Author Topic: Audio Server /Headless Audio Player/ (now with Tidal HiFidelity Streaming)  (Read 93036 times)

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Offline revskie

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Re: My journey to my multi room audio setup
« Reply #30 on: May 11, 2013 at 12:57 PM »
Mate, thanks for the reply.  There was a time the S32s were on clearance at Amazon for US$150 a piece.  I liked the functionality of its internet radio, am/fm radio, network audio streaming and an ipod dock rolled into one.

I liked the internet radio and network audio stream the most.

I prefer to use Itunes as my music file organizer and streamed via twonky beacuse of its ease of use.

But my main bug us twonky.

I wish to ask some questions if you don't mind.

Will send you a PM.

Thanks,

Rev

Offline jambam

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Re: My journey to my multi room audio setup
« Reply #31 on: May 11, 2013 at 04:16 PM »
You're welcome ... :)

Pm replied

Offline jambam

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Re: My journey to my multi room audio setup
« Reply #32 on: May 18, 2013 at 04:24 PM »
Changing Server



My Vortexbox power consumption



Another reading so it's ......... 51 to 53 watts



The pogoplug is only 6 watts



So After a number of hours configuring and lots of trials and errors I am moving to the pogoplug as my LMS (audio only) server .. This one I will keep 24/7 on ..

I will maintain the vortexbox as backup and a ripping machine..

I started the project as I was curious in making a standalone audio player , which i showed in the other tread , not connecting the usb dac makes this just a LMS server

Offline jambam

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Re: My journey to my multi room audio setup
« Reply #33 on: Jun 30, 2013 at 10:40 AM »


Here' a mode of the squeezebox server I have been using lately , This allows me to syncronize my players , it allows me to move between my 2 rooms and do a quick compare .

Another scenario is to compare dacs , side by side . using the preamp input selector to quickly switch between  the dacs

Offline jambam

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Re: My journey to my multi room audio setup
« Reply #34 on: Jul 17, 2013 at 11:34 PM »
I had a visitor yesterday who was quite intrigued by my audio streamer player and I showed him my player and my server . And was quite insistent that I should provide him one .

As there is  a very limited number of Pogoplug devices , I cannot share with him a separate player and server , which would mean 2 devices , so I set out to integrate the server and player into one device , and also test whether it can handle another player

So far for standard Flacs (44khz) it has been a success


Note the Dac connected to the pogoplug and the portable Harddisk as the source . It has been playing music now for 12 hours straight into 2 systems.
This consumes very little power so no need to turn off.




The control Panel ..

"Squeezeplug" is the server
"Squeezelite" is the player   , they are both resident in one pogoplug

"Sala" is the player in my Salas ..

Next week I have to try out using my Hi-res files...

After I complete this ,  I will ask my golden eared colleagues what is the difference in sound w/ this setup versus a Mac or PC based server streamer , using the same usb DAC of course .

This is also a possible solution for people looking for a dedicated Streaming audio player .. You just need to connect this device to your router ( wired is necessary ) and control thru your smartphone or tablet..
« Last Edit: Jul 17, 2013 at 11:48 PM by jambam »

Offline JoeyGS

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Re: My journey to my multi room audio setup
« Reply #35 on: Jul 18, 2013 at 05:07 AM »
Nice :)

Offline jambam

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Re: My journey to my multi room audio setup
« Reply #36 on: Jul 18, 2013 at 12:50 PM »
Nice :)

Thanks Joey , Hopefully  it works with your Dacs , so you can test it

A little update on the player testing , using my 24/96 usb dac on some hi res files


Screenshot of the usb dac status


logitech control on a pc just to check ..

Playing 24 bit 96. khZ

This is still playing out a separate server ..Next is the server installation
.. Installing the server was a pain last time , hope it goes easier
« Last Edit: Jul 18, 2013 at 08:04 PM by jambam »

Offline jambam

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I did more work today .

I was able to complete installation of the LMS software .


Actual system for my new friend .. Matching colors pa ..



Top view to show my sabre usb dac.. I just hope the end user's dac is compatible with standard linux



Control screen showing 3 players attached . 2 (Joey and sala) were playing 24/96 while one was playing 16/44 files ..

