Streaming audio player

This is a device with a user interface allowing you to select music sources (servers), to browse their content and select songs to play.

The source could be internet radio stations or your own music collection on a server in your home network.

They are playback only. Maintaining your audio collection (ripping, tagging, etc.) is done on the PC'

In general they are quit as there are no moving parts inside like disk drives or cpu-coolers.

They rely on the (home) network to access the audio.
Some allow for local playback from a SD card or a USB thumb drive.

To browse and play the content on a server, both player and server must talk the same protocol.

In general UPnP AV / DLNA is used. If not, you are locked into a proprietary protocol.

The player must support the audio formats on the server or the server supports conversion on the fly (transcoding).

The player converts the audio stream to analogue. Digital out might also be supported.

You can connect it to an amplifier.

Some have a build in amplifier. You must supply the speakers.

Players with build in speakers are called internet radio.

B&O Beolit 12

Portable player with Airplay

Rechargeable battery

120 Watts digital Class D power amplifier system drives two 2” tweeters and a 4” woofer

EUR 699 / US$799

Cambridge Audio NP30 Network Music Player $649 USD

UPnP compliant network player

DAC	Wolfson WM8728 24-bit/96kHz capable
THD+N	0.003% @ 1kHz
Frequency Response:	20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.2dB
Signal to Noise Ratio:	> 95dB
Total correlated jitter:	<200pS
Digital Outputs:	S/PDIF Co-axial and TOSLink Optical 16-24 Bits, 22.05-96kHz
Audio Formats	WAV containing uncompressed PCM 16-24 bit 32-96kHz, FLAC containing losslessly compressed PCM 16-24 bit 32-96kHz, AIFF containing uncompressed PCM 16 bit 32-48kHz, Microsoft® Windows MediaTM Audio (WMA 9 Standard) 32-320kbps, MP3 (CBR or VBR) 16-320kbps, AAC, HE AAC and AAC+ (CBR or VBR) 16-320kbps, Ogg Vorbis 32-320kbps
Streaming Protocols	RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) MMS (Microsoft Media Server Protocol) HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)
Wi-Fi	IEEE 802.11 b / g or n
Wi-Fi Encryption	WEP, WPA, WPA2
Ethernet	IEEE 802.3,10 Base-T or 100 Base-T
USB	2 x USB 1.1 current limited to 500mA each

Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6

Wolfson WM8740 DACs in dual differential mode

24-bit/384kHz upsampling

Inputs

Wi-Fi / Ethernet

S/PDIF optical and electrical

24 /192 asynchronous USB (driver for Win)

Services: Aupeo!, BBC iPlayer Radio, Pandora, Rhapsody, Sirius/XM and MP3Tunes

Remote: Stream Magic Remote app for the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad

Price: £700 / € 995.00

Due on sale in April 2012

Denon DNP-720AE US$499.99

dlna 1.5 Certified (AUDIO ONLY)

Windows 7 Certified

Apple AirPlay Certified

USB iPod Direct/Flash/HDD

Made for iPod/Works with iPhone Certified

RadioDenon.com - access to over 12,000 Internet Radio Stations

Pandora Radio Streaming

Rhapsody and Napster Streaming

Devialet D-Premier

DAC (digital-to-analogue converter), stereo preamplifier and stereo power amplifier in a single chassis.

WiFi

The initial release of the Devialet AIR Application works with:

iTunes (as a library browser) on Mac or PC
up to CD resolution (RedBook 44.1 kHz / 16 bits)
Wide range of formats: uncompressed PCM formats (WAV, AIFF), lossless codecs (ALAC, FLAC), lossy codecs (AAC, some MPEGs)
An upgrade of the Application (Q1 2012) will support all lossless and lossy formats and expand resolution to 96 kHz / 24 bits.

