restorer-john
Grand Contributor
I have two stinkpads from that era. Lovely machines, beautifully built and, although I don't use them anymore, I'll never get rid of them.
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Using Cheap Laptop as Music Server
- Thread starter audioJon
- Start date
I have two stinkpads from that era. Lovely machines, beautifully built and, although I don't use them anymore, I'll never get rid of them.
Should work fine. You can find desktop apps for Netflix, Kodi, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Spotify. Most I3 machines are fairly quiet. You can connect it to your TV via HDMI, and your DAC via usb. JRiver is cheap ($65) and will do just about everything. A Logitech remote dongle keyboard can control everything, so you can just put it in your rack, slide the door shut so you won't hear it and have it do everything.
It's what I've done for the past six years. You can go real cheap. Look in pawnshops, you might find something l.t. $150. The logitech keyboard is $20 at Walmart. No need to overthink it. No need at all.
It's what I've done for the past six years. You can go real cheap. Look in pawnshops, you might find something l.t. $150. The logitech keyboard is $20 at Walmart. No need to overthink it. No need at all.
nickmas0n29
Member
I have couple of HP thin-clients. One has 2GB RAM and 16GB SSD, running the Daphile, other has 8GB RAM and 256 SSD running the Volumio. Another one has Euphony.
Both Daphile and Volumio work perfect, Euphony was slow in the beginning and didn't spend more time with it and turned it off.
I can't say more about it but the others are working perfectly and free.
I attached a USB HDD with my flacs and I have Qnap NAS at the same time in the same network sharing more audio files.
Both can find and play the music from Qnap NAS.
Once you setup, you wont need keyboard, mouse and monitor attached. Complete control is web based.
They are of course connected to a DAC with a USB cable.
Both Daphile and Volumio work perfect, Euphony was slow in the beginning and didn't spend more time with it and turned it off.
I can't say more about it but the others are working perfectly and free.
I attached a USB HDD with my flacs and I have Qnap NAS at the same time in the same network sharing more audio files.
Both can find and play the music from Qnap NAS.
Once you setup, you wont need keyboard, mouse and monitor attached. Complete control is web based.
They are of course connected to a DAC with a USB cable.
G.R.Waters
Member
I bought two fanless minipc as in pic for 65 EUR each, used them happily with Daphile as multiroom players for half a year, then tried Roon and set them as squeezebox endpoints feeding dacs via USB, served by Roon Rock on a more powerful NUC caring for convolution for REW filters. The only issue ever experienced was the loss of 24-192 FLAC stream in wifi. Never had otherwise issues with ethernet cable or with wifi while streaming up to 24_96.
I still wonder if it was a pricing mistake...
Probably the best value for money purchase in my relatively short audiophile history. I just regret not to have bought all 4 available at the time, as they never got back at that price (which included a W10 licence...).
I still wonder if it was a pricing mistake...
Probably the best value for money purchase in my relatively short audiophile history. I just regret not to have bought all 4 available at the time, as they never got back at that price (which included a W10 licence...).
Attachments
Hi, the only equipment I own are a 4500DKR HP Laptop & Bluetooth/Wired around ear headphones(JBL CLUB ONE)+a HDD Seagate External Drive(4TB)+HDD Seagate External Drive(1TB).
My Drives are filled with Audio Files(about 168.000).
Formats: FLAC+ALAC+APE & WavPack, 16-24bit 44.1-192kHz.
Streaming services: Tidal Hi-Fi Plus+Qobuz Studio+Apple Music & Spotify Premium.
Audio Players/Streamers: Audirvana Studio+Roon+JRMC+Foobar2000+AIMP+MusicBee & Strawberry Music Player.
Video Players: VLC & PotPlayer.
Perhaps I am not an Audiophile, but crazy about Audio & Video YES!
My Drives are filled with Audio Files(about 168.000).
Formats: FLAC+ALAC+APE & WavPack, 16-24bit 44.1-192kHz.
Streaming services: Tidal Hi-Fi Plus+Qobuz Studio+Apple Music & Spotify Premium.
Audio Players/Streamers: Audirvana Studio+Roon+JRMC+Foobar2000+AIMP+MusicBee & Strawberry Music Player.
Video Players: VLC & PotPlayer.
Perhaps I am not an Audiophile, but crazy about Audio & Video YES!
