A tablet with HDMI port Vs a portable FLAC player with SPDIF/optical/3.5mm port

[rsd0459]

Needed a little help in choosing between the two.

My current set up is Pioneer VSX 520 AVR, infinity primus 363 fronts, Infinity primus 350 centre channel, and 162's as surround. samsung 47'' led tv.
My blue ray player (sony) just malfunctioned and am looking for a new "carrier" for my music.
Presently making do with a samsung mp3 player...so cheap that am too embarrassed to even print its name!!
between a tablet with a HDMI port and a dedicated portable flac player with a spdif port or 3.5mm out, which would be a better option?
would it make a big difference?

was thinking between the two 'Acer Iconia Tab A100 vs HiFiMan HM-601 Portable Player. needless to say both will be picked up from the US.
Does google nexus 10 have an hdmi port?

Thanks in advance

 

[rsd0459]

I am surprised....not even a single reply.

Hear,hear ye audio gods out there.....!!

 

[fragpic]

I am surprised....not even a single reply.

Hear,hear ye audio gods out there.....!!

As the audio decoding is to be done on the AVR itself,it will be much better to have a direct digital link like a HDMI connection.So I would suggest the tablet.
The Nexus 10 has HDMI via its MHL port.You just need to buy a cheap adapter

 

[rsd0459]

Yes but I was trying to find out myself....sift through google and stuff,

ppl say that when you connect a tablet to the AVR the screen is bypassed, you then have to navigate through your TV....it kind of defeats the entire purpose.
Is that correct?
because the requirement really is a Portable Music player which can serve as an input for the AVR...if it can be a tablet then it would be just wonderful.

Any other suggestions would be most welcome.

regards

 

[asliarun]

I've been on the lookout for a good audio server as well, especially since Squeezebox Touch went out of production.

Have you considered something like this:
Zotac's Zbox ID42 Plus nettop reviewed - The Tech Report - Page 1

The size of these mini PCs is pretty much the same as a tablet, and it will give you far more storage, expandability, ports, etc. You can hook it up to your TV or control it from your smartphone.

 

[fragpic]

Yes but I was trying to find out myself....sift through google and stuff,

ppl say that when you connect a tablet to the AVR the screen is bypassed, you then have to navigate through your TV....it kind of defeats the entire purpose.
Is that correct?
because the requirement really is a Portable Music player which can serve as an input for the AVR...if it can be a tablet then it would be just wonderful.

Any other suggestions would be most welcome.

regards

No,the screen is never bypassed.The screen will be mirrored i.e Both the tablet screen and the TV display will be active.Works the same on my ipad and the transformer prime.

There was also an app,the name I cannot recall,which could display a separate UI(like XBMC) on the TV and the phone or tab could be used as a remote.

 

[rsd0459]

Sorry, Sorry.
Maybe I was not so clear earlier...
My primary requirement is having a feeder for my AVR.
The source would need to have the following attributes.
1. Be portable.
2. be able to feed music to my AVR through an HDMI/ optical/ SPDIF port the cleaner the output out the better.

Now with these two attributes in mind (and two crazy kids) I was thinking if a tablet could do that then I could use it for streaming music when at home, the same tablet would buy me some quite when journeying with the kids, allowing them to play games etc. Could read books....you get the drift...right?
Also since most of music is digital(FLAC too) I didnt really want to go the blue ray player route.

But then if a blue ray player offers some distinct advantages I would be all ears, hell Iam open to any stingy suggestion.
Did I mention Iam kinda looking at a 350$ upper ceiling for the purchase.

And ya one more thing, was reading about portable media players + DAC which ppl are using with headphones. Is it possible use the same combination and feed it to my AVR?


Regards and thanks for your time

 

[devilwearsprada]

Oh, maybe I think that the two things compared here are very different. A portrable FLAC audio player serves your audio needs, on the other hand the tablet is an all-round gadget, for all your purpose. There is absolutely no comparison. However, a nettop PC would give you a good portable(cheap) desktop setup, whereas the Tablet is a portable device with different needs. A nettop PC is more like an HTPC, the tablet on the other hand is like a mobile Laptop.
The Tablet, considering an android tablet will serve all your needs, with applications to play most of the music files(FLAC/Mp3's etc.) and would be the best for all kinds of purpose and hence go with the tablet route.
Choices available :
1. Galaxy Tab 2
2. Apple Ipad 2.

 

[thevortex]

A tablet or a phone with the requisite app would do what you need - particularly if you have a DLNA TV. All wireless

Problem is if you want to connect the audio through the AVR, it becomes a wired solution and therefore not really the ideal one.

You can think of the following - An Android Stick connected to the TV and then the audio out can be provided to the AVR. Problem with this is that you do not get digital audio out - as far as I know.

An Android Stick today can do the job of a cheap HTPC with the support of myriad apps out there.

Just thinking as I type - theoretically you could plug in the Android stick into the AVR and get everything transmitted digitally! Not sure if this would work. But if it will, then it solves all issues.

Plus you can control your Android stick through your phone or tablet with one of many apps.

Am curious how this gets resolved though...Do keep us posted.

 

[Santy]

Since you do not have a good DAC in the chain, just get a Logitech Squeezebox if you can find, or Cowon. You will remain happy for a long time.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2

 

[akhil7j]

Yes, Nexus 10 has a dedicated HDMI port, not MHL. You need a HDMI to Micro HDMI cable and you can stream Audio/Video through it. But there is no point of streaming video from nexus unless you are playing game with wireless PS3 controller.

In a few months, Google will release dock for nexus 10. Then i would say it will be a perfect audio source. The DAC of Nexus 10 is really good and you can play music straight through the 3.5mm jack.



Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

 

[akhil7j]

What about a RaspberryPi? Rs1600 for an ultra portable PC with a size of credit card. Runs XBMC butterly smooth and has an HDMI port. Power consumption is 4W and power source is USB.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

 

[thevortex]

I have been using the Galaxy Nexus for over a year now and have not found the DAC to be anything special.

Raspberry Pi is for the inveterate tinkerer. If one is able to work around limited hardware and is open to tinkering, it would make a good solution. Although audio quality will still be an issue.

An Android Stick direct to a PC/Laptop and then a HDMI to the AVR might work better. If you wish to solve the audio quality issue, plonk in a decent quality Sound Card - ASUS Xonar or ESI Juli for example - and then take a digital out and connect it to the AVR's coax or optical in. You are all set for an outstanding experience!

 

[kneo]

Since you do not have a good DAC in the chain, just get a Logitech Squeezebox if you can find, or Cowon. You will remain happy for a long time.

Does the Cowon media players have as good DAC as SBT? I was under the impression that the Cowons and Sandisks are pretty average. I already have a Sansa Clip+. Would a Cowon player be better than this as a budget source?