If DLNA/UPnP is your prime option to distribute audio then also I would recomend Rpi with just Moode installed. Use Moode as a UPnP/Airplay renderer and not as a local player. Once you have Rpi with Moode connected to your Audio gear, it will show up in any UPnP controller, and since it also is an Airplay receiver, iTunes will also work. BUT this is not exactly a multiroon setup, you cannot stream independent audio or sync audio from one application all at the same time. This limitation will also be there with CCA. Lets take an example .......Say for example you are running spotify or iTunes from your laptop and you would like to send audio to zone one (living room), with CCA or Rpi(Moode) connected to your living room speakers. Now at the same time you want another music stream (song) to be sent from the same spotify or iTunes to another zone 2(Bedroom), you cannot do that. Even if you use different players. You CAN however send one stream from spotify and another from iTunes to different zones but that does not make sense and neither sounds feasible.
Ideally you should have one application, interface running, from where you can send independent music streams to different zones and also sync between different zones keeping other sources playing what ever they were playing. Plus the ability to control all streams with independent volume from an Android/iOS. That is where LMS comes and excels.
Actually Sam, all the scenarios you've mentioned are a possibility, though real life situations where they are needed would be extremely limited.
What's possible with CCA, using the
same source/server and the
same smartphone.
1. Send any song/album to any CCA in any room (obvious).
2. Send the same song/album to multiple CCAs in multiple rooms. I have 3, and I can use them in any combination i.e. 1 & 2, 2 & 3, 1 & 3, or 1, 2, & 3.
3. Send different song/album to different CCAs in different rooms.
Now there's definitely an advantage with LMS, but how much of an advantage it is depends on the individual.
If I'm in a room and listening to something then yes I'm all set. I'm moving to another room and want to transfer the current track/album to that room, I'm set all set here too.
I'm in a room listening to something, but want a different song/album in a different room, then I'm all set if I use another smartphone or tablet.
Of course wife wants her own songs in the kitchen or bedroom, she simply uses her smartphone. Everybody has one these days.
The problems arise only when there is 1 smartphone and you want to send different songs to different rooms. Even that can be done with a single smartphone, simply install another app that's similar to BubbleUPnP and you can do it.
For instance I use Spotify app to send it to room 1. I simply add my Spotify credentials to BubbleUPnP and from it send to room 2. It works, but not really needed as pretty much everyone has at least a smartphone and a tablet, but typically lots more. However, even with a single control point its doable by simply using different apps.
