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MDAC First Listen (part 00111000)

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When did you last check this? They have recently made improvements and will continue in the future. They really do listen and are very active on their forum.

Luckily I do not listen to a lot of classical.

Nothings perfect but Roon is close maybe not for classical but that not my thing anyway.

Currently running a free trial. I wasn't hoping for much, and it hasn't delivered. Basically browsing classical music using Roon's metadata is impossible, because there's no consistency in how the fields are used (who counts as an 'artist'?) or how the metadata is entered (e.g. spelling).

The problem gets worse when you try to integrate your local library with a streaming service, because your own library may be beautifully organized, with all the fields used consistently and all the spelling normalized (Rachmaninov or Rachmaninoff?), but Tidal's metadata is all over the place. So your browsing menus get populated with all sorts of stuff you don't want there and stuff that's been inaccurately entered.

Classical music metadata is far more complex than for pop/rock/jazz etc, for a number of reasons that I won't bore people with. There is really only one way to deal with classical music metadata, and that's to edit it yourself according to your own (hopefully rational) system.
 
Others have ported SBT to the RPi so it should be relatively simple to add to the CM3 (RPi3) based MDAC2 streamer.

The User controls of the MDAC2+ (MDAC2 with upgraded front panel) are on a separate touch panel and interfaced directly to the MDAC2 MCU so will operate independent of what software is installed on the CM3 - however we rely on the UI on the display panel to indicate volume level and input source etc. so there will need to be a simply UI addition to any SBT software port to indicate the MDAC2+ "front panel interface".

It is only nice to have a UI indicator for SBT or Roon but not necessary.
You only need to be able to select the streamer as a source then it will play whatever is send to ALSA output be it Volumios MPD, squeezelite, RoonBridge etc.

Yes it will be possible to make better integration to the UI but not essential. Roon have released a API so the community can make their own integrations. I have just ordered a 7" touch screen for my RPI (the official crap one) to try it out.
 
Yes that is a good introduction to how UI works, but since this was recorded the Roon team has added more functionality and that makes the software even better value.
  • Upsample to DSD512 / PCM 768Khz
  • DSP functions Parametric EQ, Crossfeed
  • Roon Optimized Core Kit (ROCK) which is a OS that makes it easy to turn a NUC into a Music Server which does all the heavy lifting like LMS
All processing is done on the Server the RoonBridge is only receiving DCP, DoP and Native DSD and are therefore very light weight on the CPU.

The great thing about Roon is that it lets the DIY people build the same things for free that the commercial brands build into their products.
RoonReady≍RoonBridge and ROCK≍expensive hifi branded server

"Upsample to DSD512 " does mean it can convert PCM to DSD? If so, I'd be interested to hear from John whether he thinks that it would be worth doing when playing via the MDAC2. ( I suspect John will say no, its DSD played natively that brings benefits, but maybe I'll be surprised. John?)
 
Yes it can convert PCM to DSD and even upsample DSD64 to DSD512 and apply DSP functions as well if you want.
I also upsamples mp3 raidio streams to DSD if that is what you want :D

I am also a bit sceptical about the benefits of upsampling, but there is lots of people that claims it makes a difference with their DAC so I will not rule it out.
 
Now the MDac is totally broke,Distortion from both Channels, Switching Noise.....Now that Project Dac would be nice,Alternative ???
 
Classical music metadata is far more complex than for pop/rock/jazz etc, for a number of reasons that I won't bore people with. There is really only one way to deal with classical music metadata, and that's to edit it yourself according to your own (hopefully rational) system.
I have been arguing for years that we need a European Metadata Regulation enforcing, on pain of savage penalities, the consistent use of composer, conductor, band, identified individual artists (with discipline separately recorded in a sub-field ), choir(s), work, location, recording date, recording release, original label, re-release label. And of course spelling.
I imagine that it probably would have run into immediate and intractable disputes between the English, French and Germans over Handel.
 
You have the choice in roon to use either their metadata or your own carefully manicured tagging
With roon and tidal , I have not bought any new music for almost 2 years.. I used to buy at least 50 quid a month.. roon and tidal are less than 1/2 that..
SQ is superb and their DSP engine is amazing .. you even get a convolution engine for complex time and freq correction
I bought a lifetime roon membership at $300 on a "special" , worth every cent and it was mickey mouse money compared to my system cost
FWIW I thought the M-dac was a very fine dac .. until mine broke
Nowdays , for me , with devialets .. a stand alone dac is moot
 
Classical music metadata is far more complex than for pop/rock/jazz etc, for a number of reasons that I won't bore people with. There is really only one way to deal with classical music metadata, and that's to edit it yourself according to your own (hopefully rational) system.

Or do as I do and ignore metadata altogether and simply browse by directory/folder. The Volumio app allows this, I think.
 
Sometimes you need to know who wrote the sleeve notes, and took the photograph on the album sleeve.

Though personally I am more interested in listening to the music.
 
Others have ported SBT to the RPi so it should be relatively simple to add to the CM3 (RPi3) based MDAC2 streamer.

The User controls of the MDAC2+ (MDAC2 with upgraded front panel) are on a separate touch panel and interfaced directly to the MDAC2 MCU so will operate independent of what software is installed on the CM3 - however we rely on the UI on the display panel to indicate volume level and input source etc. so there will need to be a simply UI addition to any SBT software port to indicate the MDAC2+ "front panel interface".

John is it going to be possible to load something like iTunes onto the CM3 and use off board storage to run without a PC.
 
John is it going to be possible to load something like iTunes onto the CM3 and use off board storage to run without a PC.

It seem to be possible to run a itunes server on a RPI https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=49928

But this does not mean it is a good idea and you would most likely have to install it yourself if that is possible.

Why not use Volumio to manage your music if you don't want to use a PC as your server?
 
It's already 2017, shouldn't it be high time for some delivery for what we've paid? Frankly I don't enjoy the discussion here, which are invariably too technical to me. Are those guys just pay for being able to discuss here, but not for a product, which is within rational anticipation within a reasonable length of time?
 
It's already 2017, shouldn't it be high time for some delivery for what we've paid? Frankly I don't enjoy the discussion here, which are invariably too technical to me. Are those guys just pay for being able to discuss here, but not for a product, which is within rational anticipation within a reasonable length of time?

First production will start within a couple of weeks of the P&P machine being installed - with the PnP Machine expected delivery date in September.
 
Sometimes you need to know who wrote the sleeve notes, and took the photograph on the album sleeve.

Though personally I am more interested in listening to the music.
Are you crazy? If you take your speakers out of the polythene covers they get dusty.
 
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