Tinker, Tailor, Streamer, Pi.

[CN211276]

I think the problem here is getting the PC you have LMS installed on to see the WD drive. Once you can get the PC to see the drive you can copy the path from file manager into music folder on the basic settings page.

I got the PC to see My Cloud, eventually. Following advice on the LMS forum I created a drive for it. The problem now is that LMS basic settings does not see it.

It won't, that 'bit' of LMS only sees drives that are on the same machine as LMS.

You can get LMS to see remote drives if you copy the path to the music folder from File Manager to the music folder field on the basic settings page. The path should look something like this \\WDCloudthingy\Music. The WD drive is likely to be hiding in the network part of File Manager.

You'll know if it's worked as when you paste the field should go green, and it will save that path. If that works then go for a clear & rescan if a scan isn't triggered automatically.

If not then we'll have scratch our heads and try something different.

Good luck.

After a lengthy break I have been tinkering about with this again and seem to have made some progress. LMS now appears on my DLNA apps (Mconnect and BubbleUp) enabling direct contact with MyCloud. LMS has replaced the MyCloud icon on these apps. However I'm still unable to access LMS and MyCloud via the Squeezer app through the Sonore Squeeze setting. It seems rather strange.

[CN211276]

I should have mentioned that the Twonky icon appears alongside Logitech Media Server on the DLNA apps. It seems that My Cloud has been discovered through Twonky. Can't get my head around why it is only visible on DLNA apps.

[CN211276]

My Volumio streamers all have direct access to my WD NAS but one does need Twonky - the iEast M50 in the kitchen which is a clone of the Wiim Mini and uses the same DLNA app. I took my Sonos units out of service because they couldn't find the new NAS - maybe with Twonky installed then they will, I'll have to try sometime.

Different devices and software use different protocols to connect.

[CN211276]

Different devices and software use different protocols to connect.

Very true.

My WD NAS has no problem connecting to my Sonore streamers through the DNLA setting. I have recently discovered, after tinkering, that this is also the case via LMS, all be it through Twonky. However My Cloud or Twonky don't appear on LMS and I am unable to access the NAS through the Squeezelite setting. In contrast it is easy to access Qobuz and Radio Paradise because LMS provides plugins for them, along with many other music sources. It would appear that a connection to the NAS through LMS/Squeezelite has been established but is hidden.

[George Hincapie]

Anyone else bought an EverSolo?

[Daniel Quinn]

That's a very sad name to a hopeless romantic

[George Hincapie]

After several years of promises and announcements they have finally got around to installing the long-awaited glass-fibre network around the outer regions of the village. This did involve the usual disruption of dug-up roads and traffic diversions - but it's here !

At least, there is now an orange lead sticking out of the ground next to the house.

So, yesterday I got a new modem from the telecom provider which has a fibre-connection port ready for the forthcoming upgraded link. This morning I have swapped the modems over and that has resulted in disruption of my home network.

Main problem was the NAS access, as that had its IP address changed. Meaning that all streamers needed restarting and the access address manually modified.

Fine, except for the kitchen player with the DLNA link. It just couldn't find it. Finally, I went into the settings for the NAS and turned the Twonky app off and then back on.

Hey Presto ! The player found Twonky and the NAS immediately.

A lesson in mucking about with home networks - sometimes restarting everything is the cure to access troubles.

[CN211276]

I have come across more opinions of Flac and Wav sounding the same, as they are both lossless, than the latter sounding better than the former.
I even came across a post saying that Flac sounds better than WAV (Linn streamer). As nearly all my CDs are ripped to Flac I decided to convert some to WAV and make comparisons. My conclusion was that there is a difference, WAV sounding better although the improvement is subtle. Why this is I don't know. It could be that the DAC and perhaps even the mscaler has an easier job processing a signal which is not folded to make more space.

This brings me on to the second part of this post.

