Strategy for Hi-Res music playing

[Boy Howdy]

Folks:

I tried to present this in the Software forum but kept getting less-than-useful advice (e.g., "AirPlay is limited to 16/44.1"). It is probably my fault because I explained the issue in a confused manner - I tend to do that when I am confused... 8^)

 

Here's the issue: I have some music that I ONLY have in Hi-Res. Suppose I wanted to play one of these files over an AirPlay link to an Apple Express in the kitchen - how do I do that? Remember, I already know that AirPlay is limited to 16/44.1. Also please remember that I use AirPlay all the time with iTunes (about 9,000 tracks @ 16/44.1) to several different locations throughout the house. So the essence is: Are there any players which will convert 24/96 on the fly or do I have to convert the 24/96 files to 16/44.1 and use iTunes? NOTE: I don't like the latter solution because it adds a lot of overhead and takes additional storage space.

 

I use Audirvana+ v1.4.6 on my desktop and it works great. What I can't figure out is whether Audirvana can be used to do this on the fly conversion - and if so, how to actually do that (e.g., ...what settings? ...what signal path?) - or if I need another player that will do 24/96 to 16/44.1 down-conversion on the fly or if I just have to make seperate down-converted copies of all my Hi-Res files if I want to hear them anyplace except my desktop... Not sure how to do this but would prefer to avoid this strategy. Or, do I just have a distorted view of what is possible?

 

Thanks,

Mike

[jcn3]

unfortunately, i think you're going to have to convert the files to 16/44.1 and use itunes. apple airport expresses are very cool devices, but only are social with itunes.

 

i'm not sure if some of players that are basically "embedded" in itunes work with airport expresses.

[fallington]

I am a total CA begginer who recently took the leap down the rabbit hole by purchasing a Peachtree Decco 65 connected to an Apple TV via optical cable or to my Mac Book Pro via USB. I have Audirvana on the Mac and it played the music I bought from HDtracks without any conversion on my part.

[fallington]

I forgot to add that the files from HDtracks were in AIFF format.

[Musicophile]

The "unhelpful" comment you mentioned came from me, as I thought you were intending to stream 24/96 wirelessly somehow.

 

If you don't mind it being down sampled to 16/44', i still dont get why don't you just use regular ITunes with AirPlay, without any external player like Audirvana or other? ITunes will downsample on the fly to 16/44 before handing the signal over to the AirPlay protocol.

[GSARider]

New to the forum, so hello guys. I'm going to try this myself, have only recently started using audioirvana, but I also use Airfoil ( AirPlay aftermarket software) that let's you choose the source for serving airplay around the house to different AirPlay speakers - works well with Enqueue and Spotify premium previously.

[bdiament]

Hi Mike,

 

Have you tried to listen to your high res files over AirPlay?

Your Mac will do the conversion on the fly. I've got a 24/192 file playing right now and feeding the Airport Express in the kitchen, connected to a set of Monsoon MM-1000s.

 

With iTunes, all you need to do is hit Play.

 

Best regards,

Barry

Soundkeeper Recordings

Barry Diament Audio

[new_media]

Barry beat me to it, but I can play 24/96 ALAC files through my Apple TV just fine. Just takes a few seconds to buffer the on-the-fly conversion.

[GSARider]

 

Screenshot of Airfoil running Audioirvana - it runs any 3rd party app that I've tried in the past year - bypassing iTunes.

[BobP63]

The latest beta of A+ allows you to select how A+ handles up sampling and down sampling for each specific sample rate being played. "If" you're able to use A+ to stream you're solution should be at hand in this latest version.

[Boy Howdy]

Folks:

Thank you for your encouragement. I was quite certain that it was possible to play hi-res files via AirPlay where the player would convert the files to 16/44.1 on the fly. Barry says he's doing it but he doesn't say what player he is using. I don't mind iTunes for AirPlay use but I have no idea how to get the hi-res files to iTunes - I tried the "Open" command under "add to Library"; I tired dropping the folder with the album tracks onto the iTunes "Albums" screen; I tried double-clicking on the file itself; I tried launching Audirvana from AirFoil... Nothing... But iTunes works fine with what I already have in it.

 

So I have an HDTracks folder with a bunch of Artist folders and each of those folders has the tracks to an album (or two). I can play those files by dragging them into the Audirvana playlist window ON MY DESKTOP only.

 

What I need is to know what steps are necessary to play a file from my HDTracks folder OR to get those HDTracks files onto iTunes.

 

I know this is something trivial but i can't figure out what the problem is...

Thanks,

Mike

[bdiament]

Hi Mike,

 

Folks:

Thank you for your encouragement. I was quite certain that it was possible to play hi-res files via AirPlay where the player would convert the files to 16/44.1 on the fly. Barry says he's doing it but he doesn't say what player he is using. I don't mind iTunes for AirPlay use but I have no idea how to get the hi-res files to iTunes - I tried the "Open" command under "add to Library"; I tired dropping the folder with the album tracks onto the iTunes "Albums" screen; I tried double-clicking on the file itself; I tried launching Audirvana from AirFoil... Nothing... But iTunes works fine with what I already have in it.

 

So I have an HDTracks folder with a bunch of Artist folders and each of those folders has the tracks to an album (or two). I can play those files by dragging them into the Audirvana playlist window ON MY DESKTOP only.

