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[shAf]

My son is interested in using Media Center but neither of us understand how MC might work considering his situation, ... whereby his Windows computer is downstairs in his theatre room, but his amp+speakers for music is upstairs and impossible to hardwire.

He is thinking that AudioEngine's D2 might be a wireless solution for supporting 24bit flacs, but there are some questions. Being somewhat familiar with MC's "zones" I suggested using his computer's SPDIF optical would work with the AE D2, and that he should be able to configure a "music" zone for bitstreaming data via optical to the AE D2, while his "movie" zone employed the computer's HDMI. However, it turns out his computer doesn't have optical. (I'm surprised it has HDMI...maybe he needs a new computer, but Win10?...ARGH!)

The AE D2 can use his computer's USB, but what concerns me is how MC can control what goes out USB. Is it controlled by a software driver supplied by AE?

I suspect there will be additional questions, and we welcome your help and other suggestions. TIA

[Spike1000]

A cheap 2nd PC in the 'music' room acting as a MC client would work. It can be controlled by a smart phone app. Can be used 'headless' (ie no monitor).

I use cheap Intel NUCs as clients to my main MC PC that has the music on it. There are 'iD' and Raspberry Pi options too.

I'm sure there are other options, but that's how I get my MC to play music in different rooms in my house.

Spike

[AndrewFG]

What make is the amp? Perhaps it supports DLNA / UPNP ?

[shAf]

Thanks for responding...

Spike:  I'd agree , and we had considered something akin to an Intel NUC (JRiver Id) or a HifiBerry, but wanted to avoid managing a Linux OS, and the AE D2 just seemed likely a more elegant solution considering it was a living room...

Andrew: we're talking about a classic system...a 200W NAD amplifier and Marantz receiver as the front end, which I admit still sounds better than my modern HDMI AVR...

So ... back to the question re USB and MC control...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[JimH]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Please shut off the Tapatalk ad.  It's in the settings of Tapatalk.

[shAf]

Please shut off the Tapatalk ad.  It's in the settings of Tapatalk.

Sorry...didn't realize...

There doesn't seem to be any option other than to make a purchase of a VIP version, which would've thought turned off the ads at my end. It doesn't seem right that Tapatalk should be putting up ads at your end. If you'd like me to provide the negative feedback, please pm me with how JRiver would prefer smart phone and tablet apps should work in this regard.

In the future I'll use the web browser...

[JimH]

Thanks.  I think what they do is a little disrespectful of the forum.  I understand that they want to spread their name around, and Apple does the same, but it's not their forum.

[shAf]

Thanks.  I think what they do is a little disrespectful of the forum.  I understand that they want to spread their name around, and Apple does the same, but it's not their forum.

I see... I was thinking it was a another type of ad. Your point is well taken, and I found the setting for disabling it... Settings/Signatures and specific to forum ... whereby Tapatalk had enabled it by default and put in their own "sent by ...", which can be edited...

Now... back to my original USB query...

[Listener]

Now... back to my original USB query...

Simple answers to your questions:

- The USB audio driver built into Windows sends audio to the Audioengine D2.  No additional driver needed.

- To JRiver MC, the D2 DAC looks like any other DAC.

- Your son will want a way to select and play music in the theatre room.  You can do that with a laptop PC running MC but a tablet or smartphone is more convenient.  He can choose between JRemote, Gizmo, WebGizmo (which runs in abrowser) or WebRemote (which also runs in a browser.)  In he is using MC22, he can use the new Panel software.  All of those approaches depend on your son's having a WiFi or wired Lan network in his home.

The D2 is simple to install and use. You can connect it to a PC via USB or SPDIF. The main concern is that if you have a lot of wireless activity in the home, the D2 may not be able to transmit audio reliably. I tried a D2 and found that there was too much wireless activity in my home.

Other people have suggested more complicated alternatives.  If your son likes the D2 approach, it is a reasonable choice.

[shAf]

 Thank you Listener for the reassuring reply ... 2 questions...

With respect to configuring the "upstairs music" zone, how do you configure for the output to audio hardware for the DAC to USB? ... e.g., bitstream to SPDIF ... I.e., I don't see an option for bitstreaming to USB(?)

Can you give me an idea of what made your situation "too much wireless activity"?

[Listener]

My comments in bold type.

Thank you Listener for the reassuring reply ... 2 questions...

With respect to configuring the "upstairs music" zone, how do you configure for the output to audio hardware for the DAC to USB? ... e.g., bitstream to SPDIF ... I.e., I don't see an option for bitstreaming to USB(?)

I don't understand your use of the word bitstream.  Are you sending 5.1 or 7.1 encoded audio?  DSD audio?

Here's the audioengine quick setup guide:

http://support.audioengineusa.com/support/solutions/articles/14000022502-d2-quick-setup

That takes care of physical installation.  If you connect via USB, Windows will recognize the D2 transmitter unit as an audio device.  You need to decide whether to make the D2 the default audio device.  (Probably not.  You don't need to make it the defauylt device to play audio from JRiver and you probably want audio from websites to be played in the room where the computer resides.)  To set the default audio device, right- click on the speaker icon in the system tray at the right end of the taskbar on the PC.  Click on Playback devices and then on the Playback tab.  You should see a list of audio playback devices.  Click on the one you want to be the default device and then click on set default.

Now you need to tell JRiver about the new zone and the D2.  In JRiuver standard mode, click on "Player" in the main menu, then "zone" and "Add zone". Give the new zone a name that is meaningful to you.  I usually put the name of the room in the name and perhaps the DAC name.

Now select the new zone. (Click on Player/zone and then the new zone.)  Now tell JRiver what device to use in this zone.  Click on Player/Playback options.  Under Audio device, select the D2 DAC.  I'd choose the Wasapi variant for best sound.  Under device settings, I'd click on Set exclusive access.  There are other settings on this page that you might want to check. 

The D2 DAC uses the standard Windows USB audio driver which is limited to 24 bits bit depth / 96 KHz sample rate.  If you have any music files with 24/192 content or DSD content, you need to tell JRiver to convert that material before sending it to the D2 DAC. (Player/DSP studio. Click on Output format in the left pane.  For all sample rates higher than 96000 in the left column, select 96000 in the right column.)

I've written these comments with respect to straightforward 2 channel audio use.


Can you give me an idea of what made your situation "too much wireless activity"?

I have a Wifi router used by a laptop, a tablet and a smartphone.  I can see five or six other WiFi networks operated by my neighbors.  I use a logitech wireless keyboard and mouse which do their own wireless transmission.  And there are two computers in the room where the D2 transmitter was.  It was hard to find a place to put the D2 transmitter where it would work reliably every time I tried it.  The Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse were probably the killer.

At the time, Windows 10 was getting some major updates.  There seemed to be some issues with multiple USB DACs using the standard Windows driver. More recent Windows 10 updates seemed to have made USB audio more straightforward to use.

I came to the end of the 30 day free trial period.  Audioengine was willing to extend the period but the problems were intermittent and very difficult to debug.  I decided to try another approach and returned the D2 DAC for a full refund.  I mentioned my experience to be honest.

In my above comments, I described using the D2 plugged via USB.  That is the approach you should try first.  If you connect via a SPDIF optical cable, Windows and JRiver will not know the D2 DAC by name.  You'll need to find the SPDIF output device instead.  Most of what I said about configuring Windows and JRiver apply to setting up the SPDIF output device.

You may not have needed all the detail that I provided. I could not tell from your brief questions.