Networked mini-system or active speakers to use with MinimServer

[classical11]

(02-12-2013 19:49)winxi Wrote:  Hi,
a few months ago I was also looking for a network player in the mid-price range. I then orderd the Denon DNP-F109 and I'm quite satisfied with it. This device may not have exactly the form factor you are looking for, but Denon offers also ultra-compact systems like the Denon CEOL or the CEOL Piccolo. I found out that all systems in this price range have their pros and cons. In short, for my Denon DNP-F109 these are the following and it is very likely that the following points also apply for the CEOL/CEOL Piccolo:

- The only real issue is that it is not possible to seek FLAC or WAV files at the moment. This may be annoying when you listen to long single tracks like audio books. However, it is possible to seek MP3 files.

+ The Denon has great format support (high resolution FLAC and WAV).
+ As far as I know, the Denon network players are those of the very few (if not the only) mid-price range devices which have real gapless support for FLAC and WAV. This means that gapless also works when the Denon is controlled by BubbleUPnP for example. Most other devices which claim to have gapless support will do this only with their own crappy control points.
+ The overall performance is good and the sound quality is great (depends highly on the speakers in use, of course).
+ A nice feature is that the Device is also visible to control points like BubbleUPnP when being in standby mode. With this you can select a track to play in BubbleUPnP and the Denon will be automatically turned on.

Denon has announced a firmware update for their network players in december. If I'll find the time, I will write a more detailed review about my device and I hope that other users will do the same for their devices.
When you have chosen your player, I'll be very interested in your experiences.

Hi winxi,

Thanks for the detailed response. It's good to hear feedback from someone who has used it with MinimServer and BubbleUPnP CP, which is how I plan to use it as well. I'm happy to hear that it supports gapless playback - I almost gave up on this at the lower end of the spectrum. However I really need the OpenHome extensions that BubbleUPnP server provides (i.e. being able to turn off the control point or using multiple control points at the same time) and from what I've read you lose the ability to play gapless if you go through BubbleUPnP server. Hopefully this issue will be addressed in a future release of BubbleUPnP server.

I will certainly keep the Denon in mind, especially the F109 and the CEOL RCD-N8, its lower end alternative. Unfortunately they are a bit expensive here in New Zealand.