Is a Brennan a unique product ?

topgazza · 20 Aug 2011 at 17:46

I'm looking for a compact MP3 device like the Brennan that has its own HDD, has a reasonable display and/or you can plug a USB drive in. Or is the Brennan the only one of its type ?

Maybe I'm missing something but any pointers appreciated please

Yaka · 20 Aug 2011 at 18:19

there linux distrubiton that turns a pc into media box like that forgotten its name but its set up so cds are either plds or ripped to hdds, same with dvds/blurays tho dunno why for the life of me i forgot its name

lucid · 20 Aug 2011 at 21:57

It is pretty much unique right now, yes. There have been several products in the past, and there are currently a few alternatives available too... but they all either cost more money, are more network/multi-room focused or have less features.

The tech-boys here will argue that you can cobble together a streaming HDD device for less money, or that you can use a PS3 or XBox if you have a TV and audio system to connect it to, but that really misses the point. If you want a standalone device with integrated amp, direct ripping from CD, front panel display and a USB input then there's very little competition for the Brennan.

encephalopathy · 22 Aug 2011 at 10:09

Yaka said:
there linux distrubiton that turns a pc into media box like that forgotten its name but its set up so cds are either plds or ripped to hdds, same with dvds/blurays tho dunno why for the life of me i forgot its name

that would be vortex box

http://vortexbox.org/

Yaka · 22 Aug 2011 at 18:55

encephalopathy said:
that would be vortex box

http://vortexbox.org/

thats it! if youve got the hardware lying around then might be worth building it

Martynt74 · 23 Aug 2011 at 10:52

Yaka said:
thats it! if youve got the hardware lying around then might be worth building it

Indeed, it'll run on very old equipment and what it does, it does very very well. Can play music from it aswell (although would have no built in amp) which can be controlled using IPENG on an iphone/ipod touch

topgazza · 23 Aug 2011 at 10:58

I think thats the big thing for me. I just want a small, nice looking, simple dedicated music playing box with internal HDD and amp...

I have been tempted to build a dedicated box but simplicity is the key as lucid says, the Brennan is on its own. There would seem to be a market there, which they are making use of, for people like me who have got rid of their old seperates and want to use the benefits of digital technology. There is the Sonos of course

whitecrook · 23 Aug 2011 at 11:04

The other thing is a SliMP3 / logitech squeezebox. Back end infrastructure is a computer with your music, running a small webserver, very easy to setup. Not a brennan, but worth looking into

topgazza · 23 Aug 2011 at 13:09

Thanks...had my eye on the Squeezebox as an alternative...