Article: JPLAY for iOS and iPadOS Review

[Raimund Heubel]

I just tried the JPLAY App as an UPnP Control Point in my rig last weekend. Setting-up the App was truly easy and a breeze, my NAS was instantly recognised and so was my ACOUSENCE ‘mu-se‘ streamer when running as an Euphony UPnP endpoint. Plus logging into my Qobuz account was also working flawlessly.

I really like the HMI and how you scroll/work through your own media files and searching Qobuz for music files and playlists.

Sound wise when comparing to the Euphony OS embedded Stylus-Player JPLAY sounded less involving and engaging, less musically and probably a bit less 3-dimensionally. You will however only hear these differences when listening in direct comparison . Otherwise JPLAY alone did sound pretty nice.

Navigating through the JPLAY-website I was informed about a two PC set-up that in theory should sound best, but I could not check this out (yet).

 

Best Regards,

Raimund

[stefano_mbp]

2 minutes ago, Raimund Heubel said:

Navigating through the JPLAY-website I was informed about a two PC set-up that in theory should sound best, but I could not check this out (yet).

That’s JPlay Femto, a totally different beast.

While JPlay for iOS is a UPNP control point app JPlay Femto is instead a player like Euphony or Audirvana or JRiver

[Raimund Heubel]

O.k., I understand.

As JPLAY Femto is only available for Windows it will not work in my current Set-Up.

Thanks for your quick feedback.

 

Best Regards,

Raimund

[WAM]

I  am considering the purchase of JPlay for some time now (I am using an Aries, the Auralic-app is not bad, but it's quite 'basic' ).

I could use Audirvana or JRiver (I use both), but I do not want to use a laptop in our home setup (I use Audirvana and JRiver mainly for headphone-listening).

This review convinced me to give it a try.

 

Set up is easy, the software picked up my Qobuz-account and my local files  immediately. So far, so good. But after playing a track, the next track would not start: 'Renderer in transition', was the message. It disappeared after closing the app, and starting it again. How can I fix this? Am I doing something wrong?

 

Sound quality is very good (more detail, more transparant than the native Auralic app).

 

The only thing I am missing, is he possibility to filter on ' grouping' for my local files.

 

 

[stefano_mbp]

1 hour ago, WAM said:

The only thing I am missing, is he possibility to filter on ' grouping' for my local files.

This is available using Minimserver.

In order to have the possibility to filter by grouping (Works) you need to define in Minimserver Properties/Advanced/upnpCustom the property 

roleTags={Grouping}

once defined the property you need to restart/rescan Minimserver

this should work for now, Minimserver Full license is needed, in the (near) future there will be some changes that will be announced …

 

… of course this will work if your files grouping tag is populated 

[Marcin_gps]

57 minutes ago, WAM said:

I  am considering the purchase of JPlay for some time now (I am using an Aries, the Auralic-app is not bad, but it's quite 'basic' ).

I could use Audirvana or JRiver (I use both), but I do not want to use a laptop in our home setup (I use Audirvana and JRiver mainly for headphone-listening).

This review convinced me to give it a try.

 

Set up is easy, the software picked up my Qobuz-account and my local files  immediately. So far, so good. But after playing a track, the next track would not start: 'Renderer in transition', was the message. It disappeared after closing the app, and starting it again. How can I fix this? Am I doing something wrong?

 

Sound quality is very good (more detail, more transparant than the native Auralic app).

 

The only thing I am missing, is he possibility to filter on ' grouping' for my local files.

 

 

Try enabling this option in Settings screen for Auralic output:

[stefano_mbp]

1 hour ago, WAM said:

But after playing a track, the next track would not start: 'Renderer in transition', was the message.

Does this happens playing on your iPhone/iPad or on the Aries?

[WAM]

On the Aries

23 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

This is available using Minimserver.

In order to have the possibility to filter by grouping (Works) you need to define in Minimserver Properties/Advanced/upnpCustom the property 

roleTags={Grouping}

once defined the property you need to restart/rescan Minimserver

this should work for now, Minimserver Full license is needed, in the (near) future there will be some changes that will be announced …

Thanks. I think I will a full license a try when I get JPlay working.

[WAM]

38 minutes ago, Marcin_gps said:

Try enabling this option in Settings screen for Auralic output:

 

When I enable Safe Transition Mode, I get the message: Error sending action to renderer. When I disable this option, I can play music (till the ' renderer in transition'-message appears). Seems there is only trouble when playing local files.

[PavelDosko]

Don't you have resampling selected in another control SW streamer at the same time?

[WAM]

Not that I am aware of. Checked the Aries and my SOtM, also checked JRiver and Audirvana, upsampling disabled.

