Article: Geek Speak: How To Build A UPnP / DLNA / OpenHome Renderer For Less Than $100

[The Computer Audiophile]

You can view the page at http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content.php?r=625-Geek-Speak-How-To-Build-A-UPnP-DLNA-OpenHome-Renderer-For-Less-Than-100

[iago]

The download link for the image seems to contain a typo. I found this link to work:

 

wget http://files.computeraudiophile.com/CA-NetAudio/CA-NetAudio-1.0.img.zip

[wappinghigh]

^ This is a great post CA...! Thanks so much for this..

[davide256]

I've been looking for a 2nd renderer solution for a headphone station and the cost/size is right. Appreciate the detailed (and easy) instructions, other like projects required an understanding of Linux to be successful. One question; is there a way with this to limit /transcode to the 96khz limit of the AQ Dragonfly?

[Tubefan9]

Any comment on how this device sounds compared to directly connecting to a CAPS server?

[The Computer Audiophile]

The download link for the image seems to contain a typo. I found this link to work:

 

wget http://files.computeraudiophile.com/CA-NetAudio/CA-NetAudio-1.0.img.zip

Thanks! Link updated.

[Ran]

Regarding drivers; Any USB Audio Class 2.0 DAC will work with Linux. DACs that require proprietary drivers will probably won't. Also, +1 for using MPD. One of the most optimized high quality music players out there.

[fritzg]

Great post. One of the most informative and helpful pieces I have read on CA and the type of information I expected to find when I discovered this site.

 

I wonder how this would work with Audio Station on a Synology NAS? Will that stream in hi-res? How can one verify the streaming resolution to this renderer?

[Bryan]

Excellent. This is information that budget audio geeks crave.

[SeeHear]

Nice article, Chris. One question: When deploying multiple devices, how are they distinguishable on the network? I'm thinking of deploying 4 or 5 to various locations in a large home.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Nice article, Chris. One question: When deploying multiple devices, how are they distinguishable on the network? I'm thinking of deploying 4 or 5 to various locations in a large home.

This can be done a few different ways.

 

1. If using an app like JRiver as the media server you can simply right click the renderer and select rename. This would allow unique names such as Kitchen, Den, Living Room, etc... and these names appear in the JRemote interface as well.

 

2. If you want each device to appear with a different name no matter what applications are used you can get a little geeky and log into the renderer via SSH and change the name in a configuration file. It's not difficult, but can seem like rocket science for the untechnical.

[Jud]

I'll add my compliments. Seems like this hardware might be able to be used as an NAA for HQPlayer without a lot of trouble.

[The Computer Audiophile]

I'll add my compliments. Seems like this hardware might be able to be used as an NAA for HQPlayer without a lot of trouble.

Very easily.

[The Computer Audiophile]

I've been looking for a 2nd renderer solution for a headphone station and the cost/size is right. Appreciate the detailed (and easy) instructions, other like projects required an understanding of Linux to be successful. One question; is there a way with this to limit /transcode to the 96khz limit of the AQ Dragonfly?

Using a device like the Dragonfly raises another issue as well, that is it's use of software control attenuation. You have to log into the renderer and open alsamixer to set the volume on the dragonfly.

 

I think it may be easier to set the media server software like JRiver to downsample to 96 kHz rather than setup the renderer to handle this.

[ted_b]

I've been looking for a 2nd renderer solution for a headphone station and the cost/size is right. Appreciate the detailed (and easy) instructions, other like projects required an understanding of Linux to be successful. One question; is there a way with this to limit /transcode to the 96khz limit of the AQ Dragonfly?

 

If using JRIver it is under DLNA settings, server->audio->advanced options

 

If using Minimserver it is a Minimstreamer transcode command in properties (see here)

 

User guide

Scroll down to here: For an output type of wav, wav16, wav24, L16 or L24, you can change the output sample rate by adding the suffix

;samplerate [NEW]

[Vinh]

Regarding drivers; Any USB Audio Class 2.0 DAC will work with Linux. DACs that require proprietary drivers will probably won't. Also, +1 for using MPD. One of the most optimized high quality music players out there.

