I don't know much about the cromecast solution. But it looks like that is a good place to start and get going for cheap. This will give you time to survey the landscape.
But you are going to want to play around with putting down something on the tile floor and other modifications and treatments to keep it from sounding like a basketball gym. I have hardwood floor in my listening room and I put down a rug. Photos on the wall to mitigate the sound wave bounce.
As others have mentioned having a nice DAC is something to consider. All my digital music goes through my DAC (RP, CD, Sonos) I agree with other poster about Coax or Optical , its the way I connect. I am hooked on DACS as you can upgrade those and the technology moves ahead and leave the rest of your system in place. And they do make a difference.
Bluesound nodes are really nice especially if you have a music service. I run a Wired4Sound Modified Sonos connect for streaming DEEZER. They have a really nice interface and a stock SONOS connect can be found on Craigslist for a few hundred bucks.
This is why many people will choose to buy a DAC and use the USB output of their computer. It cost a lot to have a great setup, but not so much for a good DAC with Headphones. The same DAC will output to your sound system anyway, so you kindda need it.
USB is the short term future for computer audio interfaces no doubt. The goal is to keep the signal in its native digital form until the last possible moment in the foodchain. I'm still a fan of toslink / optical though. I got an audio card for my computer just to have toslink out. Its how the digital audio signal gets from my computer to my receiver. No need for an external DAC. I use the onboard DAC in the receiver. My NAS also has toslink out, though I have yet to use it. It also has 2 HDMI's out. I use an external USB ADC preamp to get from my turntable to my computer and to get the signal digital as soon as possible using a good ADC chip.
The Bluesound Node is a DAC and a whole lot more even though it only serves audio purposes. Built in innernet radio streaming is a big plus. Anything that takes the load off an AV receiver is good overall, especially if it does it better. It gives you many forward compatible options which is what I like most, besides what it does already.
This is why many people will choose to buy a DAC and use the USB output of their computer. It cost a lot to have a great setup, but not so much for a good DAC with Headphones. The same DAC will output to your sound system anyway, so you kindda need it.
Audio and Video, ok. I would start here for a decent AV receiver. It has the self tuning microphone feature that really helps overcome peculiarities in your listening environment. I would still get the Bluesound node even with the AV receiver and hardwire it in via optical toslink for all the puter audio streaming. The biggest problem AV receivers have is stream buffering problems. That would avoid that problem altogether. Speakers, man that's tough, just be sure that you can return them if you don't like them. For Chromecast, just get the dongle and plug it into an HDMI input in the back of the receiver and you are rolling.
Tile floors, that's gonna be a bitch. Loves my wall to wall carpet. Hard surfaces do not mix with audio very well. Exposed beams are a plus actually because they help break up standing sound waves in a room which cause problems. Hopefully the common wall would not be where the rig is placed against. Better if the sound runs sideways to that wall, rather than perpendicular. One of the biggest benefits of hi fidelity files is that you don't have to play them as loud to sound good.
i hear bill speak about high end equipment, flac, etc.
are there any recommendations or some site that covers the spectrum?
naim and bluesound seem very good but somewhat expensive
just curious
thanks
p.s. i actually use some wireless headphones too
Yeah if you line out some goals of what you are trying to achieve people here can help I am sure. there is also https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/
www.audiogon.com is a good place to look for high end used equipment and they have forums there as well but be warned there is much audiophilia there.
Music Direct my current 1st choice for anything sound related. They also own MOFI.
. Edit: upon further review, I kinda like what the Bluesound does as far as tying everything up in a neat little bow. It sure would simplify everything I could think of, including leaving the puter behind and accessing my NAS for audio files which is one of my long term goals. The bonus I see is that I can build playlists on my tablet that are sourced on the NAS. Gamechanger. Wasn't looking for something like this ... yet, but here it is.
i'm satisfied with my audioengine speakers A5 (i do wish i had a headphone jack out front)
however if space is an issue and bluetooth is desired a pair of these may do the trick
pretty thorough review here
I concur, the A5s sound great...two speakers and built in amp all for $400 (or $500?). Only issue is if you want to connect more than one source, but a simple swap of interconnects is all that is needed.
Having been a teen, I know from experience they have a tendency to break/lose things. Or have them stolen by unscrupulous band members/groupies/hangers-on. Get him a decent used rig for starters.
He wants speaker(s) to use for DJing. (He does electronica and trance style djing mostly).
He wants these: Behringer B415DSP 600W 15" ACTIVE SPEAKER
I think if we all pool our money, we'll be able to buy him ONE.
What do you all think? Worth the money?
My son's band uses a Fender Passport system, bought used on eBay. A very slick system but not as much power as the above. It packs up into one neat (but very large) unit with a separate duffle for speaker and mic stands. They are going on eBay for about the same as that system but include a mixer board and usually speaker stands and mics.
The one they use has proven to be super durable and loud enough for the dance hall gigs they play.
He wants speaker(s) to use for DJing. (He does electronica and trance style djing mostly).
He wants these: Behringer B415DSP 600W 15" ACTIVE SPEAKER
I think if we all pool our money, we'll be able to buy him ONE.
What do you all think? Worth the money?
check craigslist...I always see folks selling DJ equipment there...and its local so you can demo the gear before purchasing (not a big fan of using ebay or other online sites for this type of equipment).
He wants speaker(s) to use for DJing. (He does electronica and trance style djing mostly).
He wants these: Behringer B415DSP 600W 15" ACTIVE SPEAKER
I think if we all pool our money, we'll be able to buy him ONE.
What do you all think? Worth the money?
Wow. Them's kind of expensive. If he DJs often, I would think that he would have some money (and the willingness) to help buy them. Spend what you would spend and let him pick up the rest. Or just go to guitar center with the specs of his current speakers and what they're used for and tell them you are interested in upgrading them. Maybe you can find something he would be happy with for less money.
I agree about matching components. This is what I am currently using in my setup and it took a while to get the components that sound good in the entire system.
I note that your pre and power amps together cost about.....$3,000, thus proving my point. If you spend the money there is some great stuff out there, but anything you find at Best Buy (including many brands that used to be good) isn't worth having. And I'd still put my $55 Marantz up against it knowing that at the very least it would be comparable.
If you're listening to mp3s you'll hardly notice any difference between your modern whatsit and something old and nice, but with CDs, records, DVDs you sure should. And always consider the magic of component matching. I have lots and lots of gear and all of it sounds great...when combined with the right other gear. I am not a fan of my H/K CD player with the Marantz reciever, but it sounds good with the H/K reciever and great with my Pioneer integrated. My Marantz HD770 speakers only really work well with the Pioneer, with everything else they sound like they have a whole in the mid-range (and they do really, the Pioneer just turns them into this great rock system).
Outlaw 990/7700 - pre/pro amp combo Behringer A500 - 2nd zone amp SVS 20-39 PC +, SVS MTS-01 towers, SVS MCS-01 center, SVS MBS-01 surrounds - 5.1 speakers Samsung PN58B650, DirecTV HR-20 700 - TV and tuner Sony CDP-545, Phillips CDR 765, Oppo BDP-83, Panasonic DMR E515, Technics SL-DL5, Squeezebox 3, - media sources Remote MX-850 - Universal remote
I agree about matching components. This is what I am currently using in my setup and it took a while to get the components that sound good in the entire system.
