Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
the nightfly wrote: So, I've been gone for many months and come back here to find lots of unfamiliar names being tossed around: SqueezePlug/SqueezeLite/Community Squeeze/Wandboard/Raspberry-Pi. All with long threads filled with hundreds of techie-jargon-filled posts which only make this layman thoroughly confused as to what a given product is supposed to be -- a player replacement, a player/server combo, something else entirely? So, if it isn't too much trouble, could someone post a quick summary of any project or projects being undertaken to create an actual Squeezebox replacement? Particularly, let me ask the question: if my SB Touch were to die tomorrow, or next month, what options would I have to replace it with something that would be able to stream music over wi-fi from a computer or NAS running LMS, and outputting that music to a DAC at 24/96 resolution? A clear, simple summary would be greatly appreciated! Quick summary of the ones I'm aware of: SQUEEZEPLUG http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?97709-SqueezePlug-for-Raspberry-Pi-version-6-ready-for-download http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?90931-SqueezePlug-Media-Server-4-0-(final-Release) Software distribution for SheevaPlug based hardware which also works on the Raspberry Pi hardware. Initially designed to be a LMS server but these days SqueezeLite can be installed to make it a player also. Typically it requires a an external DAC to get audio quality close to a Squeezebox Touch. SQUEEZELITE http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?97046-Announce-Squeezelite-a-small-headless-squeezeplay-emulator-for-linux-(alsa-only) http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?97766-Announce-Local-Player-plugin-and-Squeezelite-for-Linux-Windows-OSX Software player distributed as a plugin which makes it possible to use your computer and the soundcard in it as a player. Can be used on ARM based platforms such as Raspberry Pi, SheevaPlug or Wandboard or on Intel based platforms like your normal computer. Typically it requires a an external DAC to get audio quality close to a Squeezebox Touch, the exception is the Community Squeeze project which will have a really good built-in DAC. COMMUNITY SQUEEZE http://www.communitysqueeze.org/faq.jsp http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?98521-Announce-Community-Squeeze http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?98544-Community-Squeeze-OS-R3 Consists of both software and hardware designed by community members with the intention to be able to be an alternative for Logitech based Squeezebox hardware. Currently only the software distribution is available but they are working hard on the hardware part. It uses the CPU card from the Wandboard as a base but will provide an add-on hardware card which provides what we need to get excellent audio quality out of it. It uses SqueezeLite as a player. VAMP http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?97721-Logitech-SqueezeBox-replacement-for-under-30 Cheap DIY hardware project which base its player hardware on SqueezeLite with the intention to make a cheap replacement for a Touch for people with an external DAC. WANDBOARD http://wandboard.org/ The hardware which contains the CPU card which is the base for the Community Squeezebox project. Can be used as a player already today, but to get decent audio quality you need an external DAC. RASPBERRY PI http://www.raspberrypi.org/ The hardware which is used in VAMP. Can be used as a player already today, but to get decent audio quality you need an external DAC. Can also be used together with the SheevaPlug distribution. VORTEXBOX http://vortexbox.org Software and hardware platform, initially designed to be a media server hosting LMS, but these days it also bundles a player so you can use it both as a server and player. The software can be used either on a dedicated Vortexbox Appliance hardware or on your own computer. ICKSTREAM MUSIC PLATFORM http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?98467-Pre-Announcement-ickStream-Music-Platform http://blog.ickstream.com/ Software project with the intention to create the next generation music streaming platform based on the experience from Squeezebox. It's currently in a closed beta phase and the intention is that any hardware vendor that wants to use it should be able license it to use it on their hardware platform. Will focus on providing a solution for people who are interested in having access both to local music and online music, will integrate with LMS and other music servers for local music and provide its own cloud server for integration with online streaming services. From a hardware perspective, my feeling is that the Community Squeeze is most promising for people who like excellent audio quality, especially if you want a device with an excellent built-in DAC. It will hopefully also be possible to combine with ickStream Music Platform so we also can get great support for online services. For people who want a cheaper
Re: [slim] SB Touch Prices...
There are some sites collecting data about PI compatible DACS: https://sites.google.com/site/picoreplayer/home/List-of-USB-DACs http://www.raspyfi.com/raspberry-pi-usb-dac-and-raspyfi-supported-dacs/ cadfish's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=58296 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98858 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] Community Funded Squeezebox Replacement - Would you be interested?
Hello, I have already tested the CSOS Wandboard as per the instructions on http://www.communitysqueeze.org I have played it through the audio out using headphones. Now, if I connect the USB on this Wandboard in it's present build state to a newer model DAC, like Benchmark D2 or Mytek, will I be able to play a 24/192 file that's on my existing LMS server? Squeezed_Rotel's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=30002 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=97881 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] Community Funded Squeezebox Replacement - Would you be interested?
