No smart phone.

[RTally]

How cheap can I go to stream DECENT quality sound through my preamp without buying a smart phone?

$10,000. For that amount, I will come to your house, install everything to your satisfaction, and hand you a controller for the streamer.

Seriously, though, what is your budget?

For about $100 you can buy a Wiim from Amazon and use your laptop (if you have WiFi). For about another $100 you can buy a mobile device to control your music from your listening chair without using your laptop.

For about $15 you can buy a cable to connect the audio output on your computer to the Aux input on your preamp/receiver. But your computer will need to be within 6 to 10 feet of your equipment.

For about $115 you can buy a mobile device and cable to connect the mobile device directly to your equipment. This option needs WiFi but not your laptop.

 

[swechsler]

The Samsung is an R510. Would I have to do surgery on that one too?

Probably, unless you can find more details on the hardware. Most laptops that shipped with any version of Windows prior to 10 had spinning hard drives rather than an SSD, which is the major reason for older PCs being so slow (although not having a lot memory doesn't help much either). It's really an order of magnitude of difference when you move from a mechanical hard drive to an SSD.

 

[RobRoy]

I'm on the T-mobile plan primarily because I live in the sticks and the only good data option is their $50 a month hotspot, which really works well.

The reason I'm bringing this up is that my smart phone is a REVV +5g or something like that. It was free with a two year plan. Our entire bill for two phones and the hot spot is just over $100 a month. I can use that phone to stream pretty much anything I want through any of my hi-fi's via a cheap bluetooth adapter plugged into the hi-fi.

 

[Morgan D]

Probably, unless you can find more details on the hardware. Most laptops that shipped with any version of Windows prior to 10 had spinning hard drives rather than an SSD, which is the major reason for older PCs being so slow (although not having a lot memory doesn't help much either). It's really an order of magnitude of difference when you move from a mechanical hard drive to an SSD.

Oh I get it. My stuff is ancient.

 

[Morgan D]

I was told that cheap wiim mini streamer doesn't need a smart phone. How do you select artists or songs? Or even set it up? I only see two or three controls.

 

[GChief]

A laptop, tablet, phone. Your not going to get one you can control, typically with its own screen, on the cheap, you can stream on the cheap but the player you "want" won't be cheap.

 

[spark1]

Nope. less than $100 on Amazon.

Won't he still need a device to control it? Seems to me that he would.

But once he solves that problem - which can probably be done at little to no cost by scoring an old smartphone that someone has laying around - the WiiM is a nice solution.

OP, as others have mentioned earlier, an old smartphone would not need to have an active subscription with a carrier. All it needs is wireless capability...which they all have. Use that to access the internet and download the control application (free and easy). It will then "talk" to the streaming service and the WiiM (or other streamer) to control your musical selections.

Of course, all of this assumes you have a wireless network in your home. If not, your option is to buy a bluetooth receiver. Use the old phone to interface with the streaming service and to send the music (via the old phone's bluetooth connectivity function) to the bluetooth receiver, which is in turn plugged into your stereo system.

The downside to this approach is that the music will be compressed (reduced sound quality...how much of a reduction depends upon the version of the bluetooth in the old phone and in the bluetooth receiver you buy.

 

[RTally]

I was told that cheap wiim mini streamer doesn't need a smart phone. How do you select artists or songs? Or even set it up? I only see two or three controls.

Already answered.

There are streamer boxes that have a small display with pushbuttons to navigate the menus. At best these are cumbersome. I consider them a PIA.

If you have a computer or laptop, you can use that device as a controller. I assume you have a computer and internet access since you are here. There are numerous ways to make this happen. A lot depends on what you want to stream and how your computer system is set up. Is there a service that you want enabled?

The most convenient option is to use a mobile device as a controller.

For about $100 you can buy a Wiim from Amazon and use your laptop (if you have WiFi). For about another $100 you can buy a mobile device to control your music from your listening chair without using your laptop.

 

[Morgan D]

I think I need to just figure out how to load this smsl m100 dac software on this old samsung and make it work. All these things are just too confusing for me. It really is frustrating for me. Not my forte. Swechsler ,if you could help walk me through that ? That would be nice. That Samsung was running fast enough last time I had it running. Do you think that the sound card on that old samsung is better than the cheap SMSL m 100 dac?

