Article: JPLAY for iOS Is Now Available

[One and a half]

Impressions and notes so far:

 

Took about 15 shots at the refresh device screen to find the Lumin U1, found everything else in the meantime, even the Jriver endpoints on a local PC. Minim server was already found first shot, selected that.

Indexing 8TB of library took 10 minutes to index them, this is impressive, on par with Minimserver itself. Like @stefano_mbp, have zero artists. All albums are there, wow, this is a fast indexer. As @The Computer Audiophilediscovered, remove the startupscan true or make it false. Remove reveals the artists after a rescan, but JPLAY follows the same moronic circle feature for Audirvana, Roon has. Circles, ugh, squares please!! Selectively it finds artwork for artists, then leaves others blank. Look just follow Jriver's lead with multiple covers behind the artist label, no problem. Don't be a Roon and complicate things or copy dim ass behaviour.

 

FAIL - Circle Artists, Squares please and just a list or like Jriver anything but circles!

 

Orange arrow, Artist shown.

 

 

 

Control Point is all that it does, instructs to play a track or album from the server software to the renderer. There's no SQ involved at all, only usability to find what to play, list albums in an order to search or by browse, hit play and you're done. I have Jazz, rock, and classical (some). Classical is going to take some doing in the Genre, composer, era and so on, Minimserver needs to setup for that, Jplay can't see otherwise.

Let's try #1's DSD from Mariah Carey, uh oh, needs some handshaking for DSD, the DAC is going bananas trying to lock on. Eventually I let it go and finds itself and plays. It works. Oh, it just plays the track, doesn't continue on with the album. Is this an app where you have to queue like DJ select ahead, like the Lumin app. That has it plusses and minuses. Change to Thom Rotella band for SQ evaluation.

 

 

Oh pressing the Add to Queue in the album view adds ALL tracks to the queue. Oh wait, there are 28 tracks in the queue, double the album's tracks, oh ok maybe pressed to many times.. The song stopped, so tap on the next to play, now 7 tracks added to the queue, what happened to the 28? Now the next tracks are playing, wtf, make up your mind.
What about making a new playlist? Single tap, starts playing the track, so how to create a playlist or queue, study maybe later.

 

There's a neat icon in the bottom right-hand corner for the renderer selection. So tap the queue icon, and the renderer and server icons swap positions. Some housekeeping there needed. The info and settings for the renderer are shown, Jplay can work out the renderer's information which is accurate, but can't edit the Lumin's configuration page, which is fair enough, use the Lumin app it's designed for that.. 

 

SQ is very good, since it's just the server, network and renderer working. Neat. I'd say it's more open & detailed than Audirvana Studio or Origin, although that software can cater for local USB type DACs. Jplay can play to a PC with a DAC or renderer connected with the correct drivers, so not just uPnP applications as a workaround.

Let's try Hawkwind Doremi Fasol Latido (1972)(2015) 'Brainstorm' (96) midstream from Thom Rotella (44.1). Very nasty click, didn't mute for the sample rate change, bad news here for the DAC. Please add some time to buffer and allow the DAC to change, 0.5 sec is fine and more for other DACs.
'Brainstorm' is a real head banger 11 minutes of relentless bass, drums, pow in the gut power. JPLAY has this nailed, just out of the way and let the server and endpoint work it out.

 

Next up Van Der Graaff Generator, Godbluff (1975) 2021 remix redbook. Drum work, exemplary, homogenous mix of so many different instruments including voice, all as one. 

'How long the time seems, how dark the shadow,
how straight the eagle flies, how straight towards his arrow.
How long the night is - why is this passage so narrow?
How strange my body feels, impaled upon the arrow.' 

 

Playlist
If a track is playing, tap the three vertical dots, create a new playlist and the track adds. So how about another track. long tap nope. Will test some more.

 

Screen layout
Album view, lists are easy to read white on black, navigation is functional, play pause forward reverse etc. right at the bottom of the screen, works fine. Album art takes up much of the page on the now playing page, fine, just right. Wishlist- find all artwork in the album folder and display, even pdfs, if that opens another app ok. oh, found the queue, it's on a swipe right on the Now Playing page. There should be a book with this, pages are hidden.

