Why do DLNA apps sound differently (or do they)?

[mansr]

The app on your phone (control point in DLNA parlance) normally simply tells the renderer what URL to play. The renderer then fetches the data directly from the server. In some cases, the app acts as a proxy between the renderer and the media server, and then it could of course be altering something (some such apps have the ability to do format conversions). An easy test to see whether the app is proxying data is to disable wifi on the phone while playing a track. If playback continues, the app is obviously not touching the data.

 

Besides the data delivery, the control app can also set the volume (and possibly other things) on the renderer. If your renderer has a volume readout, I'd check and see if it shows the same level with the two apps.