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My system is:
FLAC files on NAS, ethernet to
Laptop running J River Media Centre, output via UB to
External DAC, RCA to
Amp.Laptop has died. I was just going to go on eBay and get another cheap 2nd hand laptop with SSD hard drive.
Is there any benefit to looking at a micro PC instead?
ChasnotRobert-
Is there any reason the laptop in this sitch couldn't be replaced with a headless raspberry pi controlled by ssh/etc?
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Mainly reliability - laptops have poorer heat management IME so fail more frequently. Also with a micro pc you can just replace the motherboard and it’ll gorilla tape to the back of your tv. OTOH you’ll need a tv :)
kkg337
freddo
Pretty sure we’ve done this to death (repeatedly!) earlier in this thread. I have plex and Spotify premium so use chromecasts across most of my rooms. Tried the chromecast for main hifi but settled with a Mac Mini running plex (and Spotify) with an off-board DAC connected by usb to reduce jitter. Optical out from that to my hifi DAC for optimum quality. This means I can cast plex or Spotify (or anything that also has a Mac/pc client app) to the Mac mini.
I also have an audioengine b1 for Bluetooth on the main hifi but it’s only really for guests. in general your DAC is almost always the bottleneck (the one in the chromecast is shit, the one in the b1 is a bit better), though I agree with everyone else. adding codecs as another constraint isn’t going to help you get a good result.
If you don’t have a DAC on the hifi just save a bunch of effort and buy a micro pc of some sort and a Topping D50