Advice for Windows 11 digital only 2.1 audio software to USB DAC

[Svensson]

I'm moving from RPi4 / PiCoreplayer to a one minibox Windows 11 setup to cover both my music and my film needs (USB - DAC / PreAmp - Poweramp - stereo speakers and powered sub. So far, itcs been almost too easy Have set up LMS with 'local player' plugin. "Exclusive" output to my DAC via USB is showing all the correct bitrates when playing my music. I need to be able to use an Android tablet to select & control music playback with TV off. I am wondering if:
- Would I benefit from AISO?
- What room correction options are favoured (not preferring to go down the miniDSP route as I don't want to sell my relativley new DAC thats too late to return)
- I need to be a bit of a cheapskate thanks to a growing family.

I don't see a use case for me having Roon as I only listen in the one room and use local music from the hard drive and Qobuz.

Any tips or pointers for a Windows setup gratefully received. Would happily try other player or streamer software options if they are better than LMS.

 

[Zek]

Have you tried foobar2000, it's free and has a lot of customization options.

 

[Svensson]

Have you tried foobar2000, it's free and has a lot of customization options.

Thanks @Zek I haven't used F2K for about 20 years. I'd had a very quick read, but didn't see how to control it and music selection / playback without turning the TV on and using it like a nearfield setup. Will look harder!

 

[nsfgp]

Try Squeezelite-x w/ Material Skin instead of the local player plugin. You should find it more flexible to use. Get it from MS store. Read more here:

[Announce] Squeezelite-X - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

[removed]

forums.slimdevices.com

Material Skin/DSDplayer/Music&ArtistInfo/UPnP-DLNA => these are must have plugin.
Get the Material-App android wrapper for Android device: https://github.com/CDrummond/lms-material-app
This will be your remote control/etc. for any streamer you have at home and you can sync/separate them anyway you like from one unified UI any platform.

Welcome to the LMS/MaterialSkin/Squeezelite Eco system.

 

[boxerfan88]

Thanks @Zek I haven't used F2K for about 20 years. I'd had a very quick read, but didn't see how to control it and music selection / playback without turning the TV on and using it like a nearfield setup. Will look harder!

foo_beefweb provides a simple web interface to control fb2k.

works pretty well for me via apple browser. try it.

 

[ZolaIII]

JRiver and Jremote2 app with WDM intermediate driver (for other apps and browser). Plugin suport, infinite PEQ, convolver so pretty much what ever you want. You won't benefit much from ASIO compared to let's say WASAPI but you certainly won't lose anything.

 

[Svensson]

Try Squeezelite-x w/ Material Skin instead of the local player plugin. You should find it more flexible to use. Get it from MS store. Read more here:

[Announce] Squeezelite-X - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

[removed]

forums.slimdevices.com

Material Skin/DSDplayer/Music&ArtistInfo/UPnP-DLNA => these are must have plugin.
Get the Material-App android wrapper for Android device: https://github.com/CDrummond/lms-material-app
This will be your remote control/etc. for any streamer you have at home and you can sync/separate them anyway you like from one unified UI any platform.

Welcome to the LMS/MaterialSkin/Squeezelite Eco system.

Thanks @nsfgp have it working. May need to look more closely once everyone is in bed as I couldn't get Squeezelite-X to pick a player until i got local player app running.

 

[Apesbrain]

- Would I benefit from AISO?
- What room correction options are favoured (not preferring to go down the miniDSP route as I don't want to sell my relativley new DAC thats too late to return)

- No.
- There are two EQ plugins for LMS: EQ (Inguz) and SqueezeDSP. The former is in the list of plugins populated by LMS, the latter is here:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Foxenfurter/SqueezeDSP/main/test.xml

Local Player vs. Squeezelite-X is "6/half-dozen"; they both use squeezelite. If you had the former working, it's fine.

