Airplay’s got me interested (aside all the other stuff)
I run a modded Oppo 203 connected via i2s to Directstream Dac, acting as Roon endpoint and a “bridge” for all things Streaming Service and PS5 via it’s HDMI input.
From there, i2s output to Directstream.
AppleTV unfortunately up samples all audio over HDMI everything to 16/48 over HDMI.
Much prefer native output.
Does the upcoming PS Audio streamer support Airplay2?
Its only “up to” 16/44, but having rediscovered whats embedded in Redbook CD with Ted’s Dac, for Netflix, YouTube and the like, that’s more than plenty.
If I can eliminate the HDMI connection to the Oppo, and hence i2s board to Dac, instead Airply directly to the new Streamer I’d expect a noticeable uptick in sound quality?
Comes down to Oppomod board in the Oppo i2s to Dac vs PS Audio Streamer i2s Out (with Airplay in the way)
I guess?
Probably one of those “it depends” answers I guess, but in my experience elimiating as much stuff in the chain (and potential bottlenecks) results in better sound.
NAD Electronics, Monitor Audio, Dali Loudspeakers, Peachtree Audio, PSB, offer BluOs app control, any thoughts on including the BluOs option? (After yrs of developing PS A proprietary OS, I’m reticent to ask)
For me personally, I’m not sure that I would go into Production supporting open source. I know there’s plenty of OS’s out there that are open source and they work fine. But for a small company to have to provide support, that would take some convincing. I’d most likely agree to “user beware, it’s available, but if it doesn’t work, don’t call for support”.
This is the way of the world though. It’s actually better to use open source a lot of the time because now you’ve got a user base beyond your own to help identify issues and more developers fixing things. The difference between a good use of open source and a poor use is: just sucking in open source until it works then having on one kept on staff to maintain it and sucking in open source with a permanent development staff that understands how that code is interacting with any other code on the platform. At the end of the day it’s just code and you need devs to maintain it. It’s a lot easier to find devs who can maintain code than ramping up a staff who has to start from scratch.
I can almost guarantee that any AirPlay 1 support on a device without an Apple logo is utilizing shairport-sync.
I’ve lost count of the number of software platforms I’ve tried over the last 13 years, but primarily used Linn Kinsky, Auralic Lightning, Roon, Innuos 2.0 and Amazon HD (the latter two currently, Innuos in my main system and Amazon HD elsewhere).
People will endlessly say that this, that or other other server and streaming software and/or hardware is the best. It can be as easy (Airplay or uPnP from a phone to an all-in-one player) or as complicated (don’t ask) as you want, and direct comparisons really are almost impossible.
There is no doubt that Roon RAAT has probably won the integrated popularity contest, not just by users, but by manufacturers that have adopted it to avoid the massive costs of developing a competing product. The Roon team has 20 years of software development experience and a massive development team because they have the revenues. Spotify is by far the most popular service and the app is fantastic. With Spotify going lossless I suspect it will gain more hifi traction.
Even though I use a niche player (Innuos 2.0), I suspect most of them will fall by the wayside over time as the revenue vs. maintenance/development cost equation goes against them.
Over on the roon forum they’re still trying to figure out what’s going on with Hegel, who for three years have been promising that their integrateds will provide roon-ready streaming – but can’t seem to get it done.
I’ve extensively used BluOS, Heos, Lumin, Cambridge StreamMagic, Play-fi, and probably a few others that I’m currently forgetting. I haven’t tried roon.
The biggest thing is whatever it is, it has to work flawlessly. Not 95% of the time. 100% of the time. Period. No excuses. The interface must feel professional, not kludgy. It can’t feel like a beta version - not in 2022. Maybe in 2015, but not now. And it should be free with the hardware (which is why I haven’t tried roon).
Of the five I mentioned, I rank BluOS the best, StreamMagic, Heos, Lumin closely behind and relatively tied (all three work very well - they have it figured out), and Play-fi a distant fifth, not good IMO, at least when I last used it - I tossed it aside quickly, because who has time to deal with a crappy interface these days.
It’s a fact now that professional-looking, competent streaming interfaces that always work, and work well, are largely a solved problem, and have been for several years - not just by a few vendors (four of the five I mentioned, 80%), by generally by almost all that are regularly used. There are still some that are problematic, of course, but they tend to quickly fall to the wayside because it’s a solved problem and nobody has time for bad streaming interfaces any more when there are so many worthy alternatives. Hopefully the AirLens interface, whatever it is, falls in the former camp.
I read it takes 18 months minimum. I heard Dutch & Dutch are now fully Rooned up, and it took them years. Given it took Innuos 4 years to develop a platform that is not as good, but possibly marginally better sound, and even that is debatable, even if it does take 2 or 3 years, it must be worth it, especially to Hegel.
I agree with @kzk, I thought BluOS was very good and reliable.
The thread on the topic on the roon forum is epic.
The main sales/marketing guy from Hegel has chimed in numerous times to apologize, and to say they are 99.99% of the way there, and have been 99.99% of the way there for a couple of years now.
I was tempted to get an H390, but realized I’d be happier with a more analog amp (Luxman), keeping the DAC/Streamer technology separate.
Which is why (to bring it back on topic) I’m very interested in the AirLens.
Since the streamer aka airlens is being released before the octave server, it has to be able to work from other music servers and sources.
Enabling playback from slimserver aka logitech media server has to be an easy win, surely?
(I know, I know, “don’t call me Shirley” etc.etc.)
For people with server/streamers up to say $/£2,000 - Innuos, Cambridge Audio CXNv2, even Node 2i, you probably need a serious leap in performance and a proven app to make a change. Probably more chance the Octave server is a leap forward - but only time will tell.
