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Hello everyone, Wondering if anyone can explain what extra features I get if I tick the checkbox for the OpenHome feature under MPD/DLNA. Is it safe to leave it unchecked? I’m currently playing from JRiver on an iMac to the sMS200. Thanks.

Hello, I've been interested in network streaming for few years now, but have been constantly disappointed with the available control point apps for iOS. The hardware keeps getting better and better, but the software keeps lagging behind. Here's a summary of what I think is wrong: Browsing I shouldn't have to browse each media server in the layout presented by the server. This idea is an old one, from a time when a Palm Pilot was considered to be the ideal control point. We now have supercomputers in our pockets, but for some reason almost all of the software out there requires us to browse a directory layout, one folder at a time, to find a song to play. All of your connected music, from any number of media servers, should be fully indexed on the device for fast browsing, sorting and searching, and it should all be presented in a single, unified interface. Continued Playback When I exit the control point software to do something else on my phone (or to simply turn the screen off), playback of the queued up items should continue indefinitely. This sounds like a no-brainer, yet pretty much all of the software out there will stop playing when the current song is finished. Even worse, the lock screen controls are never available to show the current playback state. I don't believe you can have a good playback experience on a mobile device without this feature - it's just not possible. OpenHome can solve part of this problem, but only for a very limited number of devices. We need a generic solution for all devices. Gapless Playback This feature is limited to hardware devices that support it, but the majority of current apps ignore the feature entirely. I can't understand why, since the playback experience is so much better for those who own compatible devices. Output Support and Switching What if you own more than one network streamer from different hardware vendors, or some AirPlay or Chromecast devices in addition to your UPnP renderer? In many cases you would need to use a different control point for each type of renderer (If you can even find one that works for your source and renderer combination). This is crazy. I should be able to easily switch between all connected outputs (regardless of the streaming protocol), and maintain the current play queue and track position. Local Music Playback When I leave the house, I should be able to pick up playback where I left off. If I have the same library of music stored on my device (even if that music is stored in a lower quality format), I'd like to continue playback or be presented with the music I do have stored on the device to play something different. The interface should quickly and easily adapt to the change in connected sources, while maintaining a consistent experience. There's no reason I should have to use a different app for playback while I'm out and about. As a bonus, I should be able stream the music I have stored on my device to any external renderer. So that's my short list of what I wish I could find in an iOS app, and I have to believe that many of the readers here would agree with some or all of these items. After being continually disappointed with every app that I tried, I decided to do something about it. The result is a new iOS app called Glider Music Player that solves all of the above problems, and will hopefully do much more in the future. I would really love to hear any and all feedback about the app, or just your opinions on the current state of control point software for iOS. Thanks for listening!

Audiophile UPnP Renderer is a lightweight, HQ audio player, that turns your PC into a dedicated H/W UPnP renderer. It supports WAV and FLAC, BitPerfect and gapless playback, and even single VST for RC (requires bit-depth upconversion to at least 24 bits). Requires Windows 7 + (WASAPI). Audiophile UPnP Renderer Needless to say, that this software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY ... Enjoy.

Hi there, the setup is as follows: Qobuz studio plan Linn Kazoo on iPhone 6s Sonore microrendu in DLNA (settings to Lossless FLAC) USB asynchronous to Naim Dac V1 When playing back 192kHz albums, the highest the chain gets is up to 96 kHz. This is shown on Kazoo and the V1. Can someone help or does someone have an idea? Thanks!!

This is my first topic I am initiating, and I didn't see it already covered, though it may be somewhere so excuse any redundancies please. I've been a JRiver user for a few years now, and have wanted to get into multi-room (whole house) audio. I tried using various DLNA renderers as separate zones, which works, but the sync is awful, can't easily grab online streaming services and send to different zones, etc. So after researching SONOS (which I'm thinking is probably a bad word around here), and DTS Play-Fi, I ended up going the Play-Fi route getting a Paradigm PW Link. I wired it directly to my router via CAT5e, which drives a decent Parasound AMP, which drives a decent pair of outdoor DefTech speakers. I'm happy with the sound quality, but there are obvious issues with Play-Fi, hence the article I pasted below, which I can certainly relate to. My question: what is the alternative? I understand DLNA does not do room sync all that well, but perhaps some DLNA compliant products contain such syncing SW? I'm not interested in spending $0,000's per end point. The $350 PW Link fit the budget just fine, and I'm tempted to buy another one, but before I get too far down the Play-Fi highway, what are the alternatives?

