Auralic Lightning DS App (Software) - Impressions and Information

[jtwrace]

That is not the now playing screen, but instead the library album screen (i.e a view of all tracks of any given album from the library view, not necessarily what is being played). Now Playing is in the very upper left corner.

Yes, I know that. If you can see the tracks and select them from this screen (which you can) the track should be highlighted IMO.

[sedest]

Yes, I know that. If you can see the tracks and select them from this screen (which you can) the track should be highlighted IMO.

Yes, I know what you mean, something like "cursor follows playback" & "playback follows cursor" functions. In current state of DS app, this problem occurs in long playlists. The playing track is eventually located on the tail of playlist, forcing the user to scroll the list and reveal the highlighted item.

[ted_b]

Yes, I know that.

 

Jason, you asked about the now playing screen. I responded about the now playing screen.

 

Regarding the album tracks screen...Jremote does the same thing. When you are browsing albums and their track listings (even if its your current album) the screen does not show the highlighted song playing cuz it's theoretically a different request. You are selecting them to add to the queue (for playback in any of three times, now, next, later). It's just like jremote; if you look at a browsed album track list in jremote (that is NOT the now playing screen) the track is not highlighted either. It shows in the playing area (as does DS) and in the now playing window (as does DS), but not with the browsed album track view.

 

[jtwrace]

Jason, you asked about the now playing screen. I responded about the now playing screen.

 

Regarding the album tracks screen...Jremote does the same thing. When you are browsing albums and their track listings (even if its your current album) the screen does not show the highlighted song playing cuz it's theoretically a different request. You are selecting them to add to the queue (for playback in any of three times, now, next, later). It's just like jremote; if you look at a browsed album track list in jremote (that is NOT the now playing screen) the track is not highlighted either. It shows in the playing area (as does DS) and in the now playing window (as does DS), but not with the browsed album track view.

OK. I understand what you're saying. I consider JRiver/JRemote the standard as do you I'm sure. However, this isn't that obviously and I think with the product in it's infancy we the users have the opportunity to actually provide feedback for further product development. Everyone uses things different and has different expectations. I do believe that this function should be here with the way the app works and the way I use it.

 

There are a few other items that I'll add to my list too.

[jtwrace]

Yes, I know what you mean, something like "cursor follows playback" & "playback follows cursor" functions. In current state of DS app, this problem occurs in long playlists. The playing track is eventually located on the tail of playlist, forcing the user to scroll the list and reveal the highlighted item.

 

Yes and also the screen that I showed where you just click on the album. It's not full album view like Ted has showed but if that album is playing and you want to click and browse to add to queue it's nice to know where that track is playing within the album so you don't have to look through the list. I don't understand why this would be something somebody would not want.

[bmichels]

The ARIES is for me very interesting since I spend more and more time streaming from HiFi QOBUZ to explore new music rather than listening to my 'static' library :-). So I start to consider buying it instead of a music server like the AURENDER X100 that I has i my radar.

 

 

But... Can you tell how fast is its interface to browse through large music collection ? What I saw so far on videos was very laggy (big delay to display cover art while browsing)?

 

Also, when streaming QOBUZ, do we really have acces to 16/44 streaming (assuming you get a Qobuz's HiFi Subscription) ? And does it display the QOBUZ desktop interface or is it enbeded into the Auralic interface ?

 

--> Please Could someone post screen shoot of it's interface while streaming QOBUZ ?

 

thanks in advance

[bmichels]

.... The Aurender X100L server I have here for review didn't come with one either (more $$ than the Aries). ...

 

Sir,

 

since you have now an AURENDER X100L and an ARIES side by side, could you tell us if, when used as music server only, the Aurender, which is 2 or 3 time more expensive, offer a better SQ than the ARIES ?

 

I am indeed ready to change my mind from buying the X100 to the ARIES, for the convenience of QOBUZ streaming, but I do not want that this is at the price of an Inferior SQ when playing my own library.

 

thanks in advance

[RHSims]

That's splitting hairs...

 

While the Naim may be a renderer WITH DAC and the Aerie a renderer without DAC; I would not expect the functionality of the actual renderer to be any different. The Aeries is just in two boxes.

 

So you asked for a high end renderer which supports Spotify ... The Naim (in the future) may do; and the Marantz NA-11s1 already does.

 

Eloise

 

So one (1), & Spotify is not high-end.

[MarkyRotterdam]

--> Please Could someone post screen shoot of it's interface while streaming QOBUZ ?

thanks in advance

 

Qobuz sttreaming is really in 16/44, as you can tell from the attached pics. I made a purchase earlier today, haven't even put it on my NAS yet, but in the meantime I can stream my purchases directly from Qobuz. Of course, when buying HiRes music, the stream will be only 16/44, so it still makes sense to purchase certain things.

Streaming is excellent. The screen layout is similar to playing from your own library, so slightly different from Qobuz's own website. Very clear layout though.

 

[jtwrace]

Mr. Wang-

 

Here are my current recommendations to improve software/hardware in no particular order.

 

1) Sorting order needs to be from # to Z and Z to #

 

2) App is slow to update artwork when scrolling

 

3) In album playing now view, the playing track needs to be highlighted

 

4) Auto sleep for the ARIES screen like the Vega

 

5) View on iPad in portrait view

 

6) Text font "bold" option. Some with weak eyes might struggle a little bit.

 

7) Put the iPad to sleep after "X"amount of time. It stays on and kills the iPad battery.

 

8) The app locks up occasionally. It requires a press of the home button and then two quick double taps and then kill the app. After that it works.

 

For reference my iPad Air running 7.1.2

 

9) Hide other devices other than what is being used within DS App.

