[work in progress]
Due to audio issues with Win7 and 8, I had to move my music playback off the PC and onto a Raspberry Pi.
Here is a brief description of what I have:
Raspberry Pi
I use a Model B+ (Model B also works perfectly) with MPD.
MPD is configured to output sound to the HDMI output, as well as stream it over HTTP. That way, I can also listen to my music from any of the connected devices (such as tablets, phones etc)
USB sound card
The Pi has 2 music outputs:
a) 3.5mm analog audio jack. This works ok but the sound is not of high quality.
b) HDMI. Digital output. This is a much better option
c) USB. Digital output. This requires an additional USB sound card that plugs into one of the Pi's USB ports. The quality is very good. (Audiophiles with a golden ear will probably disagree.)
NAS
All my music is stored on a NAS, so it can be accessed from anywhere by anyone of my players (currently, just the one)
Cantana
This is the software that I use on the PC to play music. The software runs on the PC; the sound comes out of the USB sound card (connected to the Pi) and is fed to my amplifier/speakers.
MPDroid
I use this MPD client on my phone, so I can also choose what to hear, without needing to fire up the PC.
Additionally, if MPDroid detects an incoming or outgoing phone call, it pauses the music and resumes it once the call is finished. Very nice!
If you need more info on how this is all set up, leave me a comment.
ps: Comments and/or links to this article are most welcome!