I was able to test with 4 players connected. All playing different files Ok pa din

Some issues .

1. Startup is very slow ... Very low power naman , < 10 watts  so just keep it on.
2. Playing unsupported hi  resolution files i.e 88khz , sudden white noise like output ...  Do i take out and  separate the unsupported files , but the end user most probably has a more capable dac.
My othr dac just mutes though.

3. Dac compatibility

4. Others pa

To test .

In standalone mode , with wireless connection  ( just for control) For multi player , wired connection is a must.

More testing to check for robustness , i have a number of issues with my initial setup , and i hope to minimize it here.
« Last Edit: Jul 18, 2013 at 10:30 PM by jambam »

Offline jambam

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Some test results for the standalone player

1. Wireless mode is not feasible , it will start up . but once you play files it looses it's connectivity after awhile.
Conclusion --- The network connection  must be wired . Server function "kailan naka wired talaga"

2. Poping output during initial power up , this is due to the Dac I use , but it's protocol to power up sources first and amplification last .. Also better to keep always on .

3. Good thing this second version has less issues in detecting the hard disk and logging in to LMS
« Last Edit: Jul 19, 2013 at 10:09 PM by jambam »

Offline albert_b

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Bakit ngayon ko lang nakita 'tong thread na 'to.Thanks for posting sir

Offline jambam

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Bakit ngayon ko lang nakita 'tong thread na 'to.Thanks for posting sir

Thank you , I hope  this helps you in some way  ..

 My next test later is moving the system to another router which is connected to a different ISP provider .

1. Connect the Lan cable from the router to the pogoplug ethernet port
2. Plug a compatible Dac ( Dac to preamp or headphone)
3. Make sure the portable drive w/ the music files is connected to the pogoplug usb port
4. Connect the power cord  into ac source (220v or 110v autovolt)
5. Slow power up about 3 mins. Green light blinks initially , when it goes steady green wait another 2 minutes.
6. Make sure that the remote controller (tablet or smart phone ) is on the same network as the router you connected the Pogoplug into .
7. Fire up the app ( Ipeng for IOS)
8. When the player is detected , choose you music , make a playlist .... etc
9. Enjoy

« Last Edit: Jul 19, 2013 at 11:20 PM by jambam »

Offline jambam

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One thing that bothered me was needing to have a wired Lan connected to the pogoplug . As not everyone has a wired lan connection nearby thier stereo , I tried wifi and no can do . As soon as i start playing music i loose my wifi connectivity ...
This is a hardware limitation of the pogoplug where it is only using one usb channel for all the usb ports. So in the server function using wifi is not an option.
I had to try something.



So what I tried this morning is just get an extra wireless router with no modem connected ( walang internet) plugged in the pogo plug thru the ethernet cable.
This basically makes you free to locate the pogoplug anywhere convinient , as the only connected device via wires is the pogoplug and power outlet of course.  To the router , but you have an added expense (a router P1k 1.5k )

 Then i Got the ipad 1st gen connectted to the same router. Via wireless of course ( needed as controller)


I played a hires file on the pogoplug .  The ipad using Squezepad as my app is also playing a different flac file . The ipad is acting as a controller and a player (squezebox client) at the same time . So there really 2 players connected and streaming files.

So there it is ...
There are still some problems like , moving the server or disconnecting the drives would require you to  resetup , which is selecting the directory where the music files are.

And during rescan its best not to play any music , but that is not really often, needed when you add new music to your drive .

But of course the test is in the critical listening , I have had a number of guest listen , and I dont think there was an obvious fault detected . it would be great if we had 2 different sycned players ( pogoplug and something else)  driving the same usb dac/s into a single preamp and just switch inputs for a/b comparison.

Anyway I think I am almost done here , and this helps other people.

« Last Edit: Jul 23, 2013 at 10:51 PM by jambam »

Offline jopet

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A lucky friend edgar ... Sana maging friend din kita  >:D

Saw this pogoplug as music source to jambam's system
A very simple digital set up at a high end sound ....

