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[Denti]

I'm trying to get the cheapest yet still effective network player. The Id is an option.

But I don't mind building one, and have considered getting a Gigabyte BXBT 2807, which only requires some memory and a SSD to get going. Together that would be about $200, which is somewhat cheaper than the Id.

Any thoughts on how these would compare or on other, potentially cheaper, alternatives? No video need. I just want audio.

[JimH]

Don't forget the price of the OS and MC.

If you're fluent in hardware and software, you can save a little money doing your own.

The Id will be a lot easier.

[Denti]

Right. So Windows + the MC licence I already have = $90+

Linux + MC Linux licence = $50

That puts me awfully close to the price of the ID.

[JimH]

Other people might be able to give better help, but I think it mainly depends on whether you find it satisfying to build and maintain your own computers.  Lots of people do.  Lots of people don't.

[Denti]

Well, I got the BRIX (price too good to turn down), and I can't get the darn thing to recognize my DAC. Just won't make the handshake. Frustrating

[JimH]

Is it running Linux?  Which one?

It may be set to output on HDMI or analog by default. 

[Denti]

No, Windows. I've never tried Linux. Is it pretty straightforward?

The tech support said the OS won't make a difference. It's a hardware issue. I'm clueless with these things.

[JimH]

If it's Windows, you may just need to set up audio.  See the wiki for details.

Which Windows?

[Denti]

Windows 8.1 Pro.

No, I'm trying to install the drivers for the external USB DAC. To install those drivers I have to plug in the device at one point during installation. But I can't get beyond that point in the installation, because the system won't recognize the DAC when I plug it in. Nothing.

It works fine on my Windows 8 laptop, but I wanted to free my laptop from this, hence the Brix. I guess I'll be spending an extra $100 for ID if I don't get this solved.

[mwillems]

Have you tried plugging the DAC into a different USB port?  I've found that occasionally DACs misbehave when plugged into one USB port, but work just fine in another. Sometimes USB 3 ports can be difficult, and sometimes ports wired to one controller work better than those wired to another.  It shouldn't be the case with modern hardware, but sometimes it is.

[Denti]

Yeah, I've tried all three USB ports. I'm burning an image of Ubuntu right now. At least with the OS I won't need the drivers. If it recognizes the DAC is another question.

[Denti]

I just did a test install of Ubuntu. I would test it with JRiver, but Firefox keeps crashing.

[JimH]

Take a look at our Linux board.  Debian will work. 

[Denti]

Take a look at our Linux board.  Debian will work. 

Debian doesn't appear to be compatible with the Intel Celeron "architecture"...?
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch02s01.html.en#idp5618944

[Denti]

I'm trying a full install of Ubuntu. The light on the DAC went from blinking to solid, so that gives me hope.

Never mind: I see that Ubuntu is not fully supported, and honestly, the install for all the Linux platforms looks too complicated. Now I'm triply frustrated.

Will getting the ID up and running require work? I may just return this Brix and go with that.

[mwillems]

Debian doesn't appear to be compatible with the Intel Celeron "architecture"...?
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch02s01.html.en#idp5618944

I'm pretty sure your processor is an x86_64 architecture processor so the Debian amd flavor should work fine if you reconsider trying Linux.  It can be a bit of a learning curve though.

What kind of DAC do you have, BTW?

[Denti]

Micromega MyDAC.

And before I go through any further trouble with this Brix I need to find out if it can recognize the DAC. How can I test it? I got Ubuntu running and can now surf the net. It's supposed to be plug and play with Linux, but I don't see any signs that it's being recognized, which points to the Brix hardware as the culprit.

[mwillems]

Micromega MyDAC.

It looks like some other folks have had exactly your trouble with that DAC, have a look at some of the reviews around the web.  This amazon reviewer in particular had some suggestions for how he got it working: http://www.amazon.com/review/RHR5WHE6BA0AJ/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B009T989IS&nodeID=11091801&store=musical-instruments

it looks like their USB drivers may have some problems, but there may be a workaround.  It sounds like the DAC's driver may be the issue, not your computer.

[Denti]

Yeah. I've seen that. But I had no problems at all on my Windows 8 laptop. Sure I had to install the first drivers, then update firmware, then install the other drivers. But even before I did any of this Windows "saw" the DAC was plugged in. It needs to in order to get the first drivers to work. The Brix does not. So I'm putting the blame there, for now. I can't see any other explanation.