 

What I need is to know what steps are necessary to play a file from my HDTracks folder OR to get those HDTracks files onto iTunes.

 

I know this is something trivial but i can't figure out what the problem is...

Thanks,

Mike

 

While I have several "audiophile" players on the machine, most of the time, I just use iTunes on its own.

 

To get a high res file into iTunes, simply drag the file or or select File/Add to Library....

I prefer to load all my files in .aif (aka .AIFF) format, the same format I record, mix and master in.

 

Once the file has been added to the iTunes library, I click on it to start playback. The Airport Express in the kitchen picks it up right away, no issues.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Best regards,

Barry

Soundkeeper Recordings

Barry Diament Audio

[Musicophile]

Folks:

Thank you for your encouragement. I was quite certain that it was possible to play hi-res files via AirPlay where the player would convert the files to 16/44.1 on the fly. Barry says he's doing it but he doesn't say what player he is using. I don't mind iTunes for AirPlay use but I have no idea how to get the hi-res files to iTunes - I tried the "Open" command under "add to Library"; I tired dropping the folder with the album tracks onto the iTunes "Albums" screen; I tried double-clicking on the file itself; I tried launching Audirvana from AirFoil... Nothing... But iTunes works fine with what I already have in it.

 

So I have an HDTracks folder with a bunch of Artist folders and each of those folders has the tracks to an album (or two). I can play those files by dragging them into the Audirvana playlist window ON MY DESKTOP only.

 

What I need is to know what steps are necessary to play a file from my HDTracks folder OR to get those HDTracks files onto iTunes.

 

I know this is something trivial but i can't figure out what the problem is...

Thanks,

Mike

Just guessing: Could it be that your files are in FLAC format? ITunes doesn't accept FLAC, you'd have to convert them to ALAC or AIFF first.

[baddog]

As they are probably FLAC files you can either convert them to AIFF files which iTunes can import using a tool such as XLD thus enabling you the ability to play them directly from iTunes, or if you have Audirvana, select the Add Files to iTunes option under the Audirvana Plus Menu and this will bring them into your iTunes library for playback via Audirvana.

 

Which is all pretty much what has been posted one post above me ^^^

 

Barr

[Boy Howdy]

Folks:

We may be getting closer but I still have the same problem...

 

I can indeed import hi-res files (yes, most of them are flac with a few aiff) via Audirvana into iTunes - at least there is a representation of the album in the database. When I try to play any of these files with iTunes alone, it scans each one and then stops, as if it can't find anything. However, when I change Audirvana so it is integrated with iTunes, I get what I had originally, ability to hear hi-res files (a Bill Evans album for example, at 24/192) when I play TO MY DESKTOP ONLY and at 24/192 - NOTHING when I change the output (in iTunes) to an AirPlay destination. It is clear that neither Audirvana nor iTunes is down-rezzing the files to 16/44.1 - even though I had that selected in Audirvana when i imported the files into iTunes.

 

So, by importing the hi-res files into iTunes, I have gained the ability to hear the hi-res files either directly through Audirvana or via Audirvana along with iTunes but only at full resolution. No 16/44.1 and no AirPlay...

 

I appreciate you guys hammering away at this. Really. I am certain there is an unchecked (or checked) box somewhere that is behind this but I can't find it...

Mike

[Musicophile]

Folks:

We may be getting closer but I still have the same problem...

 

I can indeed import hi-res files (yes, most of them are flac with a few aiff) via Audirvana into iTunes - at least there is a representation of the album in the database. When I try to play any of these files with iTunes alone, it scans each one and then stops, as if it can't find anything. However, when I change Audirvana so it is integrated with iTunes, I get what I had originally, ability to hear hi-res files (a Bill Evans album for example, at 24/192) when I play TO MY DESKTOP ONLY and at 24/192 - NOTHING when I change the output (in iTunes) to an AirPlay destination. It is clear that neither Audirvana nor iTunes is down-rezzing the files to 16/44.1 - even though I had that selected in Audirvana when i imported the files into iTunes.

 

So, by importing the hi-res files into iTunes (without Audirvana), I have gained the ability to hear the hi-res files either directly through Audirvana or via Audirvana along with iTunes but only at full resolution. No 16/44.1 and no AirPlay...

 

I appreciate you guys hammering away at this. Really. I am certain there is an unchecked (or checked) box somewhere that is behind this but I can't find it...

Mike

Bob,

 

You may want to reread the posts above.

 

There is no need for Audirvana in the setup at all.

 

You just need to convert the files into a format that Itunes can read natively like AIFF or ALAC (I recommend, like Barr above, XLD):

 

X Lossless Decoder: Lossless audio decoder for Mac OS X

 

Once you import all your files in an Itunes compatible format (just drag & drop into the library, no Audirvana needed), you're all set. Itunes will automatically downsample for Airplay.

[bdiament]

Hi Mike,

 

Musicophile makes a good point.

 

Try this:

Take one of those FLAC files (a format iTunes doesn't do -- unless you seek out the Fluke plug-in, which I've never tried as I don't use FLAC) and copy it. Then use a program like XLD to convert that copy (or Save it as) an .aif file.

 

Try playing the .aif file thought your setup. If it works, FLAC is the issue. If not, we'll go back to the drawing board.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Best regards,

Barry

Soundkeeper Recordings

Barry Diament Audio

Soundkeeper Recordings

Barry Diament Audio