Since you don’t actually know the origin or source of the PSConnect app aren’t you talking a bit out of turn? It may in fact be a new name for an existing app and that possible origin should be obvious to you. And contrary to your opinion Roon is not the answer to every streaming problem.
So? It should be an option… all the issues reported have all been SOFTWARE!
One issue and one user. Since it’s not even released yet it wouldn’t be an option.
Folks who have invested in Roon should NOT be dismissed. That’s all. Why do you think Sonos is so dominant? IT’s ONLY because of their Software! As much as I hate how they sound, it’s easy for my wife to use, so we have a few Sonos devices and may get more. Same goes for Roon users, etc…
That’s right Sonos’s own software not some aftermarket software created by the guys who left Sonos and just built on. Your contradicting yourself in your own posts.
It’s a legitimate criticism to ask for compatibility with a relatively standard industry product to be included in a new component.
As legit as PSA choosing not to use it.
The Roon guys didn’t come out of Sonos, at least to the best of my knowledge, they were spun out of Meridian who had their own premium product, Sooloos that cost a LOT more than Roon does and was less platform agnostic. With Roon, it appears to me, they’ve gone the direction of getting as many different manufacturers to support their software and going for mass acceptance. A different approach to be sure and different from Sonos as well with their focus being on software and a broad collection of services to support hardware sales.
As to the whole argument about “third party apps”, it appears PSA used a turnkey solution to build their app. (I’m speculating this based on the evidence)
Fine, also a common practice, so let’s not pretend that outside third party options are bad; just choices and I only mention it to point out that every product is a bundle of decisions.
They also didn’t include AirPlay 2, which is increasingly common in streamers, or DTS’s PlayFi solution. PSA is on record as having been burned enough by depending on third parties for solutions (Oppo, especially) so wanting as much control over the experience is a reasonable approach, and the turnkey app may have offered that and Roon may have been outside the comfort zone.
PSA made a business decision, and @abeiklou wishes otherwise. He wasn’t beating a dead horse with his posts, he got challenged and was responding to those challenges. I’m of the opinion that telling him to shut up and go away isn’t helpful, particularly in a beta forum where feedback is sought. If enough people want Roon and complain, perhaps that can impact decisions. More likely, especially at this stage, not.
I’d say it’s especially unlikely in this case as Octave seems to be the long game for PSA and streaming, but shutting down concerns from potential customers in a beta discussion seems unproductive to me. Encouraging discussion, even critical comments, also lets curious potential customers read through the beta article and see what a component will and won’t do; they may not catch the same information on the product page.
Fortunately, the audiophile world offers a myriad of choices, and once the decision is made as to what something will and won’t do, we are free to buy whatever product best suits our needs from whatever vendor chooses to offer that.
Best,
Mike
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I am very gratefull for your helping. Maybe we can help each other. I will display my ignorance and you can see I’m not going to be the only one with the problem. Let me start with detailed comments about your message.
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I don’t know anything about SSIDs. I looked it up but with MAC and IP addresses why yet another identifier?
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I went through the menu system on the Strata and never saw a SSID identified
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I carfully looked at all sections of my iMac Network Ethernet preferences and never saw anything labeled an SSID
4 Both iMac and Strata give me MAC and IP addresses, not SSID -
I turned the Wifi on the Strata off since Paul said it wasn’t necessary if I am only interested in ethernet connection.
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The Wifi preferences on my iMac show no mention of SSIDs
Bottom line here is I’ve been told many times the iMac and Strata need to be on the same network defined by an SSID that I can’t find on either device. If by chance the SSID is just the name I gave my wifi network I have two: one for each of the dual band frequencies the router gives. I only use one for everything. -
My router is probably the most common in the US. Its the router I rent from Comcast/xfinity. The brand is xfinity. Its a dual band wifi with no other model number etc.
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My iphone has wifi turned on and is used mostly to connect to the router/modem which serves as a hot spot for the phone. I never reverse the process and use cell service for wifi. That would be expensive.
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One interesting positive note. I ran a USB cable to my iMac and immediately was able to hear Qobuz. So the USB input works great. BTW the sound is incredible.
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You mention the icons on the Strata screen. I see them but since they are not mentioned in the manual, The wifi broadcast symbol is clear, but the little flying bat was a mystery until you mentioned it. OHHHH I see that is the ethernet attached icon. YES THE ETHERNET IS ATTACHED AND SENSED BY THE STRATA. Clearly attached ain’t enough.
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Strata asked for a password when I was fooling around with wifi enabled.
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The big mystery for me is this chain of logic. I don’t need to have the wifi on the Strata enabled if I’m only interested in ethernet connectivity. But when I go into PS Connect it cant find the Strata and my only recourse is to Press the WPS button which implys that I need to have the wifi on the Strata ON. Which is it on or off?