 

Gapless- Heard a very bad gap transition (horror) Focus 3, Focus 3 (1972) 92001 (SHM-CD) and Answers?Questions! Questions? Answers! Tracks 5 & 6 continuous. The explanation in the renderer config pages is the other way around compared to what actually happens.
The sentence reads 'If you have problems with playback please uncheck this setting (there's a check mark) by default is cleared.
When you want to play gapless CHECK this mark, and gapless works fine.
Should read: 'If you have problems with playback please check this setting'

 

I like the back button, goes through every page previous, doesn't go forward :( 

 

Sort by Date added is only ascending, not descending, the button is where?

 

First round, JPLAY is sorta intuitive, take a file to the ragged edges and this app will be OK. 

[One and a half]

Right then. JPLAY can't find the Lumin anymore, restarted the Lumin couple of times, not going to restart the network, when Audirvana, JRIVER, even Windows Explorer (File Mangler) sees the U1 right away, no issues. Not playing with JPLAY until this is working 100%.

 

Still totally confused about the queue and playing system, found the screen for the actions to queue, ten or so different methods......none of them like the Lumin app, where you can add forward, at the end or delete a section, JPLAY needs some work in making this simpler. It's also inconsistent, it plays from the middle of an album to the end, then Roon Radio plays something out of left field, wasn't on any playlist, or just plays one track from an album.

 

SQ is good, since it's only a control point, should not influence at all.

 

TLDR?

 

1. Fix the Queue system

2. Fix Lumin Renderer detection

3. Server and Renderer icons reversed on Playing now and album view

4. Square Artists graphics, don't copy Roon!!

5. A black on white background view or skins??

6. Descending album lists according to date, recently added

7. Back view and forward view navigation

8. Delay for DACs to catch up

9. Ability to view Artwork folder contents

10. Ability to find pdf in the album and display

11. If you can, manage box sets correctly

 

If I need to pay for the service, then it has to do better, because there are better (paid) alternatives right now.

 

 

[One and a half]

2 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

… most of them are free

just comparing apples with apples, as opposed to air

[One and a half]

8 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Which paid alternatives are you using that are better?

Audirvana remote, probably had the same amount of bugs, now not so many.

[One and a half]

44 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

One minor gripe, when I purchase an album from Qobuz, I generally delete that album from my favorites, if it was there at all. Jplay includes those in the library, giving me duplicates. It's not a huge deal, just odd.

 

 

Both Audirvana and JPLAY remotes list your purchases from Qobuz, maybe it's a 'feature' of Qobuz. Audirvana displays in the album list on an icon of a home are local files, whereas a turntable looking Q indicates that album is available on Qobuz. Qobuz don't normally offer the providence of the album, FWIW, I've never seen MFSL listing on Qobuz, probably never will.

[One and a half]

9 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Wow @stefano_mbp and @One and a half, I think you guys should stick to the absolute perfect app that you’re already using, and let others with a touch more tact, patience, and reasonable expectations work with @Marcin_gps to resolve any issues that pop up. 

We have been patient since April 15, 2021. The premier at the Polish audio show was in October 2022, let loose a couple of days ago. I'll stick with JPLAY, since @Marcin_gps has very fine products which I have invested in, still use to this day without fault. Software is a never-ending development (look at Apple and Microsoft, the kings of stuff ups) and will always dissatisfy users, annoy them enough, they will abandon like I did with Roon (now 2nd year Roon free, bit like giving up smoking).

[One and a half]

2 hours ago, skyline said:

So far it can’t find my Lumin U1 mini.

 

I’ll keep trying.

I have the same problem. JPLAY found Lumin after 15 refreshes, held it for a few hours no issue. Found out that audirvana was still on, but not playing to the Lumin, noticed some weird behaviour when switching between local files and Qobuz. Switched that off, power recycle to the Lumin, from then on, can't find Lumin, although Windows, Audirvana (and its remote), Jriver, and Lumin app can find the renderer, no problem.

[One and a half]

45 minutes ago, Apollo said:

Last time I tested (5-6 months ago) Audirvana shows your local library seperately from your Qobuz favorites.

I.e. albums from 1 artist are not available in 1 integrated view.

Both albums are listed, say in search, the icon to the right gives away which album is local or at Qobuz. I haven't had a chance to try favourites, don't normally use them.

