Will this device solve all my hi-rez streaming needs?

I was just ready to start a thread called, "Hi-rez streaming: Where are we now?", when I stumbled across this new WiFi music streamer and was wondering what people thought of it. It does 24/96 and plays FLAC, which is what I have been looking for a long time. I was hoping that a new version of the Apple TV would come out that could play hi-rez flac, but alas, nothing. I have also looked into DIY-ing a WiFi Raspberry-Pi but can't wrap my head around it. I have close to a 100 hi rez flac files and a large iTunes library on my laptop. What I like about this unit is that I could stream my iTunes from my laptop and use this device to play my hi rez files via an external HD plugged directly into the USB port and controlled by my iPad.

Another site claims this thing has a Wolfson DAC, but I don't believe it for the $40 price. I would use the optical out to my Maverick TubeMagic DAC. Any thoughts?

http://extrabuy.me/2015/01/16/uyesee-soundmate-wireless-audio-streaming-box-review/#more-14822

 

Can't say specifically if this will fit your needs. But it could be Wolfson. DAC chips are only a few bucks a piece in quantity. Also there are a number of part models to choose from...

 

I should have been clearer: my desktop computer is three rooms away from my listening area where I have my main system. Am I missing something? Another solution? I have been burning these flac files to DVD to play in my Marantz UD5005 but this is getting annoying. I want a simpler solution: to play my hi-rez digital media through my main system wirelessly or controlled via my laptop/iPad. How are people doing this? I don't have any experience with devices like this SoundMate.

 

I repeat my question: how are people streaming hi-rez files to their systems when the computer is not in the same room. Anyone?

 

$40 seems like a price where you can give it a shot with no real loss if it doesn't work well.

The Bluesound Node/Vaults do what you're looking for as well.

 

Looks like it could work if you are willing to accept some functionality might either not work, or work 100% as expected.

I personally use a hacked pogoplug running as squeezebox touch clone for my streaming needs.

Sonos is probably the best professional bundle at the moment but I believe they still do not support hi-res. You could also use a laptop or a fanless home theatre type PC.

 

You're probably right. For the price I should just get it and report back.

I never thought of the this solution. Probably more than I want to spend though. Would I need a wireless keyboard to make it work?

 

Here is a cheap HTPC that would work. Just load JRiver on it.

http://m.store.hp.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/us/en/pdp/desktops/hp-stream-mini-desktop---200-010

 

You could use an android or apple device as your remote.

 

Yes. Computer in basement, System upstairs. Squeezebox touch for streaming it.

 

Read the reviews. Apparently it is bad.

 

I have my music server in one room, connected via a wired ethernet network to my music streamer/player 2 floors down in my home. Ethernet cable is run in my walls. Everything connects through a 16-port unmanaged switch.

Streaming hi-res files over wifi can be problematic.

My music server is a dedicated server, but I can also stream from my Synology 213j nas using either its native Media Server, or using MinimServer which I installed on it. If I were buying a nas to be my primary server, I'd probably buy a QNAP with a dual-core Celeron, and install Asset server on it.

I have all of my music including hi res files stored in flac, and the server transcodes it to wav and sends that to my players.

 

I'm in the Apple ecosphere; for the time being I've decided not to bother trying to stream hi-res audio; my current plan (not yet implemented) is to pick up a Mac Mini to connect directly to my main rig @ 96, and I'll continue to use my Airport Express units to stream to the back porch and the workshop/brewery (where I really don't care about the downsampling for playback).

That said, the Blue Sound products posted above look interesting...

 

A Mac Mini and a toslink cable connected to a dac makes a very suitable music player. The only real problems I know of is that it natively does not play .flac, and there are some issues switching back and forth between redbook and hi res output I believe. But all of those are addressed by Audirvana, which I'd definitely buy if I wanted to use a Mac as a player.

 

iTunes won't play FLAC, but plenty of other players available for OS X will.

That said, I use iTunes as my digital librarian and player, and converting FLAC to Apple Lossless is effortless.

As to switching, yes that's one glaring oversight that I can't believe Apple hasn't addressed yet -- the sample rate is set system-wide (via Audio MIDI setup) and iTunes will not change it on a per-song basis, but there are ways around that. Or just leave the system set to 24/96 and call it done.