Spotify Streaming via Airplay

Hi Myron - 

I don't have a Uniti, but I do have a UnitiQute v1 (so no native Tidal or Spotify connect, since also on the so-called 2D APP for the internals ). I use an Apple Airport Express as an Apple AirPlay relay, but I use the (optical) audio out via a miniTOSLink to TOSLink cable into the Qute. I'm not sure how your AppleTV is feeding a signal to your Uniti, if they are only connected via a common Ethernet switch...perhaps the AppleTV has more network functionality than the Express...but you could certainly try adding an audio connection and see if somehow that resolves your buffering issue. I have not had any problems using AirPlay for Tidal (and Spotify before that) or native iPhone music/audio with the Express in this configuration  (and many others have now reported good success with the Google Chromecast as well). Something to check out, anyway. 

Regards alan 

I would go with Alan's suggestion and try an optical connection, this works reliably for me. If this doesn't help you may have a network issue, and the 24/192 upgrade might possibly bypass this, but personally I wouldn't bother if you can get it working with optical. 

On the other hand, if you want to try Tidal, BBC HLS streams or 24/192 streaming too, the hardware upgrade is worthwhile. 

Ideally you would set up something that has spotify connect on it. FYI the Amazon Fire TV has this on, but you would need to look out for a V1 of it which had an optical output.

Or any mac mini from late 2009 onwards would achieve this, perhaps a little over kill but if you are into spotify, connect it the only way forward. I have an old Phillips Freevents TV PC thingy here I picked up for a couple of quid, basically a small form factor PC with an SPDIF output.

I can attest that Spotify running on Mac Mini into a DAC sounds noticeably better than streamed to AppleTV into the same DAC from iPad via AirPlay.  SpotRemote app on the iPad controls Spotify on the Mac very well.

Nick

Nick, if you have the latest spotify it will run in connect mode and its own app on ipad will control it.

MyronB posted:

I have an older version of the NaimUniti and therefore to stream Spotify from my iPad I have to link the iPad via Airplay to Apple TV, which is then connected to the Uniti via a Netgear switch.  I often get a lot of buffering this way, can anyone offer a solution.  I don't experience any buffering when listening to Spotify directly from the iPad, so that in my view excludes the WiFi signal strength as an issue.

Would upgrading the Uniti board resolve this?

Unfortunately it doesn't exclude your wifi signal... you see you will be receiving Spotify to your iPad over your wifi and also sending it from your iPad to the AppleTV over wifi... so effectively using two concurrent sessions on the wifi... not a great idea using older wifi protocols or less than very strong / low noise wifi signal... it's a limitation of how you are using Apple AirPlay and streaming, nothing to do with the Naim.  I would get a cheap Sonos connect, and stream Spotify from that via toslink into your Naim.. that way you won't be tromboning the streaming over the wifi... Sonos works with Tidal and Qobuz as well.

Simon

garyi posted:

Nick, if you have the latest spotify it will run in connect mode and its own app on ipad will control it.

Better still.  Thanks, garyi.  Nick