The Hugo of streaming?

I have both Tidal and Qobuz icons on the Linn Kazoo app on my iPad - find it by touching the three lines that takes you to the opening page where you choose the music source. I have accounts for neither so can't confirm it works but the sign in page comes up. Not a windows user so can't help you there. Did you start Bubble server and enable Open Home (OH) on the microrendu? You need to do that. Not a problem having multiple server and/or player software running at once. I prefer the Lumin app myself for DLNA due to its better browsing features. No internet services available though. 

DSD playback I'm not sure about. Maybe try over on the forum at Computer Audiophile (CA). Jesus, one of Sonore's developer's answers tech questions quickly there. 

Thanks CHARLESPHOTO,

I had previously spotted a reference to bubbleUPNP server, but didn't quite understand why it would have been required.

I have now installed and configured bubbleUPNP server on my microRendu, and I can now select an 'Open Home' (OH) 'room' in Kazoo on my Windows 10 desktop and laptops. When I select this option, as you predicted, I can now see (and can select) Tidal.

So, installing bubbleUPNP and enabling Open Home has resolved my first two problems. I can now connect to the microRendu from Kazoo on my iPad and my Windows PCs, and I can also get access to Tidal. Strange that I could connect to the microRendu on my iPad (but with no Tidal access) without bubbleUPNP server being installed.

Interestingly though, although you appear to be able to see it, I still don't see Qobuz as an available service on OH, although I do see it when I connect to my Klimax DS. Not a big deal at the moment, because I don't currently subscribe to Qobuz. However, I might in the future, so I wonder why it's not there. I also can't see options for 'Tune-in' or 'Internet Radio'.

Any idea how I get access to these?

I'll try logging into the CA forum for advice about DSD playback.

Thanks again. 

Very strange regarding Qobuz esp as it's not even available in my country! Perhaps deleting and reloading the app and/or the rendu, modem, etc? I know strange things can happen, so sometimes best to start over with a hard reboot. 

Hi HMack,

I set up Bubbleupnp on my Synology NAS as I had read that Openhome was needed.

Within Bubbleupnp I have enabled the mR as a Openhome renderer, and disabled my Oppo 105D - although I did try this directly as an experiment. It worked, but not with the same quailty as via the mR.

Looking at the Bubbleupnp 'Media Renderers' there are two options, one for Tidal and one for Quboz, to set the 'maximum audio quality'. Do you see both these options?

I am running

0.9-update19 (April 23th 2016)

As Charles stated above in Kazoo if I select the home icon I see icons for both Tidal and Quboz. With Quboz you just enter your login and password and then stream away.

I am running Kazoo on a Win 10 laptop.

M

Hi Mr Underhill,

Thanks for your suggestion. I was actually running an earlier version of bubbleUPNP server (v0.9.update 8), and although I can see from the documentation where the two options for Tidal and Qobuz audio quality dropdowns should appear in the 'Media Renderers' tab, neither of these entries were visible to me. I just see:

The 'Create an Open Home Renderer' tick box

The 'Name' and 'Room name' of my renderer

The 'Enable Gapless' tick box.

I upgraded to v0.9 update 19, and checked again. Still no Tidal and Qobuz options visible in the 'Media Renderers' tab. However, I can now see both Tidal and Qobuz available to me in the Kazoo app. I guess everything might be ok (other than access to Internet radio & the ability to stream DSD files). My only worry is that I don't have an option available to set Tidal to maximum audio quality. 

Kazoo actually tells me I am streaming Tidal as FLAC 0 kHz/16 bits 1441 kbps, which is obviously not correct.

Any ideas as to why I cannot see the Tidal and Qobus dropdown options in the Media Renderers tab in bubbleUPNP server?  

Hi Hmack,

I think that 1441kbps is what you would expect for 16/44.1 - or are you streaming HiDef files?

As to why you aren't seeing the drop downs - do you have a script blocker in your web browser, just a thought, otherwise I would be doing what you probably are - google!

I have streamed PCM > DSD files via the mR from HQPlayer, so it ought to work. When you have tried to play these have you checked what the mR thinks it is streaming via the DAC Diagnostics app? I know that for me I had to ensure that the files were streamed via the laptop and processed via the Oppo DSD drivers - the same as with Foobar2000.

Like you I cannot see the Radio icon. I assumed this was some bespoke Linn functionality, but would love to know if it is not.