 

[spark1]

I think I need to just figure out how to load this smsl m100 dac software on this old samsung and make it work. All these things are just too confusing for me. It really is frustrating for me. Not my forte. Swechsler ,if you could help walk me through that ? That would be nice. That Samsung was running fast enough last time I had it running.

That will certainly work. You will be streaming from the service provider (Amazon, Tidal, Qobuz, etc) to the laptop and then feeding the digital signal from the laptop to the DAC, which in turn will feed an analog signal to your stereo system. The downside is that the computer will be tethered to the DAC, which is of course tethered to the stereo system. May or may not be inconvenient, depending upon whether or not the PC will reach your listening spot.

 

[GChief]

Get the Samsung fired up and running and someone will help you out.

Scroll down until you see the first streamer with a screen, learning a phone or tablet app is money not spent.
https://www.crutchfield.com/g_320350/Network-Music-Players.html

 

[Morgan D]

That will certainly work. You will be streaming from the service provider (Amazon, Tidal, Qobuz, etc) to the laptop and then feeding the digital signal to the DAC, which in turn will feed an analog signal to your stereo system. The downside is that the computer will be tethered to the DAC, which is of course tethered to the stereo system. May or may not be inconvenient, depending upon whether or not the PC will reach your listening spot.

Do you think the SMSL dac is good enough to bother with?

 

[spark1]

Do you think the SMSL dac is good enough to bother with?

Sorry, but I have not heard it. However, I know that SMSL makes some fairly well regarded DACs.

 

[Morgan D]

Get the Samsung fired up and running and someone will help you out.

Scroll down until you see the first streamer with a screen, learning a phone or tablet app is money not spent.
https://www.crutchfield.com/g_320350/Network-Music-Players.html

I totally agree.

 

[Morgan D]

Sorry, but I have not heard it. However, I know that SMSL makes some fairly well regarded DACs.

It was $80 about a year ago SMSL M 100.

 

[swechsler]

Do you think that the sound card on that old samsung is better than the cheap SMSL m 100 dac?

In general, whenever serious music listening is discussed, I recommend not using the built-in sound on any computer (there are a few exceptions, but your Samsung is not one of them). Many soundcards/USB DACs are automatically recognized by Windows and no drivers are necessary; you will have to try it and see what happens. Of course, Windows 10 is better at this than Windows 7. And even if drivers are required, installation is usually pretty straightforward even for someone with no computer experience.

Unfortunately, SMSL has made this a little difficult. They've compressed the M100 driver using the RAR format, which means you'll need to download additional software (7zip) in order to install it. But we can still walk you through it if you need it.

 

[RickB]

First question I have is how are you accessing AudioKarma?

 

[Morgan D]

In general, whenever serious music listening is discussed, I recommend not using the built-in sound on any computer (there are a few exceptions, but your Samsung is not one of them). Many soundcards/USB DACs are automatically recognized by Windows and no drivers are necessary; you will have to try it and see what happens. Of course, Windows 10 is better at this than Windows 7. And even if drivers are required, installation is usually pretty straightforward even for someone with no computer experience.

Unfortunately, SMSL has made this a little difficult. They've compressed the M100 driver using the RAR format, which means you'll need to download additional software (7zip) in order to install it. But we can still walk you through it if you need it.

YES!!It is down loaded and I have it in a file but, because of my limited abilities with computers I couldn't seem to get it to work, so this needs a smart guy like you to help me implement this so I can play some Steely Dan BLISS

 

[Morgan D]

First question I have is how are you accessing AudioKarma?

How do you like that Grado opus?

 

[SWL3600]

Hang in there. When I started down this road a few years ago, I was clueless. I didn't know the lingo but the guys here on Audiokarma held my hand and got me going in the right direction.

In a short amount of time I was set.....and in a short amount of time I realized how simple all this digital audio stuff was. Lotta fun and totally changed the hobby for me (and everyone else). I haven't looked back and really have no desire to go back to cd's or vinyl.