[feelingears]

I just tested LMS using microRendu in Squeezelite mode on music files with various sample rates and all seems ok on Hugo too.

Hey @SleepyOne thanks for trying. I wonder if it has something to do with my 24/96 files from HD Tracks being in ALAC format instead of FLAC.
 
I was under the impression for the longest time that computer audio would remain a backwater of DIY tweakers with time on their hands to eeeek out marginal gains over "good enough" but so much more convenient and usable Apple stuff. The microRendu has broken through and is both an eye-opening product and a good step toward the mainstream, but it's tough to entirely hide the inherent headaches and incompatibilities of computer audio + networking + commercially feasible (or even available) devices. Anyway, I digress/kvetch.
 
Glad the folks at Sonore have been pursuing this unicorn for so long. Really has me excited to hear what is coming over the sonic horizon after a large enough audience "sees the light."

 

[MikeyFresh]

.

 

[feelingears]

 
I'm not sure about LMS, but with DLNA/MPD mode there are no issues at all with ALAC file playback on the microRendu in any resolution.
 
I too have various albums in 24/96 or 24/192 from HDtracks in Apple Lossless, and they all playback fine using a JRiver DLNA server, with BubbleUPnP Server running over the top of JRiver.
 
Certainly there is some initial configuration, but once done this set-up has been totally set and forget, I never need to fuss with it at all.

 
My LMS, on both Synology and Mac, drops off-line for no apparent reason. Maybe when I went into sonicorbiter.com to look at the DAC connection today, I needed to restart something. Or, maybe not. Who knows? Will reset anyway and see how long it lasts. My wife would never put up with this computer stuff. And I don't blame her (I work in software too). 
 
I, OTOH, will plod through given the mRendu's fantastic sonic benefits. Let's see what the gang at CA says about how to fix things... To Sonore's and the CA forums' credit, they're super helpful. Too bad there isn't a definitive networking how-to instruction/troubleshooting guide.
 
If all else fails, I can bail on LMS and try the setup you're talking about. Or the HQPlayer NAA mode.  

 

[feelingears]

See: Straight from the man himself...
 
The problem is the ALAC format. LMS cannot read them directly, it fires off a decoder program when you try and play an ALAC file. Either the decoder program is not working correctly (or not there at all) or the computer it is running on can't run it fast enough for a 24/96 file. 

Your best bet is to convert those ALAC files into something else, such as AIFF or FLAC, these can be read directly by LMS and should not be a problem.
 
John and Jesus are on the ball (er, forums). Gotta respect that!
 
So, fortunately I don't have a lot of these files so this should be easy.

 

[cat6man]

Has anyone compared flac and wav with the mRendu? (Assuming you previously heard a difference)

 

[feelingears]

As I said, on the ball. Here is the answer and it works--thanks Sonore:
 

 
If you can't see it, on the Mac go into System Prefs and launch LMS. There's an "Advanced" button under one of the tabs (sorry, closed it out already). Anyway, click it and it launches a browser with this control panel. Upper tabs, click the Advanced tab. Upper left, click the drop down for File Types. Under the File Format section, you'll Apple Lossless. Change the Apple Lossless and PCM drop down menus to "Disabled."
 
Don't ask me why. Who knows: It's computer audio! (But in this case, the sound is truly glorious and I regret using lossy AAC at 320kbps instead of Lossless. Fortunately, I own the CDs.)

 

[Crom]

Interesting discussions guys - prompted me to finally sign up
 
I have been watching the microrendu discussions with interest as the possibility to replace a dual-PC playback system which requires a certain amount of regular TLC and a PhD to switch it on(!) is quite enticing. The problem is that I have yet to find any reasonably-balanced comparisons with something like my setup. I understand that JSwenson says it will compare to a tricked out caps server but I don't think his interpretation of tricked-out is the same as mine!
 
I am also slightly wary, as I was very underwhelmed having purchased the regen - that is, until I replaced the power supply with a battery.
 
So, has anyone come across any posts detailing experiences with the more enthusiastic/dedicated/insane end of the audio PC building fraternity?
 
For reference, my set up is as follows: 
 
2 x supermicro MBs, 11 separate linear power supplies, Compact Flash hard drives, 3 x replacement oscillators, pimped USB output card, fibre networking.
 
