Auralic Lightning DS App (Software) - Impressions and Information

[baddog]

Thanks Jason, as it turns out, somewhere between when I posted this yesterday evening and this morning all the cover art has returned to the application, so no need to re install (for me).

[ted_b]

Thanks Jason, as it turns out, somewhere between when I posted this yesterday evening and this morning all the cover art has returned to the application, so no need to re install (for me).

 

The cover art fairy visited you in the night. I used the word patience but got slapped.

 

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.

 

Qobuz will not offer their lossless streaming service in the US until Q4 I believe. Chris and I have reported on it simply cuz Qobuz gave us trial UK (and/or French) server access as part of the beta review process.

[bmichels]

Many people here mention the LUMIN software as an alternative control app, but I guess that when using the LUMIN app, you loose the benefit of the QOBUZ HD Streaming ?

 

Alternatively, besides ARIES, are there other Hardware MUSIC server/streamer that also include HD Streaming (not Internet radio support, but WiFi streaming from QOBUZ and other HD music services... ?

 

-> Does the LUMIN hardware also offer the QOBUZ streaming ?

 

( I found that QUBUZ streaming is mentioned in the documentation of the ANTIPODES MUSIC SERVER : "...Play from your subscribed music services such as Spotify, Qobuz, Pandora etc.". Has someone used those Antipodes servers ? )

[baddog]

The cover art fairy visited you in the night. I used the word patience but got slapped.

 

 

Consider yourself redeemed..

 

I think in hindsight, patience indeed is the key word. Seems to be much that happens in the background that can cause occasional delays in response and functionality.

[firedog]

Antipodes servers are VERY well regarded - see various reviews on the NET - and are also used as part of a high end system by some other audiophile companies at audio shows. But they are full fledged servers - PC's - not a streamer like the Aries.

 

Many people here mention the LUMIN software as an alternative control app, but I guess that when using the LUMIN app, you loose the benefit of the QOBUZ HD Streaming ?

 

Alternatively, besides ARIES, are there other Hardware MUSIC server/streamer that also include HD Streaming (not Internet radio support, but WiFi streaming from QOBUZ and other HD music services... ?

 

-> Does the LUMIN hardware also offer the QOBUZ streaming ?

 

( I found that QUBUZ streaming is mentioned in the documentation of the ANTIPODES MUSIC SERVER : "...Play from your subscribed music services such as Spotify, Qobuz, Pandora etc.". Has someone used those Antipodes servers ? )

[eligeorgia]

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)?

 

Hey, you weren't supposed to AGREE that it was a dumb question!

 

Still hoping someone can answer it for me. I'm assuming the people here who are using Qobuz are in countries other than the US. But maybe a yankee or two around here know a way to get it to work stateside. A proxy or something?

[ted_b]

Still hoping someone can answer it for me. I'm assuming the people here who are using Qobuz are in countries other than the US. But maybe a yankee or two around here know a way to get it to work stateside. A proxy or something?

 

I assume, then, that you did not like my answer.

[bmichels]

Antipodes servers are VERY well regarded - see various reviews on the NET - and are also used as part of a high end system by some other audiophile companies at audio shows. But they are full fledged servers - PC's - not a streamer like the Aries.

 

Thanks for your answer.

 

I understand that the Antipodes gears are more servers than streamers but...QOBUZ streaming is mentioned in the documentation of the ANTIPODES MUSIC SERVER : "...Play from your subscribed music services such as Spotify, Qobuz, Pandora etc."

 

So, for the QUOBUZ streaming part, does the Antipode act like the ARIES ?

[baddog]

Ted indicated no earlier than Q4 in US.

 

In regards to your question on a proxy, explore the proxy options discussed in these threads, note these are downloading music not leveraging the streaming service, so probably a dead path. One member reported contacting them to open a US based account and they enabled it for him.

 

The threads I am referencing are located here:http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f13-audiophile-downloads/qobuz-12260/

 

and here:

 

Is it possible to download from Qobuz to the US?

 

Best of luck! I would be interested to know if you are successful.

[Kelly]

Spotify connect is a function to have. ( for me must have)

Now streaming Spotify from tablet to Apple TV to dac.

