HAKAI
Posted: 2018-08-11 20:05
HAKAI is a digital network music player with exceptional performance that you can build yourself.
Introduction
As many of you know, I spent a year working on a commercial digital music player. The resulting product was never released. The reason why it wasn't released was not its musical performance, which is fantastic. The reasons were three:
1. Performance is not consistent with computer parts. As a result, every unit will sound a little different and performance also varies over time, with temperature, etc. Many of the reasons why are unknown. Most companies are fine with this situation, but I'm not.
2. The interface has bugs. Even though releasing buggy firmware has become standard practice in the software industry, it's just not something I would be comfortable with. Bug fighting while maintaining perfect musical performance is a nightmare that would prevent me from spending time on other projects.
3. It's impossible to keep up with the speed at which computer parts are being replaced on today's market. When vital parts, found through endless trial and error, are suddenly discontinued, most companies solve this problem by releasing a new model of their streamer. I don't work this way and don't have the resources to do so. I gradually improve and develop upgrades for my designs, over which I have full knowledge and control down to the last detail. This approach becomes impossible when building a product using commercial computer parts.
HAKAI is a streamer built entirely from commercial off-the-shelf parts. I have omitted all the parts which I worked on myself, such as power supply, DAC and various electrical modifications.
Parts and skills
While some parts for HAKAI are easy to find, others are not. I strongly advise you to use the EXACT parts listed below, as they have all been carefully selected and most of them are crucial to the final performance.
The skills required for building a Hakai are essentially the same as for building a PC and installing an operating system.
SUPPORT on hardware, assembly, software installation and how to use your HAKAI: My time is limited and I need to spend it on other projects. I will rarely answer questions posted in here (and never by email or phone). But you can help eachother! Some have already built a HAKAI and might pop in with help. Others have built a PC or two and know the basics. The recommended software has its own support forum, where I suggest you register and ask questions. They are a friendly bunch of enthusiasts.
What does HAKAI do?
HAKAI will play music in almost any format from the NAS attached to your local network. There is also a Spotify plugin, which I have not tested and can't say if or how good it works. I strongly recommend that your NAS and HAKAI are connected to a Netgear GS-108T switch, which in turn is connected to the local network router (for best results, connect HAKAI to port 8, NAS to port 7 and router to port 6). I also recommend that you power your HAKAI from the same power strip as the rest of your system, but keep the NAS and switch on a separate strip, which is connected to a different but nearby wall outlet.
HAKAI is controlled with your phone, tablet or computer by a web interface. Use a browser of your choice and enter the IP adress of HAKAI (which you will need to surf to your router to find). The user interface will appear in your browser window.
How good is it?
HAKAI is one of the most musical streamers in the world and incredibly fun to listen to.
Introduction
As many of you know, I spent a year working on a commercial digital music player. The resulting product was never released. The reason why it wasn't released was not its musical performance, which is fantastic. The reasons were three:
1. Performance is not consistent with computer parts. As a result, every unit will sound a little different and performance also varies over time, with temperature, etc. Many of the reasons why are unknown. Most companies are fine with this situation, but I'm not.
2. The interface has bugs. Even though releasing buggy firmware has become standard practice in the software industry, it's just not something I would be comfortable with. Bug fighting while maintaining perfect musical performance is a nightmare that would prevent me from spending time on other projects.
3. It's impossible to keep up with the speed at which computer parts are being replaced on today's market. When vital parts, found through endless trial and error, are suddenly discontinued, most companies solve this problem by releasing a new model of their streamer. I don't work this way and don't have the resources to do so. I gradually improve and develop upgrades for my designs, over which I have full knowledge and control down to the last detail. This approach becomes impossible when building a product using commercial computer parts.
HAKAI is a streamer built entirely from commercial off-the-shelf parts. I have omitted all the parts which I worked on myself, such as power supply, DAC and various electrical modifications.
Parts and skills
While some parts for HAKAI are easy to find, others are not. I strongly advise you to use the EXACT parts listed below, as they have all been carefully selected and most of them are crucial to the final performance.
The skills required for building a Hakai are essentially the same as for building a PC and installing an operating system.
SUPPORT on hardware, assembly, software installation and how to use your HAKAI: My time is limited and I need to spend it on other projects. I will rarely answer questions posted in here (and never by email or phone). But you can help eachother! Some have already built a HAKAI and might pop in with help. Others have built a PC or two and know the basics. The recommended software has its own support forum, where I suggest you register and ask questions. They are a friendly bunch of enthusiasts.
What does HAKAI do?
HAKAI will play music in almost any format from the NAS attached to your local network. There is also a Spotify plugin, which I have not tested and can't say if or how good it works. I strongly recommend that your NAS and HAKAI are connected to a Netgear GS-108T switch, which in turn is connected to the local network router (for best results, connect HAKAI to port 8, NAS to port 7 and router to port 6). I also recommend that you power your HAKAI from the same power strip as the rest of your system, but keep the NAS and switch on a separate strip, which is connected to a different but nearby wall outlet.
HAKAI is controlled with your phone, tablet or computer by a web interface. Use a browser of your choice and enter the IP adress of HAKAI (which you will need to surf to your router to find). The user interface will appear in your browser window.
How good is it?
HAKAI is one of the most musical streamers in the world and incredibly fun to listen to.