# Help streaming music from hard drive to stereo **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 28, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249 "2016-11-28T00:35:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/1 "2016-11-28T00:35:43Z")
Hi Dopers. After spending the better part of 4 months ripping my CD collection to a hard drive using Exact Audio Copy, I decided Google Play and Chromecast would be my best option to stream the music to my stereo’s speakers. I start uploading to Google Play, and after a while I am informed that it doesn’t support .wav. Which is the format that all 1600 CDs are in. Well then. What now? As always, thanking you. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/2 "2016-11-28T02:07:19Z")
Sonos supports .wav More of a multi-room solution, and expensive, but worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/3 "2016-11-28T02:24:10Z")
Cool. 350 bucks though? Hmm. Last resort it will be. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/4 "2016-11-28T03:21:48Z")
If you want to keep your music in a lossless format, and yet be able to upload to Google Play, Google will let you upload them as FLAC. They will convert them to mp3 for storage on their servers. I don’t know much about Exact Audio Copy, but a quick glance shows that it supports FLAC. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/5 "2016-11-28T03:35:06Z")
Thanks, Kyrie, but I already ripped them as .wav, and it took a long time to do it. Can’t imagine doing it all over again. I wonder if there is a way to convert the .wav files to FLAC without having to rip the CDs again. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/6 "2016-11-28T04:04:00Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > Thanks, Kyrie, but I already ripped them as .wav, and it took a long time to do it. Can’t imagine doing it all over again. I wonder if there is a way to convert the .wav files to FLAC without having to rip the CDs again. I hear you. I had hoped EAC would do that for you, but perhaps there’s no way to feed it files it hasn’t just ripped. You might want to try [LAME](https://sourceforge.net/projects/lamexp/); I can’t vouch for the Windows version, but I’ve used it under Linux where it works well. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/7 "2016-11-28T04:12:37Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > Thanks, Kyrie, but I already ripped them as .wav, and it took a long time to do it. Can’t imagine doing it all over again. I wonder if there is a way to convert the .wav files to FLAC without having to rip the CDs again. A quick look [here](https://xiph.org/flac/download.html) suggests that the FLAC tool itself can do this. There are a number of front end and options there that might make it easier, but generally I think you could just batch this and just leave it to run for a while. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/8 "2016-11-28T15:24:15Z")
You could get a [KODI](https://kodi.tv/) box or install it on your computer, and hook that in to your stereo… ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/9 "2016-11-28T15:28:24Z")
I’m NOT trying to be critical of your choices, but I have at least 20 years of experience streaming media to my audio system, TV, etc., and I would have gone a slightly different route. My suggestion: get an inexpensive media player with USB and wireless capability. A Roku 3 (new or used) might be one option. You can connect an external HDD to it as long as the HDD is externally powered. (Some USB-powered HDDs will work on a Roku, but not many.) The Roku will provide a direct digital connection to your receiver (assuming you are using a newer receiver). On the other hand, I don’t do this myself. I use a DLNA server located in another room and play through my local media player. Mine are hardwired, but the Roku and many other units will use wifi. The DLNA application allows me all the bells and whistles of album art, genres, playlists, and so forth. It will also play just about any file format, including WAV, FLAC, MP3, etc. Most of my media players cost less than $40. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-streaming-music-from-hard-drive-to-stereo/773249/10 "2016-11-28T16:53:06Z")
Can’t you just run a patch cord from your computer’s audio out jack to your stereo’s audio in jack? That’s what I do.