 

 

Great, great job. Any idea whether Hugo will work with this renderer?

[ted_b]

Great, great job. Any idea whether Hugo will work with this renderer?

 

Yes, Hugo works with renderers. I've reported here on it several times (Rendu, JPlaystreamer, Aries).

[Richard Dale]

Using a device like the Dragonfly raises another issue as well, that is it's use of software control attenuation. You have to log into the renderer and open alsamixer to set the volume on the dragonfly.

 

I think it may be easier to set the media server software like JRiver to downsample to 96 kHz rather than setup the renderer to handle this.

 

I'm not familiar with using MPD as a DLNA renderer and maybe it is different to the standard MPD mode. But you can set up the alsa mixer settings in /etc/mpd.conf and control the volume from an MPD client app. That's what I did when I was driving my B&W MM-1 speakers with a Raspberry Pi and MPD.

[The Computer Audiophile]

I'm not familiar with using MPD as a DLNA renderer and maybe it is different to the standard MPD mode. But you can set up the alsa mixer settings in /etc/mpd.conf and control the volume from an MPD client app. That's what I did when I was driving my B&W MM-1 speakers with a Raspberry Pi and MPD.

Hi Richard - In the image I have the volume control set to "Software" in mpd.conf. This allows JRiver to control the attenuation, but I don't believe it allows JRiver to control the analog volume control on the physical Dragonfly device.

 

Maybe I'm missing something here. Please let me know, as your advice is always excellent!

[The Computer Audiophile]

I'm not familiar with using MPD as a DLNA renderer and maybe it is different to the standard MPD mode. But you can set up the alsa mixer settings in /etc/mpd.conf and control the volume from an MPD client app. That's what I did when I was driving my B&W MM-1 speakers with a Raspberry Pi and MPD.

I just tested setting it to "hardware" in the mid.conf as well and it didn't change the volume on the Dragonfly. The "software" setting doesn't change it either. With it set to software the volume does get attenuated, but not the actual analog volume control on the Dragonfly.

[kumakuma]

Fantastic work, Chris!

 

Do you think it would be possible to create a wireless version of this by adding the wireless USB dongle with antenna (http://www.logicsupply.com/uwn200/)? I imagine in this case, you would need to connect to your DAC using the miniUSB port.

[Richard Dale]

I just tested setting it to "hardware" in the mid.conf as well and it didn't change the volume on the Dragonfly. The "software" setting doesn't change it either. With it set to software the volume does get attenuated, but not the actual analog volume control on the Dragonfly.

 

I'll have to try out your image and play with it with my MM-1s to see if I get set the volume. Here are the settings I had to control the MM-1 volume on a Pi:

 

audio_output {

type "alsa"

name "B&W MM-1 Speakers"

device "hw:1,0"

mixer_device "hw:1"

}

 

...

 

mixer_type "hardware"

 

Maybe you are missing the 'mixer_device "hw:1"' line or similar in the dragonfly config?

[The Computer Audiophile]

Fantastic work, Chris!

 

Do you think it would be possible to create a wireless version of this by adding the wireless USB dongle with antenna (http://www.logicsupply.com/uwn200/)? I imagine in this case, you would need to connect to your DAC using the miniUSB port.

Thanks kumakuma.

 

The only way this is possible is through the use of a USB hub. I haven't tried it yet. The port you are looking at is actual microHDMI.

[The Computer Audiophile]

I'll have to try out your image and play with it with my MM-1s to see if I get set the volume. Here are the settings I had to control the MM-1 volume on a Pi:

 

audio_output {

type "alsa"

name "B&W MM-1 Speakers"

device "hw:1,0"

mixer_device "hw:1"

}

 

...

 

mixer_type "hardware"

 

Maybe you are missing the 'mixer_device "hw:1"' line or similar in the dragonfly config?

BINGO! That's it! Now the volume control within JRiver and JRemote controls the analog volume on the DragonFly.

 

Thanks Richard!

[The Computer Audiophile]

If there are enough people who want to use this device with the AudioQuest DragonFly I will create a DragonFly specific image for download. This image will also work with some other devices that have built-in volume controls.