Price: €11,920.00

Electrocompaniet EMP 2 multiplayer € 2.850

Qdeo video processor from Marvell for optimal Blu-ray playback gives a natural picture without noise and artefacts. DVD movies are upscale to HD-format.
SACD playback is possible in both stereo and multichannel – using DSD format. The DSD data-stream is sent directly from the disk to the DAC's for direct transmission to analogue audio. Filters on the output removes high frequency noise and amplitude and phase characteristics of the signal is maintained.
A separate balanced stereo output offers high quality two-channel playback to you existing stereo set-up. Discrete class A output circuits and the best DAC available makes this player even better than the EMP 1. PCM format is up scaled to 192kHz/24bit before being sent to the DAC's, DSD format is direct.
Audio: Dolby True HD, DTS-HD Master
Video: True24p Video, Blu-ray 2D/3D, Full HD 1080p, BD-Live (Profile 2.0), BonusVIEW, HDMI 1.4a
Media: CD, DVD, SACD, DVD-Audio, Blu-ray (2D and 3D)
Streaming: DLNA Certified, Ethernet/WiFi
Connections: Dual HDMI 1.4a, eSATA, USB2.0, RS232 , Ethernet wired and wireless, 7.1ch audio, 2.0ch balanced, Composite & Component video

Elipson MC-1

Technical specifications

2 x 120 W / 4 ohms ICEpower® Amplifier
Well® technology: High quality (16 bits/44kHz stereo) uncompressed wireless connection to connect your computer with USB dongle (provided) or iPod®/iPhone®/iPad® dongle (optional).
CD Player (MP3/WMA compliant)
Sensitive touch panel
Optical digital input
2 analog stereo inputs (RCA)
USB input (MP3/WMA compliant)
analog input for portables (3.5 mm mini-jack )
RDS FM / DAB / DAB+ tuner
Headphone output (3.5 mm mini-jack )
Pre-amplifier output
Subwoofer output
Lighting sensor
Supply :100-120V / 220-240V AC - 200 W
Remote control

Freecom MusicPal internet radio 169,00 USD

Wireless digital internet radio and MP3 player
• Plays internet radio without the use of a computer
• Streams MP3 music from your computer or network
• Supports over 10.000 radio stations, including BBC 1,2,3,4 and 5Live
• Supports MP3, WAV & WMA
• Alarm clock functionality
• Live RSS feeds / Blog feeds in display
• Built-in speaker and WLAN antenna
• Stereo audio out (2 x cinch) to connect to amplifier set
• Line out (mini jack ) to connect to headphones or active
speakers

HIFIAkademie NetPlayer € 1940

UPnP-streamer

Room correction

No moving parts

Supports up to 32bit and 192kHz

All common audio formats.

TouchPanel
Remote by Web-Browser (WLAN-Handy/iPod/iPhone...)

Linksys Wireless-N Music Extender € 299.00

TosLink, S/PDIF, RCA and 3.5 mm Audio Outputs
RCA L/R Analog Input
Draft-N Wireless
External Power Supply
Internal Antennas
May be Streamed in PCM or MP3
Uncompressed Formats: (WAV, PCM)
Compressed Formats:(MP3, AAC-LC, MP2, WMA). May be streamed in PCM, MP3
UPnP Compliant

Linn Digital Stream Players

Linn’s first attempt at streaming audio players was the Klimax DS
Today they have a range of UPnP players:

Klimax DS Player	$18,500.
Akurate DS Player	$6,850.
Majik DS Player	$3,500.
Sneaky Music DS Player	$2,000.

Network: ethernet

Protocol: UPnP™ AV 2.0

Formats: up to 24-bit/192 kHz native sample rate, FLAC, WAV, MP3 & AIFF

Analogue audio outputs: RCA / XLR

OS: RTEMS

Open source: http://oss.linn.co.uk/

Marantz M-CR603 Melody Media €649.00

60Wx2 channels into 6 ohms
DAB/DAB+/FM/AM RDS stereo tuner
Internet radio, Napster and vTuner support
USB input with iPod digital interface
DLNA 1.5 / Airplay optional
Ethernet connection

Musical Fidelity M1 CLiC € 1499,-

UPnP compliant media player

Pre-amp

Remote control

Inputs

Seven digital inputs (2 x digital ipod/iphone/memory stick or USB drive, 2 x coax, optical, USB, network connection.)
Three analog inputs
Streaming
Internet radio

