Jump to content
IGNORED

Spotify bit perfect to external dac


Recommended Posts

Apologies if this has been covered already, if so could someone give me a link to it, i have just bough a HRT headstreamer used, and some Kef headphones for a late night listening system, i have foobar 2000 on a win 7 pro laptop, i would like to stream spotify to dac bit perfect bypassing windows mixer, i stress i do not want to store tracks in foobar playlist, just pass the incoming stream to Headstreamer bypassing the windows mixer, is this possible

 

Thanks for replies in advance

 

Chris

Link to comment

To my knowledge it is not possible to bypass the Windows mixer for Spotify (correct me if I'm wrong), but I believe these would be the right things to do:

 

 

To listen to Spotify with the least digital degradation, a Spotify Connect network player or AV receiver is necessary.  With Spotify Connect hardware, a Spotify Premium subscription is required.
 

 

Peter Lie

LUMIN Firmware Lead

Link to comment

hi wklie many thanks for your reply, spotify was already switched to high quality, i didn't know about about the normalization volume thing, needless to say that's now turned off, i guess bypassing the mixer would allow us to copy stuff ?, is their any value in using a later version of windows ( Win 10 ) i thought i had read somewhere than Win 10 mixer detracts less than earlier versions.

 

 

Cheers Chris

Link to comment
On 7/19/2018 at 4:38 PM, chrisS said:

Apologies if this has been covered already, if so could someone give me a link to it, i have just bough a HRT headstreamer used, and some Kef headphones for a late night listening system, i have foobar 2000 on a win 7 pro laptop, i would like to stream spotify to dac bit perfect bypassing windows mixer, i stress i do not want to store tracks in foobar playlist, just pass the incoming stream to Headstreamer bypassing the windows mixer, is this possible

 

Thanks for replies in advance

 

Chris

 

Hi Chris

 

Logitech Media Server, normally used to supply audio files and online music services to Squeezebox type streamers, supports Spotify Connect via the Spotty LMS plugin. You can also get foobar2000 with the foo_upnp plugin's UPnP renderer to connect to LMS as if it were a Squeezebox, via the UPnPBridge LMS plugin. This should allow you to bypass the Windows mixer, assuming you are able to and are using either WASAPI in exclusive mode or ASIO for outputting to the HRT HeadStreamer in foobar2000.

 

John

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment

Hi John many thanks for that, apologies for tardiness in reply, been a bit poorly for a couple of days,  not sure i know how to do what you have suggested, could you maybe talk me through it via pm , or possibly a more detailed explanation here, i am sure it would be of benefit to others as well

 

 

Thanks Chris

Link to comment

Ok i now have LMS ver 9.1 the spotty plugin and upnp plugin, the upnp plugin for foobar 2000 which is the latest version the foobar plugin is brand new only written this month, i have no idea how to interface it all, Les if you have a simpler way i am all ears.

 

Cheers Chris

Link to comment

Ok, at least you appear to have found and installed most of it - lets get to the detail

 

Unfortunately, wrong foobar2000 UPnP plugin - it's the foo_upnp / 'UPnP/DLNA Renderer, Server, Control Point' plugin you need to install, not the recently  updated (to version 1.0)  foo_out_upnp / 'UPnP MediaRenderer output' plugin (it's not actually brand new as it goes back to 2012!). Also best uninstall the foo_out_upnp, to avoid confusion.

 

The foo_upnp plugin, as its alternative name suggests, comes with three UPnP/DLNA related components: a standard UPnP renderer, a UPnP media server & a standard UPnP control point. For this setup, you only require foobar2000 to behave as an externally controlled UPnP streamer, ie, you only require foo_upnp's UPnP renderer component.