Cheers,

M

I just set Quboz in Bubbleupnp to 24bit up to 96khz. I then went to Q and played Pink Floyd Division Bell (Hi Def). Looking at the mR DAC Diagnostics it is seeing 16/44.1.

M

Tidal only does CD quality, and yes, 1441 kbps is what I would expect for 16/44.1. However, I would expect the display in Kazoo to read FLAC 44.1 kHz/16 bits and not FLAC 0 kHz/16 bits.

This problem only occurs when streaming Tidal. Using uPnP from my NAS (running minimServer), all files (whether CD quality or hi-res) appear exactly as you would expect given that I am using minimServer to transcode from FLAC to WAV, i.e.

Wav 44.1 kHz/16 bits 1411 kbps

Wav 96 kHz/24 bits 9216 kbps

Wav 192 kHz/24 bits 4608 kbps     

The display problem just occurs when using Tidal.

However, you have just prompted me to check the mR DAC Diagnostics. These tell me that the output from Tidal is indeed FLAC 44.1 kHz/16 bits as I would expect, and so I guess it really doesn't matter what Kazoo is telling me. The mR DAC Diagnostics aalso tell me that al of my hi-res files are playing correctly  via uPnP.

Just Internet Radio and DSD files to sort out now.

Thanks again.

Mr Underhill posted:

I just set Quboz in Bubbleupnp to 24bit up to 96khz. I then went to Q and played Pink Floyd Division Bell (Hi Def). Looking at the mR DAC Diagnostics it is seeing 16/44.1.

M

Are you sure that you haven't set bubbleUPNP Server to transcode from hi-res to 16 bit?

Does the mR DAC diagnostics tab display the correct information for your uPnP hi-res files from your NAS? 

Hi Hmack,

I set the max audio quality in Bubbleupnp. I wasn't surprised by the result, I read on the Q site that they will only stream your purchases at HiDef, but as they have a few albums marked up as 9624 I thought I'd give it a go.

Yes the DAC diagnostics give the correct info on locally streamed files, including the PCM>DSD, where is reported the DSD rate.

M

Mr Underhill posted:

I just set Quboz in Bubbleupnp to 24bit up to 96khz. I then went to Q and played Pink Floyd Division Bell (Hi Def). Looking at the mR DAC Diagnostics it is seeing 16/44.1.

M

Is this album one of your purchases? Only hires music that you have bought will stream in hires. Normally streamed music will be 44.1/16

Hmack posted:

Any ideas as to why I cannot see the Tidal and Qobus dropdown options in the Media Renderers tab in bubbleUPNP server?  

Maybe clearing your browser cache will fix it.

My Linn Kazoo shows only my NAS, but no Radio, no Qobuz nor Tidal etc. Just downloaded the new version... Where do I find this?

Setup: microR, Qnap-minimserver, ipad-lumin

thanks!

Hi Ralf,

I think we are out of luck wrt radio. Having done some reading last night I think you have to sign up to an online radio site, then use Konfigure to put those user details into your Linn streamer, then Kazoo shows you the Radio tile - happy to be corrected.

I did load up Konfigure to see what it would show, it just told me that I had no Linn devices!

WRT Quboz and Tidal: Have you got the latest version of Bubbleupnp running, and set up your mR as an Openhome renderer?

M

Ahh, works- thx M! Quboz works...cool thing...

Mr Underhill posted:

Hi Ralf,

I think we are out of luck wrt radio. Having done some reading last night I think you have to sign up to an online radio site, then use Konfigure to put those user details into your Linn streamer, then Kazoo shows you the Radio tile - happy to be corrected.

I did load up Konfigure to see what it would show, it just told me that I had no Linn devices!

WRT Quboz and Tidal: Have you got the latest version of Bubbleupnp running, and set up your mR as an Openhome renderer?

M

The lack of an easy way to access Internet radio is a bit of a pain, although I personally tend to do most of my Internet radio listening (almost exclusively Radio Paradise) from my Muso Qb, now that I have access to Tidal on my main systems.

Having some weird things happen that I don't fully understand.

• A few connectivity problems this morning when attempting to play albums over UPnP from my NAS, but everything is fine now.
• The dropdowns to allow Tidal & Qobuz to be set to highest quality have now mysteriously appeared when I access the 'media renderers' tab in the BubbleUPnP server configuration page on my iPad, but not when I access the same tab on my Windows 10 PC    
• DSD files now play perfectly when I stream them via Kazoo/microRendu to my Chord Hugo, whereas yesterday they played as 'white noise'.

