Mac UPnP - why so difficult ?

The trouble is for some reason people don't listen.

Plex media server, rock solid, works, free, available on most platforms.

Mac doesn't play well wirelessly unless its via airplay, and, the internal Naim wireless streamer has problems (per my own experiences and the experiences of others who have posted on here).  My best luck so far is "pushing" iTunes through airport express and controlling it with apple remote.  I know its limited to 16/44 but, honestly, the 96/24 streams via my UQII are too choppy (40 ft. away through 2 walls).  When I want best sound quality, I physically place my Macbook Pro next to the UQII and use toslink to connect.

Don't see an issue with mac UPNP server apps.

twonky (mac version) works really fine*

asset (mac version) works fine

minimserver (mac version) works fine.

JRMC (mac version) works sort of fine.

*although some users around here don't like twonky - I stell prefer that app. ether mac based or qnap based. never had any issued (except user configuration mistakes in the beginning). but as always: your mileage may vary

cheers, lorenz

Using minimserver on my Mac Mini, and it seems rock-solid to me.

I'm using Asset UPnP on a Mac - very solid and only 1 small problem around showing Various Artists on Compilations.

Have tried Twonky and Linn Kazoo too - both also work great.  I guess it is less "plug and play" than other solutions so is maybe a little harder to get right.

I've just gone through this at length and have found really only two stable server options. One is Linn Kazoo server (just point it to your iTunes music folder); and Asset UPnP. Asset has been the most stable and is what I am now running on my MacMini media server as a way to serve up files to a UnitiLite. It has been quite reliable (although on occasion the Uniti seems to hang and "initialize input" on some tracks/folders. 

Asset or Naim server.

 Minim works quite well also, but is more difficult to install on a NAS.

I am surprised you found plex unstable because its utterly rock solid. You did try plex I assume?

NAS-dependent, agreed, but there are pretty simple installers not for the most popular NAS choices for the music enthusiast – Synology, QNAP...

And BTW am running minimserver on my desktop Mac mini, and all the network music players I've tried of late have seen and worked with it with no problems.

There's really two phases of UPnP / DLNA server appllications for OS X; the first phase largely was dominated by Mac-only UPnP services (e.g., EyeConnect, Playback) used to bridge an iTunes library to UPnP ContentDirectory services, and the second (post-iTunes) phase has been rather plentiful with a host of decent, cross-platform applications such as Asset & MinimServer, among others, that will largely run anywhere.

Apps in the second phase, by default, include FLAC support and, in most cases, can read either (or both) ID3 and Vorbis comments, ignoring the (now obsolete, IMHO) requirement of parsing of an iTunes XML Library altogether.

The first phase of any technology is always painful, but it's fair to say that we are turning the corner; good results can be had streaming from a remote store over the network to a digital-only player pushing audio out over USB (or SPDIF, for that matter). Life is good.

I tried out Kazoo server. It works when I specify a music folder.

But when I specify to use iTunes I can navigate to any album with my Naim streamer but can not play any song. Any ideas how to make it work?

Also, Plex is having the same problem.

I use Playback on my iMac and Macbook Pro - no problems. Decent piece of software. 

I used Playback and it worked fine, until the trial expired, and then I tried to buy a license...but it tanked because it said I was already runing another version, etc.

Anyway, went back to Twonky (which is now TwonkyBeam and Manager, one contains the other), and I've had some luck with that, though not as easy as push Airplay through Airport Express, controllable from iPhone Remote.