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[Mike Foran]

It's been a long time since I've upgraded my system, and I'm a little out of touch with the current state of tech. The system I am looking to replace is an old bootcamped Mac Mini running MC on Win7, connected directly to a TV via a DVI->HDMI cable, and to a receiver via Headphone->Stereo RCA cable. My Onkyo TX-SV444 can do surround via discreet RCA inputs, but has no DAC or digital inputs at all. Honestly, it's not that bad for our use. HD video quality is pretty good and Audio sounds good but not great. We control it all via JRemote app on the iPhone or iPads. It is an always-on server that hosts MC Media Network 24/7, so I can stream to remote devices. I don't really use Zones, but we can have multiple computers on the network sharing the library to play content.

My main incentive to upgrade is to get full 5.1 surround and to improve the overall audio quality. I wouldn't mind if it were future proofed for 4K, but that's not a priority. I am thinking about picking up the GIGABYTE BRIX GB-BKi5HA-7200 + a new receiver (currently unresearched but obviously with HDMI inputs). I would let MC handle all the heavy lifting, and then deliver video and audio to the receiver via HDMI.

All of the media is stored on external USB hard drives. Most of audio media are Flac files, some of them multi-channel, some are 24/96 quality. Video is a variety of formats. My understanding is that if JRiver is handling everything and exporting video and audio via HDMI then it should be able to play any of these formats with exceptional quality.

Am I understanding this properly? Is the Brix overkill for this scenario? Are there any particular flaws in this setup I may be overlooking? Are there minor issues that I should be aware of? I would appreciate any insight or opinions.

[robt]

Hi

I cant give direct experience of the Brix, but I have been using a similar Intel NUC6i3 with JRiver for some time. Its done everything I've asked of it, 1080p full rate video ripped from Blu rays, audio files of 192k 24 bit and even DSDs with higher bit rates. Its supposed to be 4k capable but I havent been there as I dont have a 4k screen. Its an amazingly small and capable machine and I've been very happy with it. The only thing it wont do (and no NUC or similar can) is play video using Red October HQ. I've tried and it will work for a short while with dropped frames but always crashes in the end.
As an alternative, I'm currently playing with an Asrock Deskmini 110 with a full desktop i3 7100 processor. It is considerably more powerful than the NUC and works out quite a lot cheaper. Its about twice the size of the NUC but still a tiny box. Might suit your needs and save you about £150 on the Brix for a more powerful machine.

[Mike Foran]

Thanks Robt, looking into the  Asrock Deskmini 110 now. Can't seem to find the HDMI version it supports. 4K isn't a priority for me either, as I also don't have a 4K screen, but i wouldn't mind HDMI 2+ just to be current as possible and ready for the future-now. Do you know what version HDMI it sports?

[robt]

Thats a good point and I can find it either. I can find Display port 4k @ 60 hz. I kind of assumed that if I do use it for 4k then most likely it will be ripped and DRM free (I rip all my blu rays) so it wasnt too critical.

I shall research some more and if I cant find the answer I will contact Asrock.

[Mike Foran]

It appears to have the Intel HD Graphics 530 chipset which is HDMI 1.4. Not a dealbreaker as that's still more resolution than I can use. It should support resolutions up to 3840 × 2160@24Hz and up to 8 channels of 24 bit 192 khz audio.

This seems like a better option than the Brix. The ability to choose the CPU is a big plus. I'm definitely looking at this. Thanks for the heads up.

[robt]

I'm using a Kaby Lake i3 which has Intel HD630 graphics and its running very sweetly. The graphics come with the processor you choose and the top end 7th gen Pentiums are highly thought of and also have the HD630. The bios has a silent setting for the stock Intel cooler and it is virtually silent. I'm using a FLIRC IR controller which is working well with a Logitech Harmony and have ordered the extra two USB ports for just a few quid.

I've only had it running for a few days but initial impressions are very positive.

[GreggP]

If I were in the market for a new 5.1 A/V receiver, I'd take a close look at the Anthem MRX 520.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-E7vkwTQEJsC/p_973MRX520/Anthem-MRX-520.html

[Mike Foran]

If I were in the market for a new 5.1 A/V receiver, I'd take a close look at the Anthem MRX 520.

Oh boy I wish but that's about $1K over my budget. Honestly I've got a pretty small room to fill and that would really be overkill. Beautiful beautiful overkill. I'm currently looking at the Denon AVRS 530BT but haven't really made up my mind yet.

[Mike Foran]

I'm using a Kaby Lake i3 which has Intel HD630 graphics and its running very sweetly. The graphics come with the processor you choose and the top end 7th gen Pentiums are highly thought of and also have the HD630. The bios has a silent setting for the stock Intel cooler and it is virtually silent. I'm using a FLIRC IR controller which is working well with a Logitech Harmony and have ordered the extra two USB ports for just a few quid.

I've only had it running for a few days but initial impressions are very positive.

robt, Is this setup still working out for you? Now that you've had some time with it I'd love to hear your opinions. Particularly in the realm of Red October HQ, and audio quality. Is it still working to your satisfaction?

[robt]

robt, Is this setup still working out for you? Now that you've had some time with it I'd love to hear your opinions. Particularly in the realm of Red October HQ, and audio quality. Is it still working to your satisfaction?

I've had the Deskmini running for a couple of weeks now and all is good. I'm using it as my MC server and its very capable. It is considerably more powerful than the NUC 6 I now use as a client and a better choice for the role. I've had no issues, its virtually silent, runs cool and is a very neat setup.

I dont run ROHQ as it still isnt powerful enough (gpu). Sound is superb, but I have an expensive USB dac based set up so really the computer has little to contribute except to supply the ability to play via MC. I have watched a recorded tv program while recording two other programs simultaneously without any issues. Its well up to the task.

I would thoroughly recommend the Deskmini as a cheap, powerful and very small solution for a JRiver based htpc.

[Mike Foran]

Excellent thanks. Looks like that's the direction I'm going to go in.