mac mini/ipod touch as stereo source ?

steveinspain · 19 Oct 2009 at 07:58

Anyone able to explain any of this stuff to me ?
I want to get music from my external hard drive to my stereo, and it has been suggested that a simple way to do it would be to connect an external HD to a mac mini with an ipod touch as a remote, then into a DAC via a USB cable.
I have never even touched anything Apple, so know nothing - it is just a case of plug and play,and what else do I need to know ?
Cheers All !

Flying_V · 19 Oct 2009 at 10:03

I'd be tempted to buy an Apple airport wireless thing - they're cheap and would allow you to stream music straight from iTunes..

jas72 · 19 Oct 2009 at 12:20

couldn't you just load up your touch and plug it into the amp?

bigredshark · 19 Oct 2009 at 12:34

Well the mac mini and ipod touch as a remote is a really nice solution, I use it myself at home but if you don't have any of the kit already it's a terribly expensive way just to get a media player.

Depends what you want - if you just want media via your stereo then just buy any old high capacity player, transfer the music and leave it connected. As much as I love the mac mini, external sound card and iphone running remote solution I have I couldn't even begin to recommend it as a stand alone solution - unless you've recently won the lottery.

If you have a computer running itunes and already have a iphone or ipod touch it's fantastic though!

steveinspain · 19 Oct 2009 at 14:17

I have nothing - not even itunes !
I do have a 40gb iRiver, but would want some sort of remote control, and a lot more than 40gb, as i have way over 2000 cd's...
I am totally new to all this, and am looking for a simple solution, and am confused by all the different options - squeezebox, soundbridge, the apple way etc.
I want something simple to set up (plug and play would be good) reliable and ideally cheap (yes, I know..)
Second hand is fine by me, but first I need some friendly guidance, so keep on helping me please !

steveinspain · 19 Oct 2009 at 17:07

It has been suggested that a squeezebox touch is a good thing to try
Any thoughts ?

Spyhop · 19 Oct 2009 at 19:07

Squeezeboxes are excellent, I've owned a V3 and a Boom.

Hadn't heard of the Touch before, but if you can plug in an external drive directly as they say, it'd be perfect for your needs. The other Squeezebox models require a computer to be running its server software to stream the files over the network.