@usery> What DAC/s are they?
Here are the DAC’s I’m using. I have a different one in each room:
I can imagine that the HiFi Berry DAC+ Pro might rival the Focusrite Scarlet 2i2. But I would be surprised if it is anywhere near the Onkyo or Oppo devices. (Of course, those devices are much, much more expensive as you and others pointed out.)
Another drawback of my system (compared to the RPi and HiFi Berry DAC) other than cost is size. I did not have to buy hardly anything in order to implement this system because I had the laptops, DAC’s, amps and other equipment. I had enough to do multiple rooms. So cost was not a factor for me. But all these pieces of equipment are fairly large. I am interested in compact components that do not represent a compromise in sound quality.
I’m still looking for the ideal compact DAC and amp for some of my rooms. But I think I will continue to use laptops instead of the RPi. It is possible to buy very good used laptops on ebay for very little money, and these laptops offer much greater performance and, I think, a much better value.
Laptops are also very practical in that it is nice to have a screen and input method (touch screen or keyboard) in each room so anyone can easily change songs, playlists, etc., from any room. I guess most people today do that via a tablet or phone, but I could list dozens of ways in which having that laptop there in the room is much more convenient and flexible -- at least for me. While I could add my phone as one more remote control for this system, I have not found a need, and I see several reasons why I do not want to do that.
The laptops connected to DACs in each room are generally some I had originally purchased used on ebay.
However, I have a really awesome laptop that weighs about the same as an iPad Pro + keyboard or a Surface, but it is a regular laptop. It has an amazing screen and keyboard and I love using it instead of less capable devices. I can do anything on it, and being able to control my music with it is just an added bonus. If I did not have this laptop, I might use a phone or tablet.
I had people at my house this evening showing them the music setup. They were "amused" that I could be so excited about a text-interface music player running over an ssh connection. They called me "geeky" and I took it as a compliment. But I am still amazed that the "best" solution ended up being so simple. The cmus music player is pretty awesome. It reminds me that GUI’s are not always the ultimate way to interact with a computer.
Here are the DAC’s I’m using. I have a different one in each room:
- Onkyo P-3000R (preamp + DAC)
- Oppo UDP-205 (preamp + DAC)
- Yamaha AS-801 (amp + DAC)
- Focusrite Scarlet 6i6
- Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6
- Focusrite Scarlet 2i2
I can imagine that the HiFi Berry DAC+ Pro might rival the Focusrite Scarlet 2i2. But I would be surprised if it is anywhere near the Onkyo or Oppo devices. (Of course, those devices are much, much more expensive as you and others pointed out.)
Another drawback of my system (compared to the RPi and HiFi Berry DAC) other than cost is size. I did not have to buy hardly anything in order to implement this system because I had the laptops, DAC’s, amps and other equipment. I had enough to do multiple rooms. So cost was not a factor for me. But all these pieces of equipment are fairly large. I am interested in compact components that do not represent a compromise in sound quality.
I’m still looking for the ideal compact DAC and amp for some of my rooms. But I think I will continue to use laptops instead of the RPi. It is possible to buy very good used laptops on ebay for very little money, and these laptops offer much greater performance and, I think, a much better value.
Laptops are also very practical in that it is nice to have a screen and input method (touch screen or keyboard) in each room so anyone can easily change songs, playlists, etc., from any room. I guess most people today do that via a tablet or phone, but I could list dozens of ways in which having that laptop there in the room is much more convenient and flexible -- at least for me. While I could add my phone as one more remote control for this system, I have not found a need, and I see several reasons why I do not want to do that.
The laptops connected to DACs in each room are generally some I had originally purchased used on ebay.
However, I have a really awesome laptop that weighs about the same as an iPad Pro + keyboard or a Surface, but it is a regular laptop. It has an amazing screen and keyboard and I love using it instead of less capable devices. I can do anything on it, and being able to control my music with it is just an added bonus. If I did not have this laptop, I might use a phone or tablet.
I had people at my house this evening showing them the music setup. They were "amused" that I could be so excited about a text-interface music player running over an ssh connection. They called me "geeky" and I took it as a compliment. But I am still amazed that the "best" solution ended up being so simple. The cmus music player is pretty awesome. It reminds me that GUI’s are not always the ultimate way to interact with a computer.