Question: Best way to get music from my home server to my stereo system?

3 February 2013 | Notary Sojac

[Notary Sojac]

I have over 300 GB of high quality (256 and 320 MP3, and FLAC) digital audio in a hard drive on my home server.

About forty feet away is my living room stereo, an old but quite decent sounding Technics receiver (which far predates the networking era) and floor-standing JBL speakers.

What I would like to figure out is a way to get the latter to pull tunes from the former, via my wireless router.

Is there a device that will read the server contents and feed them to my existing receiver's audio inputs?? What is it?? Or do I need to get a new receiver that will recognize the network, and if so, what sort??

The only "must" feature is that I want to be able to browse the folders and files of my music collection from the living room (receiver) location.

And yes, I have thought of just buying a laptop and sticking it in the living room, but the design of my stereo shelving wouldn't permit that without a major rebuild. Something with front panel display, that would fit in a stereo component sized hole (replacing the CD player it would make redundant) is what I'm really hoping to find.

Thanks as always to the Freeper community for your expertise......

[mmichaels1970]

It does not matter if the Mod works on others. It works on this one GREAT!!!! Like 3 blocks.

That's awesome. Looks like about $50. May have to seriously look at getting one. All I want is 10 feet of clear audio.

Heck, with three blocks, we could act as DJ for the family caravan trip to Myrtle Beach.

[Jayster]

Serious.....do it

$49

You HAVE to do the Mod and add the antennae. Otherwise it only has a range of about 30 feet. With the Mod, all through the house and then some.

[Jayster]

“Heck, with three blocks, we could act as DJ for the family caravan trip to Myrtle Beach.”

Yes you could and also works great at a campsite to stream audio.....All that someone would need would be a FM Radio to pick it up.

[ETL]

If only I could upload photos to FR.....

There's a difference between uploading photos and posting photos. Uploading means you're uploading the actual file onto this site where it would be stored (not allowed). Posting a photo like those you see all the time here, merely links to a photo stored on some other site. To do this, use the little HTML formula posted above. Right click on the photo to copy its (url) location, often ends with jpg. Then paste it into the formula between the quotes.

[martin_fierro]

Yeah man. My tape of choice back in the day.

[MortMan]

Bit by bit seems to work best... ;-P

[MCH]

With the new XBox One out, I'll bet you can come by a prior generation XBox 360 cheap on EBay or somewhere else. They are easy to setup to play digital music from a server running Windows Media Player.

You can use a wired or wireless Ethernet connection to your server, and the audio out from the 360 supports L/R analog or a digital optical interface to your receiver for 5.1. Of course an XBox 360 is also handy for playing slide shows of pictures and other multimedia file types you may have on your server.

[BBB333]

“...•Only Apple’s lossless (non mp3) format supported, so you may need to re-rip some of your CDs in iTunes.”

Whoa, Tex!

Any MP3 or AAC file will play just fine.

I have NO ‘lossless’ encoding - just 128K AAC, 256 AAC and 128 MP3.

Works GREAT.

Best!

[Peet]

http://www.ccrane.com/radios/fm-transmitters/fm-transmitter-2.aspx

I have the “version 1” of this which can be hacked to boost the output. I have no idea if Version 2 can be.

Attached to computer audio output (I tested it) or XM radio I can receive signal anywhere on my little patch of earth. Left stoks with no hack, it’ll do the whole house plus a bit (depending where it is located).

[Peet]

You got that posted WAY before mine. Good job.

[SecondAmendment]

No worries, but I don’t think iTunes supports FLAC, which the poster said he had some files in.

[BBB333]

Gotcha.

I missed that point.

Thanks!

[Mr. K]

I think you lose some frequency response though, dont you?

The direct conection gives awesome sound

I have my computer hooked up directly to my stereo with bose 901 ‘s and the first time it said “your virus database has been updated” it scared the CRAP out of me because I thought someone was standing in my room

[Biblical Calvinist]

I dunno if this may be what you may be looking for, but, the WD TV LIVE MEDIA PLAYER will do exactly what you want to do...(http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=330)

I have my WD TV LIVE MEDIA PLAYER connected WIRELESSLY to my media server (it also works with an external Hard drive too)..the Media Player can play media through the HDMI port on your tv set, but in turn, through the OPTICAL CABLE to the RECEIVER..(if your receiver HAS an OPTICAL cable input jack, that is.) I think that most HD sets also have an RCA OUTPUT jack that can be connected via a cable with RCA plugs to the RCA INPUT jacks on your older receiver as well..

My set up = WD Media Player hooked up via HDMI cable to my Yamaha Surround receiver..all media can be played through the HDMI port either on the tv set, or directly through the receiver... (I’ve got tons of Full HD movies (the WD plays movies in ANY format(Mp4,Avi,MKV,ISO,Mpeg,VOB), music albums (mp3, Flac, Wav)all through the media server..) The WD TV Live Media Player also allows me to watch Netflix in 1080P HD, with 5.1 surround sound, Pandora...radio stations galore,,plus my own media..

It’s just a suggestion, of course, but I think the WD TV LIVE Media Player MAY just be what you are looking for.. :>)

[Organic Panic]

Cheapo laptop and a jack will work. You will also have the benefit of watching online content if your tv has an input for the laptop.

[Cobra64]

If I understand your requirement, I went thought a similar process a few years ago where I streamed music from my desktop computer to two stereo systems in my home (and the systems were synchronized to the source).

The setup I used was offered by Logitech

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71v0UxUTQfL._SL1500_.jpg

but they dropped that solution. The only one left is offered by Sonos.

http://www.sonos.com/shop/products/connect

http://www.sonos.com/support/onlineuserguide/en/SonosUserGuide/ZP90_EN/Adding_to_an_Existing_Sonos_System_-_CONNECT.htm

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_616ZP90/Sonos-CONNECT.html

[logi_cal869]

Not even going to read through 53 comments.

Your query suggests a “wireless need to get PC audio files 40 feet to your receiver inputs”.

That’s a “wireless line-level solution”. Period.

http://www.hometech.com/hts/products/audio/interconnect/line_level/wireless/

[Notary Sojac]

THANKS ALL FOR YOUR HELP!!

Via Freepmail I was referred to the Grace Digital "Mondo 6000" which looks exactly the ticket.

Thanks again!

[Jayster]

I have done both versions 1 and 2.....same Mod

[VAarea]

The Whole House FM transmitter work great. Is stable, good audio quality and range, and has a USB connector for power (no external supply/batteries needed). A switch hidden behind a label in the battery compartment increases output power/ range; it is set to low power as received. Cost is about $150 but worth it for any serious installation.