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I want to use my PC via wireless connection to my A/V room for audio playback to my external DAC(Coax/USB). Perhaps HTPC, in the future.
Also, I'd like to have a touchscreen as there's no place for a keyboard/mouse/monitor.
I currently use EAC and have a couple of large HDD (P4/2.6G).
All suggestions welcome.
Follow Ups:
First off we need a little clarification on what you want to do. Is the PC with the audio files in a different room from the audio playback? Since you mention wireless this sounds like the case. If so it sounds like you want something in the playback room the extracts the files from the PC, and converts that to something that can connect to your DAC. In addition you want something that is in the playback room to control the system.Is this a correct summation of what you want to do?
If yes the easiest way to do this is a squeezebox, it can access the files from remote server and send the data to the external DAC. It has a display and remote that you can use to control it. In addition it can be controlled from pretty much any type of computer, including PDAs and cellphones!
You can build or buy a very quiet (or even fanless) PC that you put in the playback room and hookup and wifi connection to it so it can see the filesystems on the server PC and run whatever music server software you want, that small PC can have a small touchscreen display that you use to control things, it can feed USB to to your DAC. You might want an optical USB cable if its more than 15 feet away from the DAC.
There are other ways to do this, but those are what come to mind as the main ways to go.
I personally have done both, although I'm running linux on both the server and the small fanless computer by the listening chair. Currently I'm running a modified squeezebox to my own DAC.
First off we need a little clarification on what you want to do. Is the PC with the audio files in a different room from the audio playback? Since you mention wireless this sounds like the case. If so it sounds like you want something in the playback room the extracts the files from the PC, and converts that to something that can connect to your DAC. In addition you want something that is in the playback room to control the system.Is this a correct summation of what you want to do?
Yes, that's correct.
I'd like to take the fanless PC route, as you've explained.
What options for the fanless (quiet) PC might you suggest. I've always built my own PC's, so that's not an issue.
Also, some suggestions on the software/hardware as well, so I can start the information/research process.
I'll be seated around that 15' mark away from the rack.
Thanks for your help
Mitch
logic supply is where I got my system. I bought the parts from them and assembled it myself, but I wish I had let them do it, this was a very small system and it was a real pain in the neck getting all the cables routed properly to close the case!I have a 600MHz EPIA minit-itx board in a casetronix C134 case, 256 meg memory, 30gig HD and slimline CD drive. I'm running linux on it so those specs are perfectly capable of handling the task. It hardly ever gets over 5% cpu utilization when playing music.
I you want to put windows on it you'll probably want something a little more gutsy. Their current crop of casses have a heat pipe assembly that replaces the heatsink on EPIA motherboards which transfers the heat to heatsinks built into the case. These say they can go up to 1.5GHz boards. These are still quite small.
You can get 7 or 8 inch VGA displays with touchscreen from them which are great for running such a system (but NOT cheap).
John S.
Will a Mac mini work for the playback end?
Is there a preferred software for the server? Lastly, what's a reasonable modem (make and or model)to use?
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