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[Humbledore]

Since there is no JRiver solution to play local files on an Android device, may I ask the community if there is some player out there that can be recommended, prioritizing good sound quality and the ability to play FLAC files?
Thanks!    

[HTPC4ME]

I am using two apps on my Droid 3...Gizmo for when I have Wi-Fi connectivity, and PowerAmp for use of music on my SD card. I find the PowerAmp app to sound better than the same file played on my iPOD...

Same here, i use Gizmo/Eos/JRemote And Poweramp as well. Power Amp hasnt failed me yet.

I'd pay $10 more for a Gizmo integrated player for my android device!

+1 for Gizmo/JRemote/eos

[Gaff_l]

Since there is no JRiver solution to play local files on an Android device, may I ask the community if there is some player out there that can be recommended, prioritizing good sound quality and the ability to play FLAC files?
Thanks!    

Neutron is probably the best Android player you will get for sound quality, although the UI is a bit clumsy (mind you, MUCH better than it was in the early years). Handles FLAC and lots more besides including allowing cross-feeding between your headphones for a more realistic sound. One thing it won't do is use the Android System database. It creates it's own, so you will have to "re-import" your music when you install it.  Try it, you won't be disappointed.

BubbleUPNP is a much better player for streaming from JRiver, than Gizmo... Much more reliable, a way better interface, tons of settings you can adjust, all round more professional and polished.

I've just this evening installed the JRiver remote player, so haven't had a chance to play too much. It's obviously a work in progress. It's crashed half a dozen times already, just streaming music from Media Center. UI is not as good as BubbleUPNP, IMHO, and fewer options /settings. However, I like that it can remotely control Media Center. So far I've only used it to play music on my phone, so will have to experiment.

[Humbledore]

Gaff_l, thank you very much for your recommendations! I have also picked up Neutron so I will give it a try.

[csimon]

One thing it won't do is use the Android System database. It creates it's own, so you will have to "re-import" your music when you install it.

The problem for me with apps that use the system database, including BubbleUpnp, is that they don't use Album Artist. It doesn't matter how good the interface is, if it indexes all my music by track artists then it's absolutely useless. Unfortunately, most apps do use the system database as it's easier I guess. Ironically, Google Play ignores the Android database and builds its own, and it does index properly by Album Artist.

Genre is also a bug-bear when some apps just list tracks under each Genre, or albums, instead of indexing first by Album Artist.

This comes back to the flexibility of MC in creating browsing structures exactly as you want and expect then, so a similar player for a mobile device would be very welcome.

[HTPC4ME]

+1

[Awesome Donkey]

I've been using Neutron for over a year now, and I quite recommend it. But for streaming from JRiver I recommend using JRemote or eos.

The problem for me with apps that use the system database, including BubbleUpnp, is that they don't use Album Artist. It doesn't matter how good the interface is, if it indexes all my music by track artists then it's absolutely useless. Unfortunately, most apps do use the system database as it's easier I guess. Ironically, Google Play ignores the Android database and builds its own, and it does index properly by Album Artist.

Neutron supports Album Artist just fine - it's what I use by default. Mix that with JRemote/eos for streaming from JRiver and it's a perfect combination.

[csimon]

Neutron supports Album Artist just fine

Hence why not supporting the system database is a positive, not a negative!

[lendall]

My recently deceased phone used too early an Android version to run Neutron, so I was stuck with PowerAmp.  I found it fairly easy to run (pretty much liked the way the controls function), but I found the sound veiled compared to other players -- e.g., Rocket Music Player for Android 4.1.0.7.  My new phone accepts Neutron, so I have been experimenting with it.  The sound is certainly more precise -- if anything it lacks a certain "oomph," but I find this to be true of a a lot of higher end hardware and software.  (I think designers and developers assume that people will usually listen on small speakers or earbuds and that most people like a heavy "thud" and bass boost.)  That having been said, in my experience so far it is very easy to make Neutron sound lousy if you misconfigure it.  By lousy I mean extremely distorted.  I have found that higher level tracks can over-drive Neutron more than other music player apps.  This is why I am using trying to customize the configuration of MC analysis, DSP settings (volume leveling and/or adaptive volume) and sync handheld to even out the levels of the tracks on my phone. 

[jagdriver]

I'm completely new to Neutron. I have formatted my 64GB microSD card using the native Android OS and have successfully had Neutron scan the thousands of files (all in a single folder) on that external card.

However, how do I instruct Neutron to just start with one file in that folder and continue to play random tracks from that same folder until I instruct it not to do so?

Note that using its existing list structure, Neutron does not show me all of the files that it has scanned. For example, there are hundreds of tracks tagged [Alternative] as their genre. Yet Neutron only shows a very, very, VERY small subset of files meeting that genre tag criterion. I have tried pointing it to the folder where all of the files reside, but still no go.

[jshowalter]

I think this is answered in this thread, but all of the names are new to me other than JRiver, so I want to clarify.

Setup is: Chromebook, 3TB external USB 3.0 drive with a bunch of music files, iFi DSD Micro, headphones, network.

Network is slow (DSL, can't get anything better), and streaming really isn't an option. Plus there are times when I want to take the whole setup and go somewhere else to work, and there's no network at all.

So, the solution needs to be self-contained. I don't want a remote that plays from a central server, because the server's at my house behind a firewall on a slow network, and the Chromebook is somewhere else.

On my PC, it's a non-issue. The setup is PC, 3TB external USB 3.0 drive with a bunch of music files, iFi DSD Micro, headphones, and JRiver to orchestrate browsing files on the external drive and playing them to the iFi.

The missing piece on the Chromebook is the software to orchestrate browsing and playing files. It appears that JRiver doesn't provide a native Android player, only a remote client.

Forgot to mention that many of the files are SACD format, as .iso files. The iFi plays them natively. Whatever software does the orchestration has to recognize those files (as JRiver already does).

What should I use as the player, on the Chromebook?

(The iFi folks say that a Chromebook already has an OS with a driver that will work.)