Wireless - Hoosier21 steps into the 21st

hoosier21
hoosier21 Posts: 4,413
edited January 2007 in Electronics
Bellsouth finally got DSL out in my neck of the woods, woohoo.

I am looking for some hints-do's-don'ts for you guys that have experience with wireless routers and playing music in the house.

My MP3 files collection is going by the day, this has me thinking about mega storage server stashed away somewhere, and an interface for getting to those files, and most important, getting them to a stereo for listening.

I have seen the Slim Devices - Sqeezebox, is there anything else out there I need to look at?

Any ideas on how to make/build the mega storage PC on the cheap, I have some older PC's available to me. Is it just a matter of getting a wireless card and huge hard drive in one of those old boxes, and I am done?

Thanks

Russ
Dodd - Battery Preamp
Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
Outlaw ICBM - crossover
Beringher BFD - sub eq

Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
Post edited by hoosier21 on

Comments

  • tryrrthg
    tryrrthg Posts: 1,896
    edited January 2007
    Sonos looks way cool with the handheld remote with screen and all that crap. Stereophile gave them a good review if that means anything, probalby not... but it looks pretty cool

    http://www.sonos.com

    cr100_lg_3.jpg
    Sony KDL-40V2500 HDTV, Rotel RSX-1067 Receiver, Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray, Slim Devices Squeezebox, Polk RTi6, CSi3 & R15, DIY sub with Atlas 15
  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited January 2007
    Any Pentium 3 700ish mhz machine will make a great music server. Drop in some 250 gig(or whatever you want, but I prefer 2-3 of the 250gig hard drives) and you have yourself a nice little server.

    I believe that only XP professional will allow you run it as a server, since XP Home does not include the server options in the OS. I am in the process of doing exactly what you want to do. I plan to hook it up to my tv and use a wireless keyboard w/ touchpad on my sofa for the ultimate laziness :)

    For a faster and more stable connection, always avoid wireless if possible. Linksys makes some great routers as well as Netgear.

    Also, you can wire your music server right to your receiver to play music right into your HT.
  • Refefer
    Refefer Posts: 1,280
    edited January 2007
    Stay away from Wireless Pre-N right now... in very rare cases people have found it to be faster, but right now a majority of people have found it to actually be slower than wireless G.

    As for a server, I have one setup for music and videos myself. Grab a copy of windows 2000 if you can since it is rock solid in terms of stability and has very good server features while being extremely cheap right now to purchase.

    I'd just set it up as a Network Attached Storage so that any other computer on the network can grab files from it. Stick a large HD in there and you should be good.

    Take another PC, set it next to your music center, rca the audio into your preamp, svideo into your tv, and you should have a fairly decent sounding music server that can be accessed using the TV as interface with a keyboard and mouse.
    Lovin that music year after year.

    Main 2 Channel System

    Polk SDA-1B,
    Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
    Rotel RB-980BX,
    OPPO DV-970HD,
    Lite Audio DAC AH,
    IXOS XHA305 Interconnects


    Computer Rig

    Polk SDA CRS+,
    Creek Audio 5350 SE,
    Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
    HRT Music Streamer II
  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited January 2007
    If money is no object... there is always the Olive Opus.
  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited January 2007
    Bellsouth finally got DSL out in my neck of the woods, woohoo.

    Nice I take that a personal Thank You ;)

    Speakers
    Carver Amazing Fronts
    CS400i Center
    RT800i's Rears
    Sub Paradigm Servo 15

    Electronics
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
    Parasound Halo A23
    Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
    Pioneer 79Avi DVD
    Sony CX400 CD changer
    Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
    WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR


  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2007
    hoosier21 wrote:
    Any ideas on how to make/build the mega storage PC on the cheap, I have some older PC's available to me. Is it just a matter of getting a wireless card and huge hard drive in one of those old boxes, and I am done?
    IMO you would be better off just getting an exernal HD. I picked up a Western Digital My Book 250GB hard drive for around $110 (after rebates). It's portable, good interface, easy to transfer data from one computer to another and works nicely as a backup for the stuff you don't want to lose. (I have a 160GB as well and use it as a backup/storage for all of our family digital photos).
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,413
    edited January 2007
    tryrrthg wrote:
    Sonos looks way cool with the handheld remote with screen and all that crap. Stereophile gave them a good review if that means anything, probalby not... but it looks pretty cool QUOTE]

    Cool for sure, 750.00 clams ouch

    I think I am too cheap for this right now
    Dodd - Battery Preamp
    Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
    Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
    ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
    DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
    Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
    Outlaw ICBM - crossover
    Beringher BFD - sub eq

    Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

    "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,413
    edited January 2007
    rskarvan wrote:
    If money is no object... there is always the Olive Opus.


    This Russ "cheap" A
    Dodd - Battery Preamp
    Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
    Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
    ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
    DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
    Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
    Outlaw ICBM - crossover
    Beringher BFD - sub eq

    Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

    "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,413
    edited January 2007
    shack wrote:
    IMO you would be better off just getting an exernal HD. I picked up a Western Digital My Book 250GB hard drive for around $110 (after rebates). It's portable, good interface, easy to transfer data from one computer to another and works nicely as a backup for the stuff you don't want to lose. (I have a 160GB as well and use it as a backup/storage for all of our family digital photos).


    Yes this is what I have started thinking, just add an ext. for the bulk, then maybe the Squeeze Box is the way to go for getting it to my stereo.
    Dodd - Battery Preamp
    Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
    Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
    ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
    DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
    Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
    Outlaw ICBM - crossover
    Beringher BFD - sub eq

    Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

    "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited January 2007
    shack wrote:
    IMO you would be better off just getting an exernal HD. I picked up a Western Digital My Book 250GB hard drive for around $110 (after rebates). It's portable, good interface, easy to transfer data from one computer to another and works nicely as a backup for the stuff you don't want to lose. (I have a 160GB as well and use it as a backup/storage for all of our family digital photos).


    That's a good suggestion(cheap as well) however it keeps you very limited to how you can access your music. It all depends whether or not he wants to access his music through his AVR.