Laptop vs RPI as player (Acoustic Portrait)

[mbhangui]

Thank you.
It does not load on the iPad but I guess I should try with the swara streamer switched on, or does this not matter?

It has to be with the swara streamer switched on

 

[sreejithsreedharan]

Thank you.
It does not load on the iPad but I guess I should try with the swara streamer switched on, or does this not matter?

Yes- both the iPad and streamer must be on the same network. If you are starting it for the first time, then you may need to connect through a Ethernet cable and setup the Wi-Fi in rune audio.

 

[mbhangui]

Yes- both the iPad and streamer must be on the same network. If you are starting it for the first time, then you may need to connect through a Ethernet cable and setup the Wi-Fi in rune audio.

The wifi reception on swara suffers due to the RPI being enclosed in a metal box. The OP will be better off with an ethernet cable. One can try external dongles but I find few users not happy with the dongles.

 

[rwnano]

Hi
I have a basic question. Is there any harm in using a computer as a player instead of RPI?

My setup chain today is

• Acoustic Portrait Swara Streamer (I play Spotify using Volumio)>Acoustic Portrait Thyaga DAC > Acoustic Portrait Swara Integrated Amplifier > Acoustic Portrait MS 610 Speakers

I want to change the first component of this chain. Instead of Acoustic Portrait Swara Streamer I am considering using an Asus X200MA laptop

Why?

1. The Acoustic Portrait Swara Streamer is a streamer with a Volumio player that has Spotify Plugin. The communication is all through air and often disconnects while playing. While connecting the USB from the computer to DAC is a direct connection and will hopefully not have the problem of frequent disconnection.
   
   
2. The control of Spotify for Volumio is via phone>Wifi>Streamer. If I use the computer the control is directly on the Spotify application on the laptop. More reliable
   
   
3. I am not using the DAC component within Acoustic Portrait Swara Streamer. The DAC and RPI hats inside the Acoustic Portrait Swara Streamer and I today do not use its DAC within Acoustic Portrait Swara Streamer because I have a better external DAC (Acoustic Portrait Thyaga DAC). So the point of using Swara Streamer is only as player, then why not directly from a computer?

Help/Opinion requested:

1. Is there anything wrong with running a laptop as a player instead of an RPI streamer? The sound quality vs connection stability view will be appreciated
2. What should be the right operating system to get the best output from the laptop?

PS:

• I know Spotify's sound quality is not so good, but I prefer its recommendation engine. So I want to stick to it, instead of going to CDs or offline files
• Some people will say, the quality of the power supply is very important. All my components run from direct power filtered by APC SRC1KI-IN UPS. If I use a computer then the player will be battery-powered. In comparison, Acoustic Portrait Swara Streamer has a very good linear power supply within the box

Kind regards
Aurobindo

https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/comments/udkq2c

 

[Analogous]

It has to be with the swara streamer switched on

I tried this. The runeaudio.local site does not open at all

 

[mbhangui]

I tried this. The runeaudio.local site does not open at all

It means your PI has either not got an IP address or it has not advertised the local dns name runeaudio.local. You have two options

1. Reinstall runeaudio
or
2. Connect a TV HDMI input to the HDMI out on the swara and see what happens during startup. If you connect a keyboard and mouse one can also troubleshoot and fix any issues.

 

[premoddev]

I tried this. The runeaudio.local site does not open at all

You could try something like Advanced IP Scanner on your windows PC on same network, which will fetch the ips inside your network and tell the ips attached to each devices. That way you can identify the ip of your streamer.

Always good to reserve ips within your broadband router, so every time the ip will be same for your streamer.

 

[Analogous]

Thank you friends. I connected the unit to my router with a CAT cable. If I am to reinstall runeaudio. I am thinking might as well install Volumio instead (it has an app on the fruit company store)
Any thoughts on this?
Any other software which works with iOS?