Audio formats

FLAC (up to 24bit 192 kHz on wired LAN and up to 24bit 96 kHz on wireless LAN)
WMA/9 (up to 16bit 48 kHz)
AAC, HE-AAC (up to 24bit 96 kHz)
LPCM (up to 24bit 192 kHz on wired LAN and up to 24bit 96 kHz on wireless LAN)
Ogg vorbis 1.0 (up to 16bit 32 kHz)
MP3 (up to 16bit 48 kHz)

Networking

WPL Windows Play List via UPnP media server
JPEG Still picture files
HTTP/1.1 Audio Transport
Shoutcast ICY Metadata support
WMA Streaming (including MMS and WMS)
RTSP/SDP (Real Time Streaming Protocols) over TCP

Connectivity
Ethernet - 10Base-T/100Base-T
Wireless-LAN - IEEE 802.11b/g
Module HW is IEEE 802.11n prepared, FW WiFi 802.11 compliant
WPA
WPS WiFi Protected Setup Pin and push button supported

Interface: Stream 700 by Stream Unlimited

Naim uniti €2995

Internet Radio Player
FM and DAB Tuner
Naim CD player with swing drawer CD tray
Front panel USB port for MP3 and USB-stored audio playback
iPod control, charging and front-panel screen content display via Naim n-Link*
Integrated amplifier (50 W per channel into 8Ω) with 5 analogue inputs
On-board DAC with 5 digital inputs
Plays WAV, MP3, Windows Media-formatted content, AAC, Apple Lossless (from an iPod), FLAC from any suitable UPnP device
Network connectivity via Wi-Fi or Ethernet

Olive Melody No.2 $ 599

Network: ethernet/Wlan (WEP/WPA)

Protocol: DLNA/UPnP

Output: 1x analog (RCA), 1x optical Toslink, 1x S/PDIF coaxial cinch

Audio format: WAV, FLAC, MP3 (128 to 320 bit/s)/ Internet radio

4.3" wide-aspect ratio, colour touch-screen(480 x 272 pixels)

Pioneer N-50

Protocols:

Airplay
DLNA 1.5 certified
vTuner

Inputs:

192khz 24 bit Bit Asynchronous USB
S/PDIF (Coax & Toslink),
Ethernet/LAN input,
front panel USB for Mass storage/iPod/iPhone/iPad

Output:

RCA
S/PDIF (24/192 Coax & Toslink)

iPhone and Android Control Application

Price: $699

Philips Streamium

Various models of UPnP compliant media players

Pro-Ject Stream Box DS £699.00

• Audiophile grade 24bit/192hkHz highend audio streaming client

• Ethernet & WLAN

• UPnP & DLNA support

• USB input for flash memory and hard disk drives

• USB input for Apple devices using digital out

• Internetradio with automatic detection of local stations

• “Gapless“ playback for all formats

Raumfeld

Wireless music system build on Open Source software.
Operating system is Linux with GStreamer multimedia foundation.

Network: WLAN 802.11g

Protocol: UPnP-AV/ DLNA with Raumfeld extensions.
Supported formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG Vorbis, ASF, WMA, AAC (containing AAC and apple lossless).

Controller € 398,-

Base € 279,-

Music server and access point.

160 GB HD

Extendable via USB 2.0 HD

Connector € 285,-

Wireless Digital-Analogue Converter:

Cirrus Logic™ DA Converter. 96 kHz, 24 Bit

Input:

RCA (Cinch)
WLAN
LAN

Output: RCA (Cinch), Spdif / Toslink

USB 1.1

Speaker M € 749,-

Active speakers with ART tweeters and 5" Rohacell woofers supplied by ADAM Audio.

DAC:Cirrus Logic™ DA Converter. 96 kHz, 24 Bit

Cirrus Logic™ DA Converter. 96 kHz, 24 Bit

Input:

RCA (Cinch)
WLAN
LAN

USB 1.1

Simple Audio Roomplayer

Simple

Resolution	24 bits, no sample rates specified
Networking	Ethernet 10/100, 200MB/s PowerLine Homeplug AV
Interface	Controller software for PC/Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch.
Digital inputs	network, USB port
Digital out	no
Analog in	RCA, 3.5 mm stereo jack
Analog out	RCA, , 3.5 mm stereo jack
Operating system	not specified
Streaming protocol	not specified
Audio formats	MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF,FLAC ALAC

Expected to be introduced fall 2011 starting at £500.

