K30 - change player function to player/server for MPD

Support
1

Hi,
I have a K30 and EX. The EX is direct streamed from the K30. I have the EX set as player/server running MPD with an smb link to a folder on my K30. This allows for MPD to be direct played without streaming through a remote app. i,e. mconnect. I use this for my PGGB library

If the player in the K30 could be set to player/server than this link could also be created.

MPD in direct play mode is superior in sound (imho) than squeeze and roon/hqplayer.

I am glad I kept my EX when upgrading to the K30 and would have chosen the S line if not as the separates are much more flexible.

2

So essentially you are using the K30 as a NAS.

Sounds to me like what you really need is a high powered single board device that sounds great.
Hmmmmm yells @antipodes another model please.

1 Like
3

Yes but only to get MPD direct play. If the K30 player could be set to player/server then the server computer could be the nas for it for mpd only. The EX or S30 is all you need for MPD direct. I was using just the EX with it’s own ssd but my library grew too large so the smb link to the K30 became an option. As it and the EX were behind the ethernet direct stream the network noise would be minimum. Now… if that was possible internally in the K30/50.

4

Yeah, I get it, but this type of setup creates more issues with the masses than it fixes for the small minority of people who wish to use their server in this fashion.

Just seems to me that this type of playback leads itself to a dedicated device and/or NAS, rather than rendering half a K30 redundant, or 2/3rds a K50.
Just not the right device for the job architecturally speaking.

Let me look into it tho, no promises.

5

I get that too. I’m probably the only one wanting this as I am not a fan of squeeze resampling my 16fs files and I have a solution.

6

How are you sure that it’s resampling them?

7

That may be the wrong term. It may be transcoding them. At the very least the 3CPO plugin is modifying them somehow to make them playable.

8

I don’t think that’s true unless the boxes are checked for an import format on the C-3PO player settings page.

Even if resample is checked, “when the reference value is found as selected, resampling is avoided” where reference value is the song’s sample rate. All the plug-in does is act like a pass-through when it has no processing to do. But I wouldn’t bet money on that as the page can be cryptic.

9

Will have a solution in the next AMS version, until then it is status quo

2 Likes
10

Just a further on mconnect. Mconnect is a player not a controller. For Tidal and Qobuz it definitely retransmits the stream from the device on which it is installed. This is to enable it to do the first unfold of MQA. It is also the consensus on the Naim forums that it retransmits all streams even if from a server. This is why MPD direct by means of a controller (not player) is superior.

11

I’m about as far from being an expert on streaming as it’s possible to get, so please forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t mconnect available in multiple versions, some of which are control & others players?

12

You are correct. The controller apps require mconnect (converse) hardware to be installed per their website.

To be honest, I am not 100% sure on my position that mconnect retransmits streams. I have tried to contact the developer with no replies.

I hope someone with a definitive answer can reply.

13

Maybe post a question here.

14

Thanks but it’s not a question for support but a continuation of my OG post. Support has already said it is ridiculous with no direct proof but a statement on servers in general. It’s just my findings. If others with more in the know wish to comment fair enough. MPD when played direct either through EX,CX or S or Mojo/Poly is a superior player and can favorably compare to squeeze/squeeze and will be welcomed on the K series.

15

I didn’t mean here. Here in that sentence is a hyperlink to the MPD forum.

16

Except that I am pretty sure that whilst playing music from my K50 using MPD and using Mconnect on my iPad I have quit the Mconnect app and even turned off my ipad and the music keeps playing. This sort of confirms that in that situation mconnect is not acting as a player.

There is an Mconnect player but this is not what is used to control the K50 when using MPD (MPD on the K50 is the player in that circumstance).

17

I think the behavior might be different when playing music from Qobuz or Tidal. It seems to be implemented as a client-side feature as these settings don’t persist in a way that’s usable by other MPD controllers. I don’t believe Glider or Rigelian even offer the ability to configure these services. I wonder what would happen if you repeat your test using music from one of those sources.

18

Just a further to mconnect vs mpd direct. I have been in contact with the developer of Rigelian and queried his take on signal path with the two apps.

“ Hi Laurie,

Your assumption is correct. Rigelian doesn’t play a role in the signal path, it’s a pure remote control based on mpd. As far as I know mconnect works based on UPnP and is part of the signal path. You notice this as the music will stop playing when you force quite connect, unlike Rigelian where the music keeps playing until the end of the play queue.

Best regards,
Berrie”

Can this affect the sound? Imho it does.

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Roon also passes the signal through the roon software using raat. Jussi from HQPLAYER alludes to this as he states he receives the stream from roon. For sure mconnect passes the tidal streams as it does the decoding so it makes sense it also passes other streams. I have tried to contact mconnect but no answer. Maybe Antipodes would get an answer.