My internet radio and NAS via Sueezebox touch ( usb mod)

To leave my touch screen for the Aries, it needs more functions from third

parties. ( Deezer Spotify connect etc.)

 

I understand Naim is going to do Spotify.

 

I know this discussion is a few days old, but I have been looking for a dedicated renderer that is commited to providing streaming services. The best one (on paper) seems to be the NAD M50. They just added Spotify apparently. It also includes Wimp and Qobuz where available. The only downside is the M50 only supports up to 192khz PCM and has no USB output. But it is supposed to be very good through the AES outputs.

 

M50 Digital Music Player - NAD Electronics

[jtwrace]

I used the word patience but got slapped.

 

A hug is in order for RMAF 2014

[baddog]

A hug is in order for RMAF 2014

 

Well, someone please capture that moment on film!

[eligeorgia]

I assume, then, that you did not like my answer.

 

No sir...I certainly did not. Take it back lol

[eligeorgia]

Ted indicated no earlier than Q4 in US.

 

In regards to your question on a proxy, explore the proxy options discussed in these threads, note these are downloading music not leveraging the streaming service, so probably a dead path. One member reported contacting them to open a US based account and they enabled it for him.

 

The threads I am referencing are located here:http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f13-audiophile-downloads/qobuz-12260/

 

and here:

 

Is it possible to download from Qobuz to the US?

 

Best of luck! I would be interested to know if you are successful.

 

Success!!

 

I simply emailed Qobuz explaining how awesome I am and how I so deserve to be one of the few lucky Americans who deserves to have access to their services. And would you believe it, a few hours later I got a response saying that they have granted me access and when I went back to the site I was able to activate a hi fi subscription. Now streaming redbook through my Aries!

 

P.S. I had already set up an account before emailing them. You can do that for free with just an email address.

[baddog]

Congratulations! I will have to try this myself. Hopefully I am as lucky as you.

[boatheelmusic]

No luck or special beta tester status needed.

 

Many of us have been enjoying streaming Qobuz at 16/44 every day for months.

 

Search Qobuz on this forum, and you'll learn how; basically just emailing them for French catalog access and they'll set you up.

 

Helps to read a little French!

[baddog]

Another suggestion to the Aries team, if the music server you have configured to use with the Aries is offline, post a very clear error message or warning within the Lightning DS application. As it currently stands one can select music and it looks like it is working until it goes into pause mode and nothing plays.

 

Don't ask me how I came up with this suggestion, let's just say it took me 35 minutes to arrive at the suggestion.

 

 

Oh and while were are at it, in the device section where one configures the Aries, for the Firmware section, when clicking the refresh icon, if no new release is available let the user know they are running the most current release. That way a user gets feedback that the check for new firmware request worked, and they aren't left wondering if the request is working.

[baddog]

Another one, this might have been posted before, if so apologies.

 

I open Lightning DS and go to album view. When I select an album and the album contents are displayed, if I choose to either play a track or the whole album, display the bitrate information as well. I know that is available in a different view, but it would be helpful to have it in the view I use (selfish me) most often.

 

Next up requests specific to tagging.

[AllThatJazz]

In Folder View, after tapping on any album for which the album artwork appears, in the pop-up window there's no artwork, just the generic grey icon. There's also no album artwork in the upper left-hand corner. However, in Library View (which I've given up on for now), the artwork is displayed in the pop-up window. Just wondering what's up with that.

Five days in, still getting the occasional "auto mute" when playing DSD, but otherwise it's performing well.

[baddog]

Ah yes folder view. My NAS has a root directory of root and the folders for CDs, High Resolution, HDTracks and DSD albums.

 

So I click Folder View, then I choose DSD.

 

It shows a list of all the DSD albums, each in a folder (no icon), so far so good.

 

Then I select a folder which is the album.

 

It then snows a list of every song in the album, with the cover art but if I click one it only plays that one song from the album.

 

What I want it to do is when selecting the folder is to show me the contents of the entire album and allow me to either play the entire album or just a song from it.

 

What works as a workaround is do the following:

 

Select Folder View.

