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More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 19 for Windows => Topic started by: scotlynn on October 04, 2013, 07:07:50 pm

Title: Noob Needs Help
Post by: scotlynn on October 04, 2013, 07:07:50 pm

Hi Folks - I'm new to JRiver and computer audio in general and fairly technically challenged, so would really appreciate a couple of pointers on setting up JRiver for optimal sound. Up to date I've always burned the flacs and played them on my CDP, but have decided to go with a computer-based system as a back up and for convenience.

I have downloaded MC 19 to manage  a couple of thousand flac files and a handful of sacd-r's on my external hard drive. The flacs are alsmost all 16 bit, but I do have a few 24 bit flacs files. I don't have any mp3's. The computer is wired via ethernet from my router into a Marantz NA7004 I just picked up. The computer/hard drive are on opposite sides of the house from the stereo system. The Marantz is hooked into my tube preamp via analogue rca's and them out to my monoblocks. I downloaded the Marantz app, but its horrible, so am using My River  to push the music to my Marantz.

I have the system working, but do not think I've got it set up optimally for best sound. I have searched this forum and the web for a guide on how to properly configure JRiver, but keep seeing references to options I don't see - perhaps from earlier versions. Here are my current settings:

Under Options -> Media Network -> Add or Config DLNA Servers,  I'm using a Generic DLNA. My Audio Mode under that same setting is Specified output format and my Audio Format setting is PCM L16 No heading.

Under this same menu, Client Options -> Audio Conversion, my Conversion is set to Don't convert audio and Encoder is set to PCM 16 Bit.

Under Options -> Audio, I kept reading to avoid the default Direct Sound and use Wasapi, but the only options I have are either Default Audio Device (Direct Sound) or Headphones (SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC)[WASAPI]. I have it on the Headphones option.

Are these the right settings? Are there other settings I should have impemented? Is there a simple guide somewhere someone can point me to for the best settings - I haven't been able to find one yet and the various wiki pages sometimes don't make sense to me (did I say this is all new to me?) 

Finally, I am reading that if I pull from my Marantz, I can experience gapless playback, but pushing from JRiver to the Marantz using My River will leave me with gaps. Does that mean if I play a file that I want to be gapless I'll need to use either the Marantz remote or the Marantz App to pull that particular file.

Again, sorry for all the noobness here. Its been a lifetime of vinyl and cd's for me and I'm struggling to get a minimal grasp on computer audio, but not making a very good show of it, I'm afraid. Thanks in advance for any help.

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: charmerci on October 04, 2013, 09:08:38 pm

I'm no expert but for the best sound (after clicking on Audio on the left to be safe - I don't know if it's necessary) at the top go to Player (click) > (go all the way down to) Playback Options (click). There in a new box, just below Audio Output you'll see Output Mode. Click on the down arrow and choose WASAPI -Event Style. (I forgot why I chose ....Event Style but there must have been a good reason!  ;D )

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: scotlynn on October 05, 2013, 06:50:33 am

Thanks charmerci. I had read about the WASAPI-Event style setting but can't seem to find anywhere to do that. When I click on player up top (or right click on player along the side) I do get playback options, but don't see Audio Output or Output Mode. The only WASAPI reference I see is up top under Audio Device where I have it set to Headphones (SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC)[WASAPI]. I just want to make sure I am bypassing the computer's soundcard while streaming to my Marantz, and also want to make sure I'm not converting to mp3.
 

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: CountryBumkin on October 05, 2013, 06:57:06 am

Go to Tools>Options>Audio> Audio Device (the first selection box). If you don't see the choices there you need to go into Windows Sound properties and see how you're setup.
You won't find WASAPI "Event Style" anymore. When you choose WASAPI you get "event style" automatically unless you check a box not to use event style. This was changed in 19.

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: scotlynn on October 05, 2013, 10:28:24 am

Thanks. When I check my Playback devices in Windows, it only lists the SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC as an available (and default) device. I guess that's why it shows up in MC 19 as the only option other than Direct Sound. But in MC, the SigmaTel option has at the end of it [WASAPI] - (SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC)[WASAPI] - so perhaps this is set right.

The stream to my Marantz sounds good, so maybe I need to leave well enough alone. It does not sound as good as burning the flac and playing on my CDP, but that may be just a result of the Marantz DAC as opposed to any improper setting.

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: Listener on October 05, 2013, 11:03:22 am

Quote from: scotlynn on October 05, 2013, 10:28:24 am

Thanks. When I check my Playback devices in Windows, it only lists the SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC as an available (and default) device. I guess that's why it shows up in MC 19 as the only option other than Direct Sound. But in MC, the SigmaTel option has at the end of it [WASAPI] - (SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC)[WASAPI] - so perhaps this is set right.

The stream to my Marantz sounds good, so maybe I need to leave well enough alone. It does not sound as good as burning the flac and playing on my CDP, but that may be just a result of the Marantz DAC as opposed to any improper setting.

