DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Jul 29, 2018 18:37:06 GMT -5
Yes, if anyone is running Vortexbox on an old computer (or thinking about it) and would like to load Roon Server let me know, I created step-by-step instructions and will be happy to share them. Make sure your system meets the minimum specs on the Roon website.
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 29, 2018 19:21:35 GMT -5
So, I just drug out the Raspberry Pi and loaded RoPieee on it. After a short time of imaging the microsd card, then putting it into the Pi to get it started, I launched Roon and there's the Pi as a zone and playing fine.
I wish I had just done this last fall when I was messing with the Pi. That said, I do have a very nice little PC for sale now!
Mark
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 29, 2018 20:34:23 GMT -5
So, I just got this response from jRiver about using DLNA with WDM.
I just paid them about $50 to assume I could do this and finally make it work. I think it's time to tell them to refund my $.
Pitiful.
Mark
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 29, 2018 21:12:08 GMT -5
I actually realized from my records that it was $18.98 to upgrade from 18 to 24. But, the main reason I upgraded was to have Tidal play through jRiver. So, I sent a note telling them I wanted a refund and I disputed the charge with my CC company. No sense wasting a penny on it.
Mark
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Post by novisnick on Jul 29, 2018 21:37:08 GMT -5
I actually realized from my records that it was $18.98 to upgrade from 18 to 24. But, the main reason I upgraded was to have Tidal play through jRiver. So, I sent a note telling them I wanted a refund and I disputed the charge with my CC company. No sense wasting a penny on it. Mark Ive carried a Master License for years, we won’t loose the ability to use JRiver. We just won’t upgrade to the newest version that would bring nothing to us. |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 30, 2018 7:32:19 GMT -5
I actually realized from my records that it was $18.98 to upgrade from 18 to 24. But, the main reason I upgraded was to have Tidal play through jRiver. So, I sent a note telling them I wanted a refund and I disputed the charge with my CC company. No sense wasting a penny on it. Mark Ive carried a Master License for years, we won’t loose the ability to use JRiver. We just won’t upgrade to the newest version that would bring nothing to us. I thought about just keeping it, but frankly - it was really irritating to see that they do not support playing Tidal through jRiver and outputting to a network streamer. And, Tidal barely plays through jRiver to speakers on my PC. Add on top of the situation that they insist on their forum that Tidal works just fine when user after user is saying "no it doesn't" And frankly, the reason I got jRiver in the first place is that I'd ripped a bunch of CD to WAV and jRiver was the only software I could find that did batch conversions to FLAC. Now that I've done that, I only use it to RIP CD's and was using it for playback prior to trying the media streamer. So, if I use Roon, I won't need it for playback and I can rip CD's any number of other ways w/o paying them. Net, I'm done with them - whether I get a refund or not. Mark |
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Jul 30, 2018 9:59:04 GMT -5
Ive carried a Master License for years, we won’t loose the ability to use JRiver. We just won’t upgrade to the newest version that would bring nothing to us. I thought about just keeping it, but frankly - it was really irritating to see that they do not support playing Tidal through jRiver and outputting to a network streamer. And, Tidal barely plays through jRiver to speakers on my PC. Add on top of the situation that they insist on their forum that Tidal works just fine when user after user is saying "no it doesn't" And frankly, the reason I got jRiver in the first place is that I'd ripped a bunch of CD to WAV and jRiver was the only software I could find that did batch conversions to FLAC. Now that I've done that, I only use it to RIP CD's and was using it for playback prior to trying the media streamer. So, if I use Roon, I won't need it for playback and I can rip CD's any number of other ways w/o paying them. Net, I'm done with them - whether I get a refund or not. Mark I went through a similar process to abandon JRiver. Just too fiddly and unreliable for me. By the way (and I'm not promoting them just stating fact) the Vortexbox OS has a built-in automatic ripper that you can set up to do FLAC, ALAC, MP3 or any combination or all three at once if you choose. I use it all the time. It's not the fastest in the world, but it is pretty good for free-ware. |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 30, 2018 11:42:13 GMT -5
By the way (and I'm not promoting them just stating fact) the Vortexbox OS has a built-in automatic ripper that you can set up to do FLAC, ALAC, MP3 or any combination or all three at once if you choose. I use it all the time. It's not the fastest in the world, but it is pretty good for free-ware. Thanks - I'll look into that. Mark |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 30, 2018 15:42:11 GMT -5
Well, it's official. I am now a Roon lifetime member.
