Seems I can use VLC to put out an audio stream on the Lan. What do I need to look for in a cheap speaker that will receive the audio signal over wifi and transform and output acoustically. Or is it not that simple? Googling leads me to pricey devices or very difficult build your speaker type hacks, and I'd think this would be pretty straightforward and don't want (can't lol) spend a lot of money. Any guidance will be appreciated and I will write up my successes when I come out the other side.
Update:
So it seems that it isn't so simple — sending audio data over the lan to a wifi speaker– because that's only the half of it..the speaker has to be configured to accept and process the data stream, which means that some protocol needs to determine the format for the data packets for the server to serve and for the speaker node to process and output the acoustic signal. Therein lies the rub and the reason why everywhere you turn the talk is all about proprietary formats and hardware. So I guess my question is what server can I use to send audio data in what format to what type of speaker if I am looking to do this on the cheap.
Best Answer
There are probably a few options. Two big ones I can think of.
1. DLNA
First the simple option. If the goal is just to play music from the network just setup a DLNA Server (install mediatomb) on your server and buy a player that can stream from a DLNA server. Almost any network media player you can buy from the local hifi shop.
2. Raspberry PI with PulseAudio
Now, if you're after something a bit more advanced. A project I've wanted to try is to get a raspberry pi (~$40 inc. case) and setup raspbian with pulse audio install on it. Plug the RPi into your amp or speakers and use pulseaudio's built in network support to stream the audio over the network.
A walkthrough that someone else has done that I will probably try out:
http://rootprompt.apatsch.net/2013/02/20/raspberry-pi-network-audio-player-pulseaudio-dlna-and-bluetooth-a2dp-part-1-pulseaudio/
Bear in mind the raspberry pi's audio isn't meant to be that good when using the analog output (3.5mm jack) but it's great if you use the HDMI output or usb sound.