[One and a half]

3 hours ago, PavelDosko said:

Hello, based on the discussion here, I tried the Lumin app yesterday. Yes, it is functional and better graphically processed, stable. It doesn't provide much more than metadata. BUT ... and now I don't want to start a flame ... sonically, I don't like it at all, the sound has shrunk into the space between the speakers and small details have disappeared (for example, cymbal fades, breaths, etc.). I would like to purchase the JPLAY iOS application, with the understanding that its functionality will be developed.

Ahh, this is how exactly Qobuz sounds when I use the Lumin app on a Lumin U1, local files are good.

Back at home tonight and no Lumin detected, everything else detected, Yamaha RT-3080 receiver, Sony HT-7000 soundbar, Ruark Radio and the Jriver engine connections like local DACs.

[One and a half]

8 hours ago, skyline said:

The app on my phone recognized my Lumin immediately.

 

So Lumin owners can try their phone to test drive the app.

Extraordinary, thanks for the tip. Pity I don't have an iPhone to test. Have an older iPad, charging that now. When the network button is tapped, the search doesn't try long enough, it tries for only a few seconds, then gives up. 

For instance, when freshly installed, there's the iPad, Yamaha RX-A3080, and Ruark Radio. Refresh again, the Yamaha receiver vanishes, yet the Radio and ipad remain. Jriver was switched on and the Zone is the Lumin, which Jplay detects OK. Once the library is catalogued will try to play through the Jriver engine, see what happens.

[One and a half]

3 hours ago, Marcin_gps said:

Please try rerstarting iPad and refresh for audio outputs then. 

 

The app behaves exactly the same on iPhone and iPad when it comes to discovering devices in the network. If it doesn't search on iPad for someone then I'd look at killing other 'streaming' apps on iPad such as YouTube, netflix, tidal and then searching for audio outputs again. 

 

Best regards,
Marcin
 

Hi Marcin, 

 

Restarted ipad without the home button kind, only app open is JPLAY. Same detection,  same three devices,  another adds another drops off, don't have Netflix,  YouTube etc. active on any other pc or the ipad.

[One and a half]

12 hours ago, Apollo said:

Hi

 

After initial startup screen, if you continue to Settings screen, is your Lumim not shown.

On an iPhone, I had only 2 devices, but in settings I had all expected 4.

Only shows up three.

Missing, Sony soundbar, Sony TV, Two BD players....and the Lumin U1. In the meantime, using Audirvana Origin, picks the Lumin up right away. I try and make sure JPLAY and Audirvana are not on at the same time, since they both can output to the Lumin, which could be a problem.

[One and a half]

On 12/17/2022 at 12:38 AM, Marcin_gps said:

UPDATE:

 

We improved discovery mechanism: one user reported that the app sees his Lumin streamer now. We're waiting for feedback from other testers, but it looks that this issue is resolved.

 

Best regards,
Marcin
 

 

2nd that with Lumin, revision 20 detected first shot, no multiple refreshes required.  Yay!

 

OK, added seven new albums by existing artist 'Renaissance'. The album view doesn't show these, sorted by date added, with a couple of  Minimserver rescans. All albums including the new ones show up in the Folder view of Minimserver and play just fine.

[One and a half]

9 hours ago, Marcin_gps said:

You have to Sync or Sync New in order to show these under Albums.  

Found the Sync.

Home | Tap on Minimserver icon | Tap on SYNC New albums 

Other choices include reloading the whole library and rescanning Minimserver, vital tools on a remote.

 

So where's the button again to see recent albums first on the list?

 

I do see some albums that have no cover art, I try to keep the folder.jpg between 50-90kb, and 98% of show up fine, others are black, and examination with MP3Tag and TagScanner indicate the embedded artwork is over this size. Can you please specify the limit of embedded file size so the album art is shown, thanks. Had a look at the FLAC format, and was overwhelmed by all the numbers, didn't make any sense to me.

 

 

[One and a half]

When playing DSD64, when switching from PCM, the DAC has a lot of trouble to latch onto the stream. At least 5 relay clicks later then settles down to play the album. At each track change, there's another relay click, presumably to mute the transition. The Lumin app (which uses Minimserver like Jplay), Audirvana, Jriver work fine with DSD playback. 

 

Oh, dang, this is a new install, forgot the settings for gapless playback are at default, switched all these on and update time to 1 and the behavior:

 

Initially when loading the album, 1 relay click

Let the album play through, no clicks

FF one track, 1 relay click

 

Any ideas to remove the relay clicks? I could live with the initial loading, but not the others.

