Other streaming options

Hi All,

Many thanks to you all for your considered responses, Alas I dont  get to the forum  as often as I would like to so i will digest all  the responses.

Peter RN - Thanks will look out for Simple Audio. Im In NZ and whilst powerline isn't typically ideal, it it the best for me now untill I move. i have tried playing a tracked ripped to Nserve and same one from NAS ripped with EAC  and cant really tell the difference. Entirely possible im not discerning enough.

Tog - accept your point too, buit its ok for me right here right now.

Iver - Thankyou, Airport express I had nt really considered , but will , i have ipad and dont need UQ quality  I will investigate.

Stoik - SB touch? Is that squeezebox?

Okli - great idea I have iphone, ill look at that too.

Thansk all again - lots of stuff to get head around

Regards

A

Tog, could you share details of your server set-up please?

Jo

Likes,

Does LMS have to be running all of the time?  Or does it just need to run once to install something into the Touch?

Can you see if using the actual desktop MC while sending to Touch is gapless?  No doubt using PP will still be gapped.  Or please try the My River app to send to Touch.  This should be gapless.

Thanks friend!

Patrick

Likes,

Also, when streaming from MC to Touch, do the Touch's controls (pause next etc.) and volume work?  If volume does work, do it change the volume in MC or its own internal volume.

Thanks again!

Patrick

Patrick - I'm going to a concert in a bit, and need to eat, so I haven't got much time to mess about, plus I don't want to do my head in with computers before eating food and music! I'll play about tomorrow and get back to you.

A few  quick observations  though.  It seems that LMS needs to be running in order for the Touches to appear as UPnP renderers, but you don't have to stream from LMS. PlugPlayer on my iPad seems to hang up (though that may just be PP). Kinsky seems to work better. So much will depend on your needs and your tolerance. Volume control in JRMC has no effect. The Touch shows up as a zone in JRMC. Volume control on Touch has no effect.  I'll try more things tomorrow.

I hear you there....

Have a great show!

-p

Hi patrick - Touches pause control pauses, but volume control doesn't and MC volume control doesnt. The Touch shows up as a zone in MCs Playing Now tree. My operas have the usual gaps between "tracks" with PP (uggh! since when did Mozart write tracks!). PP on apple Touch is fine, PP on iPad won't come out to play. Will download the MC app later. My take on it would be .. get a Touch if you're prepared to live with what will undoubtedly be aggravation as LMS is a new product. And try Kinsky - I'd prefer it to PP. Oh, my music has just stopped! - my apple Touch just turned off with PlugPlayer and the music stopped along with it. Hmm ..Now I am sure that iPeng (especially on an iPad) is still by far the best way for me to control my Logitech Touch in the present state of the art. (sic). I'll keep LMS and UPnP and MC for messing about with. Who knows what the future will bring. Could still be the best way to stream from MC for you though.

Likes,

Thanks for the update.  Sorry, I just now saw your response.

Did you get a chance to try My River?  This should work for volume control.  It is a relief that the Touch's volume control is defeated.  I dont want any more volume controls that I already have with MC and my 102.

Kinsky was brutally slow for my on iPhone4.  But I will give it another shot.  I only use PP for streaming away from home, and I dont recall if Kinsky does that or not.

I have no interest in iPeng or LMS, although if it doesn't mess with my world I have no problem running LMS in the background if needed.

Cheers!

Patrick

i forgot..... So the Touch's "pause" works.  nice.  Do "next" and "previous" work?

Thanks again!

About to pull the trigger!

-patrick

ooops... just re-read your post more carefully.

So the MC volume control does not change the Touch's output?  Strange.  When using MC to stream to itself it seems to work.  I dont have any other renderers than my iPhone/Pad.  I will test to see if this is a MC issue or a Touch issue.

-p

Surely if you're using JRMC as a server you wouldn't want the volume control to have any effect? There is a Touch setting to do with whether it is at 100% fixed or variable - mine is at fixed - I don't want it messing with the bits. It might be that if I set it to variable then the volume control on the Touch would work. Not that I'd want it to.

Likes,

I do like to control the volume of JRMC via the control point.  I guess this is controlling MC's renderer side, not the server.  I serve MC to itself.

I would rather not use the Touch's volume, but the MC volume is carefully designed.  I think it is safe to use?????

I guess I wont have this option with the Touch as renderer.  No big deal though.  That is what the Harmony is for.

Cheers!

Patrick

I guess that since the JRMC data paths are 64 bit its volume control should be pretty good; the Touch is 24 bit so won't be desperately bad unless you use it heavily - if you can get it to work that is! The safest assumption for you would be that the Touch is a decent dumb DLNA renderer for a relatively reasonable amount of money and as it is early days for Logitech and DLNA you might expect some hassle getting it to work like you want. You could always sell the thing if it drove you nuts. (Or just use it to stream from LMS when/where it suited you - it's worth it just to get your music to another room/listen to the radio/Spotify etc)

patrick - google "whitebear media server" - it's another possible way of using a Touch as a DLNA renderer. Haven't tried it - might be useful - it was mentioned on the JRMC forum.

likes,

Thanks for the suggestion.  I will check it out.  Although I am staunchly opposed to moving away from JRMC.  It is THAT good.  I learn more and more of its power every day.

