Server and client architecture prevails at Paranoia Towers.
4TB WD MyCloud NAS (£149), running 24/7.
Provides SMB file server.
Provides Twonky DLNA media server.
Connected to wired GBE switch (Netgear GS105, £20), and thence to WiFi router/modem (Technicolor TG582n, charity shop, £1).
Can also run BubbleUPnP Server, allowing access to Twonky DLNA server outside my home.
Currently hosting 68700 tracks (mostly FLAC).
Win7 Pro desktop PC (HP Pro 3305, rescued from skip, 24" 1080P TV as HDMI monitor, rescued from skip & PSU repaired).
Running MediaMonkey client, accessing NAS SMB file server via GBE, outputting analogue to main amp & speakers.
Can stream to any of the DLNA renderers in the house.
Used for ripping CDs to FLAC with Exact Audio Copy (achieves 30x average rip speed).
MediaMonkey used for library management, along with a raft of custom Linux scripts.
Runs FreeFileSync to perform mirror backup of NAS to USB HDDs.
Win7 Pro Atom-based all-in-one PC in bedroom (ViewSonic VPC-100, secondhand, £60).
Running MusicBee client, accessing NAS SMB file server via GBE.
Streaming to Denon DRA-N5 (secondhand, £40) via WiFi DLNA, or any of the DLNA renderers in the house.
Can output analogue via headphone socket.
Can rip CDs with EAC, but the drive is much slower.
Can run Kodi and VLC clients accessing the NAS SMB file server via GBE to play video, outputting analogue audio to Denon aux in.
Denon can receive optical SPDIF stream, has alarm clock and internet radio functions.
Win8.1 Atom-based tablet (Linx7, secondhand, £25), running MusicBee client, accessing NAS SMB file server via WiFi.
Can stream to any of the DLNA renderers via WiFi DLNA.
Can stream to Bluetooth receiver/amp via Bluetooth.
Can output analogue via headphone socket.
Can be connected to TV by HDMI.
Android media box connected to the TV (CS918, £35), running BubbleUPnP client (£3.16 unlimited licences) acting as DMC and DMR, accessing the NAS DLNA media server via WiFi.
Streaming to the TV via HDMI, then from TV via optical SPDIF to Audica AVR-1 and Audica CS-LCR soundbar (both secondhand, £30 each).
Can stream to any of the DLNA renderers via WiFi.
Can stream to Chromecast audio dongles via WiFi
Can act as DLNA DMR for any of the other systems, streaming all as above (including CCA multicast, allowing any system to play to CCA multicast via DLNA).
Can act as remote control for MM and MB if they are streaming to a DLNA DMR.
Can stream to Bluetooth receiver/amp via Bluetooth.
Can output optical SPDIF stream to external DAC.
Can output analogue via headphone socket.
Can run Kodi and VLC accessing the NAS SMB file server via WiFi to play video, outputting audio and video via HDMI.
Android phones (Moto E2, £30, Moto Defy, skip) and tablets (Hudl1, £60), running BubbleUPnP client, accessing NAS DLNA media server via WiFi.
Can stream to any of the DLNA renderers via WiFi.
Can stream to Chromecast audio dongles via WiFi
Can act as DLNA DMR for any of the other systems, streaming all as above (including CCA multicast, allowing any system to play to CCA multicast via DLNA).
Can act as remote control for MM and MB if they are streaming to a DLNA DMR.
Can stream to the Bluetooth receiver/amp via Bluetooth.
Can output analogue via headphone socket.
Chromecast Audio dongles (3 off, £15 each).
Headless, WiFi DMR node.
Outputs analogue stereo audio, or optical SPDIF.
Can receive CCA stream from any of the Android devices running BubbleUPnP.
Can be connected to any amplifier or optical SPDIF input DAC in the house.
Can be used individually, or grouped for multicast streaming.
SoundMate SM1 DLNA/Airplay DMR (£18).
Headless, WiFi DMR node.
Outputs analogue stereo audio, or optical SPDIF.
Can act as a WiFi repeater.
Can be used as a directly-connected WiFi DMR, without needing a WiFi router as intermediary (so can be used in a car, boat, caravan, etc).
Sanwu Bluetooth receiver & TDA7492P class-D amp (from Banggood, £6.82).
Headless Bluetooth renderer & amp.
Powered by laptop PSU (skip).
Just to blur the client/server boundary, all the client apps (MediaMonkey, MusicBee, BubbleUPnP and Kodi) can provide a DLNA media server. But I don't have them enabled, as I have the Twonky DLNA media server running on the NAS.
The client apps (except MB) can act as DLNA DMRs, rendering streams sent from any of the other nodes acting as DLNA DMCs.
1TB portable HDD (Toshiba, secondhand, £20), with portable MusicBee installation, and LAME VBR0 compressed MP3 library. Can be plugged into any Windows PC to play my music library anywhere.
I think that's it...
My preferred method? Depends on what I'm doing...