Cheers,
Crom

 

[Liu Junyuan]

  Interesting discussions guys - prompted me to finally sign up
 
I have been watching the microrendu discussions with interest as the possibility to replace a dual-PC playback system which requires a certain amount of regular TLC and a PhD to switch it on(!) is quite enticing. The problem is that I have yet to find any reasonably-balanced comparisons with something like my setup. I understand that JSwenson says it will compare to a tricked out caps server but I don't think his interpretation of tricked-out is the same as mine!
 
I am also slightly wary, as I was very underwhelmed having purchased the regen - that is, until I replaced the power supply with a battery.
 
So, has anyone come across any posts detailing experiences with the more enthusiastic/dedicated/insane end of the audio PC building fraternity?
 
For reference, my set up is as follows: 
 
2 x supermicro MBs, 11 separate linear power supplies, Compact Flash hard drives, 3 x replacement oscillators, pimped USB output card, fibre networking.
 
Cheers,
Crom

Check out romaz's posts in his thread comparing five high-end music servers. Interestingly, by the end of the thread, he ditched them all for the microRendu. Not sure if this meets your qualification, but he has not only seen some high-end servers but has also been in direct communication with their designers: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/787020/review-comparison-of-5-high-end-digital-music-servers-aurender-n10-cad-cat-server-totaldac-d1-server-auralic-aries-audiophile-vortex-box/390

 

[feelingears]

Someone ( @MikeyFresh ?) was asking a while back about the sound quality of Squeezelite mode vs. others so I thought I'd report my findings. For reasons I won't bore you with, I've had the time to test this idea with the same songs over and over, over the past couple weeks since receiving my mRendu.

The executive summary is on my system, the Logitech Media Server (LMS) and Squeezelite mode are notably superior to the MPD/DLNA with MinimServer. So much so I just deleted MinimServer and hope to god I never have to go thru that hassle of installing and setting it up again. Because others here had voiced their positive opinion of how LMS/Squeezelite sounded, I just did that first although I thought I was going MinimServer because it sounded "easier" to set up. And because of the usability, I wanted to like MinimServer. But even from the first plays, I didn't get the feeling the music was "right." I sat with it, waited a day, tried again. Then switched back and the difference was immediate to my ears/system.

I've got (had) both servers running on an older Synology DS112 NAS. I used Squeezebox for my control point with LMS, and Linn Kazoo with MinimServer. I tried Linn with the LMS but it was flaky so I bailed.

What did I hear: There was a sense of being a bit compressed or rolled off with MinimServer, especially the highs. Bass was there but looser and more blob-like. It blurred the midrange and made songs feel a little indistinct. Also, it felt recessed (or "back" in the soundstage) and thus didn't drive the music (rock) as I've been accustomed to with the LMS version. I switched everything back to LMS and there it was: tweeters came to life, the extension of the frequencies up top opened up, bass leaned and tightened, and the pulse moved up front in the soundstage, driving the music like the engine it is. 

I might've been satisfied with MinimServer/Kazoo but as it happens I just spent a night at a friend's house eagerly wanting to show off the mRendu. No dice. Whether it was his network, or his running a Sonos at the same time, or his mainstream home theater receiver doing the amplification, or his Martin Logans, or whatever, the mRendu (or the whole system, to be fair) sounded like an awful mess compared to our lowly friend the compact disc. I went home and put the mRendu back on my system just to recalibrate myself! And thus began the poking around with LMS vs. MinimServer...

Anyone with similar or other experiences?

 

 

[feelingears]

@SleepyOne it was you! Sorry. So there you go, and I'll try HQPlayer at some point too. But not too soon, I need to unwind from all the comparing and just groove.

 

[SleepyOne]

Although it will sound crazy but I think Lumin/Minimserver sounds better than kazoo/Minimserver - spatial, detail & bass. They do not have same presentation for some reason. Linn main benefit is the prettier app which is one of your top requirement due to your wife . But both of those will still have similar type of sound signature though. As for LMS I found it a bit plasticky sound & prefers Roon which is somewhat similar sounding but thicker & non digital (although not so great in term of spatial width & possibly detail & feel a bit samey like a filter?).

Please do let us know how it sounds with HQPlayer. I need to get a NUC (in Linux) before I can test that

 

[feelingears]

I've read that others like Roon, too. I'm not a streaming kind of guy as I own most of my music, or I can borrow/rip CDs from friends. (And I'm anti-software/service-subscriptions even if they're reasonable business models. I just need to see a huge amount of value before I part with cash regularly.) 
 
