Re: Linksys NSL-U2 and AT

Earlier, Bill Marriott wrote:
> Also, I have read on some other forums that anything above 80GB is not
> =
> recognized by the NLSU2.  Any one using a larger drive with it?  My =
> collection is quickly approaching 60 GB and I would expect that I will
> =
> hit the 80 GB mark over the next year.
>
> On another note, there are a lot of sites that document how to reload =
> the device with a version of Linux, any one have experience with that?
>  =
> Easy, hard?  Any issues getting the Audiotron to work with it?

I looked at the NLSU2, but chose the Buffalo Linkstation since it was a
completely self-contained box (internal drive).  I've heard some people
suggest that the throughput might be better given that the drive is
directly connected via IDE, but I don't know for sure what the NSLU2
bandwidth is on the USB port as compared to the 100baseT network
connector (so it's hard to say if USB vs. IDE is a limiting factor or
not).  In any case, the Linkstation consumes a mere 5 watts when idle
(drive off), 12-14 watts with the drive on, and (for my usage) tends to
average about 7 watts.  It's small and quiet too.

The Linkstation is also available in a hacker form called the Kuro box,
which comes without a drive.  There's lots of support for doing all
sorts of things with the Kuro box, though much of the info is from
Japan where it was introduced.

The Linkstation has no problems serving files over SMB to my AudioTron
(something my PC no longer does).  In addition, I recently loaded
something called mt-daapd (which also allegedly runs on the NSLU2)
which makes the Linkstation into an iTunes music server.  So, the same
low power box serves music to the AudioTron and also to every other
desktop or laptop in the house with iTunes installed.  [There's a HowTo
on how to set this up in the file area of the Linkstation group @
Yahoo.]

Someone else today mentioned the Airport Express, and I have to say I'm
quite pleased with the one I just installed this past week.  It
essentially networks your stereo, such that any machine running iTunes
can send music to it.  It's also a wireless hub and a print server, but
I bought it specifically for the networked audio.  It has analog and
digital outputs and even though I'm only using the analog outputs it
sounds incredible (e.g. far better than the AudioTron analog outputs).
Since I'm using the Airport Express in my office, where one of four
computers is usually in use, it's the perfect way to allow any of those
four machines to play music to a single stereo.  Of course, all of the
audio files are coming off the mt-daapd server on the LinkStation so I
no longer have to go turn on the "music server" before I can play music
anywhere else.

--Steve