Tír Na HiFi

I am using similar setup but based on foobar + android app on my smartphone to control headless pc working in single mode. I am working with app creator to make it play the tunes directly in jmini instead of foobar -> jplay - however it is too early to say if it is going to work the way I would like it to.

Foobar has some benefits over jriver, especially for such minimalistic builds like headless audio-pc. Almost not existent system footprint in compare to jriver would be certenley one and the fact it is totally free also counts :)

The app https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... b25wcm8iXQ.. (there is also a free version of it).

Cheers

sebna wrote:I am using similar setup but based on foobar + android app on my smartphone to control headless pc working in single mode. I am working with app creator to make it play the tunes directly in jmini instead of foobar -> jplay - however it is too early to say if it is going to work the way I would like it to.

Foobar has some benefits over jriver, especially for such minimalistic builds like headless audio-pc. Almost not existent system footprint in compare to jriver would be certenley one and the fact it is totally free also counts :)

The app https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... b25wcm8iXQ.. (there is also a free version of it).

Cheers

didn't know there was a app remote control for foobar i will try it later,
i cant even remember exactly why i went with jriver (think it was to do with the remote app)

your jmini remote app sounds intriguing keep us updated on how you get on with it

im not sure i loose much sq with jriver over jplay mini in single pc mode i couldnt differentiate, but i do know its worse, as my minimum ultrasize is slightly larger with jriver running.

the biggest issue for me is that i cannot playback with hibernate on in jplay settings,
as it will start to play with superb sound but i loose contact between android and pc and i have to unplug a usb to wake it

Hi Nige,

There are quite good few of remote control apps for foobar on android platform but the one I have linked seems to be the best (at least for what I am expecting from it), also the author is very responsive. I have already sent him good few requests / improvements and he implemented some of them quite fast.

With this app Wake on Lan works brilliantly. It allows you to shutdown or put to sleep your audio PC from smartphone level and then WOL allows to turn it on also using smartphone without the need to press any buttons on the actual audio-pc.

It is a bit of shame tough that I disabled the sleep functionality in search of better sound quality ! :D - I think I will re enable it as the feature of being able to use only my phone is great without the need to touch or see audio PC at all (my audio PC i locked in the closet out of sight)

JRemote on iPad or iPhone is a great app for JRiver alright Nige, been using it for almost a year now with JRiver Mediaserver and it is the ultimate tool for settling in on the listening chair for the night with little loss in sound quality from what I could hear....and of course with JPlay Asio for playback.
I expect the Foobar route which Seb has setup is just as good and definitely with no loss of sound quality from listening to his system compared to my setup recently.

I have since moved from only having the lazy night in the seat approach with JRemote on streaming setup to setting up a lean/mean JPlay Mini streaming option for when I want to be sure I have the most minimal setup with best sound quality.

I have core server running with Audiophils script on my audio PC by direct connection and this is just a button push like you mentioned to start and 2 hits to shutdown with no GUI ever needed.
On my control PC Laptop I now have wintogo core server running again with Audiophils script and using Total Commander with JPlay Mini.
Control PC Laptop is setup to start without login and auto launch Total Commander and then just do the usual copy and hit spacebar.

Both setups sound wonderfull especially since all the additions of Linear supplies and partuicularly with Core Server 2012 and Audiophils script.

So depending on the mood, for a lazy night it just means pulling out the wintogo usb stick and boot the laptop straight in to Win8 Pro optimised with CADs script and we have JRemote controlling the music or for more critical listening just leave the wintogo stick in and go for a core server streaming setup with JPlay Mini.

Best of both worlds with little to do except to decide whether to pull the USB stick or not at startup.

I expect people reading this will wonder how anyone would go to all this fuss setting it up and it has been a challenge but well worth it in the end if you want the best from digital playback.
No doubt in the not too distant future and probably sooner than we all expect it will be made a lot easier for anyone to jump on board but I enjoyed the journey and I expect we are far from the end just yet.

hi Pearse

Whats the verdict on core server as control pc?
i haven't got to testing it yet, but i have it in my head that there will be no difference (still have to try it to be sure)

If you had Jriver installed on your core server control pc, there's the option of begin lazy all the time

back a bit you had trouble getting core server on the laptop what was the issue
i haven't tried it on a laptop yet

nige

I believe I found a small improvement by going wintogo core server on my laptop but no way of telling for sure without some AB comparisons as it takes too long to switch back and forth.
If I do go the JRiver approach with core server I will have to enable wireless on my laptop for control but I expect having no wireless at the moment helps.

Long term I am looking at building another Zuma like Control PC but I am still looking around at motherboards with dual LAN ports, there are limited options out there so still looking around.
When I do make the change then I can run one LAN port direct to the Audio PC and the other LAN port by cable to my router which will then give me JRemote without the need for wireless.

Biggest issue with my laptop was trying to get a driver for the AMD graphics chip, core server does not have any driver to give me good screen resolution on my brand of laptop and I gave up searching for an inf file for core server that will work with my laptop graphics chip, there is probably an Intel HD driver somewhere i could use but it is like looking for a needle in a haystack right now.

The current graphics driver will not give me a resolution that JPlay Settings Panel will open in so I cheated and got the settings set up in the registry and through working with the JPlay Settings Panel on the Audio PC to eventually have streaming setup with Ultrastream and my Meitner Driver on Kernel Streaming...a real PITA but got there eventually without the simple aid of the JPlay Settings Panel on the laptop.
The Network driver for the laptop installed easy on initial installation and Total Commander opens up fine so hopefully if your graphics chip is supported by a driver in core server it should be painless.

Hopefully!!

Hi Pearse,

You could also get a wireless router with built in 4ports switch. Then connect all your PCs to switch by CAT5 and connect phone wirlessly to same network using wireless from router where all the PCs are connected to switching part of it.

This is what I do anyway. This way you do not have to enable wireless on any of your PCs / Laptops.

Hi Seb,
The problem is I do not want to have a router/switch or any device between control PC and audio PC, I like direct connection by short CAT5 cable.
Unfortunately unless I use wireless or build a new Control PC with dual LAN or a PCI LAN card I am stumped with the single LAN connection on my laptop.

I am no network expert, in fact I really struggle with networking protocols/systems no matter how much i read up on networking, my brain only works well with diagrams and visuals :-))

Pearse - what about wired to the audioPC but wireless to the router and onwards?

Sligolad wrote:I believe I found a small improvement by going wintogo core server on my laptop but no way of telling for sure without some AB comparisons as it takes too long to switch back and forth.
If I do go the JRiver approach with core server I will have to enable wireless on my laptop for control but I expect having no wireless at the moment helps.

Long term I am looking at building another Zuma like Control PC but I am still looking around at motherboards with dual LAN ports, there are limited options out there so still looking around.
When I do make the change then I can run one LAN port direct to the Audio PC and the other LAN port by cable to my router which will then give me JRemote without the need for wireless.

Here's one & it comes in a beautifully looking, passively cooled case http://www.cirrus7.com/blog/cirrus7-nim ... se-plan-en