Asset upnp for OSX (beta) vs Playback

Posted by: Roman Kozyrev on 30 March 2014

Hi everyone!

I've used to use Playback for more than one year since purchasing of SU. Most of my music was stored in iTunes, but I've started to keep HiRes files (flac) in a separate folder, with copies of the same tunes in iTunes lib (a lac 44/16) for syncing purposes with iPhone/ipod. Both libraries are on NAS and since my hires files counts not as many as iTunes titles, everything was manageable so far, though there were issues with album art in flac files and just alphabetical list of flac files in n-stream.

Now, as Playback has not clear future, and asset for osx is just around the corner, I decided to try asset beta. it scanned my whole music on all folders and iTunes (count 17k titles) and at the start I liked the way it works. My only question is that now I can not identify which title is hires FLAC and which is just ALAC when browsing, they both appear under the same artist/album as double titles. This is just confusing and not comfortable, especially when I want to play the whole album - same tune plays twice...

So for a while I excluded iTunes folder from Asset and excluded hires folder from Playback, started both upnp servers at once. This gives me all advantages of asset with flac files and doesn't confuse with double titles. But I see this as temporary solution and want to ask for public wisdom about correct transition and set up from Playback to Asset upnp, based on my libraries double titles in hires FLAC and ALAC. Thanks in advance

Posted on: 30 March 2014 by Roman Kozyrev

Posted on: 30 March 2014 by Damon

Hi Roman,

I haven't tried Asset, as I'm still using Snow Leopard on my iMac; you are also on a Mac, I think, as you are using a Asset in beta form?

I have Playback and also eLyric. Playback was really quite good; I liked the earlier versions better, and still use it instead of the last few updates. It seems faster than eLyric as things load up on my iPhone.

Some others have had a similar issues with double titles; I can't remember which thread it was, but somebody did get it resolved, I think. It does seem that UPnP servers all handle the metadata (titles, artists, genres etc) differently, and I can't tell that one is consistently better than another.

There is also Serviio which you could try.

Posted on: 01 April 2014 by Roman Kozyrev

OK, so far having both upnp servers running in parallel seems like workable solution. Igot good comfort with Asset for my hires FLAC collection and for everything out of iTunes library, while still using Playback for all music in iTunes.

Posted on: 04 April 2014 by Gummibando

While yazsoft has closed shop Playback keeps working and there is no reason while that should change unless Apple changes major programming APIs.

Also there's a hint on the website that Playback may come back in the future.

Playback is still a fantastic product with perfect Mac integration. It happily serves every supported media type in my home (from a Mac mini).

So my - pragmatic - recommendation: keep Playback.

I had the same issue with FLAC files.

My solution was to batch-convert them all into Apple Lossless using 'xld' (basically converting one mathematically lossless format into another, so there's absolutely no loss in audio quality whatsoever, it also keeps the metadata).

I now have all hires audio files as ALAC within iTunes (which in my opinion is still the best organizational tool). This also enables the functionality in iTunes where it transcodes hires/high bitrate audio files to AAC (max. 256 kbs) on the fly when syncing to an iDevice.

Playback then shares just the iTunes library (and iTunes itself shares its library via AirPlay for the AppleTV, so both worlds happily coexist).

The only downside is that Naim streamers only play 192 kHz FLAC files, but not 192 kHz Apple Lossless files.

(Which currently is a non-issue for me as I the highrest-res files I have in my library are 96 kHz files.)

Posted on: 04 April 2014 by badlyread

And could you tell the difference between 96 and 192kHz other than in your wallet?

All of my files are ALAC on my Mac Mini and I have been using Playback you a number of years with no problems. However, I am currently trialling Asset transcoding the files to WAV on the fly and I like what I am hearing.

Wonder what the purchase price will be? And when will it be available? Only 26 days of trial left!

Regards

Neil

Posted on: 06 April 2014 by Roman Kozyrev

OK! Game over for Playback! I just upgraded my system with one click! I still can't believe it's possible!!! My SU + Totem Hawks start to deliver as never before during the whole one and a half year I own them!!!

What did I do : switch to decode on the fly from FLAC to WAV in Asset's settings. What a difference in sound! It start to be fuller, smoother, more soundstage! Before that I also was very happy with what I got from my SU, but now I know that i was unaware about it's full possibilities!

P.S. Most of my FLACs are hires 24/96/192 and they are on NAS. Both Playback and Asset are installed on Mac mini. All wired through TP link switch. Hardware set up was not changed, only decoding to WAV was enabled in Asset.

Posted on: 06 April 2014 by hungryhalibut

Yes, I do this with my UnitiServe and it sounds much better. There's apparently less for the streamer to do with the files if it receives them in WAV.

Posted on: 06 April 2014 by ChrisH

Apologies to the OP for taking this slightly off thread.

When I transcode a 24/96 file from my NAS via my US from FLAC to WAV on the fly, I think it sounds different (maybe its in my head!), seems better, as is alluded to above.

But on the SU it shows 44.1kHz in Stream Info.

im thinking CD quality.....?

Do you know if it has down sampled the file, or is it still at 24/96 resolution, just now in WAV?

(HH, I was thinking you may know the answer to this question :0).

Posted on: 06 April 2014 by hungryhalibut

It has down sampled it. You need to select the right option in the DTC. From memory it's 'transcode' rather than 'transcode to WAV'. The former keeps the native resolution.

I thought I'd play the Antonio Forcione & Sabina Sciubba 192k version of Meet me in London - you see 192k in nStream.

Posted on: 06 April 2014 by ChrisH

Got it - thanks HH!

Theres 2 options in DTC / Tools / Settings & Functions / System Settings / Naim UPnP Server:-

Transcode Media Types

Transcode

I originally changed Flac from False to True in Transcode Media Types and ended up with 44.1kHz downsampled files.

I should have changed Transcoding in Miscellaneous Settings to Decode to keep the sample size but decode to WAV.

Ive now changed my original setting back and adjusted the correct setting, which works a treat.

Ill have to give it some testing now switched on / switched off.

Posted on: 06 April 2014 by hungryhalibut

Hurrah - yes, it's 'decode', not transcode. If you set decode, you don't need to alter the setting true/false against any of the specific file types.