Sonneteer Morpheus £2200

100 Watt amp

Protocol: UPnP/Internet radio/file sharing

Network: Ethernet/Wi-Fi

Sonos ZonePlayer 90 €349,-

Also available with build in amplifier.

Network: ethernet/Wlan. First unit must be connected to router using a cable or you use a ZoneBridge for an all wireless setup.

Number of tracks limited to 65.000

Protocol: CIFS / SMB (file sharing) to access NAS/PC/Mac

Output: Analog (RCA) and digital out (Toslink/coax)

Audio format: MP3, WMA (WMA Lossless and WMA Pro are not supported), AAC (MPEG4), Ogg Vorbis, Audible (Format 4), Apple Lossless, FLAC, WAV, AIFF

Resolution: 16 bit / 48 kHz

Internet radio: RadioTimes, MP3 and WMA streaming audio formats

Squeezebox Classic

One of the first streaming audio players by Slimdevices.
Looks like Logitech stopped producing them but it is a classic indeed.

Squeezeboxes use their own proprietary protocol.
You need an computer in your home network running SlimServer/SqueezeCenter/Squeezebox Server /Squeezebox Server or what ever new name Logitech marketing department conjectured up to access your own music collection.
Often a NAS is used like the Vortex box

Squeezebox Touch USD 299.99

Audio formats:
-MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, Apple Lossless
-WMA Lossless, APE, MPC and WavPack supported through transcoding
-Some formats may require additional software installation
Internet radio
-Support for MP3, Ogg Vorbis, and WMA formatted Internet Radio streams
Wireless interface
-True 802.11g wireless networking
-Support for 802.11b and 802.11g routers and access points
-One-touch setup (with compatible WPS-supporting routers)
-Supports WPA Personal, WPA-2AES, and 64/128-bit WEP encryption
Ethernet interface
-Connects to any 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps network (with Auto MDX)
General:
-USB host connector for accessing music and photos via USB drive or USB key
-SD card slot for music and photos
-Supports sampling rates up to 24 bit / 96 kHz
-Stereo analog (RCA), headphone jack, digital optical, and digital coax output
-4.3-inch 24-bit color LCD with capacitive touch screen
-Ambient light sensor to adjust display brightness according to environment
-Infrared proximity sensor to detect presence

Soundcheck's - audio@vise for some serious tweaking.

Connecting a USB DAC by John Swenson

Measurement of the SPDIF out - Anedio

Squeezebox Transporter €1999,-

High end version of the SqueezeBox.

Protocol: proprietary streaming protocol, requires SqueezeCenter software to play your own music.

Teac WAP-8500 €399

Network: ethernet/Wlan

Protocol: DLNA/UPnP

Output: Line out, headphones out, S/PDIF digital optical out 44.1/48 kHz

Audio format: MP3, OGG, WMA, WAV / Internet radio

Touchscreen 3.5" colour LC display for function and track information
(ID3 tags, album cover, file name etc.)

WAP AR100

Media Server	Twonky media manager (DNLA) & local playback via USB
Supported formats	AAC, MP3, OGG, WMA, WAV, FLAC up to 24Bit/96kHz Line-out up to 16Bit/48kHz
Other functions	Control via Remote of WAP-8600 or WAP-9500
	Integrated power adaptor
	Internet radio and podcast
	Internet radio station access by vTuner (Full version with more than 10 000 stations), favourite list and via USB storage contents
	Supports FAT32 and NTFS file systems
	Power adaptors with international plugs EU,GB,US, AUS (Typ A,C,G,I)
Network connection	WLAN 802.11n (wireless) or LAN (ethernet cable), UPnP and DLNA compatible client
Ports	SATA, iPod-dock, headphones, Line-In, Bass/Treble/Level control, SPDIF, USBx2, RJ45, speaker, AC input
Line-out	active subwoofer, headphones out, S/PDIF digital, optical out 44.1/48kHz
Frequenzy range	20-20.000 Hz
S/N	>95dB
Accessoiries, not included	iPod/iPhone-dock, USB stick for FM radio
Dimensions	350 x 246 x 65 mm

Also available with ICEpower amplifiers

T+A E-series Music player € 2150