I have received and finally set up my new 'HiFi' system, the ASRock ION 3D Blu-Ray version.
It replaces an old P4 tower/desktop and an OPPO 981 DVD player for all round disc playing duties, with the exception of SACD (which I can frankly no longer be bothered with).
Its diminutive size means that I have freed up a large amount of rack/shelf real estate and also in the process, removed another 'box'. In addition to freeing up space, its low power consumption means that I'll be saving money on energy too and the box is extremely quiet.
The Pc comes without operating system and is therefore unencumbered by bloatware, so should help in keeping everything to a minimum. This also keeps the price down by avoiding the Windows 'Tax'.
I decided to use Ubuntu, as I am familiar with this OS and find it to be very effective, fast and more importantly, free!
So, Ubuntu 11.04 'Natty Narwhal' installed clean onto the HDD, followed by the recent version of XBMC.
For ripping and tagging, I use Asunder and Puddletag respectively.
The remote that comes with the Pc needs to be reconfigured in the OS files, but this is a fairly easy job, once you know where to look.
Remote Apps for XBMC are available for iPod/Pad and Android devices and you can also configure remote desktop access to allow use without the TV being on.
Now it's all set up and XBMC is tweaked to my liking (for now) I can sit back and browse the contents of my NAS from the comfort of my sofa.
I have my UA25 hooked up to the Pc via optical in addition to the USB, with the NAS connected via ethernet,
music streaming is so far unaffected by drop outs and browsing is fast.
I won't talk about sound quality, as I don't personally believe that the Pc used in this way can have any noticeable impact, but suffice to say, the whole package works very well for me.
Pros:
Quiet, energy efficient, one box does all, cheap(ish), small footprint. Optical and HDMI audio out. Remote controllable
Cons:
HDD could be bigger, particularly for large music collections. I haven't yet found much to complain about.
The specs are here.....
http://www.asrock.com/nettop/overview.a … D%20Series
Some pics............
It replaces an old P4 tower/desktop and an OPPO 981 DVD player for all round disc playing duties, with the exception of SACD (which I can frankly no longer be bothered with).
Its diminutive size means that I have freed up a large amount of rack/shelf real estate and also in the process, removed another 'box'. In addition to freeing up space, its low power consumption means that I'll be saving money on energy too and the box is extremely quiet.
The Pc comes without operating system and is therefore unencumbered by bloatware, so should help in keeping everything to a minimum. This also keeps the price down by avoiding the Windows 'Tax'.
I decided to use Ubuntu, as I am familiar with this OS and find it to be very effective, fast and more importantly, free!

So, Ubuntu 11.04 'Natty Narwhal' installed clean onto the HDD, followed by the recent version of XBMC.
For ripping and tagging, I use Asunder and Puddletag respectively.
The remote that comes with the Pc needs to be reconfigured in the OS files, but this is a fairly easy job, once you know where to look.
Remote Apps for XBMC are available for iPod/Pad and Android devices and you can also configure remote desktop access to allow use without the TV being on.
Now it's all set up and XBMC is tweaked to my liking (for now) I can sit back and browse the contents of my NAS from the comfort of my sofa.
I have my UA25 hooked up to the Pc via optical in addition to the USB, with the NAS connected via ethernet,
music streaming is so far unaffected by drop outs and browsing is fast.
I won't talk about sound quality, as I don't personally believe that the Pc used in this way can have any noticeable impact, but suffice to say, the whole package works very well for me.
Pros:
Quiet, energy efficient, one box does all, cheap(ish), small footprint. Optical and HDMI audio out. Remote controllable
Cons:
HDD could be bigger, particularly for large music collections. I haven't yet found much to complain about.
The specs are here.....
http://www.asrock.com/nettop/overview.a … D%20Series
Some pics............

