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Labarum

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  1. Google has just launched a new streaming system. https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Chromecast?id=chromecast Has anyone sight of the technical specs? There is almost nothing visible to the likes of me. Now it must handle Google Play's 320b/sec MP3, but hopefully will do much better, and if the stream can be routed to a decent DAC . . . The first hardware - the HDMI dongle - looks rather restricted, but maybe other hardwares will appear.
  2. Maybe a limit should be put on the length of signature allowed? If members want to write an essay on their system they can lodge it elsewhere. My eyes don't need to scan it every post!
  3. Still trying to work out how to subscribe automatically to any thread to which I post. This post is a device to set the subscription switch for this thread.
  4. That's it, but of course there is some general leakage from the doors. The Ikea bookcase is seriously modified and fixed very firmly to the wall. The skirting board was removed to make that possible. Two 120mm fans push from the side, one pulls out through the top. Below and to the right of that fan is a cheap multi-voltage power supply - at present it is set to 3v. Between the two side fans is a six gang domestic light switch - again, very cheap - which acts as a low voltage distribution box. I can turn fans on and off individually. At the moment I have only the top pulling fan working at 3v and the laptop cooler running at its nominal 5v, and that is plenty. Daytime temperatures rise to about 26C at present - by July we will be hitting 45C. When the laptop cooler fails I will make my own with some spare 80mm fans I have. If the laptop fails I have many options. I could run a motherboard naked in that cupboard. The primary router is in the cupboard, but under the stairs at the rear of the house there is a second wireless router wired to the first and configured as a range extender. Wired to it are a Squeezebox Boom and the wireless base unit for the hybrid DECT/VOIP phones. That range extender and the phone base unit blast right down the garden to the palm trees at the bottom. In the lower section of the cupboard I will line up all the charging adaptors and cradles I have for various devices - that will stop them littering the house.
  5. Over the past two years I have been refurbishing a bungalow in Nicosia. Here are some pics. The lounge. TV, Squeezebox Classic and MB Quart 980s visible. That's all. The Ikea Box The server cupboard in the hall The inside of the cupboard In a temperate climate I would probably have just bolted a small format HTPC to the back of the TV, but here the temerature will top 45C and some pretty furious fans will be needed. It's not hot yet so I have one of the three 120mm 12v fans running on 3v and that is enough with the old laptop sitting on a laptop cooler. When the old laptop gives up I will reconsider, but it runs the Squeezebox Server and BBC iPlayer and drives the TV next door through a 10m HDMI cable. The Squeezebox is also cabled, but works as well wirelessly. I may need extra holes and a couple of fans in the Ikea box to cool the power amp. We'll see. The old phone is just a bit of fun, it does work and the loud bell is useful. The real work is done by a pair of cordless hybrid DECT/VOIP phones.
  6. Thank goodness for that. To be honest, I gave up posting in this forum because I found the old software absolutely infuriating. I'll try and make a new start.
  7. AAC is supposed to be a little better at the same bitrate as MP3. Once above 128kb/s in any format I think the quality has more to do how much dynamic compression has been applied before transmission, than with bitrate of format. A LOUD station using a lot of dynamic compression to suit those listening in cars and on portables will sound poor on a good system. I have only tried the D-Dur FLAC stream, and I have only found it to play in Foobar (PC only) or VLC (all platforms). Many media players will not handle "FLAC in an OGG container". The difference between the 256 D-Dur OGG stream and the FLAC stream I do not think big enough for the extra fuss and bandwidth. WDR3 at 256 kb/s MP3 and BBC Radio 3 HD at 320 kb/s AAC are excellent - try the live concerts. Try also Linn Radio http://radio.linnrecords.com/index2.html 320kb/s MP3 Don't know about MP3 Pro
  8. I listen to the German Station all the time on my Squeezebox, but had not noticed that the three stations have different run lists. I presumed them the same and chose German because that I can follow most easily. Thanks. I will put the others in my favourites too. Only 128kb/s but very clear - lack of dynamic compression, maybe? WDR3 and the Dutch Avro Stations are also among my favourites.
  9. http://www.computeraudiophile.com/avi-adm-9-1-review or the Neutron system http://www.avihifi.co.uk/neutron.html
  10. This could form the centre of an AV setup for many - and all for £400 http://www.trustedreviews.com/Acer-Aspire-Revo-100_Desktop-PC_review It's a Window's 7 box, so provided the digital noise out of the S/PDIF or USB is OK it should be bitperfect if so setup, and fine for high quality audio. Anyone heard it?
  11. What do members suggest for a modestly priced but good quality self build or ready built HTPC with excellent audio? What case, motherboard etc? I need a silent (or near silent) Windows 7 box to drive a TV. In Cyprus I watch UK TV off internet by VPN. I have Caiman DAC which will take input by Toslink or USB. A decent digital audio out would render my lounge Squeezebox redundant.
  12. I don't see any solution becoming exclusive. Those with the interest and the technical know how will explore all sorts of hardware and software options to suit the own particular needs. Others will look for a plug and go consumer box. I see greater integration between audio only and full media solutions; and I wonder how the PVR (Personal Video Recorder) will feature in this. Many of these have S/PDIF as well as HDMI outputs and have Ethernet sockets with a purpose as yet undisclosed. As mass market products they will be cheap. Apple's integration policy is the true faith to some and anathema to others. Their products work well, and well together, but tie the hand of the user in unnecessary ways. Apple is expensive. I do wish there were more decent domestic active speakers with on board DACs.
  13. Does anyone know what we might expect from Google OS as a platform for high quality audio and video? It's just a Linux (I think), so it ought to be good from launch.
  14. My question too - does any Nettop or small form factor PC stand out against the crowd for audio use? I currently stream with Squeezebox Classic and always control it from the laptop which is always close by. I could remote desktop into a small computer strapped to the back of the telly and do everything I do now, and more.
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