 

I believe both the UPnP media server & the UPnP renderer are automatically started on installation of the plugin; the UPnP control point's functions are accessed through a couple of popup windows (UPnP Controller & UPnP Browser) from the View menu and has no need for a start/stop setting. So you just need to check that the UPnP renderer is started & also stop the UPnP media server as its not required. The foo_upnp renderer & media server start/stop settings are accessed in the foonar2000 Preferences window (ie, form either the File > Preferences or the Library > Configure menus), via:

Tools>UPnP>Server>Basic Settings

image.thumb.png.1d0587bcd18c16902afa201137a7ac5f.png

Confusingly, perhaps, both components are generically referred to as 'servers'. However it should be obvious which is the UPnP media server and which is the UPnP (media) renderer

 

 

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment
5 hours ago, chrisS said:

 i now have LMS ver 9.1 the spotty plugin and upnp plugin

 

As far as LMS itself is concerned, given that you have managed to install some LMS plugins via the appropriate page in its server settings web browser app, we can safely assume that its installed correctly with  network access through the Windows Firewall (and you managed to configure it without any help!). However, you are better off with the latest version, 7.9.2 - not sure where you got version '9.1' (7.9.1 perhaps?). It's available from the LMS nightly/beta build page:

http://downloads.slimdevices.com/nightly/index.php?ver=7.9

The installer will automatically take care of the older version & transfer any installed plugins.

 

The Spotty 3rd party plugin is straight forward to find. Not sure if you've found the correct 'UPnP plugin', though. It's supposed to be the UPnP/DLNA bridge (3rd party) plugin by Philippe, not the UPnP/DLNA Media Interface plugin by Andy Grundman.

 

Assuming you have correctly installed the right plugins, any issue is likely to be due to the Windows Firewall not giving network access to the plugins' associated helper applications. This should become apparent when you try to configure the plugins, when you select them Advanced tab section of LMS's server settings.

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment

Ok now have LMS 9.2 all the correct plugins for LMS and Foobar, just need a hint as to how they all interface with each other, is their some setting that when spotify is started that LMS starts etc how do i work it all.

 

Cheers Chris 

Link to comment

Once you've properly configured all of the relevant plugins, LMS just needs to be running all of the time in the background - so it's no different to any other server type application. The plugins' helper applications (which start when LMS starts) will automatically take care of helping to get the Spotify app to see foobar2000 as a Spotify Connect device, so that you can select it for streaming.

 

BTW, LMS can be set to Automatically run at (Windows) system start, in LMS's Control Panel > Status > Startup Options.  

 

The various interfaces are:

 

Spotify App
I
foobar2000 Spotify Connect Device, provided by Spotty LMS plugin and main LMS
I
foobar2000 (Squeezelite LMS client/Squeezebox type) Player, provided by UPnP/DLNA Bridge LMS plugin and main LMS
I
foobar2000 UPnP Renderer, provided by foo_upnp foobar2000 plugin
I
foobar2000

 

Just in case it's not clear, the plugins' settings need to be configured from bottom to top order in the above interface list.  

 


foo_upnp plugin settings configuration
Assuming you've followed the instructions (post before my previous post) for configuring the foo_upnp plugin, you should already have the foobar2000 UPnP renderer (aka UPnP/DLNA streamer) automatically running every time you start up foobar2000.


UPnP/DLNA bridge LMS plugin settings configuration

image.thumb.png.4dc90c52054af002663042ae9853fad4.png

 

Before configuring the UPnP/DLNA bridge plugin's settings, make sure foobar2000 is already started, so that the UPnP/DLNA bridge can discover the foobar2000 UPnP renderer via its initial UPnP device search.

 

The first thing you need to do in the UPnP/DLNA bridge's settings is press the Generate button. This should get the UPnP/DLNA bridge to create its internal configuration file, perform a UPnP device search and add an entry into to its config file for every UPnP renderer it discovers.

 

Once the Generate process has completed, its config file entries should appear in the List of players section at the bottom of the settings page - so you should see an entry for the foobar2000 UPnP renderer, as well as one for any other UPnP renderer it has discovered on your network.

 

To keep things simple, untick all the UPnP renderers in the list, apart from the foobar2000 UPnP renderer, so that the UPnP/DLNA bridge's helper application will create (and manage) only one Squeezelite player, so just for the foobar2000 UPnP renderer. Also there's no need to worry about using the default parameters, as they should work for the foobar2000 UPnP renderer.

 

The final thing to do is to start the UPnP/DLNA bridge's helper application (squeeze2upnp-win.exe), by ticking the Start the Bridge box and pressing the Apply button.


Spotty LMS plugin settings configuration
Should be straight forward - just follow the instructions in its settings page!

