Squeezebox Touch alternative

[Xanderzdad]

Hi

Does anybody have suggestions for a streamer that would replace my lovely squeezebox touch. I am preferably after something that sounds as full and smooth as my MF A3.2 CD player.
Options seem to be quite limited i.e. the CA CXN or 851N.

The squeezebox is so good I am wary of spending lots to find no real improvement in sound. Using the CD player is no longer an option as most of my music is in the form of lossless rips or via spotify/tidal.

Ideally I would like a one box solution with a good app - i.e. I want a Sonos Connect but with better sound, but a Sonos and DAC seems very expensive.

 

[Xanderzdad]

Bump

 

[marweb]

If you're happy for some straigtforward DIY I'd recommend the IQaudIO PiDAC+. This is an add-on board for the Rasberry Pi and uses the same DAC as the £500 Bluesound Node2. Having listened to both I can say that you can't separate them.

I also have a Squeezebox2 and AudioQuest Dragonfly 1.2 and the PiDAC+ is far more capable than both.

In addition to the Raspberry Pi / PiDAC+ combination you'll also need some software. I'm using Roon, but I also liked the Mopidy music server with its various clients.

 

[Xanderzdad]

Thanks Marweb. I will add that to my project list. Much appreciated.

 

[Gray]

I liked the look of the CXN, but not the £700 price tag. Then there was (still is) the Pioneer N50A, available for half the cost of the CXN.

When someone on the forum said he was using a Raspberry Pi with RuneAudio, I looked into the option. My first reaction was that it might be a faff too far for what could be an inferior alternative.

However, I already had the excellent O-DAC which could be used with the Pi so I gave it a go.

Driven by the RuneAudio app from my laptop or tablet (phone app also available), the whole experience is anything but inferior.

I think marweb's suggestion could be ideal for you, a good DAC chip on a board that is directly connected to the Pi for a neater solution (than an offboard DAC). And you can only be pleasantly surprised by the overall cost.

 

[Xanderzdad]

Cheers Gray

The great thing is that once I've got the Pi and DAC then I can try out all the different Audio UI.

Do you know how easy it would be to get the same Pi to run something like Rune, and also act as a video streamer for downloaded content stored on the same NAS as the audio?

 

[Gray]

Cheers Gray

The great thing is that once I've got the Pi and DAC then I can try out all the different Audio UI.

Do you know how easy it would be to get the same Pi to run something like Rune, and also act as a video streamer for downloaded content stored on the same NAS as the audio?

I think it will be quite easy for you to find something that will stream both video and audio through the Pi. YouTube will help your (necessary) research.

 

[Xanderzdad]

Hi Gray

Sorry I should have been clearer. Is Rune effectively the OS or is it a program residing within on overall OS?

If it is within an OS then I can add any Video streamer I want, but if it is "the OS" then I guess I would need to switch SD cards to switch between functions.

 

[Gray]

RuneAudio is the OS and exclusively for audio.

An OS that also handles video would indeed avoid any need for SD card swapping.

Have a look at this (which I think you'll need to copy and paste, sorry about that) for one OS option:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9vgJ4u4saI

 

[Dave_]

Raspberry Pis are cheap enough that you could dedicate them to a particular use.

Just buy two use one for RuneAudio, and another for Kodi.

I've got about a dozen of them at this point.

 

[Devi1ish]

I have been using a RP3 with an IQAudio Pi-DAC+ for the last 6 months and having been through various OS, I have found settled on Moode Audio (http://moodeaudio.org). Highly competent and often updated with a elegant interface and easy setup.

 

[Xanderzdad]

Cheers Devi!ish

That is the set up I have most likely settled on. The hardware looks really good. Software I will tinker with as I am also looking to stop using my PC for streaming movies and am hoping ti run thme from my NAS via the Pi.

Christmas fun.....