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[cgregory4]

Just getting started. Ripped some CDs. Put them in a Playlist. DAC RCA output to 'mancave' is great, with simultaneous Balanced audio to A/V room from same DAC. Here's where I run into problems: My OPPO 105 in the living area will play the wireless streaming from the same Playlist. But the analog audio output is not the same audio as the wireless streaming output from the same playlist. I want the sound in the living room to be the same audio as the DAC output -- in other words playing the same music at the same time. What am I overlooking? Thank you in advance!

[cgregory4]

Hate to bump my own thread guys, but I could sure use some help. I've read everything on the Wikis I can find -- but no help, at least help that I recognize.

Maybe I could explain more clearly. This is my first try at putting things together: hardware, software, etc. And, for an ol geezer like me I think I've done OK. (I'm 66 year old oilfield trash, but trying to get into computer audio for over a year now. Most of my 'friends' are placing their money on my headstone to place first in the race. I guess they don't think I'll even 'show'. ;?) Been collecting the pieces to give her a try. 'Maiden voyage' 2 days ago.

Software: Ripped CDs with dBpoweramp. Made a Playlist in JRiver. Tried to make all the proper settings wrt audio path.

Hardware: USB from Intel board in Windows 7 computer with SSD C: drive running the software. USB to Berkeley Alpha USB converter. AES/EBU from Berkeley into bel canto 3 DAC. bel canto 3 has both single-ended and balanced outputs, which are both active at the same time.

'Office'/Mancave: bel canto 3 single-ended outputs to Anthem Statement D1 pre (Yes, I know it has DAC capability built in.), Classe amps, SOTA Panoramas, JBL 4425s, Infinity Ref 3s, and KEF Ref Ones. Yes, I like speakers.

Audio/Junk/'Guest Bedroom': bel canto 3 balanced outputs to Anthem AVM50 (via Blue Jeans custom cables.), McIntosh amps, JBL Summits and 4425s (2 pair), Infinty QLS-2s.

OK. JRiver shuffled playlist sounds glorious coming from 'umpteen' speakers in 2 adjacent rooms. Not the 'refined' system -- but a damned good first try 2 days ago. Enough to get my 'blood up'! ;?)

Problem: Don't want to run a 'wire' all the way to the living area 60' away from the 'guest room'. Everyone seems to be 'networking' (Whatever the hell that is!?) to get sound, and even video, to other locations in the house. (Let me tell you how much I know about a 'network': I could write everything I know about 'networks' on a sheet of paper, trim around my notes, roll the sheet of paper into a small ball, stuff it up one nostril, and still breathe quite well through that side of my nose!)

Anyway. The OPPO 105 in the living room has a network function. So, I stumble through the menu and it sees some R6300 unit (Something I don't even know I have that is working in my system, but I'm the one who must have placed it there!?) -- so I try it. It works! It wants to upgrade my OPPO firmware. I figure, why the hell not? Let's try. It downloads the firmware update and installs it! I'm not the fastest study, but I figure it must be talking to the Internet via my desktop 'beast' in the man-cave.

My goal: Have the OPPO playing the JRiver Playlist in the living room simultaneously with the 'umpteen' other speakers: Glorious music throughout the house!

My bust: The OPPO sees the JRiver Playlist, so I press 'play' and it takes off like a jackrabbit to play all 145 shuffled tracks! One hitch: It is playing the same playlist, but not the same songs!

I've tried every setting in JRiver I can guess. I can't synchronize the playing of the JRiver Playlist via both the hard-wired 'local' audio with the 'networked' (I suppose.) audio in the living area.

Help for an old guy? Please?

 

[Matt]

Welcome.

If the output is not what you want, I think it means you'll have to use the one output that is right.

[cgregory4]

Matt,

Thank you for the quick response. I can see from the JRiver menu that the Player and the OPPO are both playing the Playlist independently. I've figured that much out. I think I just need help in routing the Player output, which is hard-wired locally, to the 'network', rather than the OPPO acting independently. Then, I think the OPPO will 'gee and haw' with the local audio. Is there a setting in the JRiver software that I am overlooking, that will help me do that?

[glynor]

I get it.  Your second explanation helped a lot.