Is anyone been able to use the software version of Dirac with their Microrendu or similar DLNA network player? If so can you please describe your signal path. What software are you using, Jriver, HQPLayer, Roon etc.

The DAC501 is Weiss Engineering's new state of the art D/A Converter with an unprecedented level of sophistication and versatility. With the DAC501 Weiss is creating a new paradigm for what used to be a black box device. A typical D/A Converter is a "set and forget" device. Not so with the DAC501. It adds a number of interesting signal processing features and sports a variety of digital inputs. Balanced, unbalanced and headphone outputs are provided. Weiss Engineering has a 30 year history in D/A Converter design. In that time span they have learned a thing or two about converter design. The DAC501 is the essence of their experiences. FEATURES Inputs AES/EBU or S/PDIF via XLR, Toslink and RCA UPnP / DLNA (via Ethernet) USB Accepted formats: PCM 44.1kHz up to 384 kHz, DSD 64x / 128x Future formats can be accommodated for via software updates Outputs Line out unbalanced on RCA connector Line out balanced on XLR connector Headphone out on 1/4" Jack Analogue One of the latest 32 bit D/A Converter chips is used Discrete output stages for both line and headphone outputs Signal Processing The DSP algorithms can be different depending on which output is selected (line or headphone). Some DSP algorithms have to work differently if they are used for headphones in comparison to speakers. Creative Equalizer - A tone control with low boost/cut, high boost/cut and mid boost/cut. Very useful to correct those recordings which do not quite fit your taste. De-Essing - The automatic removal of overly bright sibilances from human voices. The sibilance effect can be more or less pronounced depending on your speakers or room acoustics. Constant Volume - Adjusts the audio volume (loudness) to a constant value across all tracks played. Useful for "party mode" when the volume control should stay untouched. Vinyl Emulation - Get that special sonic character of a record player based playback chain. Crosstalk Cancelling (XTC) - For the playback of dummy head recordings or live recordings via speakers for an incredible live sensation. (For speaker based playback only.) Out Of Head Localization algorithm - Tries to get the music "out of your head" when listening via headphones. The goal is to achieve a similar listening sensation as one gets when listening via speakers. (For headphone based playback only.) The DAC501 is operated via the rotary encoder control on the faceplate, the touch sensitive color LCD display or the IR remote control. Some additional settings can be done via a web interface from any computer. Controls The DAC501 is operated via the rotary encoder control on the faceplate, the touch sensitive color LCD display or the IR remote control. Some additional settings can be done via a web interface from any computer. Mechanics The DAC501 has a similar size as the Weiss DAC202 unit. The DAC502 version is a larger size unit, similar to their MAN301 unit. The features of the DAC502 are the same as the ones of the DAC501. We've now begun accepting pre-orders. If you have any any questions about either DAC or would like to reserve one, please visit us at ciamara.com or give us a call a call at 1.844.CIAMARA High End Audio Store NYC - Experience Ciamara1.844.CIAMARA (1.844.242.6272)