 

[Analogous]

Always good to reserve ips within your broadband router, so every time the ip will be same for your streamer.

I did not know this. Will try to do this. Thanks!

 

[mbhangui]

Thank you friends. I connected the unit to my router with a CAT cable. If I am to reinstall runeaudio. I am thinking might as well install Volumio instead (it has an app on the fruit company store)
Any thoughts on this?
Any other software which works with iOS?

With runaudio too you will get apps from the fruit company. In fact you will not get tied (volumio will tie you to use only its own app). With runeaudio, moode, max2play you will have the freedom to chose the apps.

e.g.
maximummpd
rigelian
and if you do what @premoddev said about having a fixed IP you will be able to play any music by connecting to the IP from any browser

EDIT:
And if you have a macbook you will have one of the best app to control music playback on your swara streamer
Cantata https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/cantata

With volumio you loose the ability to control playlists, playback etc usiing any app other than volumio's own app or interface.

also this https://www.runeaudio.com/forum/about-runeaudio-and-volumio-t90.html

Meanwhile, we were already working together with RaspyFi's founder Michelangelo Guarise on a new wider project called Tsunamp, but sadly things went wrong and we decided to abandon it and continue on different paths.

After the split, two different and independent projects were founded. We joined Carmelo San Giovanni (Um3ggh1u) and together we founded RuneAudio, choosing to rebuild the distro from scratch with Arch Linux as base. Michelangelo instead founded Volumio, using a slightly modified version of the webUI we developed for RaspyFi, in which he hadn't written any single line of code before that. This has to be clarified, as most people do not know who really is behind that huge work. Someone even thinks that RuneAudio is a fork of Volumio, when the truth is quite different. You can find our names in the credits of RaspyFi and Volumio projects.

These are the reasons why you'll find now three different projects with similiar purposes and almost the same webUI.
As the creators of the original RaspyFi's webUI, we are continuing its development under the RuneAudio project with the name RuneUI.
We are not collaborating anymore with RaspyFi and don't have any relationship with Volumio. We wish them all the best for the future.

 

[Analogous]

With runaudio too you will get apps from the fruit company. In fact you will not get tied (volumio will tie you to use only its own app). With runeaudio, moode, max2play you will have the freedom to chose the apps.

e.g.
maximummpd
rigelian
and if you do what @premoddev said about having a fixed IP you will be able to play any music by connecting to the IP from any browser

EDIT:
And if you have a macbook you will have one of the best app to control music playback on your swara streamer
Cantata https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/cantata

With volumio you loose the ability to control playlists, playback etc usiing any app other than volumio's own app or interface.

also this https://www.runeaudio.com/forum/about-runeaudio-and-volumio-t90.html

I did not know this too! Thanks @mbhangui
I have been trying to get runeaudio local on the iPhone (after connecting the streamer to the router) but it does not even open the page! A bit frustrating

 

[mbhangui]

I did not know this too! Thanks @mbhangui
I have been trying to get runeaudio local on the iPhone (after connecting the streamer to the router) but it does not even open the page! A bit frustrating

Use the IP of the swara streamer instead of runeuaudio.local

e.g. if the IP of the swara streamer is 192.168.1.133

Then on iphone use http://192.168.1.133

 

[Analogous]

Use the IP of the swara streamer instead of runeuaudio.local

e.g. if the IP of the swara streamer is 192.168.1.133

Then on iphone use http://192.168.1.133

Will surely try this next. Thanks

 

[sreejithsreedharan]

I did not know this too! Thanks @mbhangui
I have been trying to get runeaudio local on the iPhone (after connecting the streamer to the router) but it does not even open the page! A bit frustrating

I also faced issues with iPhone/ iPad. I then started using Volumio with an old android phone and it works well. Also it is good if u install Bubbleupnp app, again using android. The connection is more stable in it. You can connect tidal/ quboz or even google drive using it. Also as @mbhangui suggested use Ethernet cable And not Wi-Fi.