 

10) Add view/search by native resolution

 

11) From the DS App-Turn on ARIES Screen after auto dim

[dnewcomer]

my list for some nice to have's:

1. option to configure my starting view, I want Artists not album

2. Only show Artists in artist view, ( with large collection too many entries to see all the albums here), select Artist, then shows artist albums

3. option to jump to now playing when Play Now is used, auto return to previous view when finished

4. would like to have a NEW MUSIC view , for recently added music to library, also agree about the Native Resolution, or File type view (minimserver has an option for a Music format view)

[jtwrace]

my list for some nice to have's:

1. option to configure my starting view, I want Artists not album

2. Only show Artists in artist view, ( with large collection too many entries to see all the albums here), select Artist, then shows artist albums

3. option to jump to now playing when Play Now is used, auto return to previous view when finished

4. would like to have a NEW MUSIC view , for recently added music to library, also agree about the Native Resolution, or File type view (minimserver has an option for a Music format view)

 

Great list!

[eligeorgia]

anyone have a simple answer as to why my minim server library just all of sudden "duplicated" itself on my DS app? in the albums view, I have 2 copies of every album all of a sudden.

 

One of them shows no tracks when I open it up, and the other one shows TRIPLE copies of each track....

 

and playback is acting weird too.......grrrrrrr

[Jimmypowder]

Maybe auralic needs to develop their own music server software much like Slim Devices/Logitech did with the squeezebox .

 

Just a thought

[eligeorgia]

I'm thinking that Wang is an extremely intelligent engineer who has a true talent in developing great sounding hardware. I don't think very many companies are good at both hardware and software.....it's very impressive the ones that are.

 

Time will tell. If they truly put in the time, and have the ability to work on the software side, I will be a very happy customer.

 

I "graduated" from the Squeezebox/LMS because I wanted something better sounding and more "elegant". I see the elegance in this app, but there are bugs crawling all over it.

 

Patience......patience.....like a mantra lol

[baddog]

Ok so less than an hour with the Lightning DS application. Wildly inconsistent results when I want to play an album or a specific track. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does nothing, sometimes toggle the pause/play icon makes it work.

 

In my ideal world it would be easy for anyone to open the application, select an album and play the album or a track from the album, and then easily switch to a different track or album.

 

I know this can be done, because when people visit and I hand them the iPad and JREMOTE, it is intuitive, and they have no problems at all and don't ask me how it works.

 

With the Lightning DS application, I am struggling with it, so I don't think in its current state it is going to be easy to hand to another person and have them figure it out.

 

It should be as easy as elect and album and have it play by selecting the first track or any track in the album, and keep playing until the album ends (unless repeat mode is on then cycle back through the tracks).

 

And if you pick a new album or track, it should move right to that selection.

 

Update - the mode documented here in this thread and in the manual (tap title or tap track) seems to be working about 75% of the time for me, that strikes me as fairly straightforward. Its when it doesn't work that I get annoyed, ok off to play some more with it...

[eligeorgia]

I'm thinking that Wang is an extremely intelligent engineer who has a true talent in developing great sounding hardware. I don't think very many companies are good at both hardware and software.....it's very impressive the ones that are.

 

Time will tell. If they truly put in the time, and have the ability to work on the software side, I will be a very happy customer.

 

I "graduated" from the Squeezebox/LMS because I wanted something better sounding and more "elegant". I see the elegance in this app, but there are bugs crawling all over it.

 

Patience......patience.....like a mantra lol

 

I simply restarted minimserver, and did a minimserver "rescan", and my DS library was right again.

[baddog]

As long as we are all responding to our own comments, I want to amend some of my earlier impressions with the select track and album feature, it is pretty straightforward once you understand how it works. I think the frustration in the beginning must be due to the fact that perhaps the DS application was doing something in the background, who knows. Everything is working as it should with those two features, there are still some navigation and other functional features that are less then optimal, and it isn't always reading tagged Artist & artist files as it should, but to echo another person's comments, trying to do both hardware and software really well is hard. Fortunately I think they have got the hardware part down, and need to focus on the software now.

 

Anyway, that's all for now.

[baddog]

When playing 24/192 files, the DS application shows it as 192Kz 32 bit.

 

When playing 24/96, 96Kz 32 bit.

[jtwrace]

Great feedback! Hopefullly Mr. Wang is reading these threads as there is very important information from actual paying users.

 

Also, as most of you probably know, Minimserver/Minimwatch does have a new update.

[eligeorgia]

Here's a dumb question. Are any Americans streaming Qobuz through this thing? And if so, how? It seems to be unavailable best I can tell.

[baddog]

And to add to the list of dumb questions, other than folder view, how can i view just my DSD Albums (file type equals DSF) or just my High Resolution albums ( 24 bits or greater)?

[baddog]

Add a new album to the NAS, choose "Rescan" for Minimserver, choose "Rescan" for Lightning DS, all artwork gone on Lightning DS, I am hoping sometime in the next hour the artwork will re load.

 

It should be noted the Lumin control application does not require you to do a rescan within Lumin, the new album just shows up, nor is all the artwork lost.

[PeteS]

How does Aries work with Kinsky now? Can that be used now when LDS is developing?

[jtwrace]

Add a new album to the NAS, choose "Rescan" for Minimserver, choose "Rescan" for Lightning DS, all artwork gone on Lightning DS, I am hoping sometime in the next hour the artwork will re load.

 

It should be noted the Lumin control application does not require you to do a rescan within Lumin, the new album just shows up, nor is all the artwork lost.

I have found that delete the app and reinstall will fix it.