I'm in need of an end-to-end introduction to what I understand are the very few options for playing multi-channel files on disk (somewhere) on my audio-visual systems, which are at present networked but which are NOT co-located with computers. I'm beginning to know of a few pieces (such as getting the files from primephonic.com), but I can't see how to make the process work end-to-end. I have tried for years to get about six separate Sony devices just to see my computers' DLNA on Windows - none of them even see my main computer running Windows 7. There seem to be no DLNA troubleshooting tools for either the server or player ends of the network. I installed Serviio and again, no devices (or other computers) see the Serviio DLNA (Serviio can plac FLAC and DSD files, but not sure about multichannel). I just discovered primephonic.com, and their website seems to be talking only about playing surround sound on computers directly, not playing files stored on my Windows computer (I guess I run some kind of non-network cable(s) 50 feet between two rooms to play on my A/V system?) I see the exaSound e28 DAC, but $3,800 for just one piece of the puzzle? Seriously? From the bullet above, you may infer that I am a music lover, not an equipment lover. Yes, I've spent five figures over decades on media (about 1500 CDs and 100-200 SACDs and miscellaneous) and equipment, and my main system includes items from 1970s Janzsen electrostatic speakers to a 2014 55" Sony Bravia television. But it's not about the gear, it's about the music (video, schmideo, I'm not a videophile, either) I'm a software/database developer with almost 40 years experience (H-P mini-computer, then Microsoft stack), and for me computers are work tools, not toys. I don't love 'em any more than my father (an auto mechanic) loved his wrenches. So, "thank you" first of all to anybody who has read, not just skimmed, this post. I'm stubborn enough to still want to troubleshoot DLNA, just to prove I can get it working, or at least understand why it doesn't, but my ultimate goal is to play surround sound on my A/V systems. P.S. For the last 10-15 years I've been grumpy about the conflation of "hi-res" with multichannel sound. Strange bedfellows - I'm perfectly happy with a 44.1 kHz sampling rate, but view stereo recording as a historical artifact of the 1950s (wait a minute, I was born in the 1950s).

What is the best iOS app to use as a controller for upnp/dlna? Tried 8player and Sesam and they are quite poor. Any ideas?

My audio-system now works well with digital music. Yet, an expanding audio library brings to light some shortcomings of the software I use - or are they just whishes? My setup: A Win10 computer acting as UPnP media-server; a Chromecast Audio, the optical output of which is connected to my amplifyer; several windows notebooks and a (android) tablet to look up music and cast it to the ChromeCast. It is in this last stage, looking up music, that things begin to get clumsy (especially when compared to my old CD collection). For instance: I ask for 'albums' and get an unsightly long list, arranged (if I'm lucky) in alfabetical order. So I set out to experiment with 'genre'. That works even worse: I now get an even longer lists of individual tracks! My question: is not there a player around which is able to combine several meta-data fields in a selection? For instance, I'd like to see the option 'keep albums together' or 'only show albums', allowing me to more usefully organise my collection in 'genres'. Also, I would like to see the option for further filters to work in an 'additive' way; I mean: 'apply the filter to the selection already made'. Alternatively ( or additionally), selecting on 'tags' would be an option, but afaik 'tags' are not supported by any media-server (?). An additional problem is that I am limited to players supporting 'casting'. So far I tried VLC and BubbleUPnP under Windows; both work fine in principle, but by now present unseemly long lists, and I hardly even started adding my CD collection. For the time being, my only option seems to rely on the 'file-system', folders within folders, to organise my music. YES, that works: I can at least keep albums and/or symphonies together and make a tree with 'genres' subdivided in 'sub-genres' etc. The 'clients' I tried do offer the option to locate music this way. It is still not as accessible as my old CD collection, since I can't (in the stage of searching) see pictures and I can't arrange albums in a certain way; it's all 'alfabetical order'. I can live with that, though, but it seems a bit disappointing when I think of all the extra possibilties a database-structure of my collection, making use of all available meta-data, could offer. By the way, I am aware of the need for meta-data and the problems of these not being well standardised but that is not what I'd like to discuss here; I am just looking for a UPnP-enabled player which can use multiple meta-data fields to make a selection. Thanks for any advice, or links pointing to relevant articles. Mabel

Hello, I have just discovered that latest version of Qobuz standalone software player is now compatible with UPnP/DLNA. Unfortunately my SMS200, even if appear in the list, return and error that the device is not properly recognized by the software. Did any of you try this feature? Thanks. Ciao, Giuseppe

Has someone compared SQ of direct USB output from MBP/Audirvana to DAC vs. streaming to a device like Ultrarendu or USBridge with the same DAC and same USB cable ? Thanks Matt

I have a question about media servers; it's a bit technical, I'm afraid. As I understand it, one of the main functions of a media server is to gather the metadata from media files and put them in a database. Evidently, the first time the program runs it has to scan all media files. However, from then on it can/could rely on the OS to signal any changes (deletions, additions, alterations). That was the way my now defunct NAS worked: updates to the database were virtually instantaneous. But now I want to use a windows10 desktop as media server and notice that in some cases I have to set how often the files are scanned for changes. 'Scanning' to detect changes doesn't seem very efficient to me. So my question is: are not there media server programs around which do not have to scan all the time, but instead rely on the OS to signal changes? BTW, Windows Explorer seems to work that way. Does Windows Media Player (which can act as a media server too) use that information?

