Best way to host+play offline FLAC to hifi (without PC)

ik9000

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Hi, a friend suggested I post this on here. TLDR how do I best access locally stored FLAC files for hifi playback?

I have a large collection of FLAC files from my digitised music collection. I would like to be able to play it via my existing hifi, and if not too big a leap, ideally access the files for playback from hifi in different rooms. If possible I would like to do this independent of using a PC. If unavoidable I could tolerate using a phone for navigation, but not storage or DAC work.

I have 3 main rooms, (office, lounge, dining room).
  • My existing hifi in the office is old (JVC D7T from mid 90s), but has spare RCA inputs that can be used to feed it.
  • For the downstairs rooms (2 hifi still to buy to cover DAB, CD and offline (me) or spotify streaming (wife) ) we ideally want something compact to fit on the shelves. We were thinking along the lines of the Denon DM41DAB units and using their RCA inputs for whatever gizmo needs to go into them to receive and navigate the files (and wife using BT for spotify via her phone). OR something of similar size that has the necessary tech built in. (presumably some kind of DAC with ability to navigate files, playlists etc)
  • If simpler/cheaper than trying to run everything from one source I suppose I could just buy 3 large volume SSD and do something local in each room (also gives some redundancy against a drive failure i guess). Downside is I'm not sure what kit would be happy acting as a DAC and navigating such a large collection.
How could/should I approach this? The only thing I've found that would seem to handle upnp USB storage without limiting it to 32GB FAT16/32 and let you navigate it is CXN (V2) Series 1 which is fine for one room, but then completely sinks the budget if I'd need one each in multiple rooms.

The panasonic SC-PMX802 seems to offer wifi and management via chromecast, even RJ45 connectivity. It presumably could allow playback via wifi but it can't be used as the source DAC as its USB is limited to 32GB FAT16/32 and I'll be nearer 1-1.5TB (with more to follow as the store grows).

Hopefully I've missed a trick and am over-complicating this. Any help gratefully received.

Budget is modest, not able to throw thousands and thousands at this, but equally don't want to hamstring myself by trying to guess a spend limit up-front if a decent investment cracks the problem.
 
Have a look at a teufal connector x3
 
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I accept it's not necessarily for everyone but running the excellent Logitech Media Server on a raspberry Pi would be an excellent solution IMO.

I'd use PiCorePlayer on a Pi to run the server, you could also attach a USB HD or SSD for storage of your files.

The same Pi could also be one of your playback devices, either with a USB DAC, a specific Pi DAC board or a digital output board, I have a Pi as a dedicated server and a second one as a player.

If you wanted a standalone playback device you can even add a a small touchscreen.

LMS is still being maintained and improved as a community effort despite Logitech discontinuing the Squeezebox devices it was originally for.

There are plugins available in the LMS settings that can integrate other devices using Chromecast, Airplay or UPNP/DLNA and make them appear as extra players within LMS. I personally use the Chromecast plugin with 4 chromecast audios and several Google home speakers and theres also software players available for just about any device you can think of that allow them to be used as extra players.

Control of any of your playback devices can be on a phone with an app or web interface, a web browser on pretty much anything, the GUI on a screen attached to a Pi can be set to control any player in your system, not just playback on that specific Pi.
 
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Do you have a TV that reads FLAC flies where you could hook a USB external Hard Disk Drive. This would give you a simple route of access to all the songs then use a simple DAC like the Fisual DAC to output them to the Hi-Fi via the TV's optical output and then on through the DAC where it's converted to RCA's enabling you to hook it up to your JVC!
 
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I have all my files on an old QNAP NAS and play them to anywhere in the house using Roon which I can run on the NAS or in my case I run it on a little intel NUC which runs Roon's own linux based appliance OS.
 
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Another option is squeezeboxes in each room with lms installed on a Nas or computer.
 
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What about a Tibo streamer?


You would need a NAS drive connected to your network with your music on it to be able to use it but it has an app that you can use to control it and access/stream music from the NAS

You could also add these to other rooms...


I have no experience of any of these so you need to do due dilligence to satisfy yourself they're suitable.
 
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Have a look at a teufal connector x3

Not shipping to the UK apparently.....
Looks interesting though!
yeah weird, it's the sort of thing you used to get when brexit first happened, but they're still saying the same "can't work out how to ship to UK" stuff. I guess they sell enough on the continent to not worry about here.
 
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I accept it's not necessarily for everyone but running the excellent Logitech Media Server on a raspberry Pi would be an excellent solution IMO.

I'd use PiCorePlayer on a Pi to run the server, you could also attach a USB HD or SSD for storage of your files.

The same Pi could also be one of your playback devices, either with a USB DAC, a specific Pi DAC board or a digital output board, I have a Pi as a dedicated server and a second one as a player.

If you wanted a standalone playback device you can even add a a small touchscreen.

LMS is still being maintained and improved as a community effort despite Logitech discontinuing the Squeezebox devices it was originally for.

There are plugins available in the LMS settings that can integrate other devices using Chromecast, Airplay or UPNP/DLNA and make them appear as extra players within LMS. I personally use the Chromecast plugin with 4 chromecast audios and several Google home speakers and theres also software players available for just about any device you can think of that allow them to be used as extra players.

Control of any of your playback devices can be on a phone with an app or web interface, a web browser on pretty much anything, the GUI on a screen attached to a Pi can be set to control any player in your system, not just playback on that specific Pi.
Interesting, and the geek in me would love to tinker but we have a baby due imminently so kind of need something I can just plug in and go. Plus the wife looked at that fat picore chassis and vetoed it on appearance. I probably will still tinker at some point, but maybe not for now
 
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the wife looked at that fat picore chassis and vetoed it on appearance.
Would not that potentially include any device with an internal storage drive, never mind your original thought of using one or more external storage drives as appendages to the device(s) containing the DAC?

Interesting, and the geek in me would love to tinker but we have a baby due imminently so kind of need something I can just plug in and go.
Here are some equivalent purpose built Logitech Media Server supporting storage & (Squeezelite based - the streamer application used by piCorePlayer) Squeezebox type streamer devices:
Audiostore Mite
Audiostore Elf
DAC32 WiFi Streamer
 
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