[JimH]

Did you install MC on Linux?  Audio settings?

[JimH]

Will getting the ID up and running require work? I may just return this Brix and go with that.

Here are the instructions:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Id_Install_Guide

[Denti]

Did you install MC on Linux?  Audio settings?

No, I don't know if I want to even try. First, it doesn't look all that easy. And second, there's no sign in Ubuntu of the DAC being at all recognized. It's as if nothing were plugged in. It may not be worth the trouble.

[Hilton]

No, I don't know if I want to even try. First, it doesn't look all that easy. And second, there's no sign in Ubuntu of the DAC being at all recognized. It's as if nothing were plugged in. It may not be worth the trouble.

Sounds to me like you would either be best off with the Id or getting the same NUC model the Id is based on and installing windows for yourself.
I have the Id and run the original Id installation but also run windows on it with another SSD, but it requires changing the SSD over to switch between Id and Windows.
With both the original Id Linux and Windows 8.1 it plays fine with my FiiO E17/E09K DAC.

Keep in mind with the Id that video is still being developed for later this year (soon hopefully) but the audio output is "said" to be better on Linux (the Id) than on windows devices.

[Denti]

What model NUC is the ID?

[JimH]

2820 FYKH

[apgood]

Why is the audio output better on the Linux version of MC?

[Hilton]

That's not something I can quantify.

Putting in quotes, "said", should indicate to you that there's a lot of debate on this topic.
However, a badly built, neglected or un-optimised system may have severe or moderate digital timing issues (jitter/stutter) and/or electrical issues (USB bus noise) that could be heard regardless if it's Linux, Mac or Windows.

The goal of the Id is to ensure none of those nasty system variables exist that can pollute the sound.

Whether it's better than another well optimised system is debatable.  

Using an Id your assured of the best possible sound on Linux with a minimal installation with a "real time" Linux kernel that's optimised for Audio playback.  
Best thing is you don't have to do any tweaking, it just works. (as he found out the hard way!)

[apgood]

Ok so you were talking about the Id specifically not the Linux version of MC in particular not MC Linux audio chain being technologically better vs Windows MC on identical hardware.
No worries.

[astromo]

I'm trying a full install of Ubuntu. The light on the DAC went from blinking to solid, so that gives me hope.

Never mind: I see that Ubuntu is not fully supported, and honestly, the install for all the Linux platforms looks too complicated. Now I'm triply frustrated.

Will getting the ID up and running require work? I may just return this Brix and go with that.

From this bit of experience, the version of Ubuntu is relevant to success:
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1555833-Gigabyte-GB-BXBT-2807-Mini-PC-Impressions
... and it's finnicky - refer this piece referred to by the post above:
http://liliputing.com/2013/10/booting-ubuntu-asus-transformer-book-t100.html

Intel have certainly published their experience and suggest that success is possible:
Intel Minipi Lake Platform (Intel Atom Processor E38xx/Intel Celeron N2xx/Bay Trail-M) Ubuntu 13.10 64-bit Setup Application Note

[astromo]

Well, I may as well fix up the double post. Don't know what was going on there.

Anyhoo, a quick trip to Umart and I picked up a Brix GB-BXBT-2807 and a 4GB stick of SODIMM RAM. I had a spare 120GB SSD lying around (thankfully), so I decided to put it to use. Followed the advice in the links from my own post above. I was able to kick off Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and have just loaded MC20. The bootloader tweak from paperWastage is what sorted out start up problems. The rest has been pretty well straight forward.

I'm yet to test for audio. I'll try an Audioquest Dragonfly DAC to start and see how we go.

When I get things squared away, I'll place a link in here over to the Linux board with a run down of how I did the business. Let's see how we go..  

EDIT: Couldn't help myself. A little bit of tweaking and then it's yeeeeha baby! Pumpin' audio via MC for Linux .. dat's da stuff!   

And listen Ma, no fans .. woo-hoo!!   

[astromo]

On MC for Linux, I got the following result when I ran Benchmark:

JRMark (version 20.0.15): 906

[Denti]

Awesome, and pretty cheap, too. Under $200.

But I had to send mine back. Would not recognize my DAC. I got the NUC and it works fine.