If you are sending the audio stream to the Marantz device using DLNA, then the settings for the SigmaTel device don't matter.

DLNA isn't the simplest way to get started with computer audio.

Bill

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: Vincent Kars on October 05, 2013, 11:10:27 am

We talk about 2 different modes here.

Audio drivers like DS, WASAPI etc only make sense if you drive an audio device be it the onboard audio or an outboard DAC.

The moment you do DLNA, JRiver communicates over the network with the receiver.
As this bypasses the audio device, it settings (WASAPI etc) makes no sense.

You can try some advanced DLNA setting like
No stereo downmix
No volume leveling
Bit rate same as source

Edit: I see Bill already explained the difference

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: scotlynn on October 05, 2013, 12:25:46 pm

Quote from: Listener on October 05, 2013, 11:03:22 am

If you are sending the audio stream to the Marantz device using DLNA, then the settings for the SigmaTel device don't matter.

Thanks, Bill. So how about the Mode and Format settings under the Add or Config DLNA servers? Right now I have those at Specified output format and PC L16 No header. I notice in My River that the highest stream settings are 320k mps. That doesn't mean I'm streaming MP3 to my Marantz, does it?

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: MrC on October 05, 2013, 12:35:51 pm

What formats does your Marantz accept over DLNA?  Either you can look in the user manual (but unfortunately, many do not state these formats), or you can use a tool like Device Spy to ask the device.

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: scotlynn on October 05, 2013, 02:41:31 pm

Quote from: MrC on October 05, 2013, 12:35:51 pm

What formats does your Marantz accept over DLNA?  Either you can look in the user manual (but unfortunately, many do not state these formats), or you can use a tool like Device Spy to ask the device.

The spec sheet says its "DLNA ver. 1.5 certified DMP (Digital Media Player) &DMR (Digital Media Renderer)" and that it "Decodes WMA, MP3, MPEG-4, AAC, WAV and FLAC" and " Decodes FLAC files up to 24/96 resolution"

I installed and ran Device Spy and it finds the Marantz, but not sure what I'm looking for - it provides a list of data, but I see nothing about DLNA.

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: MrC on October 05, 2013, 02:46:21 pm

See attached.  You have to right click the second green item (GetProtocolInfo) and Invoke.

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: scotlynn on October 05, 2013, 03:08:09 pm

Ah, ok. This is what I get:

http-get:*:audio/L16;rate=44100;channels=1:DLNA.ORG_PN=LPCM,http-get:*:audio/L16;rate=44100;channels=2:DLNA.ORG_PN=LPCM,http-get:*:audio/L16;rate=48000;channels=1:DLNA.ORG_PN=LPCM,http-get:*:audio/L16;rate=48000;channels=2:DLNA.ORG_PN=LPCM,http-get:*:audio/mpeg:DLNA.ORG_PN=MP3,http-get:*:audio/x-ms-wma:DLNA.ORG_PN=WMABASE,http-get:*:audio/x-ms-wma:DLNA.ORG_PN=WMAFULL,http-get:*:audio/mp4:DLNA.ORG_PN=AAC_ISO,http-get:*:audio/3gpp:DLNA.ORG_PN=AAC_ISO,http-wavetunes:*:audio/x-ms-wma:*,http-get:*:audio/wav:*,http-get:*:audio/x-wav:*,http-get:*:audio/flac:*,http-get:*:audio/x-flac:*

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: MrC on October 05, 2013, 04:12:56 pm

OK, good, so it supports FLAC.  You should be able to just send those unconverted (DLNA Server > Audio > Mode: Original).

http-get:*:audio/L16;rate=44100;channels=1:DLNA.ORG_PN=LPCM
http-get:*:audio/L16;rate=44100;channels=2:DLNA.ORG_PN=LPCM
http-get:*:audio/L16;rate=48000;channels=1:DLNA.ORG_PN=LPCM
http-get:*:audio/L16;rate=48000;channels=2:DLNA.ORG_PN=LPCM
http-get:*:audio/mpeg:DLNA.ORG_PN=MP3
http-get:*:audio/x-ms-wma:DLNA.ORG_PN=WMABASE
http-get:*:audio/x-ms-wma:DLNA.ORG_PN=WMAFULL
http-get:*:audio/mp4:DLNA.ORG_PN=AAC_ISO
http-get:*:audio/3gpp:DLNA.ORG_PN=AAC_ISO
http-wavetunes:*:audio/x-ms-wma:*
http-get:*:audio/wav:*
http-get:*:audio/x-wav:*
http-get:*:audio/flac:*
http-get:*:audio/x-flac:*

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: scotlynn on October 05, 2013, 05:36:39 pm

Thanks for all your help. Appreciate it.
So even though My River's highest stream setting is 320K mp3, that means nothing as long as I'm pulling flac files in Mode: Original?

Title: Re: Noob Needs Help
Post by: MrC on October 05, 2013, 05:56:58 pm

Correct.