You'll want to get registered at the forums:

Forum - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

Forum Description

forums.slimdevices.com

 

[Svensson]

Thanks @boxerfan88 I'll have a good play with this.

foo_beefweb provides a simple web interface to control fb2k.

works pretty well for me via apple browser. try it.

 

[DVDdoug]

Would I benefit from AISO?

The main advantage of ASIO is supposed* to be low latency. That's important if you are recording while monitoring yourself in headphones because the latency (delay) can make it hard to perform. When you play an existing file, a few milliseconds of latency is of no concern. I've got recordings from the 50's & 60's with 60 years of "latency".

It also won't resample which makes it easier to get "bit perfect" audio. But it means you can't play a sample rate that your DAC doesn't support. And the Windows volume control won't work. (That would no longer be bit perfect.) But the application can apply volume control or EQ (altering the "bits") before the data is sent to the ASIO driver.

With regular Windows drivers, Windows doesn't tell you when it's resampling but it allows you to play a 192kHz, 24-bit file on any-old cheap soundcard.




* There are other factors that cause latency... Buffers are required with a multitasking operating system to keep the audio flowing smoothly in-and-out when the audio processing is interrupted while the system does something else, and a buffer is a delay.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

JRiver does everything you could imagine transcoding, decoding and support of legacy surround sound formats, PEQ, Bass management and software based crossovers, bus for vst plugins, convolution support, 65 bit digital volume control, multiple zones to allow for different setups, WDM driver for input, ASIO can be used for output, library function, video rendering, JR remote, library functionality, cd ripping, and probabably a few other functions I can't remember. All for $65, and, unlike Roon, you own it.

 

[ZolaIII]

@phoenixdogfan it's 64 bit FP processing (internal engine) and it's a bit sluggish regarding video (JRiver) especially if you use MadVR so you are better off with MPC HC (or some of its forge - clones) for that. Loudness (ISO 226 2003) trough internal volume controls, EBU R128 normalisation and DLNA server DSP chain inclusion would be among more useful one's I could remember without to much thinking about it and as long time user of course, best regards.

 

[hip_adductor]

cd ripping

dvd ripping too? I've been tasked with transferring my family's holiday dvd's, going back over sixty years, to hdd on my PC.

 

[Apesbrain]

dvd ripping

If the DVDs are authored in standard format, you can rip them using HandBrake.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

If the DVDs are authored in standard format, you can rip them using HandBrake.

Or DVD Decrypter.

DVD Decrypter

Free DVD ripping software

dvd-decrypter.en.softonic.com

 

[JLGF1]

DLNA server DSP chain inclusion

Sorry if I'm missing the obvious. Could you kindly elaborate on some of the details on this (or maybe a link pointer)? TIA.

 

[ZolaIII]

Sorry if I'm missing the obvious. Could you kindly elaborate on some of the details on this (or maybe a link pointer)? TIA.

Under: media network (services & plugins) - options - add or configure DLNA servers... - Audio - advanced you have DSP studio. It's a full separate DSP tool chain like a main one where you can do almost any correction/alteration. You can not do equal loudness as it's out of DSP chain and tied to volume control and you can not cut anything on two chenel as cut is cut.

Sorry for not so good quality photo, it's early in the morning for me and sipping the first coffee.

 

[Svensson]

Try Squeezelite-x w/ Material Skin instead of the local player plugin. You should find it more flexible to use. Get it from MS store. Read more here:

[Announce] Squeezelite-X - Squeezebox : Community : Forums

[removed]

forums.slimdevices.com

Material Skin/DSDplayer/Music&ArtistInfo/UPnP-DLNA => these are must have plugin.
Get the Material-App android wrapper for Android device: https://github.com/CDrummond/lms-material-app
This will be your remote control/etc. for any streamer you have at home and you can sync/separate them anyway you like from one unified UI any platform.

Welcome to the LMS/MaterialSkin/Squeezelite Eco system.

@nsfgp Thanks for the top tips. Had been using LMS (Fdroid) to control things from my mobile phone and tablet. It is workijg just as it should with my new Windows setup.