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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2012 18:48:11 GMT
www.raspberrypi.org/faqsFrom an ultra compact, Linux running point of view, is there any mileage in this as a music computer? Thoughts of computer, mini DAC and headphone amplifier in a very small profile. Screen plugs directly, storage can compact or remote etc.
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Post by gommer on Jan 10, 2012 22:08:37 GMT
Are you a Linux wizard? Otherwise it'll be a tough job getting anything useful out of it, without plug-and-play dedicated distro's. Meanwhile, i'll settle for a PCengines ALIX board, which is x86 compatible. But i do agree, any ARM is more bang for the buck in any form or application and on top of that, it'll beat any x86 design on the power vs. energy front too. My phone has tenfold the processing power needed for audio and it runs a week on a battery (dual core ARM .
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xerxes
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Post by xerxes on Jan 10, 2012 22:37:54 GMT
Are there any music/media players available for linux that will give bit perfect audio via SPDIF or USB? Also, this appears to have only one USB connector and no SPDIF, so you would need to connect the hard drive, keyboard, mouse and USB DAC via a USB hub connected to that single USB port, which is hardly ideal. It all looks to be very limited and it would probably be a lot easier to put something together using a mini ITX board, something like this: www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/motherboards/desktop-motherboards/desktop-board-di510mo.html
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2012 22:45:32 GMT
Marc,
Nope, I don't have a clue with Linux.
I only pointed it out as it might appeal to Linux bods who may want to fiddle around to create a compact solution.
Owen,
Yes, I'm still tinkering with an ITX myself. I didn't mean it to be a top quality solution but maybe a compact one, possibly mobile.
Cheers
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on Jan 11, 2012 2:09:37 GMT
Linux. Yup, many of those music servers like from Linn, Meridian Sooloo (sorry, if I got the name wrong here), etc are using customised Linux to run them. Not sure whether it's better sounding than the rest though as don't have the privilege.
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Post by gommer on Jan 11, 2012 6:29:12 GMT
MPD is a dedicated music server (very network oriented in the client server model). It needs a client, that can be a Windows app, browser plugin or app on your phone (iphone or Android). ALSA takes care of the soundcards and is very flexible, also allowing bit perfect. A dedicated distribution which combines all this and is nearly plug and play for x86 is Voyage MPD: linux.voyage.hk
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Post by lark on Jan 11, 2012 7:01:29 GMT
MPD is a dedicated music server +1 I've used MPD as my primary player for 10 years or more - there are sooooo many clients available there is one to suite everyone's needs - as gommer said, the clients are available as native windows clients, Android, iPhone, Firefox, Gnome (Linux), etc The number of clients available is huge: mpd.wikia.com/wiki/Clients
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Jan 11, 2012 18:52:51 GMT
Linux is a great platform for audio, especially with ALSA. But I'm not so sure if a very small embedded ARM-based system like the Raspberry Pi is the right point to start. ARM-based system are great because they have a very low TDP and because they can be made very compact. The Raspberry Pi doesn't have a lot of interfaces on its own and you'd have to be a very skilled Linux user because it has an ARM architecture - by far the most available Linux distributions support only IA32 and AMD64. This means a lot of work if you want to run something that is not available already. Gentoo Linux has quite a lot of possibilities for exotic architectures and custom demands, but in the end, you have to do almost anything alone by compiling everything you want from the sources. Personally, I wouldn't go this way. At least not for simple audio playback.
I'd suggest to use an Atom or Zacate/Brazos based system. You'll find also motherboard below the Mini-ITX form factor, Pico-ITX for example. Llano based system could be also interesting, maybe also some low-power SandyBridge processors. IvyBridge based system could be available until Easter, but only the low-power variants are probably suitable to build a small Mini-ITX based system.
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Post by gommer on Jan 11, 2012 21:07:23 GMT
PC-Engines ALIX 2D2: Perfect for Voyage Linux MPD: supporting USB automount, Samba, NFS, MPD, ALSA @ 5W maximum, usually 2,5 W to 3W. With 2 mini-PCI SATA cards 4 harddisks can be supported, additionally 2 on PATA. Wireless is also supported through mini-PCI IMHO, the perfect audio player hardware.
