Home Stereo MP3 Player

[Lee DeRaud]

Ok, what I've got now are a pair of 300-disc Sony "jukebox" CD players...and about 650 CDs. I've done the hard part, ripping all the CDs to the big drive on the upstairs computer, yielding about 70GB of 320kbps MP3 files. But now I need to see about the path forward.

Option 1 is an upgrade to the hardware I have now: a Sony CDPCX400 which holds 400 discs, either CD or MP3. That gives me about triple the capacity I have now, which should hold me awhile.

Option 2, which is what I'd really prefer, is some kind of hard-drive-based "component style" unit...and I can't find one designed for this application. Everything seems to be biased toward iPod-like portable devices, and even if they made one big enough, it seems like kind of a Mickey-Mouse setup to have one playing through the big stereo, plus there's no remote control capability.

A Media Center PC would work, but they're really designed to work around a TV...since the stereo is in the living room away from the TV (deliberately), I'd be stuck with essentially putting a computer in the living room. Ditto for a roll-your-own Linux-based setup.

I found one high-end unit that is functionally what I want, but these guys want $9K for about $600 worth of hardware.

Suggestions?

[Neil Clemmons]

Lee

There are a lot of options you could consider. Go to cnet.com and search for 'network media player' and you'll see a lot of them with Cnet and user reviews.

I'd recommend you look at a few different products - all of them can access your music files on your computer upstairs using either wired or wireless networking.

- Rokulabs Soundbridge - A small unit that comes with software for your PC. install the PC software and you can stream any of your music files from the PC over a wired or wireless network to the soundbridge connected to your stereo.

- Slim Devices Squeezebox - some of the best software for also streaming audio from your PC. requires PC software install like the Rokulabs unit.

Both of these devices can be internet accessed - so you can control them in one part of the house from a browser in another part of the house, if you choose to do so. They also include infrared remotes and integrated displays to show you what is playing without a TV.

- If you want to push it, check out Sonos new wireless networked units for "whole-house" audio. They allow access to PC stored music and playback in multiple rooms in the house. It's the most expensive of the ones I've listed, but it's a very impressive setup. It includes an RF remote with integral display. It's a VERY nice setup, but a bit pricey.

Any of these units will allow you to store you music centrally and access them using wireless networks to easily integrate the music into your stereo.

Good luck.

Neil

[Lee DeRaud]

I'd recommend you look at a few different products - all of them can access your music files on your computer upstairs using either wired or wireless networking.Appreciate the thought, but I really don't want to leave that machine turned on 24/7 or have to go upstairs and light it off every time I want music downstairs...all things considered I'd just as soon put a dedicated computer in the stereo rack, less hassle in the long run.

(Note: that Sony CD-based unit is only about $275.)