The things that drove me to this are:
1) The Tidal integration works perfectly in every way I tried it...running USB out from my PC to my DAC, running to a microRendu, and running to a Raspberry Pi.
2) I needed the Tidal integration to work to fully leverage the ultraRendu I just bought.
3) Roon customer service has been great in promptly and professionally answering questions.
4) jRiver's Tidal integration is pitiful at this point. First, it doesn't work reliably and tinkering with settings I can find some that appear to sound like it's working - but I am not really trusting it. And, that's only with 16 bit/44.1K material...not with 24 bit/higher rates. AND, even though I can send music from my NAS to DLNA devices like the microrendu or others, it will NOT pass Tidal through the same pathway.
5) Support on jRiver has been poor all along, and I really don't like what I view as "belligerent" responses from Jim H. People are pointing out that it doesn't work, and he comes back saying it does. When they cite examples, he puts it down to "well that's a problem with your system" or bad mouths Tidal. When he finally gives and admits it's not working fully, he adds in that they "never promised" that Tidal would play through to DLNA devices. Yet, their wiki says that the WDM driver "re-routes the audio through Media Center's DSP stack to whatever output device you have selected as an audio output in Media Center" So, that seems pretty clear that any device I choose, the music should pass from jRiver to that device.
6) Despite the above points, jRiver is refusing to issue a refund to me at this point, even though I paid in good faith in advance that it would have the features I thought it would have. And I just got an insulting email from JimH...the kind that no company should ever send a customer.
I used to recommend jRiver to folks. Consider that recommendation changed at this point.
Mark
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 31, 2018 16:06:11 GMT -5
To elaborate a bit more on my decision to drop jRiver and use Roon...on the jRiver forum, Matt Ashland (a company manager) clarified that indeed jRiver will not stream Tidal to a networked DLNA device (which fits with my experience - so it wasn't my user error but a design limitation of jRiver). I pointed out that their own Wiki makes it seem like it would. In response, he elaborated something like "sorry it wasn't clear...perhaps we should change/clarify that" I agreed. Suddenly, I got notified I was banned for 24 hours via an e-mail from Jim Hillegass for being "pushy". And, in that e-mail - he accused me of being "naive" for "not understanding the fundamentals" of their product. I felt that was uncalled for and told him it didn't reflect positively on him or his business, and that led to me immediately going to Roon for a lifetime membership.
Once my 24 hour ban was lifted, I was able to get back on their forum and see that they had "sanitized" the comments from Matt and I - eliminating the part about him suggesting they should clarify their wiki and even my agreement to that.
I guess Jim can't handle the truth. Net, they won't get my business.
Mark
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Post by novisnick on Jul 31, 2018 16:23:20 GMT -5
To elaborate a bit more on my decision to drop jRiver and use Roon...on the jRiver forum, Matt Ashland (a company manager) clarified that indeed jRiver will not stream Tidal to a networked DLNA device (which fits with my experience - so it wasn't my user error but a design limitation of jRiver). I pointed out that their own Wiki makes it seem like it would. In response, he elaborated something like "sorry it wasn't clear...perhaps we should change/clarify that" I agreed. Suddenly, I got notified I was banned for 24 hours via an e-mail from Jim Hillegass for being "pushy". And, in that e-mail - he accused me of being "naive" for "not understanding the fundamentals" of their product. I felt that was uncalled for and told him it didn't reflect positively on him or his business, and that led to me immediately going to Roon for a lifetime membership. Once my 24 hour ban was lifted, I was able to get back on their forum and see that they had "sanitized" the comments from Matt and I - eliminating the part about him suggesting they should clarify their wiki and even my agreement to that. I guess Jim can't handle the truth. Net, they won't get my business. Mark Obviously not the standup guy you find running this forum. Here they do believe in dialogue weather they or I or we agree with it or not. Open mindedness is another key to success. Emotiva will be successful for this and many other reasons. You can’t slam the door on a customer and not expect repercussions. Go back to the day JRiver requested more money (the most recent time) and you’ll find thats the day I wiped my hands of paying tribute,,,,,ha,,,,,ha,,,,,ha,,,,,, to them! The King has NO clothes on! 🤫🤪 |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 31, 2018 16:45:05 GMT -5
Exactly.
