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Post by hifiaudio2 on Jul 17, 2014 21:27:42 GMT -5
Got the chromecast tonight. So far very cool. I'll post more about it after some time with it. So far using it with the native Synology audio app. But I installed plex server on the Synology and will try their app too.
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Post by jlafrenz on Jul 17, 2014 22:13:18 GMT -5
A quick update.
I was able to get WASAPI working with Foobar2000 and the XMC-1 by downloading the latest WASAPI component from Foobar2000.
I have tried multichannel PCM files and they do play in Foobar2000 via USB to the XMC-1, however they are only playing in stereo. Not entirely sure I have everything setup in Foobar2000 correctly for this as I only use it for 2 channel playback.
Still working on downloading the HDMI drivers. It is taking forever to download and install.
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Post by jlafrenz on Jul 17, 2014 23:40:01 GMT -5
After a few hours of trying to get the HDMI audio issue fixed on my HTPC I finally got it so that I could select it. The bad news is that I was unable to play anything through the XMC-1 via Foobar2000 with it set to any of the HDMI output options. I found this very strange because when I turned off the XMC-1 there was instantly sound out of my TV so I know the HDMI is passing audio now.
USB was working pretty well except with WASAPI and the multichannel PCM files I downloaded. They do work when selecting Direct Streaming. The playback error here occurs within Foobar2000 though.
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Post by cwt on Jul 18, 2014 0:37:40 GMT -5
Audiosyndrome you reference HDMI as being a poor medium to deliver the sound. Is that a known Apple specific issue or something else? Audiosyndrome was probably referencing hdmi's worse jitter performance compared to all others like spdif and usb . HDMI uses the video clock in the source to time the 1's and 0's rather than a dedicated audio clock in the sink ; heres a rather dated list  www.avforums.com/threads/pioneer-51fd-jitter-measurements.1097068/#post-10581612 |
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Post by hifiaudio2 on Jul 18, 2014 9:51:23 GMT -5
I guess since Chromecast uses HDMI it would suffer from the same issues?
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KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 10,273
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Post by KeithL on Jul 18, 2014 10:36:46 GMT -5
About audio and HDMI......
HDMI is a great thing for video and audio (currently there really are no other options, so no point in arguing that here).
However, if you JUST want to play audio, HDMI makes life a lot more complicated.
While the UMC-200 doesn't have a "USB DAC input" (the XMC-1 does), the UMC-200 does have both Toslink and Coax digital audio inputs.
Most "box type" music players (WDTV, etc; NOT Roku) have one or the other of those outputs.
If so, all you need to do is to connect a wire (or a Toslink fiber wire cable thingy).
Getting the HDMI output on a computer to work properly with audio can be simple - or not so simple.
(And the old laptop you want to use for a music player may not even have an HDMI output.)
If you're lucky, it may have a Coax S/PDIF or Toslink output - although most do not.
If that's the case, all you need to do is buy a little gadget called a "USB-to-S/PDIF converter".
These can cost anywhere between about $10 and $10k (really) - but even the ones that cost $20 or so work pretty well (more than good enough for compressed music like Spotify).
You plug it into your computer and your computer now has a S/PDIF output - which you can then connect to your UMC-200.
(You can also get ones that go from USB to Toslink if you prefer, and a lot of the cheaper ones give you an analog connection for listening to headphones "on the road" as well as a digital connection.)
For the record, the audio output over HDMI is relatively high in jitter (which is a problem - or not - depending on what you connect it to).
Any converter with an asynch USB input should be pretty good; and even ones without aren't always all THAT bad.
S/PDIF connections are usually pretty good, but again, it varies widely from device to device.
Remember that, if the service you're connecting to is streaming you compressed audio, then THAT is going to be the limiting factor in terms of sound quality.
(There's no point in spending over $100 for a converter to listen to Spotify, or MP3 files, because the source will be what limits the sound quality anyway.)