[One and a half]

On 12/21/2022 at 9:43 AM, One and a half said:

When playing DSD64, when switching from PCM, the DAC has a lot of trouble to latch onto the stream. At least 5 relay clicks later then settles down to play the album. At each track change, there's another relay click, presumably to mute the transition. The Lumin app (which uses Minimserver like Jplay), Audirvana, Jriver work fine with DSD playback. 

 

Oh, dang, this is a new install, forgot the settings for gapless playback are at default, switched all these on and update time to 1 and the behavior:

 

Initially when loading the album, 1 relay click

Let the album play through, no clicks

FF one track, 1 relay click

 

Any ideas to remove the relay clicks? I could live with the initial loading, but not the others.

Update for build 22.

Have only used for the last 24 hours, no crashes, very stable from that point of view.

 

==== BUG report (not critical, but leads to an unnecessary question as to why is it so)=====

 

No playback operating.

In the settings for MinimServer, there's a rescan command (which works immediately btw), a message appears rescan refresh successful (something like that), message is green, but Minimserver is still restarting in the background. If new data is synchronised from the command, there's an error, in that no data can be synced. This is due to Minimserver restarting and not yet running. Perhaps grey out the sync data out commands until Minimserver is in the running state. Once Minimserver is running, the data synchronises no issue.

=============================================================

 

I see the Album view sorting system working, added a new album, it's there in search but doesn't appear at the top of the list.

 

DSD clicking is much the same as before the exception now is the excessive hunting for the DSD stream at the beginning to reset the DAC is now gone, just the one relay click, and music starts. I could live with this.

 

Build 22 installs fine, so if your JPLAY for iOS is working, just install the new one over the top when @Marcin_gps releases the new build.

 

Lumin detection is the same as with build 20, no issues. @wklie advises the new Lumin app release will enhanced JPLAY for iOS playback, a double surety, that all will work fine. Much appreciated there!

 

Look, JPLAY for iOS is only a control point so it shouldn't get in the way of playback between Minimserver and Lumin, but I swear the sound is more open that it has ever been.  That will send the objectivists nutz, but it is what it is.

[One and a half]

4 minutes ago, steveoat said:

And paying for a product which is unusable is not frustrating?

Won't be long, New Year's present!

[One and a half]

After an album played out, JPLAY usually stops, no music. Well, music was still playing from a different album, similar genre, unlike Roon which can play rock, then classical. Will look for the setting later, if it exists.

[One and a half]

12 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Hi Marcin, here is the place where it is still stalled. 

 

If anyone knows which artist / album this is, I can clearly remove it becuase I don't even know what it is. 

 

 

When the last album is indexed, JPLAY for iOS takes 'longer' to finish the last 1% than the whole indexing process. One DSD album in particular is always at the end, same one, just takes longer with minimserver. Maybe give some more time, dunno 10 minutes? As for the metadata, sorry, no idea, perhaps look in the Minimserver folder at the last entries for albums?

[One and a half]

1 hour ago, al210 said:

I’m pretty much giving up on this App. It always just randomly stops playback and won’t play the next song in the list with my Lumin U1. Sometimes it’ll play one song the next time it might get through 15 before it stops. I have the latest version of both the App and Lumin firmware. Lumin app never does this. 

In the early days of JPLAY, Lumin and JPLAY worked together to stabilise the performance of Lumin devices. Since then and subsequent updates, the satbility has improved quite a lot.

 

Tips and check list

a) Is any other application controlling the U1? Very important to switch the other apps off. You can operate the Lumin app, but don't add the library.

b) What's the server software, Minimserver, is this updated as well as a new JAVA version is out from this month. Important to trash old Java versions.

c) The Lumin 'works out' the drivers for the DAC and hand shakes accordingly. It's based on Linux. for instance the U1 with my DAC maxes out at DSD128, although with native driver, the DAC can accept DSD256 via Windows driver. 

To start things off, power up the Lumin, wait for the dime sized circle, then power up the DAC.

d) Long shot - switch off other interfaces like AES3, optical if not in use.

e) Another long shot - Network congestion IP conflicts, it's a long shot

 

Attached are two screen shots for the U1 in my system which works and is very stable. FW version for the U1 is 15.3 (there is 15.3a avaialble), hardware code 104010, DNS 8.8.8.8, there maybe more relevant items in the screenshot, but not 100% applicable.