Better Roon Endpoints?

[davide256]

43 minutes ago, skatbelt said:

 

Forgive me but I am in the process of being flabbergasted. I just replaced my Mac Mini (modded) / Uptone JS-2 / LPS-1 / SDD-drive / microRendu with my iPhone just for fun and out of curiosity. Never expected this result. My microRendu is the first generation one so may be that explains your preference.

I did the 1.4 upgrade... my iPhone 6 still sounded better

[R1200CL]

Switch out my UltraRendu. Now that new *CCK direct into USPCB and further into a modified SU-1. 

 

SQ will be commented later. The CCK need burn is of cause ???

 

And battery seems not to be an issue at all, so I probably could gone for a cheaper cable. 

 

BTW. When adding that CCK, an SW update (for CCK) was offered immediately. 

 

*CCK means now the new Lightning USB 3 model. 

[asdf1000]

16 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

Switch out my UltraRendu. Now that new *CCK direct into USPCB and further into a modified SU-1. 

 

 

 

And your Roon music continues with your iPhone screen locked and screen off?

 

The music never stops?

 

16 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

The CCK need burn is of cause ???

 

I think Apple recommends 300 hours

 

[R1200CL]

Of cause, music never stops ?

 

I,’m using an iPad as controller. I saw that post over in Roon support forum. He’s using W10. But I can’t think that should matter. 

Maybe a hard reboot of that phone will do. Worst case a full reinstall.  Which in any case is a good thing to do. 

 

I did and a new battery as well.  Almost like a new phone.     (Haven’t opened my X yet.)

[skatbelt]

11 hours ago, Em2016 said:

 

Just for another data point, on the issues higher up in the thread - can you lock your iPhone screen so that your display is off and music continues to play? 

 

With your iPhone display off, it never disconnects from your Roon Core and causes the music to stop?

 

 

 

If I lock the screen music plays on. But at the end of a track (if I play only one track) or album or if I pause a track, my iPhone disappears as a selectable audio zone.

[asdf1000]

3 minutes ago, skatbelt said:

 

If I lock the screen music plays on. But at the end of a track (if I play only one track) or album or if I pause a track, my iPhone disappears as a selectable audio zone.

 

Cool, thanks. But an album will continue to play, with the screen locked the entire time?

 

Like 3 tracks will continue to play with the screen locked and screen off, the entire time?

 

Someone on the Roon forum suggested this:

 

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/iphone-6-disappears-as-roon-endpoint-when-lockscreen-activates/36549/4

 

Does it help?

 

[skatbelt]

12 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

 

Cool, thanks. But an album will continue to play, with the screen locked the entire time?

 

Like 3 tracks will continue to play with the screen locked and screen off, the entire time?

 

Someone on the Roon forum suggested this:

 

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/iphone-6-disappears-as-roon-endpoint-when-lockscreen-activates/36549/4

 

Does it help?

 

 

An album will continue to play.

 

Strangely Roon is not in the list of apps where you can choose to background refresh or not.

[asdf1000]

1 minute ago, skatbelt said:

An album will continue to play.

 

 

Ok that's a positive.

 

I also couldn't see Roon in background apps settings, so I'm not sure what that suggestion is about. 

 

[chauphuong]

a rookie question,how can I use a Windows10 PC as Roon endpoint?

[firedog]

2 hours ago, chauphuong said:

a rookie question,how can I use a Windows10 PC as Roon endpoint?

You install Roon and when it asks, you tell it that you want it for playback, not as a server (I don’t remember how it’s phrased). You then connect the PC to your

audio system, by USB, soundcard out, etc. 

When you open Roon, you pick a “zone” which is where you are telling Roon to send the audio.  

After that, just pick what music you want to play.

[Miska]

2 hours ago, chauphuong said:

a rookie question,how can I use a Windows10 PC as Roon endpoint?

 

You download an install the "Roon Bridge". I assume Roon is supposed to then find it and you can configure it as a zone.

 

[R1200CL]

11 hours ago, Miska said:

You download an install the "Roon Bridge". I assume Roon is supposed to then find it and you can configure it as a zone.

 

 

Miska

(Or anyone else)

 

Can you show a screenshot of a networked computer with Roon Brigde ?

 

Cause I don’t find Roon Brigde offered. 

 

But I guess I wouldn’t have seen my Explorer2 unless Brigde was installed ?

(Nor my HQPlayer on same PC ?)

 

[asdf1000]

5 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

But I guess I wouldn’t have seen my Explorer2 unless Brigde was installed ?

 

Correct. The fact that it shows under 'Networked' means Roon Bridge is installed.

 

 

[R1200CL]

13 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

 

Correct. The fact that it shows under 'Networked' means Roon Bridge is installed.

 

 

 

If the Explorer2 was present in my system, it would have been offered a wasapi option as well. Does this then mean that the wasapi is bypassing the Roon Brigde or ?

 

I have several times wonder why both wasapi and asio shows up, and has never been sure which one to choose. And Meridian do not explain if their driver support both options. They just say use our. 

[asdf1000]

6 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

 

If the Explorer2 was present in my system, it would have been offered a wasapi option as well. Does this then mean that the wasapi is bypassing the Roon Brigde or ?

 

I have several times wonder why both wasapi and asio shows up, and has never been sure which one to choose. And Meridian do not explain if their driver support both options. They just say use our. 

 

Good question regarding why WASAPI is not shown. I have no idea why it's not showing.

 

But I've been told to always use ASIO if you can . WASAPI can be configured for  'exclusive mode' but ASIO is essentially always 'exclusive mode' - so I've been told.

 

Miska has more expertise here.

 

Does it work with ASIO? You should be able to close the Roon App (you will still see the little icon Roon Bridge running) and you should be able to play music to your Explorer2.

