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[Mark Manner]

Hello, just joined, and bought JR MC.  I have a nice sound system that has a dedicated 2 channel preamp and 2 channel amp incorporated into a 7.1 home theater surround system (the preamp can be set to pass the HT Pre/Pro through to the 2 channel amp and another 5 channel amp when I want to do surround).  I care most about 2 channel sound quality, but like watching Blu-Ray movies and having good surround. I have an Oppo 103 and a Lexicon RT-20 with their analog SACD outputs into the 2 channel preamp, and have been using a Squeezebox Touch to feed SPDIF (both coax and toslink) digital into the pre-amp to use its DAC.  The Squeezebox Touch is hardwired on the LAN, fed by a Win7 server with RAID1 drives, with FLAC content. Most are 16/44, some 24/96 (from DB poweramp ripped Cd's and HDTracks downloads).  I have today been experimenting using JR MC to feed the preamp the FLAC file data via the Oppo 103 (analog out and spdif out). I have the Win7 computer set up as a
"General DLNA" server.  The Oppo 103 is hardwired on the same LAN as the Win7 computer.  Am I correct that by pointing the Oppo to the DLNA server over the LAN, I am getting bit perfect data to the Oppo (and preamp when the Oppo is connected via the spdif to the preamp)?  I am a bit confused about whether the "Audio Output" settings in JR MC that deal with 'output mode', 'output mode settings' and "Settings": 'DSP & Output format' affect anything when using DLNA, as opposed to, for example, using the spdif output of the sound card in the Win7 computer.  I am a longtime hifi person, but a newbie on getting the data out of a computer (other than via the Squeezebox Touch). Thanks for your help in educating me.
Best regards,
Mark

[MrC]

If you want to use MC to control playback of your FLAC content via SB Touch, then you'll want to download and install Whitebear media server, and disable the LMS DLNA service.  Whitebear will give you the ability to get gapless playback via MC & SB.  It will send the tracks directly to the SB.  You'll see your SB Touch as a zone in MC.

When using DLNA, check the options under Tools > Options > Media Network > Add or configure DLNA servers ... > Audio > Conversion.  Sounds like you want Never Convert.

[Mark Manner]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I am ok not using the Squeezebox Touch, if there is a better way to get the signal into my preamp, but I will check out and install the Whitebear media server.  As for JR MC and DLNA, I have 'never convert' in the Media Network setup tab under audio.   In your opinion, would there be a difference in sound quality between the Squeezebox Touch route as compare to the DLNA server through the Oppo?  My ignorant assumption is that if no processing is being done until it hits the DAC, there shouldn't be (but as I say, I am ignorant at this point). Perhaps my assumption that no processing is being done is faulty.
Thanks very much,
Mark

[MrC]

I have no experience with the OPPO and its DLNA server.  My only insight here wrt DLNA is that gapless playback is extremely rare with DLNA devices.  If this has importance to you, MC/Whitebear/SB Touch is the way to go.  The developer of Whitebear, AndrewFG, is first rate.  It seems that most devices that include DLNA do it as a checkbox item, or an afterthought, and support is often pretty poor.

[Mark Manner]

Thanks, that insight into the way DLNA works is helpful.  The other alternatives I have are to connect the computer to the preamp using a toslink spdif from the sound card (with WASAPI-event style selcted in MC) and perhaps an asynchronous USB connection (the preamp has both connections).  Do you or others have any opinions on which would be preferrable? I will likely try them all, but any thoughts are appreciated.
Mark

[MrC]

Matt and a bunch of other much smarter folks have some great knowledge in this area.  Here's a recent thread about multi-channel sounds cards

    http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=77508.0

but there are other good threads too in the same forum:

   http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=9.0

[Dawgincontrol]

If you use the Oppo to play your FLAC files it does not give you gapless playback (and they have no plans to change that).  Play a live album/cd through it and you'll understand why that's a big thing.  Oppo's analog ratings are great, as is their DAC. but, the gapless playback is a problem for music files.

I have found I get a very high quality sound by using a Music Fidelity V-Link USB connection through a DAC to my receiver.  It uses the ASIO connection and improves the sound by using it's clock and not the computer's.  ASIO is 2 channel only.  Your only limit to quality is your DAC used.

For Blurays, DVD's, ISO files, etc. I use an HDMI connection to my receiver and set up different zones in JRiver to play them back.  Zoneswitch really helps here. 

[Mark Manner]

I have found I get a very high quality sound by using a Music Fidelity V-Link USB connection through a DAC to my receiver.  It uses the ASIO connection and improves the sound by using it's clock and not the computer's.  ASIO is 2 channel only.  Your only limit to quality is your DAC used.