 

Choose DSD Folder.

 

Select Album.

 

Then look to the left side of screen where it has name of album and then below that a folder with ">> Tag View"

 

Select ">>Tag View"

 

It will then have two options:

 

Hide Contents

 

and

 

The name of the artist and album.

 

Select the Artist and album.

 

Now you will be displayed the cover art for the album

 

Select the album

 

And now it lists the entire contents of the album and allows you to either play a song or the album.

 

There has to be an easier method to browse the folder view and select an album to play.

 

If you need screenshots let me know.

 

So about 6-7 steps to play a whole album using Folder view.

[ted_b]

No luck or special beta tester status needed.

 

Many of us have been enjoying streaming Qobuz at 16/44 every day for months.

 

Search Qobuz on this forum, and you'll learn how; basically just emailing them for French catalog access and they'll set you up.

 

Helps to read a little French!

 

Agreed. My Q4 comments were about true US server rollout (i.e not having to access a French or UK server, and subsequent catalog).

[baddog]

More software feedback, the tactile response when making a selection in the Lightning DS application is slow. In other words one makes a selection (click) and the response time is slow.

 

Also for some of the navigation, it is not clear where one must click to get an action to be performed. For example trying navigating your way through folder view and then back up to the root of folder view. Between not always knowing where to click and the delay in response, it can get a little frustrating.

 

It is not as much an issue when navigating Album or Artist view.

 

Another example, the view that occurs when you click an album in the top left corner of the DS application. Once that view is invoked, (this is the view that fills the entire screen and shows the bitrate as well), trying to get out of that view is not easy. Clicking on the arrows on the top right of the screen to exit the view works about 10% of the time. Or I have to really focus on pressing in the right spot, holding down the finger press, and waiting for the view to go away. And even then often it doesn't work.

[AllThatJazz]

What works as a workaround is do the following:

snip

 

Thanks for explaining your workaround. I should have mentioned that, by "Folder View", I just meant the initial one at the bottom of the screen between "Library View" and "Collection", not the additional one in the LH column. Since lately I'm mainly catching up on my DSD/Hi-Res collection, I'm usually in the #AudioQuality/HD/TotalAlbums directory, so it's just a matter of scrolling through the few hundred albums in grid view, tapping one, then tapping "Add to Queue".

 

What I meant above is that while in this grid view, if I tap an album whose artwork appears, such as the Hiromi album in the upper left-hand corner of the first screenshot, in the pop-up as well as in the left-hand corner, no artwork is displayed, as in the second screenshot.

[jtwrace]

ARIES firmware V1.6 is online now.

The new version has bring additional bug fixes for your ARIES.

 

-Fix bug that playing queue is been flushed and playback stop when network is not robust.

-Fix random incorrect ARIES OLED display problem.

-Fix bug that selected track been added twice when using 'add to next' function (without play now).

-Fix a potential bug that Kinsky can not add DSF and DFF file to ARIES when working with particular DLNA server software

-Fix the bug that ARIES display wont update under uPnP AV mode.

-Maximum length of playing queue is now limited at 254 in both local library and streaming.

-Add support of playlist type of radio station, currently supported type: m3u, pls.

[baddog]

ARIES firmware V1.6 is online now.

The new version has bring additional bug fixes for your ARIES.

 

snip, snip

 

 

Thanks for posting, a nice touch too that when I turned on the Aries this morning, and went into the Aries settings on the Lightning DS application it had already begun to download the firmware ( I am connected via wireless ).

 

One can still play music on the Aries while it is downloading the firmware update, for those curious.

 

On suggestion for the Aries team, I see this as an enhancement. I think it would be a good practice, to inform a user in the Lightning DS application that a new firmware update is available, and give the user the option to download it or not. This is a common practice among many hardware and software packages. Some people prefer not to be the first to download a new update and prefer to wait until others have done so, in case there are any issues introduced by the new update.

 

Just a thought, not a complaint.

 

Update

I wish to amend my previous comment, while the Lightning Application does download the firmware update it does not install it, it gives the user the option to Update to the newest version, good job Aries, my mistake.