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Interesting, Jim. Maybe that's why I like Audirvana--it's does the loading and decompressing for everything, flac, iso, dsf etc.

I agree 100%. That is concept behind Ap-Linux. Hardly any processes are running on the server. Mpd receives the commands from the tablet over port 6600 and it plays the music locally available. In my CASE, I have mounted music directory from NAS. IOW, even though the music is on NAS, it looks like it is on local drive to MPD.

For the purist reasons, I stayed away from streaming services, but now I am inspired by you guys to try streaming.
Plan: Music on NAS, Audrivana on a dedicated server (CiFS mount again) and gentooplayer on another server. I still will stay with mpd as the renderer.

Shashi,

That looks like a good plan. Grover can speak to it, but I believe the Gentooplayer is based on mpd, so if you install that, you should be covered at the renderer.

David

David,

There is a learning curve with gentooplayer.

First problem I am facing with Gentooplayer is, its as disk image. There is no installer. Right now, I booted into gentooplayer from a thumb-drive just to get acquainted with it.

I will get a new SSD and setup a dual boot environment for Ap-linux and gentooplayer to compare them. Both linux distros claim they optimized the kernel for audio playback.

Yes, it takes a bit of study to get gentooplayer set up. It has multiple players and lots of tweaks, including kernel choices (standard and real-time), system settings for processor, priorities, etc etc. The key things are

1) Register the key

2) Go to Enable Software and choose MPD and UpMPDCli

3) Select DAC and reboot

4) Configure MPD BitPerfect

That should get you started.

Turns out if you install the right plugins, daphile can be a upnp renderer... So I've currently got Audirvana on a Mac Mini pulling files off a FreeNAS server and sending them to daphile. It's squeezelite, not mpd, but I've got a spare machine here that I'll build a dedicated renderer on.

Roscoe

_________________
I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.

That's interesting! I thought Audirvana specifically needed UpMpdCli. I'll have to try that.

All,

I have reverted back using the NAS with the library mounted as a CIFS share on my Roon Core instead of using a local hard drive. I also have begun to convert all my compressed FLAC files to uncompressed FLAC file (through all the A's and most of the B's in my library after 10 hours or so, it is going to take awhile...). Anyway decided to listen a bit to better optimized Roon and MPD/Upmpdcli/Minimserver setup. Both are pulling off the same library of uncompressed FLAC file. This means the renderer does not have to work at decompressing the FLAC file it receives from Minimserver, and likewise, Roon Core does not have to do much of any work at all except pass along the file to RoonBridge on the renderer. Therefore the network path is:

A. NAS with Minimserver -> Renderer [Upmpdcli -> MPD] (BubbleUPnP controller)
B. NAS with Library CIFS share -> Roon Core with library database -> Renderer with RoonBridge (Roon controller)

Regarding setup "A", I found the sound to be more detailed and with better soundstaging that listening with compressed FLACs a couple nights before. The sound was open, deep soundstage, feeling like you were hearing a large space. There was an overall coherency to the music, details were part of an overall whole. Very relaxing, analog-like sound.

Regarding setup "B", more detail and texture to the sound, again more dynamics, but a bit more forward than setup "A", and still can get a little intense at peaks (brass instruments). It is definitely better sounding than running off the internal harddrive, back to the sound I had before I made the change. I cannot say whether using uncompressed FLAC files made any difference in comparison. That was more obvious in setup "A".

So what do I like the most. Good question. I would say for sitting back and enjoying the music as close to good analog, setup "A" would be a preference. Setup "B" is a bit more resolving and analytical, i.e. "HiFi", you can enjoy all the textures and effects along with the music. But these are *very* subtle differences, and I can imagine that depending on ones mood and musical selection, the preference of one over the other could change.

Of course these observations are only valid for my system at this point in time. Nice now I have the liberty of switching between the two very easily (stop one, start the other). Setup "A" lets me browse my library via "artists", which corresponds to my directory structure, so I can find things manually (if I know what I am looking for). Setup "B" with Roon has their curation of my library, as well as Qobuz, and allows me to explore outside of my collection much easier. The latter has been incredibly fun and expanding for me, I have discovered a lot of music, performances and composers I never knew existed (Weinberg as an example, contemporary/protege/friend of Shostakovich). The discovery aspect is a big part why Roon is now essential to my listening.

David

David:

Looks like a lot of work but it's good to see someone delving into a project so deeply. Good job.

Tom

Tom,

Thanks. Just trying to understand better for myself what to ups and downs are of different approaches (and trying not be dismissive of the experience of others). I can absolutely understand why Grover likes his setup both for the sound and convenience. I think MPD/Upmpdcli renderer sound quality is very attractive, free of digital "grain", and something I could likely listen to and enjoy for hours without fatigue. I am glad I was finally motivated to get it working. I do not understand WHY Roon sounds different, more detailed and dynamic, but slightly more forward in its presentation. Is it real, or an artifact of something wrong (jitter?).

David