Thread: No more hassle with Jriver and computer.

Before buying my D1 and had read this review by Maurice Jeffries.
http://positive-feedback.com/reviews...-music-player/
In his introduction he talks about trying to configure his computer with Media Center, and his frustrations in doing so.
When I decided to buy my D1 one of the reasons was so that I didn't have to log my laptop around. I was also getting tired of strange things happening: It would not play because I had two Media Players running at the same time, pops and clicks, my DAC did not always be the selected converter, cover art disappearing, Worrying about which is better; WASAPI etc, which volume mode is better, etc etc, installing Fidelizer and whether to use "audiophile or purist" mode, my MF V90 DAC sometimes not connecting for no reason, to buffer or not to buffer, play from memory or not, Which connection is better-- USB optical or coaxial, which USB cable to buy ETC, ETC.
It took me a while to configure my NAS, but that was it.
Yesterday I decided to compare my old computer setup with my D1. The V90 was quite good for $300, but of course it was missing the transparent strings, 3D imaging, and that analogue sound of the D1.
What it reminded me though was all the hackling and effort to make it play through the V90 DAC which for no apparent reason would not play.
I felt so relieved to know that it was only temporary and that I would be going back to my music player which would wake up and play just by turning on my ipad.
I am sorry but it all seemed a nightmare. I could not go back to all that fiddling around just to get my music playing.
Have you felt the same way?

I absolutely HATE dealing with a computer, even a mac in my stereo setup. At first it was fun, playing around. Now you are right, just one big hassle. ALL the Lumin players are superb. The D1 (especially with an external power supply) is a killer streamer.

Enjoy!

Originally Posted by joeinid

I absolutely HATE dealing with a computer, even a mac in my stereo setup. At first it was fun, playing around. Now you are right, just one big hassle. ALL the Lumin players are superb. The D1 (especially with an external power supply) is a killer streamer.

Enjoy!

Well said.

Like I've said, I get a headache reading CAF. My background is IT, software implementation, data migration, etc. and before that, building computers. The last thing I want to do is come home and "play computer" instead of playing music.

And someone pimping out a PC and calling it a fancy name is just an expensive headache instead of just a headache.

Lumin, Aurender, even the new Auralic stack which was quite impressive at Munich, are all far better sounding and enjoyable to use alternatives.

JRiver has become bloatware because they try to implement every Tom, Dick and Harry's request for features. Even the other PC/Mac software alternatives are a PITA. I can't tell you the number of times I'm with a friend or client and he can't figure out why the music comes out of the laptop speakers instead of the DAC. We of course check everything 100 times, only to realize the version of Amara is not compatible with the OS upgrade on his Mac he just did. Geez! Who needs that frustration?

This does remind me of a funny story. One time a group of us were trying to help a friend setup his new speakers. He had tried for weeks, and these $70k tin cans sounded like crap (company is now out of business I think). We moved them in, out, angled, we tried everything. They sounded terrible. Well, at one point the music flipped over to the laptop speakers and one of the guys in the back yells "hey, that sounds better." The whole room busted up laughing. As a side, with quite the team effort, we did eventually get them sounding ok.

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Windows can be really annoying (like when it overwrites your driver - happened to me a couple of times). Really liking my Lumin U1 as well.

Originally Posted by Phil A

Windows can be really annoying (like when it overwrites your driver - happened to me a couple of times). Really liking my Lumin U1 as well.

It is. Windows 10 updates cause major troubles with some people's Roon setups due to Windows firewall, or display driver (not audio driver), or both. Then there are complexities with different functional behaviors of WASAPI, ASIO drivers with different manufacturers' drivers for DAC.

Reading CA forum is a challenge for me too. To get quality and/or convenient music reproduction highly technical computer hardware and software configurations are involved.

mikeana.......Good post. I have been in the same boat and thankfully Mike saved me when I purchased my Aurender N10 from him. I came to computer audio kicking and screaming years ago. I did not want to be messing with a computer in my audio system. As I finally got pulled into the fray it became one frustration after another to get the music files to play reliably. I got to where I hated to connect the laptop to my DAC because I never knew if it would behave properly. Sometimes all went well. Other times music would begin playing then stop and lockup JRivers, requiring a laptop reboot. What a bunch of hogwash. Thank goodness we have superior choices that make playing digital music files a joy. Your Lumin D1 is a fine example of forward thinking that returns the fun to playing music no matter the format. Like you, I am so happy to be able to enjoy a music server that simply allows me to play music rather than play technician.