Thanks, I looked up the V-Link device. It was helpful to read about it. It may be that I don't need it to do the usb connection, as the preamp I have, the McIntosh C50, has a USB 2.0 32/192 asynchronous input.  I will try running a USB line directly from the computer to the preamp and see what I get.  Is ASIO preferred over WASAPI? 

*Follow up note:  After the helpful advice here, I have now found the McIntosh async usb software, and installed it. It in fact will support direct usb into the preamp, and requires use of ASIO2--this is exactly what I was looking for, and thanks for the great and really prompt help on this.
Mark

[mschneid]

I have similar goals as yours with respect to optimized two channel music[;is  integratiion with a multichannel system.

I started this thread on AVS about the DLNA format for audio.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1337255/dlna-dac-usb-dac-is-the-dlna-dac-the-future

I learned quite a bit....   Basically, I concluded that the DLNA protocal was not implemented with enough rigor to pursue for my system.

Moreover, I want to use JRiver MC to organize my media files and control the choice of music for playback from my hard disk/PC.  Moreover,  Using the android gizmo app or tremote running on another PC, I get the control that i demand.

The new Oppo's  now provide asynchronous USB to feed their seperate two channel DAC solution.
If I were you, I would add a PC client to your rack and go with a USB out to your OPPO 103 Asynchronous DAC input.  Chances are your DAC/PREAMP USB input is older and not the asynchronous implementation and so it could have a bit more jitter.  (I Would love to hear which version sounds best in your hands and how they compare to your disk players). (of course you have a limit on the lenght of the USB cable.

Adding more grist to the debate...
What I don't fully understand is what to do with multichannel content stored on the server.   Do you use MC to do the digital processing for 7 channel content and the room correction and base management, or do you send the data to your PRE/PRO or AV reciever and let this firmware do the job?
If you wanted to go with the MC solution,  the multiichannel DACs available do not appear to be all that great.  So... what is the best way to get the data from your media server to your AV hardware is also not clear to me.    Currently, I think that a moderately priced reciever  (7 channel DACS and room correction, and base management all built in) is the optimal way to go. I would think that using an hdmi out from your rack PC to the AV Pre/pro or reciever would be the best solution.    
I don't know if anyone has compared the JRiver digital processing solutions with the firm ware available in AV recievers with Audessy (or their proprietary room correction scheme).   but.... Since the multichannel / movie  problem is last on my list of needs....  I choose to muddle along and covet my speaker upgrade (grin).

Good luck... let us know how you proceed!

[mschneid]

You would use WASPI with your Win 7 PC.   ASIO is a good solution for XP boxes.

[Mark Manner]

The Oppo 103 is the new model (along with the 105, which has supposedly better dac's). However, the 103 doesn't have an asynch usb, but the 105 does. Since I had a preamp with asynch usb and very nice DACs, and I wanted the Oppo to primarily do a good job on blu-ray playback, I didn't get the 105. I use the Lexicon RT-20 for SACD playback, and it works well for that. As far as DLNA, the Oppo 103 seems to work fine with DLNA. With the limited tests I have done so far, I don't hear gappiness at this point.
After the advice in this thread about DLNA, and my better understanding of asynch USB,  I think that I will focus on that rather than DLNA or the sound card/toslink route or the Squeezebox Touch/MC route. 
  As for the integration of the 2 channel with the other parts of my system for surround sound, the pass-through feature of the preamp is working well. However, I haven't done room eq, with either my pre/pro or within MC. My pre/pro is an older Krell Showcase, so although it has eq settings, there is no automated solution built into it. I will report as I am able to test the asynch USB and the C50.
Thanks again,
Mark

[Dawgincontrol]

Glad you got it figured it out. The Mc is a great preamp.  

ASIO for two channel music is fantastic imo.  For 7.1 playback I use WASAPI EVENT STYLE.

Here is some good info about it; don't miss the note at the bottom of the page.

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Audio_Output_Modes

Mschneid, you just have to do listen tests reference the room correction.  I believe it depends on your room and which version your receiver has.  I ended up using my personal settings in JRiver over the Audessey setup, but I don't have the XT32.  There's a lot of personalization available.

[Mark Manner]

I had heard the JR forums were helpful, but as a user of other forums where replies are slow and/or unhelpful, I am really impressed by the quick and useful responses. I was floundering a bit, and this thread has gotten me on track.
Thanks very much,
Mark

[Mark Manner]

One last question. If I am using ASIO and an async USB output to a preamp that takes it, is the computer sound card doing anything, or is it bypassed, when using JRiver MC? The reason I ask is that the computer I use to store my flac files is fine, but has a built in cheapo sound card.
Thanks,
Mark

[Dawgincontrol]

The sound card is bypassed. 

[Mark Manner]

Thanks, that makes senses, but I was afraid to assume given my experience level.
Mark