Note to self: I'm "wasting" way more money trying new Ethernet cables than I am subscribing to streaming music services... Hey at least I got to try-before-buying an audiophile cable recently that was a big fail in my system.

 

[SleepyOne]

Actually Roon is not even a streaming service....it is just a music files management software (over network) with a music player built in. You don't get any music with it... I too found it expensive though given I will only be using its music file management function (which is very user friendly for sure) & will need HQPlayer for player. After using Roon for 2 wks I end up preferring Lumin/Minimserver to my surprise (it has better spatial width, detail & tone).

BTW you can try Roon for free for 2 wks (with possible extension) & you can cancel easily & their support seems very helpful.

 

[feelingears]

Thanks. Two points:
 
In Roon's case, I want to see them grow to some point before I give them my money. I work in tech and there are plenty of start-ups wanting my workflow with the siren song of "free beer." No thanks. I want to pay you to be around tomorrow and you can buy me a beer later. So if Roon makes it a year or two, then maybe.
 
Secondly, I don't understand (partly because I haven't bothered to investigate) where in the chain sound quality is most critical. With apps like A+ and Amarra and so on, what's the point where file decoding makes the end sound so awesome (or not)? I don't get how the mRendu pulls off what it does because it makes me ask What has the audio industry been doing for the last 26 YEARS? Not to rant, but how is this little thing sounding so much better than almost everything mainstream and audiophile (at least entry level) that came before it?
 
So, it's fun to be learning this stuff now. And hearing this stuff!

 

[cat6man]

 

Someone ( @MikeyFresh ?) was asking a while back about the sound quality of Squeezelite mode vs. others so I thought I'd report my findings. For reasons I won't bore you with, I've had the time to test this idea with the same songs over and over, over the past couple weeks since receiving my mRendu.

The executive summary is on my system, the Logitech Media Server (LMS) and Squeezelite mode are notably superior to the MPD/DLNA with MinimServer. So much so I just deleted MinimServer and hope to god I never have to go thru that hassle of installing and setting it up again. Because others here had voiced their positive opinion of how LMS/Squeezelite sounded, I just did that first although I thought I was going MinimServer because it sounded "easier" to set up. And because of the usability, I wanted to like MinimServer. But even from the first plays, I didn't get the feeling the music was "right." I sat with it, waited a day, tried again. Then switched back and the difference was immediate to my ears/system.

I've got (had) both servers running on an older Synology DS112 NAS. I used Squeezebox for my control point with LMS, and Linn Kazoo with MinimServer. I tried Linn with the LMS but it was flaky so I bailed.

What did I hear: There was a sense of being a bit compressed or rolled off with MinimServer, especially the highs. Bass was there but looser and more blob-like. It blurred the midrange and made songs feel a little indistinct. Also, it felt recessed (or "back" in the soundstage) and thus didn't drive the music (rock) as I've been accustomed to with the LMS version. I switched everything back to LMS and there it was: tweeters came to life, the extension of the frequencies up top opened up, bass leaned and tightened, and the pulse moved up front in the soundstage, driving the music like the engine it is. 

I might've been satisfied with MinimServer/Kazoo but as it happens I just spent a night at a friend's house eagerly wanting to show off the mRendu. No dice. Whether it was his network, or his running a Sonos at the same time, or his mainstream home theater receiver doing the amplification, or his Martin Logans, or whatever, the mRendu (or the whole system, to be fair) sounded like an awful mess compared to our lowly friend the compact disc. I went home and put the mRendu back on my system just to recalibrate myself! And thus began the poking around with LMS vs. MinimServer...

Anyone with similar or other experiences?

 

 
i plan to do the same comparison.  i got my uRendu delivered while i was in europe on vacation and am currently burning it in, so i'm not listening critically at all.
i have both LMS and minimserver running on my Netgear NAS already but have never compared them.
my preference was for mimimserver due to the much faster response time of the control point with a large >50k track music system.
 
one thing i have found is that WAV sounds much better than FLAC and i'm very interested in seeing if the uRendu changes that.
 
what kind of files were you playing?  do you reach the same conclusion with 44k and higher rez files?
 
i hope to have time to assess things in the next couple of weeks and compare the uRendu with my old setup streaming to sms-100