I agree

I love my Lumins

My fancy named Win 7 dedicated PC running ROON is very reliable. I am happy for all who have their chosen streamer solution. The beauty is there are choices for all of us who have different decision criteria. Mine were great sound and an open operating system which has allowed me to use various media viewers and land on ROON which is feature rich. It takes a village.

Because of this thread, the heck of it, the other night I fired up the laptop, USB out to a w4s recovery into my KEF LS50 wireless usb in. 1st I don't like I cant change songs on the fly with tidal using Jriver or the Jremote. 2nd and more importantly the sound on the laptop had a bit more on the top end and a bit more sizzle but, the sound stage got smaller and no where near as fleshed out as the Lumin D1. The D1 also pulled more information out of the music like background people on Jazz, you can hear them either talking or a cough or moving around vs the laptop, you could not hear it.

The D1 has more soul. I almost wonder if they voiced it after tube gear because of the flesh and wideness of the soundstage it produces reminds me the Joule Electra LAP150A preamp I used to have. The D1 is way easier once you have Minimserver running on your NAS if you don't have a hard drive plugged directly to it, to control everything or make songs lists on the fly or if your like me, combine your listening between Tidal and what's on the Nas.

I skipped the PC step. Eventhough I'm an IT professional, I did not want to deal with computers outside of work; specially to listen to music. I had a Bryston BDP-2 for a couple of years and I was hooked. Moved to the Lumin S-1 (thanks Mike!) a couple of years ago. It's sooo easy to setup and operate. And, Lumins sound great!

For a bit, before I got my Lumin U1, I tried (unsuccessfully and gave it four tries) to get a good audition of an Aurender N100H from a local dealer. At one point, I even dragged my (Windows 10) music server and monitor in there and since he had a Berkeley Reference DAC tried to download the Windows driver (which said it was compatible on their site) to no avail. For me, I'm glad it worked out that way at this point. Was disappointed at the time as I had just got my NAS and was ready to move past Windows as a platform but was not able to do a comparison.

Been using JRiver for years and never experienced any issues. Has always performed exceptionally for me. Just saying...

I love the JRiver interface. Very comfortable and using it for many years as well. I do think getting off Windows is less hassle and I can say now that the sound quality of what I have is better than the old computer interface I used.

Originally Posted by WLVCA

I was convinced it had to be a J River or computer hardware problem but turns out it was a CA driver issue.

It could also be a Windows issue.

You can try playing 192kHz music, or use JRiver to upsample everything to 192kHz. If your DAC plays properly, your setup is ok, and you're probably using Windows 10 built-in USB Audio Class 2 driver - which is new with Windows 10 Creators Update (April 2017). If this is the case, you should make sure you have enabled Exclusive Access:
https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Exclusive_Access

Before this update, all versions of Windows required a manufacturer driver for >96kHz playback.

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/c...ait-what-r647/

For those who like to use JRiver, I'd like to mention that Lumin also works with JRiver, including gapless playback and DSD (enable Bitstream DSD DoPE). I believe Lumin offers the most flexible choice of user interfaces - Lumin app, Roon, Kazoo, Kinsky, Bubble DS Next, JRiver, and any UPnP AV app, along with apps that can AirPlay (e.g. YouTube, Spotify), can be used.

https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/DAC_Settings#Recommended_Settings_.28DAC.27s_conne cted_via_DLNA_over_ethernet.29

Originally Posted by Audioseduction

Been using JRiver for years and never experienced any issues. Has always performed exceptionally for me. Just saying...

+1

Welcome to the forum, thank you for joining.

Originally Posted by lbkwhitney

I was under the impression that JRiver won't work with the Lumin U1, so this is very good news. I love JRiver! Are you entirely certain that JRiver and Lumin are compatible?

If so, can I use JRiver/Lumin I1 with a desktop screen & mouse rather than an Ipad?

Yes, it'll work.

To use Lumin with JRiver, in JRiver - Tools / Options / Media Network / Add or Configure DLNA Server, add 24-bit Audiophile DAC. Turn on the option for Bitstream DSD (DoPE).

To control Lumin using a desktop, you may also use Linn Kazoo software on Windows or MacOS as well.