Mark
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Jul 31, 2018 19:57:12 GMT -5
Also - once the ultrarendu arrives with the smallgreencomputer.com power supply, I will do as many comparisons as I can...micro vs. ultrarendu, LPS-1 vs. SGC PS, etc. Frankly, I am not expecting a lot of differences other than what I already noted vs. my PC out via USB. I look forward to the listening.
Mark
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Post by novisnick on Jul 31, 2018 20:13:45 GMT -5
Also - once the ultrarendu arrives with the smallgreencomputer.com power supply, I will do as many comparisons as I can...micro vs. ultrarendu, LPS-1 vs. SGC PS, etc. Frankly, I am not expecting a lot of differences other than what I already noted vs. my PC out via USB. I look forward to the listening. Mark Should be lots of fun! Look at all those Cherries! 🍒🍒🍒🍒🍒 |
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Post by Bonzo on Jul 31, 2018 20:32:08 GMT -5
I'm just glad I'm not the only one. My latest experience with Spectrum has me wishing a lot of things, none of them good. 7 people in and almost 4 hours on the phone, 2 trips to MicroCenter, all to yield nothing basically. My wife is the cool calm and collected one. She told me she would have told the 4th person to suck it. I made it to #7 which was supposedly the regional manager and man was he a complete and utter D. Had ZERO regard for me, my service, or my happiness. Even TOLD me he was transfering me to the discontinuing department because he didn't have time to listen to what had transpired. Unreal. The conversation ended with worse than the usual F-U. I told him to eat....
Sorry, got in trouble the last time I used adult words so staying as clean as I can.
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Aug 1, 2018 8:17:04 GMT -5
Bonzo - I can relate on TWC/Spectrum. I dread calling them for even the smallest problem. Mark
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Aug 1, 2018 8:17:40 GMT -5
On the bright side...the shipping notice said that my ultrarendu will arrive tomorrow!
Mark
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Aug 1, 2018 10:47:29 GMT -5
When you get your UR be sure you run a software update after you install it. Even though the UR software will be up to date, there is a Roon Ready update. Let me know if you need an assist the first time you open the web interface.
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Post by Soup on Aug 1, 2018 11:11:41 GMT -5
I'm just glad I'm not the only one. My latest experience with Spectrum has me wishing a lot of things, none of them good. 7 people in and almost 4 hours on the phone, 2 trips to MicroCenter, all to yield nothing basically. My wife is the cool calm and collected one. She told me she would have told the 4th person to suck it. I made it to #7 which was supposedly the regional manager and man was he a complete and utter D. Had ZERO regard for me, my service, or my happiness. Even TOLD me he was transfering me to the discontinuing department because he didn't have time to listen to what had transpired. Unreal. The conversation ended with worse than the usual F-U. I told him to eat.... Sorry, got in trouble the last time I used adult words so staying as clean as I can. Sharing Your Pain Had the same experience or worse with SPRINT............................I kept calm until the xxth customer service rep kept repeating "no problem" after everything both he and i said..............Yes, there is a problem, I have not had a working phone for over a week................ |
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Post by novisnick on Aug 1, 2018 11:37:24 GMT -5
Hi, I’m from KStream and need some spending money we have a few improvements WE find worthy of hitting you in the pocket again for. Just send the dang money! Nothing else matters!
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