See you soon my friend ;)

Offline jambam

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See you soon Jopet  :)

I was searching the net for audiophile users of the pogoplug ... I found some in Hk in this tread


http://www.review33.com/m/forum_msg.php?db=1&tstart=0&s=Squeezebox&topic=53121030153425&start=80&sort=&number=333

Modifications has been separate external power supply , new bypass caps . Etc ..

Here is quote from a user stock pogoplug


#248 [jimmyihv], 04-28 21:33:33

I spent some more time to play with my Pogo/VAMP V0.4 image.

I found it is a lot better through the VAMP to my Benchmark DAC1 than a direct USB to a desktop computer.

This gadget has the highest C/P that I ever had in playing hifi.



Isa pa palit ng film smd caps daw


#196 [Kuro], 04-14 23:41:41

These days I employ a different scheme in modding the power supply for a digital audio device.

I no longer use LPS for a digital device simply because it cannot supply/track dynamic current fast enough.

I now use the new Efficiency Level V SMPS. Level V SMPS uses a faster switching speed and the end result is that it does not produce much interference to the AC line (way above audio freq) and the dynamic performance is much higher than the best linear super regulator I have tried.

In addition, the most important mod one can do to a digital circuit is IC decoupling. This is contrary to the popular beliefs on using lots of lytic caps or fancy lytic caps.

SMD ceramic caps are not very good for IC decoupling. SMD film caps are much better. I replaced 4 0603 SMD ceramic caps around the processor area (C77, C91, C113, C124) with 0.1uF SMD films and the sound improved much more than changing the power supply alone. The effect of using fancy caps globally is never as good as using them locally, as in the case of IC decoupling.

The sound of the Pogoplug by default is a bit bright/harsh, mechanical, lacking some sound stage width/depth. That is in comparison with SBT+EDO with a Level V SMPS. After the cap change, the engulfing sound stage and analog feeling are back.

The Level V SMPS adds a more solid mid and stronger and more solid low bass to the Pogoplug. But I only get that after the SMD caps change.

BTW, I'm using Squeezelite. I also tell LMS to decode my FLAC files on the server side so it streams in WAV. That has very little improvement in sound. I was monitoring the CPU load inside the Pogoplug. Redbook FLAC steaming took about 3.3% CPU and WAV streaming is only 1.3% or so. That's why the difference in sound is not significant between WAV and FLAC.


Problema lang wala ng mabili ng tamang version na pogoplug .

When i bought my pink colored pogoplugs  is was a gamble as the box  indicated a diferent model. Buti na lang tamang version ang nasa loob ng box.


Offline jambam

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Here's an application that I was always thinking about ..

Blind test setup for USB dacs ..the players are synced to the same track in the LMS control  .. Switch dacs via the preamp selector

 In this trial output levels were already very closely matched  between the Tianjin zero dac and the emo xda-1 .

I'll try this setup with some guest bringing thier dacs over .
« Last Edit: Jul 25, 2013 at 11:34 PM by jambam »

Offline fishda

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nice setup sir. how did you get your bottlehead crack? did you assemble it sir or did you order it built?:) please pm me the acquisition price.

thanks.:)

Offline jambam

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Thanks but OT tayo , anyway it belong to my brother in the US but , it went defective while he was using it .  So he sent it here , to be repaired , fortunately is was a simple rewiring of the power supply.

I think he spent around 500 to 600 usd as this was an assembled kit with the Speedball upgrade.

Offline jambam

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Time to try something different ..

MPD --- Music Player Daemon

Music Player Daemon (MPD) is a flexible, powerful, server-side application for playing music. Through plugins and libraries it can play a variety of sound files while being controlled by its network protocol.


The server and player ..  a Raspberry Pi.

 Playback is via USB connected Dac

Source ... could be a usb Hard disk (may require external power) , flash Drive or NAS .
Controller  Tablet / SmartPhone / Or PC

For my current application Source content is from my 24/7 connected pogoplug server (with Samba enabled) Love my Pogoplug :-* . It serves content at the same time to my LMS clients ....


