight" Linux variant (e.g. Xubuntu, etc.), combined either with LMS (Squeezebox) or MPD as a music server, with variety of clients (web, Android, IOS...) and have experience with numerous DACs, from Chinese no-names, HRT Streamers, Micromega MyDacs, Meridian Explorers, to the likes of M2Tech Young and Wadia. In short, I'm not exactly a newbie as regards either computers or hi-fi. Anyway, I've been trying to make a hi-fi server out of the Raspberry Pi for some time, with external (USB) DACs, but to no avail. The sound was always harsh, with lots of popping and crackling. In short, unusable. However, that all changed when I got the Wolfson audio card recently: I installed Squeezeplug distro, and after some fiddling with audio formats, codecs and outputs, got the system working with Squeezebox server (LMS). The sound is nice, but the interface was painfully slow... So, I decided to try out MPD server instead of LMS, and can now confirm that this is a much better solution as regards the interface: it's much more responsive, no waiting, etc. Plays all media formats without a glitch, all bitrates and resolutions (up to and including 24/192) are smooth. My setup: RasPi powered through (cheap) powered USB hub (5V/2A), with external 2.5" HDD (500GB) attached to and powered from the same USB hub (no external power). I'm using the "line out" signal from Wolfson card directly to the amplifier. So, the RasPi + Wolfson combo is used both as a server and a player (ALSA output). This is an intentionally pretty "lame" configuration - meaning no special linear power supplies, the cheapest possible cables, just what I have at hand... I've also tested this combo with some other systems (better amps and speakers), and can confirm that this is indeed a very good solution. Compared to e.g. Micromega MyDac the sound is a bit different (e.g. a bit "thinner", but more natural sounding and better controlled bass), but with nothing really lacking. I'd venture to say that the sound quality easily equals DACs in the $300-$400 price range. Regardless of the price, I'd say that as a complete "all in one" solution, RasPi + Wolfson card can stand their ground when compared to much more expensive servers + DACs. With the addition of a better power supply and better cables, this setup would most likely sound even better than it already does. Realistically, though, what must be said is that the RasPi is somewhat fiddly to set up, perhaps not as reliable as the usual PC-based solution (due to potential SD card corruption problem), and perhaps not really intended for non-technical users . Meaning that it's probably not a "plug and play" or "set and forget" solution. It will probably require periodic ssh login sessions to take care of smaller glitches, and perhaps some SD card maintenance now and then. However, back to sound: there is nothing lacking - compared to some other (much more expensive) good quality computer + DAC systems, you might be pleasantly surprised... Regards, Denis