My solution for using JRiver as a front-end to HQPlayer described in this thread was described by me as "limited". Then it evolved into something which, I believe, is quite full featured. Now I have added a small enhancement to this DIY script to support feeding JRiver and onto HQPlayer from UPNP servers. Don't get too excited though, because once more I have to add the word "limited" to the title. This is because you are limited to sending just one track at a time. There is no possibility at this time for playback of entire albums or playlists. If you are wiling to play DJ though, it can open up the possibility of sending tracks from any source which can be served from an appropriate UPNP server. This can include Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal, or any other sources the UPNP server in question supports. The limitation is caused by the fact that, once J River has handed the url to HQPlayer using my script, J River no longer knows about the URL, and there is no longer any syncing with the UPNP server. I may not have exhausted all the possibilities though. So partly I'm posting this as a cry for help to see if any of you might have some suggestions as to how we could get a UPNP server to send JRiver each subsequent track in an album or playlist, so that my script can then automatically pass the track's url to HQPlayer. I know this can be done with HQPlayer embedded, since that can be a upnp renderer. That solution is limited to linux only though (or a two box/dual boot, Linux and Windows set-up). So far I have tested my solution with mconnect running on IOS. This works fine, excepting the "single track at a time" limit. The disadvantage is that this doesn't support any higher than 16bit 44.1khz and Qobuz can go higher than that with a Sublime or Sublime + subscription. Then I tested using LMS (Logitech Media Server). LMS allows you to play to multiple players and sync them together. It also supports just about every source out there. It is necessary to install the "UPNP Bridge" plug-in and configure it correctly. For one track at a time only, I was able to get LMS in sync with HQPlayer by sending to both foobar2000 (with the UPNP component installed) and JRiver. I told LMS to keep foobar2000 and JRIver in sync. The track gets sent to both foobar2000 and JRIver at the same time, my script passes it from JRIver to HQPlayer and it plays with HQPlayer. Foobar2000 and LMS playback all kept in sync. JRiver itself, of course isn't actually playing anything. I send foobar2000's output to "Null output", so only HQPlayer is actually playing the track. The problem is that when it comes time for LMS to send the next track from the album or playlist, although it does get sent to foobar2000 and my script gets run, that second url is not delivered to JRiver or HQPlayer. Only foobar2000 gets and plays this second and any other subsequent tracks. I know that using 2 (3 including HQPlayer) players in this way is convoluted. I had hope for it though. If anyone here can find a way of getting it working for subsequent tracks, I'll be very eager to learn about your solution. I'll also be interested in any other solutions that could work with my script. Any other UPNP servers and also BubbleUPNP could be interesting. So I've attached my new version of the script below. Those of you who are already using my JRiver to HQPlayer solution for local files, will only need to replace the main powershell script. If you'll be using it for the first time you'll need the full package, also attached. So anyone who has any feedback/suggestions for this, please let me know. Or if you just want to play DJ with your UPNP server, have fun! https://www.dropbox.com/s/1z6f0l589uhk8ke/jrexp.ps1?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/u9a5bo9p5vcytrz/jr-hqp-album.zip?dl=0