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment

Ok been playing with this for days i have everything configured as instructed, but no luck, the headstreamer hasn't arrived yet ( coming from the States by boat i should think ) so in the meantime using my J Kenny MK 3 USB-SPDiF converter and a Beresford Bushmaster, to have sometrhing for Foobar to output to, can get no sound, everything is running 

 

 

 

Cheers Chris

Link to comment

Ah, it's possible the Spotty plugin output's audio file type hasn't been set. I'd assumed it's set to PCM by default, but it's possible that even that is disabled when you first install the Spotty plugin.

 

Sorry, I forgot to get you to check. You need to go to Advanced > File Types and scroll down to the Spotty section. Make sure the PCM option is set to spotty and both the FLAC & MP3 options set to Disabled.

image.thumb.png.885c0849b486796ce4e6eb7e1e46638c.png

 

My understanding is that the Spotify Connect library routines that the Spotty plugin uses to receive the Ogg Vorbis streams from Spotify's online server, only provide a decoded output (ie, bit perfectly to LPCM) and not direct access to the original undecoded Ogg Vorbis streams themselves (supposedly because they are encrypted). Spotty's developer has decided to also provide the option of compressing this output (to save network bandwidth for use with 'real' Squeezebox streamers) to either lossless FLAC or lossy MP3.

 

BTW, would it be possible for you to post screen shots of your Spotty, UPnP/DLNA bridge (showing the Players section at the bottom) & File Types (showing the Spotty section) settings?

 

Also, to avoid any other complications, it might be best to set foobar2000's output to the computer's own for now, until you know that you are getting the audio coming through.

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment

Ok did that, maybe getting somewhere in LMS theirs a remote web control tab clicking on that gets spotify app. click on that an edited version of my spotify appears , click on artists only 5 appear, out of prob 40, in the top right hand corner Foobar 2000Upnp renderer is listed as player, but i can't play anything

Link to comment

Do you see a track automatically appearing and seemingly being played (so appropriate text, slider advance, etc) on the LMS remote web control with the foobar2000 Renderer selected as the player, when trying to play something using Spotify's own app (so running at the same time)?

 

If so, how exactly does the LMS remote web control say the Spotify track is being played? Screen shot would be useful!

 

I'm assuming you are able to select the foobar2000 Renderer as a Spotify Connect device to play to on the Spotify app - you didn't actually confirm this.

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment

Ok i think this thing is just bloody minded, i have sound now out through |Foobar to USB to amp, i  started it and the foobar was shown as player, managed to start a track, the volume control was grayed out before at 0 prob why no sound, but suddenly came alive, anyway as i pressed play it flipped over to the other player listed my Sony TV and started playing, upset the mrs as she was watching it at the time, shut the machine down, restarted, this time the player stayed as Foobar, and hey presto sound in headphones, it does not interface with Spotify properly though, i only have a small part of my artist library listed, and can only play single tracks, and not the everything by the artist, as in Spotify proper, i have not changed a single setting on LMS or Foobar, this is just what is happening.

 

Edit ok figured out how to play all the tracks by any artist, but still only have 6 random artists listed

 

Second edit, also LMS says track being streamed at 705 kbs !!!!! converted to flac

 

 

Cheers Chris

Link to comment
2 hours ago, chrisS said:

it does not interface with Spotify properly though, i only have a small part of my artist library listed, and can only play single tracks, and not the everything by the artist, as in Spotify proper, i have not changed a single setting on LMS or Foobar, this is just what is happening.

 

Edit ok figured out how to play all the tracks by any artist, but still only have 6 random artists listed

 

Chris, why are you using LMS's Web Control app to select and play your Spotify tracks instead of Spotify's own Windows app?

 

Like I said in my last post, you should now be able to select the foobar2000 Renderer as a Spotify Connect device!

image.thumb.png.f10eba0b5c4813eefa56f1c1d5746d43.png

 

 

 

2 hours ago, chrisS said:

Second edit, also LMS says track being streamed at 705 kbs !!!!! converted to flac

 

There shouldn't be anything surprising about a (16-bit 44.1kHz stereo) FLAC file track being streamed at 705 kbps - what is surprising is that you are getting FLAC in the first place!

If you'd followed my instructions to set Spotty's File Type options, ie, FLAC to Disabled, etc, you should be getting LPCM (at an expected 1411 kbps) instead of FLAC.

