We have been testing the app JPlay and it seems to work great. I wanted to have a few of the Renderer users here on this forum use it and give me feedback.
Today I verified it works up to 32 bit and 768kHz bit perfect and has proven to be stable. We will be testing more in the coming week.
For those that don’t know what it is, it’s software that runs on your iPad/iPhone with Qobuz/Tidal integration. It allows you to play directly from your iPad in high-res to your MSB DAC Renderer V2 module, no server or core needed unless you want to play local files.
Please give it a try and let us know your thoughts:
I just installed JPlay on my iPhone to try it out and it works as expected. I just did a smoke test. After I use it for a bit I’ll pass back some more comments.
One gotcha’ though. The device on the network named “AudibleOS” has to be given network access for the Renderer to work.
I keep things on my networked as locked down as I can. After initially installing it, everything seemed to work, including the volume control, which changes the volume on the Cascade! It doesn’t fool around with the bits is streams.
However, initially it wouldn’t play music and the Cascade displayed “0/0k Renderer”.
Then I remembered to check my router and found there was a device named “AudibleOS” that was blocked. I unblocked it and now it works!
Is “AudibleOS” a name you embedded into the Renderer?
What I meant to say was that if “AudibleOS” is something you embed in the Renderer it might be better to embed something like “MBS Renderer”, just to make it easier to identify it on the network (for the paranoid among us )
Yes, AudibleOS is a internal name. I’ll see if we can change this in a future release but it will probably stay this way. This is great feedback you’ve provided as it will help me troubleshoot with others in the future.
It does work fine, and the interface is a nice rip-off of Roon, down to the same font!
Anyway, as it does use UPNP, I did not sound any better than my Innuos doing UPNP as well. Of course, with JPlay you don’t need the server at all, if you’re not playing files, so there’s that…
But Roon still sounds better than any UPNP solution I’ve tried…
The big pro: you don’t need a separate computer (yay)!
-better library management then mcontrol, integrating local and streaming content
Cons:
-relies on upnp, that may become unstable at times
-you cannot edit/create tags
This was the main letdown for me: being “forced to accept” the streaming services tagging. They are a mess, specially in classical music, and when it comes to genres. And you always come up with duplicated entries in artists etc.
I don’t know it they implemented this feature, but that was a the deal breaker for me, and the reason to continue with roon.
Even the old Logitech media server features (although limited) genre and tag editing. But you have to create a local tags database, which I believe is hard for jplay to accomplish in an iPhone/ipad.
Hello- I own an MSB Discrete DAC and have been using JPLAY FEMTO (renderer on the PC) and JPLAY App (on my iPad and iPhone). The secret sauce is in the JPLAY renderer which runs on my custom built fanless i5 PC. I use a JPLAY USB card powered by an isolated linear power supply. I’ve compared JPLAY (both FEMTO and app) to ROON and found the SQ better on JPLAY FEMTO. The JPLAY app is OK, but ROON is still the best interface. I used locally stored files and QOBUZ for streaming. I played the same track and resolution from both locally stored and QOBUZ to do the comparison.
Reference: For organizing my music, I don’t rely on the JPLAY FEMTO app and use Minimserver. You can configure JPLAY app to use Minimserver.
I update metadata with an application called: PerfectTunes - since this is infrequent that I want to change cover art, etc.
JPLAY FEMTO settings - Kernel streaming or ASIO (I like KS better), DAClink ~1000HZ seems to work best.
Rest of my system: Magico A5s, Rowland mono amps and preamp, Purist Audio design 35th anniversary USB cable, Cardas interconnect and speaker cable.
Wow, thanks for sharing this. It sounds like you have really explored its potential and optimized the system. I agree that the Roon interface is one of the best.
hi Dan, I’ve also tried Audirvana Studio and that also sounded better than Roon. But of the three, JCAT FEMTO was the best. To arrive at this config it took a while of testing various combinations and was worth it. I also must say in full disclosure - JPLAY is a bit buggy on the App or on the server or both - can’t tell.