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Post by solarrdadd on Jul 18, 2014 11:08:33 GMT -5
i have't seen a clear answer to this so i'll ask it, will the XMC-1 support streaming hi-rez audio, say FLAC & WAV up to 192/24 via ethernet? i can stream with my current pre-amp (up to 96/24) and my bedroom receiver (up to 192/24 & DSD) via ethernet and was wondering if this is (or possibly could be in the future with a FW upgrade) a part of the pre-amps feature set. i have a 2tb NAS and would love to be able to stream directly from it.
thanks to any and everyone who responds.
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Post by brubacca on Jul 18, 2014 11:13:10 GMT -5
From Keith in another thread....
The XMC-1 does NOT currently stream music or play music streamed to it - over Ethernet or anything else, and it does not play music of any kind from a stick. All of those are DISTINCTLY POSSIBLE future enhancements - but we're not promising any of them at the moment. In general, that technology moves very fast, so it's very difficult to keep a product "current" without incessant updates and changes. We recommend you simply purchase one of the many excellent (and very economical) streaming client gadgets out there and connect it to one of the XMC-1's inputs.
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Post by hifiaudio2 on Jul 18, 2014 11:14:46 GMT -5
I think right now it does not support streaming over ethernet. That is a big feature (along with an Android or iOS app to remotely view and control) that I am hoping for.
I just got a Chromecast installed and while the convenience factor is very high, Keith's comments about jitter and its HDMI interface leave me still wanting a better solution.
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Post by SticknStones on Jul 18, 2014 11:27:51 GMT -5
I think right now it does not support streaming over ethernet. That is a big feature (along with an Android or iOS app to remotely view and control) that I am hoping for. I just got a Chromecast installed and while the convenience factor is very high, Keith's comments about jitter and its HDMI interface leave me still wanting a better solution. I just got my Chromecast too but my xmc will come next week. Did you plug the Chromecast into the XCM HDMI or TV? |
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Post by hifiaudio2 on Jul 18, 2014 11:40:00 GMT -5
Right now its plugged into my Marantz just to test. I don't have the XMC yet. It also requires a USB connection or being plugged into an outlet for power. Interestingly the Marantz USB port apparently is not good enough to power it. It doesn't come on unless plugged into an outlet. Or perhaps the Marantz USB power isn't active unless the USB input is selected. I haven't tried that. But it wouldn't matter if that is the case since the HDMI input has to be selected for the Chromecast to output anything.
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Post by djoel on Jul 18, 2014 11:47:51 GMT -5
You guys are using the Chromecast for music streaming only, or for movies?
DJoel
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Post by Andrew Robinson on Jul 18, 2014 11:57:53 GMT -5
You guys are using the Chromecast for music streaming only, or for movies? DJoel I do both. |
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Post by djoel on Jul 18, 2014 12:04:29 GMT -5
Thanks will check that out, initially I had lack of faith in the little bugger!
Djoel
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Post by SticknStones on Jul 18, 2014 12:45:23 GMT -5
Thanks will check that out, initially I had lack of faith in the little bugger! Djoel I order mine from Amazon and got the Chromecast and my new GLS XLR cables the next day. Really fast. I was going to test on the UMC but will use the power adapter as I have the Emotiva bluetooth in the USB. |
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Post by merlinwerks on Jul 18, 2014 13:47:43 GMT -5
From Keith in another thread.... The XMC-1 does NOT currently stream music or play music streamed to it - over Ethernet or anything else, and it does not play music of any kind from a stick. All of those are DISTINCTLY POSSIBLE future enhancements - but we're not promising any of them at the moment. In general, that technology moves very fast, so it's very difficult to keep a product "current" without incessant updates and changes. We recommend you simply purchase one of the many excellent (and very economical) streaming client gadgets out there and connect it to one of the XMC-1's inputs. Certainly a bit of a bummer since that was one of the original features I was really looking forward to, hopefully they will implement at least a basic DLNA renderer functionality, don't need the XMC to do any browsing/selection, etc. plenty of other solutions for that. I've been looking around a bit but haven't found the answer yet, Is the USB DAC input on the XMC asynchronous? If not I guess I'll stick with my ART Legato and a S/PDIF connection... |
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tomrc
Sensei
Please don't dominate the rap Jack, if you've got nuthin new to say. GD
Posts: 151
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Post by tomrc on Jul 18, 2014 14:11:54 GMT -5
Anyone know of a device that will do the opposite of Chromecast? I already have all my music on a hard drive hooked to my Oppo, what I want is a way to take it from the OPPO since the android app is so good and beam it to android or iOS devices around the house? This is sort of XMC-1 related if there is away to do it through the XMC-1.