Cheers,

Patrick

Hi All,

Thanks to all those who responded to my thread re streaming options.

I thought I would report back on my investigations and final decisions.It seems to be a hot topic.

I checked out Linn Sneaky, liked it, but too close to the UQ that I have and I felt I needed to be basic or take a big leap forward.

Simple Audio, demoed at the distributor, not for sale until FEB but liked the functionality and sound, not as good as QUTE but good enough and less than ½ the price, but still Qute ish. Still a question, stay cheap and cheerful  or go way bigger.

So off I go..

Plan A

Control via Remote App/Itunes.

Bought a pair of audio Engine A5 speakers “audiophile” powered speakers.

In all the palaver with the A5’s they bang on about plugging the AX (thanks IVER)  straight into the back of speaker and so its powered from speaker. Then from AX straight into speaker and glorious music.

Well,  in NZ these are sold with NZ plugs on the power cable but the speaker itself still has a US style plug, so you need a US AX to plug into it. Bummer.

So bought the AX stereo connection Kit and off I went.  Got the music streaming, but then  it stopped playing , never mind ill fix that later.. hmm sound quality not too flash, but even though its a bedroom system and I would be waking up, going to sleep or dragging on my Y fronts I thought I  want a bit better noise quality.

So off to buy a cheeky wee DAC, a Firebird . Optical out from AX >DAC>A5 was the plan.

Right that sounds better. But still the AX “drops out” and not recognised by airport utility.

Rang Apple support, “May be faulty –take to Apple service centre”

Went to Apple Service Center.

Hmm, after MUCH toing and froing, it appears that there is a conflict with the AX and my Router, a HUAWEI. The service centre said they had this before, but they could test the AX, if nothing wrong though I owe them $45.00 to test. Hmmmm

But if I buy Airport Extreme and so AX>AE>router  then I ‘d have no worries. But did nt want to spend more money on more kit. I hate lots of kit.

Rang back Apple, “Oh yeah we have a few cases where the AX doesn’t work with certain routers”

“How did you fix it” says I

“Dont know “says he

“I want a refund” says I

“err you have had it for more than 14 days” says he

“yeah mate but Ive been trying to get the bloody thing working for a month” says I

“a month is more than 14 days though” says he.

“in New Zealand we have 48 hours in every day so I have had It actually  for 14 days  - it’s cause we are so far away from everyone else we try to cram so much in, and its summer, the days are longer”  Says I

“I’m just going to put you on hold sir”

“Ok mate”

“ok sir we can refund on the basis that its a Christmas purchase that is not required”

“thanks mate – you do know I was kidding about the days having 48 hours in Summer don’t you?

“Thankyou for calling Apple”

Ok Square one.

What next?  I’ll take A5 s  to work and plug them in there. Pursuade boss to buy them off me.

Bought a Arcam A75, dusted off some KEF Cresta 3 (still boxed – not run in at 10 years old) s set them up.. now just to get the music to them..

WDTV Live, relocated from Lounge, had my brother build me a XBMC dedicated machine for Movies TV etc and so on.

Powerline>WDTV>DAC>A75  bought  a TV for bedroom to help see menus etc on the  WDTV

But how to control ?  Installed Plugplayer  (thanks Okli)

Ok, it all works, but lots of boxes.. and plug player a wee bit clunky, cant seem to get playlists running and lots of boxes. And to stop PP “switching off” when phone goes into standby , need to change setting that kills battery by morning if I forget to stop it.

After using the  N serve and Nstream with gay abandon (old school gay) its not as easy getting the tunes flowing though using plugplayer and 3 boxes. The SQ is pretty good though, the A75 and a DAC do a pretty good job together with the Crestas . I was actually quite surprised.

But 3 boxes and 1 app that tries to be all things to everything is  cheap , but not bulletproof and not easy.

SO today I went and bought A Superunity and a pair of Totem Dreamcatchers. The Qute will go to bedroom, with the Dreamcatchers and SU in lounge with the Rega RS5s, Yes the SU could do with 400s or similar , but that may be in 18 months when i move and have a bigger listening room. The UQ is a bit of overkill for bedroom, but I find Im fully into the whole streaming and music on a whim thing.

So Im fully wedded to the Uniti concept ,  the US will serve the UQ and the SU  and I wont need to buy any more gear.EVER.

Many thanks to all who contributed their thoughts, I hope the above is of interest to other in a similar position.

Regards

AJ

AJ……I was expecting as I was reading to write, ‘bet you wish you had bought another Qute’. But, see you have gone rather better than that, congratulations.

Your dealings with Apple brings back bad memories from 25years ago for me, haven’t/wouldn’t touch them since. Anyway, your outcome seems rather better than mine. ATB with your new purchase’s; should be a good solution.

Peter

Thanks Peter,

To be fair to Apple they came through in the end but  they  knew there were issues with their gear and some Routers , so I would have hoped they would have troubleshot that earlier..

Never mind, Am looking forward to the SU.  and getting the US/SU and UQ operating in concert 

AJ