 

If it works with your Roon Remote app closed on your Win 10 endpoint, then everything is working properly.

 

 

[davide256]

On 1/9/2018 at 6:37 AM, skatbelt said:

 

If I lock the screen music plays on. But at the end of a track (if I play only one track) or album or if I pause a track, my iPhone disappears as a selectable audio zone.

agree, locking doesn't stop music already playing, goes away when track/album is not playing. Radio feature will keep the phone playing

[davide256]

On 1/9/2018 at 6:57 AM, skatbelt said:

 

An album will continue to play.

 

Strangely Roon is not in the list of apps where you can choose to background refresh or not.

I see the same. Which could be part of the problem

[Miska]

One confusing thing with WASAPI sometimes is if you use Windows Remote Desktop (RDP protocol) to remote control the computer where your audio device is. Remote Desktop attempts to take over audio and forward it to the controlling remote end, this can make WASAPI devices seemingly disappear. However, ASIO is not affected by this because Windows itself doesn't understand anything about ASIO.

 

Using VNC for remote control doesn't create this WASAPI problem...

[R1200CL]

31 minutes ago, Miska said:

Using VNC for remote control doesn't create this WASAPI problem...

 

And probably not RDT on iPad ?

[asdf1000]

As mentioned I previously only did a quick test with my iPhone as an endpoint immediate when the Roon 1.4 update came out but didn't keep it for seriously listening for long.

 

So last night, I used my iPhone SE as an endpoint last night for a few hours late night listening with my headphones.

 

The iPhone was kept charging with a big TP-Link powerbank via the lightning adapter.

 

It's quite a handy 'camera' adapter this thing: https://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/MK0W2AM/A/lightning-to-usb-3-camera-adapter

 

Chain is iPhone > Hugo2 > Sennheiser HD800-S headphones

 

Quite nice sounding actually... very different sound to the ultraRendu + LPS-1 feeding my Hugo 2 - which initially turned me off in my quick test a few weeks ago.

 

But after a few hours last night, it actually sounds more like when I use TOSLink (which I like with my Hugo2 - as does the DACs designer for music material <PCM192kHz).

 

Maybe those little ethernet transformers don't isolate as much as we think? Or something else...

 

Now there is an obvious trade-off (as with everything in this game):

 

- Having a wireless computer & transmitter (iPhone) close to the DAC, i.e. airborne RFI?  versus

 

-  Completely battery based source, i.e. NO mains conducted RF (no connection to mains power at all)

 

Both evils but maybe the the latter trade-off outweighs the former for those liking the iPhone endpoint solution (including myself now)?

 

I was a bit silly to dismiss it so quickly....

 

And that's with my 4G/LTE radio still switched on so I don't miss any urgent calls.

 

If I can find a latest generation iPod touch for cheap and just run Roon with ALL phone notifications switched off, it might be nice....

 

 

[beerandmusic]

just starting to read this topic...looks interesting...a few questions in using iphone/tab as roon endpoint:

 

1) where do your music files reside?

2) does it support DSD and if so what max resolution?

3) if music is not on iphone itself, then i assume you are talking wifi??

 

[asdf1000]

26 minutes ago, beerandmusic said:

1) where do your music files reside?

 

A computer setup as Roon Core / Roon Server. It can be a PC/MAC/Linux computer.

 

26 minutes ago, beerandmusic said:

2) does it support DSD and if so what max resolution?

 

Yes indeed. Up to DSD512 (native) or DSD256 (DoP) if your DAC supports it and if your WiFi is robust and reliable.

 

26 minutes ago, beerandmusic said:

3) if music is not on iphone itself, then i assume you are talking wifi??

 

Yep, see my post just above. There is a tradeoff here but maybe the battery based USB source wins in sound quality, even with having a computer/wireless transmitter near the DAC (the iPhone)? Maybe, maybe not.

 

I am liking the sound though and others have been surprised too (as above and on other threads/forums).

 

[beerandmusic]

13 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

 

A computer setup as Roon Core / Roon Server. It can be a PC/MAC/Linux computer.

 

 

Yes indeed. Up to DSD512 (native) or DSD256 (DoP) if your DAC supports it and if your WiFi is robust and reliable.

 

 

Yep, see my post just above. There is a tradeoff here but maybe the battery based USB source wins in sound quality, even with having a computer/wireless transmitter near the DAC (the iPhone)? Maybe, maybe not.

 

I am liking the sound though and others have been surprised too (as above and on other threads/forums).

 

 

I remember the first time i plugged an iphone directly into an amplifier that i was impressed with the sound, and I also remember hearing about a show where the booth that won best of show where the source was unknown turned out to be using an iphone (probably focal, wilson or atc speakers-grin), so this does not surprise me a lot....but as an end game solution due to battery and wifi requirement, i don't think i will research it further...but thanks for sharing, i am sure it sounds great!

[R1200CL]

3 hours ago, Em2016 said:

And that's with my 4G/LTE radio still switched on so I don't miss any urgent calls.

 

If I can find a latest generation iPod touch for cheap and just run Roon with ALL phone notifications switched off, it might be nice....

 

 

How about switch of WiFi as well ? ?

https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Ethernet-Network-Adapter-Overseas-Compact/dp/B0725PYSP3

 

I almost purchased a Touch 5 gen very cheap, but as I found it wouldn’t install Roon, I didn’t. 

What we need is Roon Brigde and/or NAA for iOS. 

[R1200CL]

1 hour ago, beerandmusic said:

I remember the first time i plugged an iphone directly into an amplifier that i was impressed with the sound,

 

Wadia had /has a transport (i70?j. I think they was ahead of their time.