[stefano_mbp]

1 hour ago, WAM said:

and my SOtM

Have you tried to use the SOtM as renderer and does it work fine? If it works fine your issue could be caused by some “misunderstanding” between JPlay and Aries

[WAM]

That's what I am doing at the moment 🙂, the SOtM/JPlay set up is running smoothly. Both Qobuz and local files are playing flawlessly.

 

Did some more testing with the Aries, the problem occurs with local files and with Qobuz files. I compared the SOtM-settings and the Aries-settings, in JPlay they are the same, still have not found the problem yet.

[Rt66indierock]

Chris, great article and comments. 

[yy]

Very interesting article and the application seems to be well designed. Do you think it’s possible to connect directly Jplay iOS to an HQPLAYER embedded computer standalone, I mean, without any other computer with Jplay Femto or MinimServer on the network?

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, yy said:

Very interesting article and the application seems to be well designed. Do you think it’s possible to connect directly Jplay iOS to an HQPLAYER embedded computer standalone, I mean, without any other computer with Jplay Femto or MinimServer on the network?

Yes. You can stream Tidal and Qobuz this way. 

[stefano_mbp]

7 hours ago, yy said:

Do you think it’s possible to connect directly Jplay iOS to an HQPLAYER embedded computer standalone, I mean, without any other computer with Jplay Femto or MinimServer

… as already said yes using only external streaming services like Qobuz or Tidal but without a UPnP mediaserver you won’t able to access local music as JPlay for iOS cannot read the library loaded in HQPe

[Fourlegs]

@Marcin_gps I am trying JPLAY on my Antipodes Oladra because I am always on the look out for the best sounding playback option. I note that in the screen shot you posted in one of your replies that you had the Update Time set to 120. Can I ask you whether this was just an random setting with no significance or whether it is the Update Time setting that you actually use? Could one use say 180 and would this therefore be an update every 3 minutes and what consequence would that have on the functioning of JPLAY?

[matthias]

@The Computer Audiophile

 

Which of the selectable output modes did you use with JPLAY and the Sonore?

 

Mode #3a - DLNA Output - This output utilizes streams from UPnP/DLNA servers and controllers. This output can be configured as an OpenHome renderer. This output supports true gapless playback of PCM, DSD/DoP, and native DSD.
Mode #3b - MPD Output - This output is intended to work with an SMB mount. This output supports true gapless playback of PCM, DSD/DoP, and native DSD.

 

Thanks

 

Matt

[The Computer Audiophile]

17 minutes ago, matthias said:

@The Computer Audiophile

 

Which of the selectable output modes did you use with JPLAY and the Sonore?

 

Mode #3a - DLNA Output - This output utilizes streams from UPnP/DLNA servers and controllers. This output can be configured as an OpenHome renderer. This output supports true gapless playback of PCM, DSD/DoP, and native DSD.
Mode #3b - MPD Output - This output is intended to work with an SMB mount. This output supports true gapless playback of PCM, DSD/DoP, and native DSD.

 

Thanks

 

Matt

It’s a UPnP control point. It works with UPnP renderers. 

[Marcin_gps]

On 8/22/2023 at 9:51 PM, Fourlegs said:

@Marcin_gps I am trying JPLAY on my Antipodes Oladra because I am always on the look out for the best sounding playback option. I note that in the screen shot you posted in one of your replies that you had the Update Time set to 120. Can I ask you whether this was just an random setting with no significance or whether it is the Update Time setting that you actually use? Could one use say 180 and would this therefore be an update every 3 minutes and what consequence would that have on the functioning of JPLAY?

I am using the maximum possible value of 12 000. 

 

Best regards,
Marcin
 

[Marcin_gps]

I created a topic where you can post which devices work / don't work with the JPLAY app.

 

 

[billg]

I play local music using Jplay Femto output via usb to Matrix and Dac. I use Bubbleuppnp on an android tablet. This all sounds great. I'm interested to see whether the Jplay app on an ipad would sound better in my system. Both apps can be configured to minimize network traffic. 

 

@The Computer Audiophile can you please compare the sound of these two control points or do you only use an apple device? I see you use Minimserver. Have you tried the control points with Jplay Femto and how do they sound with that server/renderer?

 

[fredg_31]

Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for this article.

 

In my tests, I prefered Jplay sound compared to Roon, but an issue annoyed me, it takes 5 seconds or more between two tracks with Jplay on my meitner ma3 unit.

 

So I continue to use MConnect control, gapless playback is perfect and the sound is better compared to Roon for critical listening.

 

Even if the interface of Jplay is far far better, really Good job indeed, the delay between two songs is not an option for me.

 

Cheers,

[stefano_mbp]

9 minutes ago, fredg_31 said:

it takes 5 seconds or more between two tracks with Jplay on my meitner ma3 unit.

Can you share your settings on JPlay for that renderer?

in the manual it is recommended to use MConnect Control, do not use MConnect Player (lite or hd).
This may be why JPlay is not working well....