I have the following stuff currently: Chromecast Audio (CA) Synology NAS 1515+ Macs Various iOS devices Android tablet For the most part I'm very impressed by the CA device. As far as I can tell when casting if using the optical connection on the CA the stream is sent from source to endpoint untouched. This is a good thing. (as a side note I know that I can't really hear the difference between 320kbps AAC and 24/96 FLAC, and I can't hear anything over 14kHz) There are a couple of issues with it that I have discovered, the first being that there isn't a native OS X or Windows SDK. I'm not a fan of browser based apps (primarily becasue I'm a web application developer and I'm always crashing my browser) I could live with that one becasue I have a bunch of iOS devices, and I can get Android tables if needed, but the one that is a complete deal breaker is that when streaming ANY files from my NAS there is no gapless support. Imagine listening to "Dark Side Of The Moon" with a 3 second (or longer) gap between "On The Run" and "Time". Ugh. Might as well not bother. I have tried a number of servers and apps to no avail. I have tried Plex, with web, iOS and Android clients. Gaps. I've tried adding BubbleUPnP Server. No help. I've tried DS Audio. Same. I've tried MinimServer with and without BubbleUPnP Server. Same. If I use BubbleUPnP on my Android device with a local renderer, as in not casting, the playback is gapless. So I know the client software is capable of gapless playback. If I cast Spotify from iOS or Android, that is also gapless, so I know that the CA device should handle it. I feel like I'm tantalizingly close here, and that I'm just being stupid and missing something obvious. I'm perfectly willing to buy software if needed, set up a linux or windows box, etc. My fallback position, and one that I really would rather avoid, is Sonos. Sonos is hugely expensive for what you get, and a friend of mine has them all over his house, and frankly not impressed with the sound. The Sonos Connect does basically the exact same thing as the CA for 10 times the price. My thinking here is that if CA will pass through the digital data from the source that I would spend my money on decent amps and speakers instead of proprietary Sonos stuff. Anyway, hopefully someone here has figured this out and is willing to share.

I have a new AV receiver (Denon AVR-x4100w) that offers several options for playing music from my PC. Since I share this system with my wife and my 2.5 year old son, I don't get a lot of time to experiment and do a lot of a/b testing. I wanted to get the opinions of the experienced members of this group about the relative sound quality I could expect from these three options: Digital audio over HDMI cable (iTunes or MediaMonkey Gold) AirPlay from PC to receiver (iTunes) DLNA from PC to reciever (MediaMonkey Gold or AssetUPNP) Most of the music stored on the PC is in ALAC, with some in MP3 and AAC. (For the sake of comparison, assume that everything is 16bit/44.1hz.) The PC is currently located in the same AV cabinet as the receiver. They are networked via wired gigabit ethernet. The PC hardware is nothing fancy, a ShuttleXPC SH67H3 barebones with i7 processor, 16GB ram, 64GB SSD for OS, 1.2TB HDD for media storage. Thanks in advance for any advice on which option would give the best sound quality. I'd also love to hear any tips for optimizing the setup (although my budget is very, very limited right now).

AirSmart Player is a brand new DLNA/UPnP control point app, it plays music from smart phone, tablet, local music server, Internet music services and Internet radios. AirSmart Player plays music to DLNA/UPnP speakers through Wi-Fi or LAN, speakers can be located in other rooms, 24bit/192kHz High-res files are supported. AirSmart Player is a multiroom aware music player, it plays different music to different room speakers at the same time, switching to other room is two taps away. You can see all your speakers on the same interface and control them easily. AirSmart Player instantly upgrades existing DLNA/UPNP speaker setup to a new multiroom environment. Working with compatible speakers, AirSmart Player provides advanced multiroom capabilities, such as multiroom synchronized play, speaker zone configuration and stereo pair. AirSmart Player beta is now available on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gk.airsmart.main , Internet Radio and Music services will be added later on, local music streaming and local DLNA music server access are functional. Welcome to have a test drive. Cheers Jack

Hello, I'd love to know what, if anything, I could do to improve the audio quality of my setup. Not that it doesn't satisfy currently, but, you know, with the addiction and all...I'm just curious if there are any obvious places where I could look to improve. What could my upgrade path look like? Here's how I listen to music: 1) Rip the CD to FLAC using Max 2) Put the files on an off the shelf Buffalo something or other wireless NAS that has DLNA built in 3) Connect the NAS to an airport extreme 4) Connect a separate airport express to my Marantz SR7005 via LAN (The Marantz reads the NAS off the network) 5) Take the digital optical out of the Marantz into a Rega DAC 6) Rega DAC RCA out to a Primaluna Dialogue Two integrated tube amp 7) Out to a pair of Quad 22L2 floor standers and a pair of REL R205 subs Any weak points in the system? I'm not really looking to swap out speakers, I'm more thinking about the source and signal path. Are there better ways of doing this? My computer and NAS are in a different room and I need to keep it that way. I don't know much about digital audio...I always thought it's ones and zeros, sound is either all there or not, but apparently there's other factors at play... Any suggestions? Thanks a million!

