Ranasakawa
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
I'm currently in Guangzhou China and I am amazed how many Bluetooth multi audio players are available now. They are multi format HDMI etc. I am reviewing a few at the moment before I fly back home.
Are there any 'affordable' multi-channel network music players with an HDMI output
- Thread starter SeeMoreDigital
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Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:
Shield is a proven warrior, if you have one there are not many reasons to update. But if you’re starting out?
If you want pure speed (navigation of a music library) Intel NUCs kill everything. If you want Dolby Vision FEL there are alternatives.
I have 3 recent smart TVs (All LG OLED) with all the supported apps I need. No need to duplicate on a media player.
Sadly we seem to have wandered off this topics original course...
While I note the attraction of having an all-in-one 'audio and video' media player, it's not what I was indenting to discuss
While I note the attraction of having an all-in-one 'audio and video' media player, it's not what I was indenting to discuss
mutant_matt
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Sadly we seem to have wandered off this topics original course...
While I note the attraction of having an all-in-one 'audio and video' media player, it's not what I was indenting to discuss
Indeed, but what is being asked for, pretty much is usually covered by something that also does video...
I'm not sure there are many audio only playback devices that tightly fit the bill, outside of making your own (which I have also done in the past, and likely will do again at some point).
Agreed.... While there appears to be dozens of 'stereo' network music players/streamers (even ones with stereo amplifiers), ranging from £150.00 to an eye watering $4,000.00) I'm yet to find a multi-channel player/streamer with HDMI output.I'm not sure there are many audio only playback devices that tightly fit the bill, outside of making your own (which I have also done in the past, and likely will do again at some point).
Indeed, but what is being asked for, pretty much is usually covered by something that also does video...
I'm not sure there are many audio only playback devices that tightly fit the bill, outside of making your own (which I have also done in the past, and likely will do again at some point).
I bought a Zidoo Z9X which does the trick for me, including Roon Ready. It also does video but I use it just for audio
I don’t have any, so I don’t know. Where do those files come from?
Do you specifilly want something WITHOUT video?
Do those handle multichannel PCM FLAC?
Several have been suggested... while they have video features, ones like the Shield can be run headless from your phone.
An old Windows 10 laptop provides the most options, if you've got one lying around, and just put a long HDMI cable on it...
Hard pass on Bluetooth, really, in a world where you can cast from a smartphone to so many devices. It hasn't the bandwidth to handle high-rest or multichannel audio, nor is it convenient or reliable as casting due to often odious paring and compatibility.
But I'm curious about the other specs.
Yes. Multi-channel audio/music only devices.
Neither of your suggestions are options I wish to entertain...
Are they 'multi-channel' capable?
James Hoffmann
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I have an older (2014) MeLe standalone player that accepted SATA drives - that played quite a number of formats for it's time. I wish that there were an 4K version that works with current formats.
I have found that high end laptops can do what I need (but at a price).
The better option for me is a nicely priced NUC running Windows 11 (and all the Audio/Video apps that I require). Clunky, but cheap and endlessly flexible! I just need to find one that is 4K capable.
I have found that high end laptops can do what I need (but at a price).
The better option for me is a nicely priced NUC running Windows 11 (and all the Audio/Video apps that I require). Clunky, but cheap and endlessly flexible! I just need to find one that is 4K capable.
@James Hoffmann
As I mentioned in post #43...
While I note the attraction of having an all-in-one 'audio and video' media player, it's not what I was indenting to discuss
As I mentioned in post #43...
While I note the attraction of having an all-in-one 'audio and video' media player, it's not what I was indenting to discuss
You can run Kodi/CoreElec with no monitor on using a remote app like Kore (for android devices, I'm sure there's an iOS equivalent as well) - I posted some screenshots of mine a few years back.
Kodi and CoreElec offer both audio and video playback but you're not bound to use anything you don't want to - lots of people only use it for video playback, others use it for audio, so you can use it for one or the other, or both, and you can actually configure it to remove main menu items for features you don't use so they're effectively 'not there'.
There are plenty of media streamers that have a display on them so you don't need a TV, but you're paying a massive premium for a box that has less functionality, case(s) in point:
HiFi Rose RS520 - $5,195CAD
Aurender N200 - $8,895CAD
As far as most manufacturers are concerned, multichannel audio (especially getting into Atmos etc.) is an adjunct to video playback, so by buying something with video playback you're assured that it will support the latest multichannel audio formats. If you buy a hardware-based player, you're just hoping for a firmware update if any new audio formats come along, whereas with software (especially community-based, open source software like Kodi/CoreElec) all you have to do is hop over to their website and download something - or if you have automatic updates enabled it'll do the whole thing for you.
Kodi and CoreElec offer both audio and video playback but you're not bound to use anything you don't want to - lots of people only use it for video playback, others use it for audio, so you can use it for one or the other, or both, and you can actually configure it to remove main menu items for features you don't use so they're effectively 'not there'.
There are plenty of media streamers that have a display on them so you don't need a TV, but you're paying a massive premium for a box that has less functionality, case(s) in point:
HiFi Rose RS520 - $5,195CAD
Aurender N200 - $8,895CAD
As far as most manufacturers are concerned, multichannel audio (especially getting into Atmos etc.) is an adjunct to video playback, so by buying something with video playback you're assured that it will support the latest multichannel audio formats. If you buy a hardware-based player, you're just hoping for a firmware update if any new audio formats come along, whereas with software (especially community-based, open source software like Kodi/CoreElec) all you have to do is hop over to their website and download something - or if you have automatic updates enabled it'll do the whole thing for you.
@James Hoffmann
As I mentioned in post #43...
While I note the attraction of having an all-in-one 'audio and video' media player, it's not what I was indenting to discuss
Understood, but most multichannel audio players, like the Z9X I mentioned above, also play video. You can ignore that functionality, other than for initial setup.
John
@SeeMoreDigital
Maybe you already covered this. If so apologies. But why not plug a USB stick in your Oppo?....I don't know if they will pass MKA though, or the limitations of the 203's USB playback.
Or does it need to be a stand alone device networked to play files off your NAS?
IDK. If I'm awake, a pc is running. Easier for me to just play .iso files/flac/dsd/whatever from the pc > AVR.
Maybe you already covered this. If so apologies. But why not plug a USB stick in your Oppo?....I don't know if they will pass MKA though, or the limitations of the 203's USB playback.
Or does it need to be a stand alone device networked to play files off your NAS?
IDK. If I'm awake, a pc is running. Easier for me to just play .iso files/flac/dsd/whatever from the pc > AVR.
It can. A Pi 5 is my primary multichannel audio player.
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