Squeezed_Rotel wrote: Now, if I connect the USB on this Wandboard in it's present build state to a newer model DAC with usb, like Benchmark D2 or Mytek DSD 192, will I be able to play a 24/192 file that's on my existing LMS server? If the DAC is directly supported by the generic snd-usb or hiface driver, yes. Regarding the Mytek DAC, you would need a specific driver that we are not currently building/shipping. I will add it to the next kernel build. JackOfAll's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3069 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=97881 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
Great summary - Thank you...I needed that! Jim usbethjim's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8024 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98886 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] Usage of local music libraries in your family ?
I have two kids, 6 and 1. And a wife.
I currently use the Multi-Library plug-in to have a subset of the
library available on the playroom Boom - just the kids' music and audio
books. The menus are simplified, and the system works well. (Although
this thread remind me that I do need to make some changes now that the
elder is a bit more grown up!)
I think that it would be useful to have something like user accounts,
which stored the library preference, favourites, Spotify account and so
on for each family member. When logged in to the specific account,
adding to favourites automatically added to that account. This would be
a roaming profile, so the setup on the kids' Boom could be transferred
to the main system easily. I would want each account to have a library
subset ('my music') and also access to the whole library, and a simple
way to add anything from the main library to 'my music', for example if
my wife (who is less familiar with the library contents than me)
discovers something she likes. There could also be a way of
recommending music to another user, so I could recommend something new
to my wife, and she could then choose whether to 'accept' it into her
music library.
Obviously if you could make it connected to the internet so I could
recommend music to friends, who then could accept it, have the system
download it in FLAC and add it to their library then that would be great
:)
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Re: [slim] SB Touch Prices...
I heard raspyfi have a fix for USB audio. Corelli45's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=55246 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98858 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
Thanks, erland. A couple more quick questions: 1) If I were going to use the Pi with SqueezeLite, but didn't need to run LMS on it (because it would be running on a separate machine), would I still need to install SqueezePlug first? In other words, on the Pi, is SqueezePlug a prerequisite to install and run SqueezeLite? 2) VAMP sounds really promising, except that the last detailed building and installation instructions from the creator presupposed the VAMP would be connected to the router via Ethernet, which is a non-starter in my setup. Later on in that thread, he claims to have wi-fi working, but gives no further details, and has been relatively silent since then. Is there a thread or website I'm missing that gives directions on how to install a VAMP so that it connects over wi-fi rather than being hard-cabled? FWIW, I wouldn't need an internal DAC, since I'd be using the one in my receiver. (It would be pointless to use a better DAC, since the receiver would first re-digitize the incoming signal for DSP purposes, so it's just as well to provide a digital input stream. Accordingly, since I don't see any of these projects having an S/PDIF output, I assume I'd be using a USB-to-S/PDIF adapter of some sort. Would there be any possible pitfalls to such an approach? Once again, thanks! the nightfly's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=42075 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98886 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
Excellent post, Erland! Very helpful. Guido F. guidof's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=40448 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98886 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
the nightfly wrote: Thanks, erland. A couple more quick questions: 1) If I were going to use the Pi with SqueezeLite, but didn't need to run LMS on it (because it would be running on a separate machine), would I still need to install SqueezePlug first? In other words, on the Pi, is SqueezePlug a prerequisite to install and run SqueezeLite? 2) VAMP sounds really promising, except that the last detailed building and installation instructions from the creator presupposed the VAMP would be connected to the router via Ethernet, which is a non-starter in my setup. Later on in that thread, he claims to have wi-fi working, but gives no further details, and has been relatively silent since then. Is there a thread or website I'm missing that gives directions on how to install a VAMP so that it connects over wi-fi rather than being hard-cabled? FWIW, I wouldn't need an internal DAC, since I'd be using the one in my receiver. (It would be pointless to use a better DAC, since the receiver would first re-digitize the incoming signal for DSP purposes, so it's just as well to provide a digital input stream. Accordingly, since I don't see any of these projects having an S/PDIF output, I assume I'd be using a USB-to-S/PDIF adapter of some sort. Would there be any possible pitfalls to such an approach? Once again, thanks! Community Squeeze is intended to support WiFi as well as SPDIF (coax and Toslink). Guido F. guidof's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=40448 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98886 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
the nightfly wrote: Thanks, erland. A couple more quick questions: 1) If I were going to use the Pi with SqueezeLite, but didn't need to run LMS on it (because it would be running on a separate machine), would I still need to install SqueezePlug first? In other words, on the Pi, is SqueezePlug a prerequisite to install and run SqueezeLite? Squeezeplug is a debian distro with a specialised menu setup for installing various pieces of software: eg. LMS, Squeezelite, Squeezeplay, Twonky, etc., as well as letting you setup the debian image with network, wifi, etc. You only need to install the software you want - so you can just select Squeezelite. You can simply Squeezelite on other Pi distros by downloading the binary - you do need some additonal files, which Squeezeplug provides. A good reason to simply use Squeezeplug! castalla's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=15624 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98886 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