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edrummereasye
Sensei
"This aggression will not stand, man!"
Posts: 438
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Post by edrummereasye on Jul 18, 2014 17:19:17 GMT -5
Let's discuss the current and best options for music streaming with the XMC-1. What does it currently support? What method yields the most user friendly setup? What method has the best sound quality? Direct USB stick connected to a usb port? (apparently not currently supported) Streaming over the ethernet connection with an upcoming app for cover art gui based control? (hopefully coming soon?) HTPC connected with HDMI? Seems like the HDMI option is the only one that can currently be used. What is the current state of the art in music jukebox control of the HTPC from an iPad? I want to be able to fire up an app and pick the songs with coverart from the theater with no display turned on. So lets use this thread for discussing all of the above and best practices associated with these. I use an app called AlbumPlayer (albumplayer.com, I believe), which I currently control with keyboard and mouse and display on the 70" =D But it does have a "touch-optimized" interface, always has...I recall always having to select which one to start with on install/upgrade, though it's selectable anytime in settings. I've been using it a long time, it's not the be-all end-all, but I like it. I don't think there's a Mac-compatible version of AlbumPlayer itself, but it does support iPhone/iPad control, via a feature called "TunesRemote". EDIT: Have to correct what I said previously: TunesRemote is not a separate application on the PC side; it's included in the AlbumPlayer software, or at least a "limited" version is (I think it limits you to queueing 10 songs or something). For the iPhone side, it uses Apple Remote, which is free on the App Store (there are different apps for Android and Windows Phone, as well). To get a registration key for the "full" TunesRemote functionality, is 10 Euros when if you purchase at the same time as AlbumPlayer (see below) or 15 Euros ($20.29 US as of 7/19/2014)to add later (one page on the website says 45 Euros, but when I went to the purchase page, it said 15). As far as I know, that's the only "extra" you'll ever pay for...for AlbumPlayer itself, all new versions, updates, etc., are "free for life" after the initial purchase; and any other extensions I've seen are free. A "personal" (non-commercial) license costs 29,50 Euros ($39.90 US as of today), or 39,50 Euros ($53.50 US as of today) if you purchase the TunesRemote license at the same time; which I think is pretty dirt cheap for what it does; can't recall but I think I paid more years ago. And I could also be wrong about it being the "be-all, end-all"...there's several new features that I'm not currently taking advantage of, notably, the ability to store and play videos (I gather anything from clips, to music videos, to movies), as well as extension of the "CD case + booklet" theme to include multiple-page booklets, with things like artist info, album info, additional photos, etc. Not sure how automated it is or can be to acquire that stuff though; for Cover Art it's pretty good, you can specify several sources (besides looking in the folder with the music tracks) and order/prioritize them; e.g. search Amazon, AllMusic.com, etc. |
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Post by hifiaudio2 on Jul 19, 2014 14:17:16 GMT -5
In another thread solidstate was extolling the virtues of HDMI as a mechanism for carrying music vs spdif and toslink. I know PS audio uses hdmi for their $6k music player. But he and they are talking about "i2s" over Hdmi so perhaps that is a different animal? |
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Post by cwt on Jul 20, 2014 4:19:49 GMT -5
In another thread solidstate was extolling the virtues of HDMI as a mechanism for carrying music vs spdif and toslink. I know PS audio uses hdmi for their $6k music player. But he and they are talking about "i2s" over Hdmi so perhaps that is a different animal? Its always a better alternative when you see a dac that takes i2s hifi and a pc that can supply the same Wyred4sound have adopted it as well in their dacs  www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/164366-i2s-standards-ps-audio.html#post2140400Yes merlinwerks the usb-b feeds the cmedia chipset which is . Almost like getting a separate usb dac built in .. |
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