Bricasti Designs Model 5 Network Player ($2000) The Bricasti M5 network player is a network interface and media renderer. With wide support for DLNA and other popular network protocols, the M5 delivers pristine lossless audio from your network to your Digital to analog converter; your music server can go anywhere you choose. Connects to your LAN via Ethernet and Wi-Fi, with SPDIF, AES and USB outputs supporting sample rates up to 192k PCM and DSD 64. Play from anywhere The M5 Network Music Player plays ethernet wired or wirelessly over your data network. In addition, audio listeners have become accustomed to having a computer server and additional storage drives directly in the listening environment. This can get messy with the added cables and power supplies that accompany them. With the M5 Network Player you can find new freedom from your server devices and place them anywhere on your network, away from your system. Purity of sound The M5 is a dedicated DNLA and Roon Ready audio media renderer. Simple, raw data is served to the M5 over the network from your NAS or server and only then does data become rendered as a real-time audio stream to its SPDIF, AES or USB outputs, connecting to your D/A like our M1SE to do its magic. Many computer servers play dual roles as archival systems and players but not when you have a dedicated player like the M5. With the M5 dedicated player the audio rendering is in the M5, and close to its D/A destination for a pure, noise free experience that we believe is exceptional. A class unto itself The M5 is built solid. The chassis is milled from solid aluminum with beautifully rounded corners all the way around. Inside the chassis lies the Bricasti media player and powered by the same linear power supply as found in the M1 digital to analog converter for superb low noise performance under the most demanding circumstances. The M5 takes the Network player experience to the next level, and no add-ons are needed with the M5, it comes complete. The other popular product in the market that offer similar functionality is the Micro Rendu. However, to achieve optimal performance one really needs to use it with a much better power supply than the one it comes with. The M5 solves all the issues, runs on a proper internal linear supply that is out of the award-winning M1 DAC and has AES, SDIF and USB digital outs. Bricasti has taken the performance of the USB audio out a step further by powering it using the USB the power from the M5’s direct linear power supply. This means there are no switch mode regulators in the path to degrade performance. For more information, visit us here or give us a call at 1.844.CIAMARA (1-844-242-6272)

I wonder if anyone here has tried this new product yet? It is a DLNA renderer without DAC. Simaudio say it will do gapless. At $1250, it seems not absurdly expensive. Simaudio has a great reputation for sound quality, and they have a dealer network to handle sales and service. This could be a great choice for those (like me) who are happy with their present DAC and wish to add gapless streaming capability. Simaudio MOON 180 MiND Music Streamer Press Release

I'm looking into taking my first steps into the world of media streaming devices with my eyes on the Onkyo CR-N755 hifi which has had received some very favourable reviews. The only stumbling block has been that I'm a Mac user and in order to stream my music library (ALAC and FLAC) to the unit would require a 3rd party DLNA server such as Twonky, or for me to purchase a NAS (which could cost almost as much as the hifi itself). I've asked around a bit and so far the best bit of advice I've had is that: a) The DLNA programs for Mac should work b) It might be a better idea to pay an extra £100 for something like the Marantz MCR603 which can support Apple Airplay I'm not sure if I can afford the extra £100, and I'm also not sure if it's worth it if I can stream music via DLNA to the Onkyo for just a little extra setup aggro. So I thought I'd open it up to the forum to hear your thoughts on the matter. Will the Onkyo be too much hassle or is the extra £100 for the Marantz too much for just a little extra convenience? I'm obviously also interested in sound quality but from what I gather from reviews, both are strong in this regard.