I don't believe I actually did anything to resolve these problems myself, other than at one point restarting both bubbleuUnP server, and the microRendu system itself in an attempt to resolve some connectivity problems. What do I know! - I just worked for 35 or so years in IT. It's sometimes (particularly anything related to networks) still a bit of a black art.

Now, if there was a straightforward way to access Internet Radio via Linn Kazoo, things would be really looking up!

Unfortunately too many things happening this week for me to be able to spend any time listening to music. I do intend to post a review of my SQ findings (microRendu into Hugo vs ND5XS/TP XPS into Hugo, and microRendu into Hugo vs Linn Klimax Renew DS), but unfortunately this will have to wait until at least next weekend.   

There must be a way of accessing internet radio, but I have a feeling it will most likely be with a different player, in the shairport mode of the mR.  Tried the Squeezelit mode but couldn't get radio to play with Squeezepad or Squeezebox. I don't care much, as most radio is played on the must or the Unitiqute in the office. 

Not particularly trying to persuade anyone to abandon their current approaches, but I would be remis in not mentioning that Roon supports both internet radio and Tidal in addition to your own local music collection.

That said Roon isn't perfect. It doesn't/can't support Qobuz or Deezer Elite. Deezer Elite is currently a Sonos/Bose exclusive and in any case Deezer seems reluctant to give them access to their lower level metadata in the way Tidal has. 

I'm slowly coming to a point where I have to decide whether to stick with Deezer Elite or Tidal as I'm currently paying for both. Deezer is the better service in terms of like for like sound quality and catalog e.g. much better jazz selection. I can only do the sound quality comparison on a Sonos Connect and my desktop system so there is a ceiling. For example Tidal on Roon via the mIcroRendu is noticeably better than Deezer on Sonos. 

Sorry it's a bit of a rambling post. It seems that;in a good way, the mIcroRendu has brought me to an inflection point. 

Ok, got internet radio to work over the microRendu. Here's what you do: go to manage apps on the rendu GUI, and load Logitech Media Server onto the mR. Also be sure to start/restart Squeezelite on the mR. Open Squeezepad on the iPad (or other LMS controllers I would assume). Be sure LMS is running only on the mR. Squeezepad may ask you which way you need to go with a diagram - rendu to rendu is of course what you want.  A bit of a kludge but certainly works. Sounds pretty great too. Will try playing music from my VB now, see what it sounds and browses like and may be able to abandon Lumin and stick with Squeezepad for everything. 

MinimServer & Kazoo

To get radio:

1. Install the MinimStreamer plugin, via MinimWatch;

2. Go to the MinimStreamer help page and bbcradio;

3. Download the m3u file;

4. Create a directory in your Music Library and copy the m3u file into it;

5. In Kazoo navigate to the folder and click in the file.

You will see the list of the BBC radio stations - play the one you want to listen to. Works well.

The help file explains the format of the M3u file so you can create such a file for any stations that interest you.

OK, you don't get the Radio Tile, but at least you can listen to radio via Kazoo.

M

As I seem to be waiting an eternity for my Sbooster I thought I would try a Maplin PSU, to run at 7.5V. I had read that the influence on sound quality was minimal on a couple of threads ......NOT in my system. Tried it for a couple of hours, now back in its box.

M

yesterday, I installed hqplayer with roon (on mac) streaming to mR...short story:

best sound ever :-))) - STRONG recommendation for mR fanboys out there! this is so good, that I bought hqplayer after 5min of listening.

1) install hqplayer on source (mac or transporter), you have to buy the sw for this

2) click hqplayer on web-gui mR (not upnp or roon- just hqplayer)

3) enable hqplayer to stream over network to mR

4) say roon that hqplayer is the way to go (output format)

5min setup- hours of listening pleasure (I didn't change any filter.....)

ralf

Hi Ralf,

Are you going to play with PCM > DSD?

I did, not with Roon, didn't do a lot for me, sounded like upsampling to my ears.

M

Hi M,

nope- just leave the standard settings, the result is so good that I don't want to screw it up:-)

You can test hqplayer for free for 30min (it switches off after the trial-period and you'll have to re-start it again)