Raspberry pi

I find this tempting!

http://parttimeaudiophile.com/...2-as-music-streamer/

M

The Pi is certainly is highly versatile and cost-effective beast  I've added a HiFiBerry Digi+ board to mine - this adds coax and optical outputs and it works very well.  

I'm currently using Max2Play with SqueezePlug & LMS (single image download available) to stream Qobuz and internet radio (Squeezepad on my iPad to control) and the sound is pretty good. Though it doesnt offer the same sound quality as an NDX, for example, it only costs 1/70th the price - shocking when you look at it like that really  . I am only using cheap coax and the standard power supply and assume the sound could be improved further.

Google is your friend......

in the main I was using a synology NAS with its own media server.

However, just to try it I bought a pi and have it hooked up to a 2tb portable external drive and use Minimserver / Minim-streamer mainly so I could use Minimstreamer to access the BBC HLS streams and other hi-res radio stations which i cant otherwise access via my Moon MiND. Took me around 3 hours from the courier delivering it to having it up and running with no previous Linux experience. There are a load of helpful guides if you search for them on Google.

Download Raspbian onto a SD card

Install Raspbian onto Pi and set it up - didnt even need a monitor / keyboard as did it headless using PuTTy

Mount Hdd and set up to automount for future reboots

install minim server / streamer using v helpful guides on minim websites

install avconv in order to get minimstreamer to transcode

there were a couple of curveballs (eg despite giving it a static IP address the Pi was also picking up  a second IP address under DHCP and had to make a file change to up the power directed to the Pi's usb ports to run the HDD) but got quick and useful help from the Pi forums

Others have commented on different NASes having different sounds and I seem to prefer the Pi to the Synology but it may all be in the mind. 

Hi Paul,

What are your thoughts on the Moon Mind?

How does the quality compare with the Raspberry Pi - was the the '2' with the RJ45?

Do you use Bel Canto? I ask as I read a comment on another forum where the chap was using his VB to power the Mind.

Thanks,

M

fantastic sounding kit - mine is inbuilt into a 380D DAC so not using separate external power source. It has taken a while to get a decent app from Simaudio (iOS only at present though Android supposedly coming) but we seem to have got there now. I think this was outsourced by them to start with and to be completely honest it was cr@p. It seems to have been taken in house and is now pretty good. 

the pi is a pi2 and all is networked together with ethernet. The vtuner application through the MiND doesnt pick up the UK BBC streams or the higher bit streams of eg Radio Paradise. Using the Pi2 and minimstreamer i can now get these streamed through the MiND.

The minimserver software through the Pi2 seems more responsive than the synology media server - eg artwork loads a lot quicker

Thanks Paul.

I am keeping an eye on the market for when my NS01 gives up .....hopefully not for a few years.

The issues with the Mind and supporting apps is also true for Aurelic. The one HiFi company who seem to be fast on the uptake appear to be Linn.

I may well have a play with the Raspberry Pi 2.

M

Evening all

Up until now I have been a bit of a lurker as I have been quite happy with my Naim Muso as it is. My current set up is Netgear Stora connected via Ethernet to my BT Home Hub 5 and then Ethernet to my Muso. I use the Naim app on my various Apple devices and it works seamlessly with WAV and AAC. My Stora has done me proud but it is getting very tired and I am conscious that it won't last forever. Up until I read about Raspberry Pi on this forum I hadn't heard of it. It seems a great bit of kit and I wondered if anyone could suggest the simplest way of using it with a new hard drive to replace the Stora and connecting to the Muso using the Naim app to control things. Is this possible or would I be better going for another NAS and following the same route I already have. The Raspberry Pi options does seem to save a chunk of money better spent on music which is why I am contemplating it. I have about 1tb of WAV with a bit of high res thrown in. Sorry to hijack the thread but I thought it more appropriate than starting another. Any advice is welcomed. Cheers!

I bought a Pi out of interest & it's an amazing device for the money. It took me a while to understand it & you've got to be a bit of a computer geek to get to grips with it but there's loads of help out there in the various forums. I wanted it primarily for streaming movies & I used it with PLEX with success, but I couldn't get it to work with my DAC at home; the Chord I've got requires special drivers which I can't install on the Pi.

Good fun to fiddle with though, just make sure you use a decent power supply with it.

I have been a fan of the Pi since it first appeared.. Yes you need to a bit of patience to read up on how to set it up if your are new to real computers.. but there is oodles of newbie info on the web and it really has not been ever easier than now, although I won't say it's child play.

i use both the Pi and the newer faster Pi2. I run both Asset on the Pi and MinimServer on the Pi2.

MinimServer on the Pi2 is very responsive and rapidly navigates my circa 1300 alum database via the Naim app on my iPad. I use seperate Netgear NASs on the network, and I network mount the NAS's (just like a NAS is supposed to be used) from my Pi so I can stream my music. I agree the Pi does sound good with Naim, no doubt down to network TCP parameters etc.

Once setup you can forget about.. It just works hidden away somewhere in a box no larger than a box of kitchen matches.

Simon