Here's the deal... There are two ways you can set the OPPO up to play media over the network:

1. It can PULL media (including playlists) from a DLNA Server elsewhere on your network.  This means that the OPPO is "in charge" of what it plays, timing, everything.

2. It can be used as a DLNA Renderer and you can PUSH to it from an external controller (MC in this case).  This means you'd use something EXTERNAL from the OPPO to control it, tell it when to start and stop, etc.  This will not allow you to "browse" anything via the OPPO itself.  All it will know is that an outside controller told it to play this audio data (coming in over the network) and it does it.

You have it set up in Mode #1.

That works okay, and allows you to browse your media and navigate the lists from the OPPO's interface itself.  However, this cannot work with your stated goal of having things play in sync.  Say for example, you have a Smartlist in MC that is set to shuffle (for new results each time).  These playlists are dynamic.  Each time they're "opened" and started they give new and unique results.

So, you play it using MC in the office and you get one version.
You play it on the OPPO and you're "opening" the list again, so it gets a new version.

To accomplish some semblance of your goal, you'd need to make MC itself "in charge".  If you look on MC under Playing Now in the tree, you'll probably see the OPPO listed as a Zone (MC auto-discovers network zones).  If not, you might need to enable something on the OPPO to let it be seen as a DLNA Renderer.  In any case, in MC once you see this zone, you can play files to it while sitting in front of your copy of MC, and they'll play.

You can also link two separate zones in MC, and then they'll play the same things.  When you start playback of a given Smartlist, it will only be "opened" once, so the same set of files will go to the "unified" Playing Now for the Linked Zone.

However, you'll need to control everything via MC for this to work.  That would be pretty tough to do without using a mobile device of some kind (like JRemote or Gizmo).

One caution, though... They'll be "sort of" in sync.  MC can send the audio data towards the OPPO over the network with commands that say "start" or "stop" but not too much else.  The OPPO itself (and your network latency) controls everything else, so while the two zones will play the same files in the same order, they won't match perfectly (and based on my experience with network playback) they'll probably get WAY out of sync eventually.

The only way to do perfectly in-sync "whole house audio" is to run wires.

[connersw]

Nice gear.  I run an Anthem D2V into a Classe CAV-150, only with Paradigm Signatures.  I like Canadian Audio (also have a Simaudio phono-pre). 

Did you read this?  http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/ZoneLink

Without all the words, in MC, drag the OPPO 105 Zone on top of your original Zone to Link them.  Expand the Link (little arrow on the left of the green Link icon), and right click on either one of the Zones -> Adjust Link Timing if you need to get them more in sync. 

As Glynor said, it will be difficult to keep it "perfect" without wires, but if the rooms are walls apart, it will be hard to notice the difference going back and forth.  In an open space it is more obvious. 

PS The DAC in your 105 is better than that DAC3.  If it were me, I'd use that as my main DAC.  I'm waiting on my 105D until I finish remodeling. 

[cgregory4]

glynor,

Yes! You nailed it. I don't think I understand your response entirely (or even mostly) -- much less be able to implement it ;?) -- but it is obvious to me that you have absolutely hit at the heart of my problem. Thank you! I am printing your response out. Your 'disclaimer' concerning 'sort of in sync' at the end of your response is something I have wondered about for some time -- and I can see how it can easily happen, as the network has to 'lag' somewhat, right?

Any ideas for hard-wiring a 'quality' stereo signal 60 to 80 feet? ;?)

Thank you, again!

[cgregory4]

connorsw,

Thank you for the helpful response. Yes, I realize the 105D is much more capable than the bel canto -- DAC-wise. But, the spouse of 38 years says the 105 stays in the living area. I figure that is reasonable since she has allowed me to 'trash out' 2 rooms in the house with my own madness! ;?) Perhaps a new 105D is the ticket. Audio! ........... "The Road Goes on Forever and the Party Never Ends!"

[glynor]

As Glynor said, it will be difficult to keep it "perfect" without wires, but if the rooms are walls apart, it will be hard to notice the difference going back and forth.  In an open space it is more obvious.

This.  I wouldn't worry about the sync thing if you can't easily hear one from the other.