[RileyD]

Any advice is appreciated; I'm new to this.  I have a plan that will allow me to listen to music files stored on my home office PC via my living room audio system - but my sense is there ought to be a simpler way than Plan A.  Both systems are listed on my systems page.  I'd rather not have my music ride on the existing wireless network because other in the family are using sucking up bandwidth.

Plan A:  Get a Sonos ZP-90 ZonePlayer and download SonosController to my Windows laptop.  I can easily run network cable from my router in the office to the ZP-90 in the living room.  The signal will go from the ZP-90's digital output into the digital input on my NAD 565 CD player.  I suspect that this $350 solution will work fine, but I don't need the Sonos mesh network or the built in DAC of the ZP-90.

Plan B:  Run a long digital audio cable from the S/PDIF output of the ASUS XONAR Essence STX sound card in my office PC to the digital input on my NAD 565 CD player.  Obviously, the problem is that the only way to control the music in the living room is to get up go into the office and make the chabge at the J River 14 media player on my office PC.

Any suggestions?  Thanks!

[srb]

Isn't the S/PDIF output on the ASUS card Coaxial only and the S/PDIF input on the NAD player Optical only?

Otherwise, I was thinking about some kind of remote desktop access from the laptop.
 
Steve

[eclein]

Plan C- Logitech Squeezebox Touch $299 lots of options with these.

[RileyD]

Thanks ...
Steve ... actually I've got an Audio Authority 1155 that switches four inputs (either optical or coax)  into the DAC on the NAD CD player.

[RileyD]

Plan C- Logitech Squeezebox Touch $299 lots of options with these.

Thanks, Ed
I see where that would work, although it's not quite as convenient as controlling the music from my laptop.  If possible, I'd really like to control the music from my laptop.
Riley

[eclein]

Riley, you can control your music from your laptop. When you run squeezeserver on your laptop you can connect with the squeezebox player. I use my laptop, my ipod touch and android phone all to control my music, lots of options.....just a thought, I use mine everyday with whatever gadget is in my hand at the time...click, music!!!

[TJHUB]

Thanks, Ed
I see where that would work, although it's not quite as convenient as controlling the music from my laptop.  If possible, I'd really like to control the music from my laptop.
Riley

I have a couple of Squeezebox players and I ONLY control them with my laptop.  I have a Duet and I can't remember the last time I picked up its remote.  The web interface works very well.

[eclein]

Riley....I run mine wired via ethernet cable and the connection is constant 99% of the time. I'm soon to invest in a Vortexbox appliance-1TB of storage, CD's,DVD's, all rip automatically and get tagged and stored to be easily controlled via multiple gadgets, including Boxee Box soon, Logitech Revue....XBMC, video to HDTV, audio to hi fi rig.... priceless..LOL

[srb]

If you're willing to run the digital cable from your office PC to the DAC (I use a 35ft. Monoprice Premium optical cable @ $10), then you can control the desktop with one of the remote desktop programs like RealVNC and use the J. River Media Center player that you already like and are familiar with.  And not spend another $300+.
 
You could also use Windows Remote Desktop if the host PC has Windows Professional or Ultimate versions.
 
Steve

[enjoythemusic]

Plan C, if you do not need 24/192 and 20-bit/48kHz or thereabouts is fine... the AudioEngine W1 for $99 and it uses its own wireless bandwidth so your main wireless is not used at all.

And yes, if you want to feed multiple systems you can set up one SENDER and have multiple RECEIVERS.

Personally, i use the Sonos in five zones. For true high rez i have the NAS feed a high quality controller/DAC directly.