Audiophile equipment vs Computer equipment

[Waxx]

The only thing that today can be obsolete fast is the digital part. Modern amps are on a level that improvements don't matter anymore in reality, speakers are more or less mature tech. And my turntable is from 1976... But even amps from the 60's are sometimes on a level that they are not obsolete. They may not be top of the line but are still very useable.

But the digital side (dsp, digital media players) is still evolving, and relying on computer systems (for OS and hardware). Even a standalone MiniDSP or similar device largely depends on an external computer to do the configuration, without it you can use the existing one, but not reconfigure it. As long as there are updates to work with modern OS's it can be used.

And mediaplayers change all the time in the last two decades. That's why i don't use hardware, or very cheap one (like my Hama DIT streamer/DAB Tuner) with digital out. My local media player is a computer with JRiver on it, and the machine needs to be replaced regulary (each 6 years at least), and JRiver versions are renewed eacch year (altough i tend to skip a few versions as updates are paid) each time.

 

[kemmler3D]

But the digital side (dsp, digital media players) is still evolving, and relying on computer systems (for OS and hardware). Even a standalone MiniDSP or similar device largely depends on an external computer to do the configuration, without it you can use the existing one, but not reconfigure it. As long as there are updates to work with modern OS's it can be used.

I agree with the point that you need to be sure about compatibility, apps, and so forth.

But it's worth mentioning that "modern" DSP requires a fraction of a fraction of what today's PCs and smartphones are capable of. You could run DSP for a high-end home theater on pretty much any mainstream smartphone.

Even very, very cheap bluetooth / digital audio modules that go into cheap-o BT headphones have 7-20 bands of PEQ built in these days.

What you really have to worry about is losing access to your DSP because of app / OS changes, but almost nothing digital is going obsolete in terms of computing power.

 

[Palladium]

Computers and audio gear are beginning to merge in some cases. Look at WiiM, Bluesound and recent streamer platforms and including a fair amount of the miniDSP kit - without software/firmware updates they can lose functionality pretty quickly just like computers.

The younger generation doesn't even know how to navigate a basic filesystem...

 

[Chr1]

I am hoping that I will still be using several of my fanless MiniPCs years from now. Mainly as I will only be using them as endpoints running Windows 10, Foobar2000 and MathAudio RoomEQ.
Don't see any reason why this should be a problem as long as they are not connected to the outside world...

 

[Waxx]

I am hoping that I will still be using several of my fanless MiniPCs years from now. Mainly as I will only be using them as endpoints running Windows 10, Foobar2000 and MathAudio RoomEQ.
Don't see any reason why this should be a problem as long as they are not connected to the outside world...

The problem is, my music system use a NAS that is connected to different computer over my private home network. That same network is also online (as i need internet) and none of the computers but the small nuc in my living room are dedicated to music. Most is multifunctional and need internet for other applications.

But i'm an IT guy and easely get +5 years out of a computer by finetuning it. My NUC is from 2016 and will be replaced next winter (issues with cooling), my actual laptop (Lenovo T14) is fairly new (2 years), but it's precestor (Lenovo T530 is still in use on linux and is used as mediaplayer in my bedroom (movies/music). The only issue it has is the battery, but when used on AC, it's still perfectly ok for a 10 years old and very intense used laptop. But i buy Thinkpads, that are expensive, but known to be build like an oldskool volvo... They just don't break. My 16 years old T510 is also still in use by a friend for bitcoin mining with a linux OS... Very often actual Linux versions still run on older systems, as they are much lighter in resources use and still support old processors. So you can use those to keep old computers up and running when their windows OS became obsolete, and you still need network connectivity.

 

[Chr1]

Same here: my music and films are in two dedicated twin drive NAS plus a couple of USB SSDs. Not an expert myself but I am assuming that it should be relatively straight forward to set up my LAN so that I have one up to date Windows 11 PC which is used to access the Internet, while the older Windows 10 MiniPC endpoints are kept isolated from it. (Incidentally the only reason I choose to keep the older machines on Windows is for my favourite free software combo : Foobar2000 and MathAudio RoomEQ.)

Back on topic : I see no reason why my MiniPCs shouldn't last as long as any other modern electronics as long as they remain within spec temperature-wise. One of the things that attracted me to them years ago was the fact that they have no moving parts. Something always beneficial to longevity.

 

[Waxx]

Same here: my music and films are in two dedicated twin drive NAS plus a couple of USB SSDs. Not an expert myself but I am assuming that it should be relatively straight forward to set up my LAN so that I have one up to date Windows 11 PC which is used to access the Internet, while the older Windows 10 MiniPC endpoints are kept isolated from it. (Incidentally the only reason I choose to keep the older machines on Windows is for my favourite free software : Foobar2000 and MathAudio RoomEQ.)

Back on topic : I see no reason why my MiniPCs shouldn't last as long as any other modern electronics as long as they remain within spec temperature-wise. One of the things that attracted me to them years ago was the fact that they have no moving parts. Something I always see as beneficial to longevity.

As long as there is a physical connection, there is a way into a system. It's not because you put a firewall between them that the device behind is unreachable for hackers or virusses. So you need to keep your system updated to be secure. Windows 10 is still supported and updated (all my windows machines are still on win10) so secure online.