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[crashjtm]

I want to improve performance of playing my ripped SACDs across the network.  This is probably answered in the Wiki or forums but I haven't found a setup that works as I would like it to.

I have my music server running on a recent, powerful Mac Mini. Across the network, I have an older (~2014?) Mac Mini connected to my main system. I do most listening at my desk so I want to keep that part of the setup as it is.  I have the client machine set to load the full album (not decoded) into memory.  Despite that setting, whenever there is a track switch, there is an annoyingly long delay, especially for some of the gapless albums in my collection.

Does anyone have any recommendations for best configuration?  Since the client machine can't output DSD to my AVR, I was thinking that it might be best to configure my setup such that the server, being more powerful, does the trasncoding from DSD to PCM and then have that streamed across the network.  Does that make sense?  How is the best way to configure that?  When I look at Client Options, I can select transcode only when necessary but that only seems to offer MP3 as an option?  On the server, I have the DLNA server configured to transcode DSD and SACD but I see nothing in the conversion cache and I am not sure that DLNA options apply between MC instances.

I am running MC 31.0.83 on both machines, latest Sonoma on the server and Monterey on the client.

Thank you,
Joe

[bob]

What's the path for the material you are trying to play?
Directly from the server to the DLNA AVR or through your client Mac?
Don't copy into memory. It will only slow things down.

[crashjtm]

Hi Bob,
Path is Server -> Client Mac -> HDMI to AVR.  It seemed the easiest way to get surround from my library to the AVR.  (My AVR doesn't support surround sound over DLNA, only stereo.)

I am in the process of mirroring my entire library over to the client machine - it has the space.  If I understand correctly, even though I am using the remote library, MC will use the local copy of the file as long as the local path matches the remote path?  On the files I have transferred so far, it seems to be making a big difference. 

Thanks for the advice - I will turn off memory playback.

[bob]

Disabling memory playback should handle most of the issue.
The 2014 mini should be fast enough to do the conversion to PCM without issue.
Your Media Network client settings on the 2014 mini should be set to no conversion/original file.

Copying the material from the server to the client should use the local file but you really shouldn't need to do that.

[crashjtm]

Thanks again!

I think I was having some hiccups during playback on an older mac a few years ago so I turned on memory playback and I've just had it on since then.  I have turned it back off and listening with no issues at all.

Thanks again!