Streaming spotify to my unitilite ....
Posted by: dap1 on 06 July 2014
Just downloaded spotify and I wondered if anyone could recommend the best way of streaming from my IPad to my UNITILITE .. looking at the USB streamers I know QED do one but wondered if anyone has any experience and my best options .....
Hi
I am presuming that the streaming side of the Unitilite is the same as my ND5 - in which case I use two methods to stream Spotify.
1. You have to trick the system, as Spotify won't stream automatically. Connect your iPad to the front usb on the Uniti and use n-Stream to start playing any song on your iTunes play list. As it is playing switch over to Spotify, select a song and it takes over from iTunes and should continue until you switch inputs. If you happen to also have an iPhone (or other iOS device), you can sit back on your couch and control the Spotify on your iPad from your iPhone (very neat). The playlist and queue functions on the iPhone app are also better than on the iPad.
2. If you have either an AppleTV or an AirPort Express you can connect them with an optical cable to one of the digital inputs on the Uniti and steam from the iPad that way.
I'm sure there are other ways but tha't how I do it.
I'm currently in the middle of a 2 week free trial of Qobuz streaming in Flac Lossless. Being able to stream high quality is great but it is more expensive than Spotify and there is not quite as much music to choose from. The Jury is out at the moment.
ATB
Hugh
As Hugh has already stated the Airport Express/TV route works very well ... I know this was not your request, but if you have a PC then you can use Jamcast (2 week free trial) that creates a virtual sound card that will appear as a UPnP server. Works really well. Tempted to buy (only a few dollars) but still holding out for a suitable addition to the ND5 software ...
Get a sonos connect and connect to Unitilite via COAX. Uses the DAC in the Unitilite. Works fantastic!
Thankyou chaps I,ll have a look see what i can find on that well known auction website ….. happy listening !!!
Mr dap1,
Like others, I recommend to buy an AppleTV and connect its Toslink/optical output into the Toslink input of your Unitilte.
The functionality is great: I use n-stream on my iPad/iPhone/iPod to either play from my NAS (FLAC files) or from Spotify. Simply switch the output of Spotify to "AppleTV" and select the toslink source on n-stream.
If you also connect the HDMI output of the AppleTV to your TV, the screen shows the song you play on Spotify.
Also playing Youtube music is much fun: optical output to Naim, HDMI output to TV and suddenly you will find yourself playing vintage video-clips with Hifi sound.
Enjoy!