Quest for Home MP3 Player

[Vbrook]

Ideal: An "MP3" player, capable of playing FLAC and WAV, with a 250GB capacity, good converters and connectors, and that can be plugged into my home stereo (amp/receiver). It will never leave the living room.

The only such product available on the market is a Yamaha (I believe) that costs US$5000. It has a small internal storage but can act as USB host and can therefore accept an external hard drive.

Portable MP3 players are out. Capacity is problem number one. FLAC is a problem. Quality is another problem.

An XBOX or Playstation 3 might be an option, but I don't have a TV in my living room. Plus, it's way too complicated. Imagine putting a cassette in to a player and hitting play. I want it to be that simple.

Sonos is pricey and not quite what I'm looking for. They seem to be aiming for "whole house audio" and/or background music at a barbeque ('stream your music outside'). Squeezebox needs a computer to run on and is far too complex for my needs.

I might be best off with one of those cheap ASUS laptops, Foobar2000, an external hard drive, and an external Soundblaster-type audio card. But that is a very un-elegant solution.

How hard is it to make a simple device such as what I am envisioning? Surely there must be a market for it. And it shouldn't cost that much to make.

$80 - Cheapy, portable DVD player (for screen and buttons)
$50 - Improved connectors and converters
$10 - FLAC-capable firmware
$150 - Good hard drive

Total: $290


If only I could buy these things, program firmware, and solder the components! I'll pay $100 for someone to do that.

Grand total: $390

[3red]

there are a few usb enclosures with players
http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/SearchDetail.asp?productID=12315
http://www.starsurplus.com/viewitem.lasso?i=PM3582

[Vbrook]

Thanks. They are well-priced devices, but have you used them? I'm skeptical of the quality. Also, I'd need a screen, and it's hard to tell whether the interface software is any good. Finally, they don't seem to have FLAC support.

What I may do at this point is simply get a small laptop, load music into the internal hard drive, and get an external soundcard to hook up to my stereo. I don't think there's much other option.

Creative actually makes a wireless USB soundcard--one module connects to the laptop, the other to an amp. I could put the laptop and soundcard together in a small serving tray and browse and play music easily from my coffee table. I'll lose some quality on the wireless transmission, but not a lot, from what I've read. And, I think I can run the soundcard wired as well for closer listening. Or, I can get only a wired soundcard and skip the wireless Creative model.

Still, if only they would make a Zune or such a thing a bit bigger in order to accommodate a larger hard drive. The laptop solution isn't ideal. I guess it's OK for a while.

Devices seem to be slowly coming out on the market, of the type I want, but they are absurdly overpriced and designed more for "home automation" than as a stereo system component.

I'm starting to think that living room stereo systems are a niche market for older people. The biggest "market segment" is music 'on the go' or sound with a 'home theatre.'

I have a nice living room, a big shelf of books, and a lot of music. I think market research would show that most people apparently like me are not technologically savvy ---so, manufacturers/marketers don't bother with my "demographic", of which I've never really been a part anyway. :-)

[bdegrande]

Laptop. Even if you needed to add an external hard drive to a basic laptop, they are dirt cheap, I just bought a 750GB drive for $120.

[space gargler]

Laptop. Even if you needed to add an external hard drive to a basic laptop, they are dirt cheap, I just bought a 750GB drive for $120.

laptop sound cards suxs. make a htpc http://www.product-reviews.net/wp-content/userimages/2007/10/thermaltake-dh-102-htpc-with-seven-inch-touchscreen.jpg

[Vbrook]

Yeah, the more I think about it, a small, cheap laptop with a big hard drive is far more versatile as a living room mp3/flac player than a giant Ipod would be. Navigating large collections would be much easier, I'd have far more options in terms of settings, connections, et cetera.

If done well, it's also an attractive solution. I can put it on top of my audio cabinet, and opening the lid and putting on music would not be much different than opening the lid of a record player.

I plan to use an external sound card. I know a lot when it comes to interfaces for making music, but with consumer playback cards, I'll have to experiment to see what works well. I just bought an Xmod Wireless to try out (haven't received it yet via mail). It connects via USB to the laptop, then via RCA connectors to my amp. The "wireless" is an option where it transmits wirelessly on a 2.4ghz frequency. I'm interested in what the sound quality will be, and whether interference will be a problem. If it works and sounds OK, what a fantastic option! I can put the laptop on the coffee table when I'm listening to music (or even on the dining table in the next room, if I'm working/easting) and scroll through whatever I want.

I have acceptable stereo equipment. It's not high end, it's mid-end: a Yamaha amp, good quality speakers. I'm curious to find out how much of an effect my encoding choices and the wireless sound card will have.

---I'll lose some fidelity overall if I use the soundcard wirelessly, but will I hear much of a difference?

---On my stereo, will I hear much difference between an MP3 at 192 kb/s versus a FLAC file?

We shall see.

I think an HTPC is overkill. I don't have or want a home theatre. Plus, the built-in screen is too tiny.

[3red]

I think an HTPC is overkill. I don't have or want a home theatre. Plus, the built-in screen is too tiny.

those are just for status display; you're meant to control them from another computer over the network or have it hooked up to a tv

[Vbrook]

I thought that, as well. But I'm sitting in a living room, just me listening to music or with a book. I'm not throwing parties, having home automation control music in multiple rooms.

Why get an HTPC and a second computer to control it over a network when I can have one laptop controlling it all? That's why I think an HTPC is overkill. Same for Squeezebox. I don't need a network remote control for my music, when all I have to do is turn around on my sofa and select the next piece to play.

Also, the TV, by design, is far, far away in another room. :-)

those are just for status display; you're meant to control them from another computer over the network or have it hooked up to a tv

[planteater]

Roku soundbridge plus an NSLU2 plus external USB disk.

OK, you have to be a hardcore geek to set this up but it is a fantastic audio streaming system that draws about the same power as a single light bulb.

Somebody should package this and sell it as an "out of the box" system

[Vbrook]

I've heard good things about the Roku.

How is easy/difficult is it to browse files via its display?



Roku soundbridge plus an NSLU2 plus external USB disk.

OK, you have to be a hardcore geek to set this up but it is a fantastic audio streaming system that draws about the same power as a single light bulb.

Somebody should package this and sell it as an "out of the box" system

[planteater]

I've heard good things about the Roku.

How is easy/difficult is it to browse files via its display?

Not bad if you buy the older, more expensive model with the large VFD display and the brushed aluminum case. There is a newer, cheaper model that has a tiny, low contrast LCD and a plastic case.

At first glance they look pretty similar.

[ask00]

laptop sound cards suxs. make a htpc http://www.product-reviews.net/wp-content/userimages/2007/10/thermaltake-dh-102-htpc-with-seven-inch-touchscreen.jpg

Well this device is really looking nice. Kindly please tell me more about its functions and its price tag.

I would love to have that one if that come under my budget otherwise I will start savings :)

[sandy00]

May be this one some kind of music system. One of my friend is using Bose and that one is also looking like as this one.

But these are quite costly and the music is simply rocking one.

[laurenl]

How much does it costs...looks nice.

[twex]

Yeah I have used Bose product and they are very long lasting one. You just paid for once a little bit more but that product will give you benefit till it last.