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Post by lark on Jan 11, 2012 23:15:24 GMT
Linux is a great platform for audio, especially with ALSA. But I'm not so sure if a very small embedded ARM-based system like the Raspberry Pi is the right point to start. ARM-based system are great because they have a very low TDP and because they can be made very compact. The Raspberry Pi doesn't have a lot of interfaces on its own and you'd have to be a very skilled Linux user because it has an ARM architecture - by far the most available Linux distributions support only IA32 and AMD64. This means a lot of work if you want to run something that is not available already. Gentoo Linux has quite a lot of possibilities for exotic architectures and custom demands, but in the end, you have to do almost anything alone by compiling everything you want from the sources. Personally, I wouldn't go this way. At least not for simple audio playback. I'd suggest to use an Atom or Zacate/Brazos based system. You'll find also motherboard below the Mini-ITX form factor, Pico-ITX for example. Llano based system could be also interesting, maybe also some low-power SandyBridge processors. IvyBridge based system could be available until Easter, but only the low-power variants are probably suitable to build a small Mini-ITX based system. Very true, although, I was surprised to see that Debian, Fedora and ArchLinux will be supported from the start - being a Fedora guy, that's music to my ears. Not that I'd typically pick Fedora for an embedded/compact device - but if it runs well, why not I'm rather interested in trying out the Raspberry Pi - I'll be ordering one. Raspberry Pi + USB HDD + MPD + USB DAC = cool! With dimensions of 85.60mm x 53.98mm x 17mm I can see these fitting nicely into some existing DAC enclosures turning a USB DAC into a standalone player with a lot of capability. I'm seeing lots of possibilities - these things are even capable of BluRay quality playback, using H.264 at 40MBits/s. If you're quick you could snap up the first beta board here: www.ebay.com.au/itm/Raspberry-Pi-Model-B-beta-board-01-limited-series-10-/180786868894?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a17bcb29e Only 40min left and the current bid is £3,500.00
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Post by elysion on Jan 12, 2012 3:33:45 GMT
PC-Engines ALIX 2D2: Perfect for Voyage Linux MPD: supporting USB automount, Samba, NFS, MPD, ALSA @ 5W maximum, usually 2,5 W to 3W. With 2 mini-PCI SATA cards 4 harddisks can be supported, additionally 2 on PATA. Wireless is also supported through mini-PCI IMHO, the perfect audio player hardware. I see an AMD Geode here... slow as hell and outdated... Nevertheless, it should be sufficient for audio playback, but IMO and Atom or Zacate/Brazos based system would do a better job and this often for less money because these systems are mass-produced while some of the embedded boards, that are sold to end users, are only sold in comparatively low quantities and you often can't buy them from the usual resellers of PC hardware. Keep also in mind that fully featured Mini-ITX systems have a lot of modern interfaces (for example DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, USB2+3, Firewire, Gbit-Ethernet) and often also fast graphics hardware. I guess that size does matter for a system that is intended mainly for audio playback, especially if you want to build a custom case for it. But the overall power consumption isn't as important IMO. Optimal would be a power consumption that would allow the use of PSU's like a Little Pinkie and a TDP that will allow passive cooling in small cases. Of course, the lower the power consumption, the better these goals are achievable.
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Post by gommer on Jan 12, 2012 11:11:01 GMT
I'm curious to know what a mini-ITX atom based SBC would cost. Last time i looked they were all over €200.
And to be honest, i don't need, nor want a display on this. With MPD, the display is on the client side and my phone's screen is perfectly adequate to show a controller interface plus cover art. Configuring the box can be done through a web interface. Makes a less cluttered audio system IMO.
Cheers, Marc
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Post by elysion on Jan 12, 2012 21:28:25 GMT
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xerxes
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Post by xerxes on Jan 13, 2012 0:12:44 GMT
I think someone has already come up with something like that.
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Will
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Post by Will on Jan 13, 2012 11:06:46 GMT
Had my eye on this for a while, and reckon it could be a nice little setup. A nice little touch screen, a pre-configured-for-music linux install a couple of drives and away you go!
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Post by elysion on Mar 2, 2012 1:57:31 GMT
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Post by elysion on Apr 10, 2012 12:20:27 GMT
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Post by Will on Apr 29, 2012 10:00:12 GMT
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Post by FauDrei on Apr 29, 2012 20:14:44 GMT
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Post by elysion on May 2, 2012 11:50:42 GMT
Does someone actually have a Raspberry Pi already? If they are available already in quantity, I'd order one. It's affordable, even for a jobless jobseeker as I am at the moment. I wouldn't be suprised if the postage would be almost as high (or higher ) as the Raspberry Pi alone. At some point, I won't fit my budget though.
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Post by elysion on May 2, 2012 11:56:14 GMT
Shhht! Don't tell Alex of the Raspberry Pi. (It would be also a good platform for passing around between RG members, making it possible that everyone could use the same box for comparing files.)
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2012 12:08:53 GMT
Shhht! Don't tell Alex of the Raspberry Pi. (It would be also a good platform for passing around between RG members, making it possible that everyone could use the same box for comparing files.) Yeah, great if you want all the comparison files to sound the same .even if one version is 320 MP3 and the other 24/96 ! ;D
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Post by elysion on May 2, 2012 12:38:43 GMT
Shhht! Don't tell Alex of the Raspberry Pi. (It would be also a good platform for passing around between RG members, making it possible that everyone could use the same box for comparing files.) Yeah, great if you want all the comparison files to sound the same .even if one version is 320 MP3 and the other 24/96 ! ;D Of course with attached DAC hardware and digital output. Otherwise, it wouldn't make a sense. The idea was to use the Raspberry Pi only as computer platform for a test setup. Cheap, small and at least fast enough for audio playback. I'm interested in hearing any ideas how we could create a setup that would be sufficient for that purpose. The Raspberry Pi hardware is very limited in the i/o department though. An alternative would be using a simple Mini-ITX board as platform. The size/weight will grow fast though and shipping around the globe means as small as possible. I must admit, that the idea was so far only a snapshot.
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Post by elysion on May 2, 2012 15:28:30 GMT
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Post by elysion on Jun 7, 2012 16:20:20 GMT
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