Networked Audio Output Solution?
 

Ok so here's what i have. like 7 or 8 different computers throughout the house.. and a nice stereo system with speakers throughout the house, etc..etc.

What i'd like to do is have some sort of networked "audio receiver" that can receive a stream from any one of the computers on our internal home network.

So say i wanna listen to a playlist that is on my computer.. well i hit play, and the output goes to the networked reciever which then acts as a normal piece of the stereo system.

Is there anything out there like this? I've seen a couple of networked recievers that can store all your mp3's etc..etc.... but thats just not what i'm looking for cause we want the music to stay on each individual user's computer.

If you have any info on a solution i'd be interested :)

The Audiotron from Turtle Beach. I don't have one, but I may get one. I'm going to wait until I get a series II Tivo with the media pack to see how that does first though.

http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/

That's pretty cool. cept that thing actually fetches the audio from the pc (or mac in my case which it appears is not compatible).... which unfortunately means that it is going to be limited to the formats that the audiotron allows you to listen to.

Ideally i would push the actual audio output from my mac to the networked "listener" component of my stereo system.

Ah, I see. Well, I don't know anything about MACs, but you could run Windows 2000 Server (or 2003) and run Windows Media Services and stream all your multimedia content over your LAN or WAN.

The Turtle Beach product is cool but it requires ethernet cable.

Take a look at CD3O www.cd3o.com

Close, but still the device is doing the decoding of the file.. plus you have to install their proprietary software.

Any mac guys know whether i could connect a set of usb speakers to the usb jack on my airport & play music to them???

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,16920,00.asp

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un less ur like me hook up a 500 watt kenwood av surround processor ss-77. the ones that were in style back in the 80's or 90's. i picked mine up brand new sealed in the box at a yard sale by my pad for 5 bucks. wont do what you want it to do butt I sure do piss off the neighbors with death meatal i play at times. if your into online Auctions yahoo ubid or any of the Auctions online you may find what you need.

wire all the computers to a switch right behind the stereo reciver, you can buy one at radioshack. your computers will need sound cards with RCA type outut jacks, or you can put a plug to switch them from the headphone type to the rca type. then when you want to listen to it, just flip the switch to the correct computer when you turn on the stereo... or you might even be able to find a stereo with 7-8 inputs on the back