It’s been a while since I last used mconnect. It should find any upnp renderers in your network easily. I assume you clicked on the “play to” button, and waited for the renderer to appear. You can also try the gear (settings) button and see if the renderer appears.
On the bottom of this user manual there is a section on how to use mconnect. It might help.
Ifthe renderer continues not to be discovered by mconnect, I suggest:
-double check Renderer and mconnect are on the same network (no vlans etc)
-double check the renderer is being assigned a valid ip from your router
-if you have an android device, see if bubbleupnp finds the renderer
-if you have a windows device on your network, see if the renderer appears on the file explorer main page
If the renderer has an IP assigned to it and does not show in any of these players, probably you have to work on your network configuration (firewall, routing table etc)
Thank you very much for the answer, I will try what you wrote. The thing is, I also have a Vitus streamer/dac and there is no problem with it, everything works fine. Do their renders work differently ?
By the way, ROON does recognize the MSB.
As far as I know, they are the same, with upnp protocol. You could try switching off the vitus, just to rule out any conflicts. Also, disable the renderer in roon (or shut down your roon server). Roon might be using exclusive mode, preventing any other connection.
After several attempts, I think the problem is the compatibility of different versions of MCONNECT with Android. I found a version called MCONNECT LITE that works great with an iPad. But I’m currently also trying JPLAY and it works great. Too bad they don’t have an Android version as well.
Glad it work out. In android, my best experience was always with bubbleupnp. Better interface and much more reliable than mconnect (in my experience). It will put you off on $10, but well worth it.
In my iPad, I used the control HD. But my steamer had a conversdigital board. I don’t know if it works with the renderer.
Have tried Jplay multiple times but the sorting function keeps me off from it. The other day I wanted to give it a try again since both my music server (Oladra) and MSB Renderer have been certified by JPLAY.
So my settings are not the official one which sets both server / player in Oladra (minim+MPD); Instead, I use the Oladra as the server only (Minimserver+disable player) and the Rerderer V2 as player.
I’m really really surprised by the sound of this combination: More sense of space especially the depth of the soundstage; the vocals are more focused and the most important of all, the music becomes more realistic!
Above were compared with both squeeze + squeeze which were recommended by Antipodes as the best SQ playback method. output were USB-Pro-ISL when using squeeze.
I’m thinking if it’s the digital director doing its magic since it’s being acted as the network player. Anyway I’m very very happy with the result. What’s the best part? I’m only using a generic ethernet cable from the Oladra to the digital director
However, there’s still some minor bugs caused by this combination: sometimes the input will change to pro-isl while playback and pause, I have to select the input again back to renderer. sometimes it just play the next song while in the middle of the current playing song .
I’m a “bit perfect” person. I think there are several different parts to consider here.
If you are only streaming internet files from your iPad, is there any SQ difference between the JPlay IOS app vs using the Qobuz/Tidal app to stream the same music files?
If you are using a simple network Roon system (NUC with ROCK server) and MSB Renderer, is there an SQ difference when using the Roon iOS app vs the JPlay iOS app?
JPlay has made a great name for themselves making streamers, and upgrade parts for DIY streamers. And I will submit that JPlay streamers will beat a standard computer box via USB output. There are many competitors in this arena.
Then you get into any of the software apps that “improve” the sound by several means, including computer OS optimization, and more importantly using filters that alter the sound. I think JPlay employs this, as do others in their streamers. I am not aware that the iOS JPlay app can do that.
I had no issues with my trial of the JPlay app. It found my Roon server, and MSB Renderer, and played music that was not any different from the Roon system. I do t use any DSP in Roon.
I am moving this month, and my system will be in storage for up to 6 months. I got the Black Friday version of Audirvana Studio. I will be comparing SQ using my MacBookPro - iFi Go Bar with Focal Elegia headphones to compare Roon and Audirvana SQ via USB. If impressed, I may consider a Mac Mini for Audirvana Studio USB setup to the Premier DAC.
The NUC ROCK server to Renderer module is so easy, and solid, though…
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