How can/does a streamer affect sound quality?

[Kal Rubinson]

That is what I'm interested in (streaming files from my own drives, not Internet)

And I need the digital signal to go to an AVR, so I can use its decoding/DSP/amplification functions, and then output it to a 5.1 speaker system,-- unless there are streamers that actually do all that too.

The easiest and most general solution for this, which some will argue is far from purist (do you care?), is to send the streamer output via HDMI.

 

[krabapple]

I don't! (care what 'purists' say...I am sending the signal through massive AVR DSP -- room EQ, upmixing for stereo -- after all)

So, I can connect a storage drive and the streamer to my local network (either separately drive -->network + streamer-->network, or directly as drive-->streamer-->network), and connect the streamer to the AVR via HDMI. That gets me bitperfect connection and correct playback of surround files? How do I control song choice (playlists)? Preferably via a wifi interface with the streamer.

I actually do something like this already with foobar+wasapi plugin on a laptop, laptop connected via HDMI to the AVR and by wifi to my home network, and a storage drive connected to the laptop by USB; song choice controlled by a tablet running Foobar2000 Controller and connected via wifi to my network.

but there has to be a more elegant solution....

 

[gfx_1]

I don't understand why android has this problem. I guess Google can't afford to design audio on their os correctly?
It's very very annoying.

I don't know if it is all Google's fault. On linux it also depends on the audio subsystem used. When using pulseaudio every program that makes a noise is played (mixed) to the digital out so everything is at 44.1 kHz (or maybe 48 kHz, must check that) With ALSA audio it just hogs the output and it can play higher bitrates it the active program supports that. Other sounds are ignored.

 

[BDWoody]

I don't! (care what 'purists' say...I am sending the signal through massive AVR DSP -- room EQ, upmixing for stereo -- after all)

So, I can connect a storage drive and the streamer to my local network (either separately drive -->network + streamer-->network, or directly as drive-->streamer-->network), and connect the streamer to the AVR via HDMI. That gets me bitperfect connection and correct playback of surround files? How do I control song choice (playlists)? Preferably via a wifi interface with the streamer.

I actually do something like this already with foobar+wasapi plugin on a laptop, laptop connected via HDMI to the AVR and by wifi to my home network, and a storage drive connected to the laptop by USB; song choice controlled by a tablet running Foobar2000 Controller and connected via wifi to my network.

but there has to be a more elegant solution....

Nvidia Shield...?
Has USB for outboard DAC's, or connect HDMI to AVR.
It's what I use. It's also set up to act as a Plex server, and will take a NAS device as well.
Slick box.

 

[krabapple]

I'm actually not clear on what the difference is between this

                                                   --> AVR-->5.1 system
hard drive with files -->laptop running  foobar  |
                                                   --> tablet interface with foobar (via wifi)                                                       
and this:
                                                                       --> AVR-->5.1 system
hard drive with files -->media player running media player software  |
                                                                       --> tablet interface with media player software (via wifi)

If it's really just all about access to Internet-delivered content, that's not important to me. Is there another advantage?

 

[tential]

I don't know if it is all Google's fault. On linux it also depends on the audio subsystem used. When using pulseaudio every program that makes a noise is played (mixed) to the digital out so everything is at 44.1 kHz (or maybe 48 kHz, must check that) With ALSA audio it just hogs the output and it can play higher bitrates it the active program supports that. Other sounds are ignored.

I've seen these excuses before and I'm sorry are you saying GOOGLE can't afford to fix this?
Can't figure out a way to program around this? With all of their resources?

You can explain Linux to me, that's OK, I'm not an expert in how Linux audio works.
I'm pretty sure you can choose what audio driver/engine you're using in Linux but don't quote me on that since I use it for server and not audio, although I did run my home theater off of it for a time but don't remember much of the audio setup.

My annoyance is that Google has the resources to do this. That's just not debatable. They're worth $800M in market cap, put off insane double digit revenue growth, and they can't do this?
I'm not a corporate apologist. I don't think we should ever make excuses for companies of Google size. The. 0.0001% of stock return I'll suffer for Googles ability to fix this won't make me not sleep at night. They're sitting on piles of cash... Do something with it. Make the os better, make your company better, don't just sit on your hands and wonder. Or if you're not going to do anything, have a more aggressive buyback of shares (shareholders whined bitterly be for Apple stopped sitting on its cash and started returning it.).

Either make your products better, or give me my money back. Doing nothing really pisses me off.
I also don't understand why people defend company's like Google when you lose nothing for them fixing issues. Unless you own shares in the company and disagree... It doesn't hurt you at all...

 

[Mnyb]

Regarding streamer , if it’s local files and you use a digital input it’s just another digital source and thus sound the same .

My experience is with my Meridian HT a Squeezebox a CD player a raspberry pi with a spdif board sound the same as my Meridian DVDA player , given the same content a CD or it’s corresponding FLAC files .

 

[gfx_1]

I've seen these excuses before and I'm sorry are you saying GOOGLE can't afford to fix this?
Can't figure out a way to program around this? With all of their resources?

If you want to mix multiple sound sources then you'll have to pick a sample rate and resample everything to it. I'm not apologizing for google, they should do better, stop following me and bring Picasa back.