 

Did you at least follow what I mentioned later in the same post, as to why the Spotty plugin outputs LPCM instead of the original 320kbps Ogg Vorbis streams it receives from Spotify's online server (& the options to compress that LPCM output to FLAC and MP3)?

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment

Ok have attempted to show some screenshots of how things are configured, the only thing i have changed is in LMS file setting i had disabled flac but forgot to click apply doh, now rectified, as i said it has a mind of its own, i re-booted the machine a couple of times, and on one occasion the Foobar renderer popped up in Spotify, and i had a green strip along the bottom saying it was working, but no sound output from Foo either to DS or to my connected USB-SPDiF converter, taking a WAV music file from hard drive  to Foo instantly gives output, i cannot get the machine to repeat loading the Renderer as a client in Spotify, despite several re-boots, so what have i done wrong.

 

Cheers Chris

LMS plugins.PNG

LMS bridge settings.PNG

LMS file settings.PNG

Foobar components.PNG

Foobar server setting.PNG

spotify app.PNG

Link to comment

Your UPnP/DLNA bridge plugin shows more than one foobar2000 Renderer listed on two different PCs, so it looks like you had several goes at this!

However, the foobar2000 on the Toshiba machine is the only one ticked, so if you are certain that is the one you are currently using, it appears to have been set up ok.

 

When you start foobar2000, the only way to tell if its UPnP/DLNA renderer has connected to LMS is to see if it appears in the LMS Web Control player drop down list:

image.thumb.png.1cea8b7cbe27d08b9f434d8edfa746d3.png

 

The foobar2000 renderer shouldn't take more than ~20s to connect to LMS once foobar2000 has started (you need to manually refresh the web page as it doesn't automatically refresh its drop down list when the players connect to LMS).

 

Does the correct foobar2000 renderer appear on Web Control player drop down list?

 


BTW, you didn't show a screenshot of the Spotty plugin's settings - if the foobar2000 Renderer isn't listed as a Spotify Connect device or the box next to the foobar2000 Renderer isn't ticked, then it won't appear on the Spotify app's device list.image.thumb.png.57cc226c1ab0e283b13c32e2a1aa515d.png

 

Is the foobar2000 Renderer listed on your Spotty plugin's settings?

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment

Ok believe it might be sorted, wasn't aware of the spotty spotify for squeezebox settitngs tab, went into that, just a picture of the spotify devices panel, had to enter my spotify acc details, to get the page you show, then was able to configure it, now i have situation shown by following 2 screenshots, so how on earth was the foobar renderer coming up on the spotify devices tab sometimes, without the spotty squeezebox settings being configured !!!!!, also couple of smaller points i didn't know about was the 20 secs startup, and the need to start a track in spotify, then click on foobar device to get sound.

 

Many many thanks John for your perseverance with me, and for the amount of time you have put in to help me out. i know it has been a trial, what is easy to you, isn't so easy for an old fart approaching 70 like myself

 

 

Cheers Chris

spotty settings.PNG

spotify working hurrah.PNG

Link to comment

Ok maybe spoke to soon, configured it all on the Lenovo mini laptop Win 7 that i actually will be using when the headstreamer turns up, have it working, have sound output, but in Artists on Spotify, when the first track ends and the next track starts playing the sound stops, the track is still playing but no sound,

 

Edit, if you open LMS remote web tab, when the track is changing, the next track loads at top of page, the progress bar jumps to the middle of the track, then sticks and moves backwards and forwards, see screenshot, not of the movement obviously

 

Cheers Chris

track change issue.PNG

Link to comment

Oh so close!

 

I believe the various interfaces should now be set up ok - so that's a huge positive. No idea how you originally managed to get the Spotify connection, without following the instructions in the Spotty plugin's settings page, BTW.

 

From your description of the Lenovo laptop's foobar2000 playback not properly advancing to the next track, it could be that the laptop's running close to its resource limit. Try increasing the size of foobar2000's audio Buffer length to around 3s (ie, 3000ms) or even a bit higher and see if that stabilises things:

image.thumb.png.a574b0a6bc8002f536520f3ee5989199.png

 

 

 

We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

-- Jo Cox

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...