the nightfly wrote: 1) If I were going to use the Pi with SqueezeLite, but didn't need to run LMS on it (because it would be running on a separate machine), would I still need to install SqueezePlug first? In other words, on the Pi, is SqueezePlug a prerequisite to install and run SqueezeLite? If it is just a player try piCoPlayer: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?97803-piCoPlayer-Squeezelite-on-Microcore-linux-An-embedded-OS-in-RAM-with-Squeezelite hubbaloo's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=30963 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98886 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
the nightfly wrote: 2) VAMP sounds really promising, except that the last detailed building and installation instructions from the creator presupposed the VAMP would be connected to the router via Ethernet, which is a non-starter in my setup. Later on in that thread, he claims to have wi-fi working, but gives no further details, and has been relatively silent since then. Is there a thread or website I'm missing that gives directions on how to install a VAMP so that it connects over wi-fi rather than being hard-cabled? There are a lot of VAMP threads on the Vortexbox forum at: http://vortexbox.org/forum.php I've used the Pi with a USB WiFi module so it's definitely possible to get it to work with the right USB WiFi dongle, but I haven't tried it on the VAMP. the nightfly wrote: FWIW, I wouldn't need an internal DAC, since I'd be using the one in my receiver. (It would be pointless to use a better DAC, since the receiver would first re-digitize the incoming signal for DSP purposes, so it's just as well to provide a digital input stream. Accordingly, since I don't see any of these projects having an S/PDIF output, I assume I'd be using a USB-to-S/PDIF adapter of some sort. Would there be any possible pitfalls to such an approach? The Wandboard have optical S/PDIF, but if I've understood corrected it's broken and requires some soldering to work properly, so if you don't have soldering skills it won't work. The Community Squeeze hardware will definitely have a good quality S/PDIF, but then you would have to wait for the Community Squeeze add-on board which is currently being developed and doesn't exist to to the general public at this stage. For the Raspberry Pi, you would need a USB-to-S/PDIF adaptor, I've no idea how much these affects the audio quality. It might also be possible to use the HDMI output depending if your receiver have inputs for HDMI. erland's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3124 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98886 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] Community Funded Squeezebox Replacement - Would you be interested?
JackOfAll wrote: If the DAC is directly supported by the generic snd-usb or hiface driver, yes. Regarding the Mytek DAC, you would need a specific driver that we are not currently building/shipping. I will add it to the next kernel build. Oh, but the Mytek is currently listed on the CSOS faq page under DACs that were tested; Name: Mytek Digital Stereo192-DSD DAC Driver: snd-usb-audio Max Rate: 96k/192k Class: UAC1/UAC2 (The Mytek Digital has both a USB1.1 and a USB2 connector) Used by: lintweaker Assuming that the driver works, will the wandboard without John Swensons board pass 192/24 files to the Mytek? Squeezed_Rotel's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=30002 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=97881 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] State of play in the Squeezebox-replacement world 6/13?
hubbaloo wrote: If it is just a player try piCoPlayer: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?97803-piCoPlayer-Squeezelite-on-Microcore-linux-An-embedded-OS-in-RAM-with-Squeezelite Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out. the nightfly's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=42075 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=98886 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] No competition for Sonos! :-(
Nikhil wrote: I have been using both products for over 7 years now, and neither is inferior - they are just two very different things. I find myself using the SqueezeBoxen far more often than Sonos, but for most people Sonos is easier to deal with, and simply just works out of the box. Sure there are library size limitations, inability to stream higher res files, and no ability to tweak as with Music IP integration, room correction, etc, but that probably makes it more robust and indeed for most playback scenarios it works superbly. I have also tried both, and the Logitech UIs on the Android app is far better on most music services. Simple example using TuneIn - on Squeezebox you are shown station names and theri city of location. On Sonos, you just get the name or call letters. Not nearly as useful in choosing a station. The search function for the music library in Sonos is nowhere near as useful as Squeezebox, which lets you search artist, song, title, or playlist, where on Sonos it's just a generic search. Not very limiting in results when you have 50,000 tracks. All in all I'm sticking with Squeezebox until the bitter end. I could live with Sonos, but I don't want to unless I have to. olc's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=14942 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=97440 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [slim] No competition for Sonos! :-(
I'm sticking with my SB install at this point. The boombox are too good to give up and my sb3's are running well. However I have done lots of looking around just to keep informed in case my system packs it in. So far I have looked at Jongo and am pretty impressed with some of their products and since I am in no hurry I will keep watching what they have to offer in the future. Once they integrate their full wifi multiroom system with their players with displays then there may be something there to get really excited about. I was looking at Olive newest product but it just seems like they have a ways to go in regards to a full ecosystem. froth's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=11878 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=97440 ___ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