There is a big difference in the dynamic range of the CDs I bought before the start of the loudness wars and those after, the extra head room requiring the volume controls to be several notches higher. The mastering of these CDs from over thirty years ago is not up to the high resolution standards of today and they can come over a bit bass light, especially transferred 70s recordings intended for the constraints of vinyl.

It is swings and roundabouts and to my ears the increased DR out weighs what might be lacking in the mastering. Instruments sound more like they should and more faithful to what was picked up in the recording studio. There is also a sense of less clutter in the mix with everything having more space to breathe. Guitar solos have more impact. I am sure that not everyone would agree with bog standard 16Bit 44kHz (upscaled to 705kHz) sounding better than high res 24 Bit 192kHz, but that is how it is to these ears in most cases. In short A to B comparisons modern high resolution remasters do sound more impressive, but this is misleading.

Different people hear different things and DR might well be less important to some. The system could also have a part to play with complex speaker designs squashing DR, or is it designers having the compressed music of today as their blue print? I feel that my system is ealising more of its full potential the greater the DR.

I bought a lot of CDs prior to the loudness wars so I could play my new toy and they were far from cheap in those days. The expense has been justified over thirty years on. I bought less CDs in the 90s and put this down to a decline in the rock music scene. Now I am beginning to think that CDs not sounding so good had something to do with it. My old vinyl gained more apeal. Although the system I had did not compare with what I have now the speakers, Heybrook HB1s, were not lacking in dynamics. This is what appealed to me when auditioned against competitors forty years ago.

There is a big second hand record store in Cardiff Market. I thought I might be able to track down some CDs to my liking mastered before the loudness wars. I had no luck but will visit again next time I am in town.

Compression has been compromising recordings for thirty years now and it is likely that few people under fifty would be aware of what is taken away. It is something we take for granted and live with, the mass market majority oblivious to it. Whilst a lot of forum space is taken up by what amounts to hair splitting, something as major as restricted DR receives little attention. In a Genesis thread on the massiveh Steve Hoffman I made reference to the bands CDs I bought in the 80s sounding particularly good because of the lack of compression. I received no reaction.

The situation seems to have got worse on recent releases by the bands I like and the DR site confirms what my ears tell me. They might sound impressive on my bluetooth speaker but I would much rather it if they did on the hifi systems and headphones.

[CycleCoach]

Good post CN.

I am firmly in the 'WAV is better than FLAC' camp and currently re-rip CD's I have as FLAC files to WAV. There is a sense of roundness / fullness to the sound of a WAV where FLAC's come across as slightly dry and flat. A personal opinion but it is something that I experience.

It used to be a question of available storage and reducing file sizes to fit into disk-drive space. These days, a multi-TeraByte NAS is very affordable and there is no real need to compress files anymore.

As for modern vs. older CDs - on the whole I do prefer the clarity of newer editions, those from Esoteric Records being particularly good on older material. Sometimes I have a problem when playing certain ripped files in the car as they start to clip due to them being mastered so loudly. Doesn't happen often , but it is unpleasant.

Some more recent editions are really poorly done and far too loud, specifically the latest German reissues of some Saga albums and a French 'audiophile' reissue of Suzanne Vega's first 2 LP's. These are truly awful, clipping is clearly audible on the Vega discs.

Working through a stack of 80's albums at the moment, secondhand copies - non-remastered, and i am being quite surprised (mostly) by how good they sound. This can possibly be attributed by my own tweaking of the playback systems, using resampling to higher rates to accentuate the SQ.

There are some stores on Ebay with vast selections of used CD's for low prices (Magpie Music in the UK is one such) and Amazon can be a source of cheap discs as well. Also Discogs marketplace can be handy in finding hard-to-get albums.

[CN211276]

Upsampling and conversion to WAV seem to enhance the sound of CDs from 30+ years ago. Had more luck with Music Magpie than the market today. Picked up a couple of "antiques" for peanuts with far better DR ratings than more recent Qobuz remasters.