Play music from laptop over WiFi to existing audio system: how?
This will probably be gone soon, but it would be something in between a Chromecast and current Auralic streamers: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9483c-auralic-aries-mini-da-converters/ |
@tcatch - That's very interesting. I might buy it. Looking closely at it now. I wish Lightning DS was available for Android. But if I can play music using the music app on my laptop and send it to the Auralic mini, that is what I wanted to do anyway. So, to be sure, I can use my laptop connected to my home network via WiFi and stream music to my DAC through the Auralic mini, right? Also, I read that the retail price is under $500. So why is this used one $550? |
Here's something else I just learned about: https://hifiberry.us/Those are not much more expensive than a Chromecast Audio and much more flexible. I'm not a big Google fan. It's amazing to see the price range of the various solutions. From almost nothing to over $2000. The HiFiBerry and the Auralic Mini both interest me. |
Interesting Auralic Mini review here: https://darko.audio/2016/02/audiophile-grade-streaming-with-the-auralic-aries-mini/ If I was an Apple person, I think the Auralic Mini and the upgraded power supply would be a great choice. But not being able to (not wanting to) use one of its best features, the Lightning DS software, deters me from the Mini just a bit. Also, am I right that that listing is a bit overpriced? The new price for the Mini is $549 with a 1 year Tidal subscription ($240 value). Without Tidal, the Mini is $399 (outside US). The power supply is $299 (I think). Without Tidal, it seems $550 is a bit high for a used one. Or am I wrong? One interesting thing is that this shows the hardware I want can be built and it is in the price range I had in mind. Surely some other companies must build hardware like this too, and I'd like to find some of those offerings. Specifically, a WiFi enabled device that connects via USB to an external DAC. From another review of the Mini: Here’s the big question: does it sound better than my DIY Raspberry PI streamers? Hmm, I’d say they are about the same with the PI being a whole lot cheaper. But if you want a ready-made solution, nothing beats the Aries with its great software ... So that gives me yet more reason to think about the HiFiBerry or even something a couple steps up from that. All these Pi solutions will let me run Linux, which is what I like. If the HiFiBerry sounds about as good as the Auralic Mini like the reviewer says, then it is by far my preferred choice over a Chromecast Audio too. Interesting thread. Thank you all for the ideas. |