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I can verify that the Strata is seeing my ethernet named KJ-2G and that is the same name I run my iphones on.
SSID is simply the name of your wireless network. In the case below, “BanditHomeNet 5Ghz”
That being said, I’ve no idea why your app isn’t seeing the Strata.
Sounds Fair. All I’m saying is having the option would be beneficial unless they wanna force adoption of the new software which I understand. But if someone invests $750 into Roon, it would be a hard sell to switch.
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Ken
I am also on Comcast/Xfinity and probably have a version of the same Gateway router that you do which is why I suggested you shut the three pieces down and re-boot them one at a time. If you connected the Strata into the equation with the phone and the router already on then there is a chance that your phone and they app won’t know the Strata is their especially if another device was in place before the Strata. If you shut everything down and re-boot then the whole system will have a chance to see each other. Since nothing else has worked it is worth the five minutes it will take to try it but make sure you remove the power from the Strata so that the network module can be reset.
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Yup. I have Roon. I like Roon. I don’t love Roon. I do love Sonos’ ease of use though so it tends to dominate in my home.
My wife and kids will use Sonos. They won’t use Roon, and yes, I’ve tried to teach them. Sonos’s hw/sw integration is second to none and super robust. It always just works. So I have a mixed house. Which is just fine.
Strata will require another app. Okay-so will Sonos this summer as they fork out the older gear. Sucks, but I get it.
But I’m getting off-topic here so I’ll stop opining, esp since I don’t have a Stratus of my own here on beta. I wish only success for the product and hope it’s best in class.
Best,
Mike D
Excellent advice.
Anytime someone asks me for tech advice for something that is not working, which is a lot, my first suggestion is shut everything down and bring it up again. Solves 95% of the problems.
Best,
Mike
Mike
Your right that usually solves the problem with streamers especially if you try to “hot swap” them on Comcast. If there was another device on the other end of that cable the network will keep looking for it until you shut down and re-boot.
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Ken should be on the phone with PS Audio instead of looking for answers here.
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Same here, one high end streamer that works with Sonos is Innuos, which I am very interested in, could fit perfectly in our home so we get both background music, ease of use in various rooms plus higher end sound and functionality in our main living room, plus Roon capability.
Anyhow, we’ll see how this new app does.
If only it were so simple, then life would be easy, right? For one thing, creating a product who requires a program like ROON to work goes against the grain of what we do. That you already subscribe or own ROON is fine, but just imagine for a moment selling Strata to the vast majority of people who do not have ROON and who, like me, object to spending nearly a quarter the cost of Strata just to be able to use it.
Secondly, we are not developing our own software for Strata, just as you point out most other companies don’t, like all those that use ROON’s competitor, Bluesound. Ours is yet a third competitor that we have customized for our use.
Lastly, as people know—and more to your point—we are in fact working on our own streaming audio platform called Octave. We hope Octave will launch sometime in late summer. I have written reams on the why of it - and no need to go into it other than to say we do not agree with the ROON model of charging for software. And yes, it does (and has) taken years and many hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop.
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Actually, it’s not software and this problem would have existed regardless of whether or not ROON was being used. This problem of one user is getting onto the network with both devices.
We will work directly with him to learn where the problem/confusion lies. This helps us know how to make it easier when we launch Strata. This is, after all, a beta test.
While we all hate to see someone struggling, it’s also helpful to us to know how so we can make sure it’s easier in the future when we launch the product.
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Hello, it says my Strata should be arriving on Wednesday. I can’t wait to get it here to start testing. I was reading the comments and saw the issue for the wifi. If I remember correctly when reading about the Strata, I believe it only sees the 2.4 network. I have seen a couple of times when people are connected to the 5Ghz band on the phone and 2.4Ghz on another device and had issues with the two seeing each other. Have you checked to see if your phone is connected to the 5Ghz? If so, maybe try connecting the phone to the 2.4Ghz and see if that fixes the problem with seeing the device.
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My problems with the streamer are fixed. Paul asked me to reboot the bridge and that did the trick. I think I may have turned on the Strata BEFORE I plugged in the ethernet cable. Don’t!
I am listening to Qobuz now both through USB and Bridge. The ethernet signal uses Strata and the USB uses my iMac as streamer. What a difference! You want to use all parts of the Strata
One more thing. I’m listening via headphones (HD 800s) and the Strata’s headphone amp is the best I’ve encountered. It beats my STAX electrostatics and their amp/supply. The depth and clarity are phominal.
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Can’t verify since I’ve only used the 2.4 network for everything.