Mpod App on Iphone (free)

Playback Screen


Album Selection



Playback Screen w/ info 24bit/96Khz Innervison Album of Stevie Wonder  :)

Sorry if I lost a couple of folks ..  But there is so much stuff out there for us music lovers to play our collections .. And The best thing is you dont need to spend a lot .. This MPD player only took 30 mins to work out...

I'll post a new diagram in an update

Offline jambam

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Using The Raspberry pi again ..

I had a "3D Printed " Case  made




Offline JoeyGS

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Nice and congrats!

Offline alphaomega

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Hi, thanks for this info.  I always wanted to explore this but had no idea how to proceed. Although still a bit technical for me, will ask my neighbor Joey for details na lang how to set  this up. Cheers!

Offline jambam

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Thanks guys ,  i guess you might be close to Joel .... Dapat masubukan nyo para may review tayo ng tunog ...

Offline jambam

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Another Stand alone digital audio player
« Reply #52 on: Sep 06, 2013 at 09:50 PM »
This was waiting for me on my return from a trip.. :)



As i wanted to do this next  ;D



Maybe by next week i would have completed 3 different hardware platforms to do MPD ( media player deamon) or squeezebox player ..And hopefully get someone to review the sonic differences between them.

Offline rochie

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This was waiting for me on my return from a trip.. :)



As i wanted to do this next  ;D



Maybe by next week i would have completed 3 different hardware platforms to do MPD ( media player deamon) or squeezebox player ..And hopefully get someone to review the sonic differences between them.


sir where did you buy the beaglebone? i was looking at local retailers for this kaya lang wala pa sila puros arduino/blackberry PI lang, i also want to setup a MPD for my digital files and also some home automation/electronics project using the beaglebone.

Offline jambam

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Hi Rochie element14 has them , your contacts in China maybe able to  get them at a better price Element14 changed a lot for shipping ...  The raspberry Pi is can also be an MPD player , just check my earlier post ..

Offline rochie

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Hi Rochie element14 has them , your contacts in China maybe able to  get them at a better price Element14 changed a lot for shipping ...  The raspberry Pi is can also be an MPD player , just check my earlier post ..

thanks, ill check them. i might try the raspberry PI as its a little bit cheaper from my supplier

Offline jambam

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Beaglebone is running
« Reply #56 on: Sep 12, 2013 at 01:00 PM »


I put time today to do this and it's now running , I needed a little time to configure the NAS share but a few hours and its working ... I am using MPD as per original post , but there is also  Squeezelite which I'll try some time ...



Mpad control panel on the Ipad
« Last Edit: Sep 12, 2013 at 08:31 PM by jambam »

Offline jambam

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Re: My journey to my multi room audio setup /Another Alternate server
« Reply #57 on: Oct 04, 2013 at 10:53 AM »
Now an update on audio Servers ..

As I always had a squeezebox server in mind at the start , it was essential for me to use hardware where I could install it and there are a lot , just check the squeezebox link where the software is available ..

So Far I have

1. Installed on a PC
2. Resurrected an old PC to run vortexbox
3. Added as a Service to my Pogo Plug Player

Squeezebox server is also available to install as a service on a NAS ... I had a Dlink DNS-323 2-bay Nas in storage for maybe 3+ years already as I transitioned to a full tower PC with 10 Drives for my video files.

Anyway I took it out of storage and used fun-plug to install squeezebox server and , now I have an alternate audio server



One thing though it is slow ,  it works for me as I already have it and it was just a software hack to get additional use for it , since it is a nas and has several uses .

SMB(Cifs) ... for my MPD ( media player Deamon)
Itunes  server is avialable too .






If you were to go this route I would suggest you get the D-link DNS 320L .  About P5K or less, this is newer and has a quicker processor .

Offline JoeyGS

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Can a NAS drive bay be installed into a vortexbox unit? Or is it better off installing an external HDD instead?

Offline jambam

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The vortex box in itself has functions like a NAS if the need is to share files across the network

If you wish to expand your storage for your vortex box , then adding a standalone NAS is also a possibility .. I will have to try if it's possible to render files stored in the Nas thru the vortex box .  MPD works like that , not sure if squeezebox has issues with it . But it you only need local access ( not across the network) external USB is just fine