3 replies to this topic

[TubemanRQ]

Hello everyone,

   Well first of all, I have been using Jplay since 2015, and wanted to apologize to everyone.

I last posted a very long rant and quite frankly, I was just frustrated.

SO I apologize if I offended anyone. I see absolutely nobody replied at all and I don't blame you, I was just mad and frustrated because I had spent so much time optimizing WS2016 core, and ran out of the trial extension ability, plus the key would only validate WS2016 for the GUI, but refused to validate my WS2016 core install, so extremely frustrated there.

 

Before I begin the daunting task of Installing WS2019 core, installing dual-PC JPLAY etc., I have a few questions....

 

1) Does the processing power of your control point device affect sound quality using JPLAY FEMTO? I'll be using a Samsung Galaxy TAB S5e for WIFI only.

 

2) DO I have to have the JPLAY FEMTO PC connected to the internet? I would rather not but am not sure on this, perhaps only to validate the WS2019 and JPLAY software. I have never used Roon, Tidal, etc. but would like to be able to have a graphical library interface for my music collection and it appears JPLAY FEMTO now offers that.

 

3) Can I connect the WIFI router directly to the control PC via a separate switch, or additional NIC? Will this negatively affect sound quality? I only want to use WIFI in order to control the Control PC, I don't want the CONTROL or AUDIO PC exposed to the internet, due to no firewall, no anti-virus, etc.

 

4) With my WS2019 keys, Will I be able to activate WS2019 core using the trial ISO that the AO optimizer guide points to? Last time, as I mentioned earlier, my previous keys for WS2016 would only activate the GUI, and I was unable to activate the core installations on the exact same PCs. EXTREMELY frustrating that was....

 

I would sincerely appreciate any help or thoughts on these questions, as this forum has always been helpful to me in the past.

 

Cheers and best regards!

Peace...

-Randy

 

[BernieK]

Hi Randy,

 

1. I use a Huawei Mate 20 and the control point laptop described in my signature as alternate controlling devices, so I would say within reason no, and your Samsung should be fine (but clearly for proper operation there must be a minimum processing power depending on your control point software and its requirements). On the other hand, the control point software itself may affect sound quality. For example, Bubble UPnP has been reported to give better sound quality than some other options.

 

2. There is an offline procedure for initally activating JPLAY (see the manual), but an internet connection is normally required for the 6-monthly validations (on both PCs). However, I would contact JPLAY support to see if there is a way to validate offline in your case. In addition, I'm certain that other forum participants running JPLAY Femto in core mode will have some helpful suggestions about validating in core mode. The GUI that your control point software will show when using JPLAYFemto is (so far) a rudimentary folder-based interface. The exact form and its utilty will depend on how you have your library structured. For example, in descending order, I have my library set up in folders for Genre -> Artist -> Albums. With Bubble UPnP on the phone, or Upplay on the control point PC, the GUI allows me to select first the Genre, then the Artist, next the Album and finally individual tracks if so desired. In both cases the control point software will (or can be set to) display the album covers. Definitely not as 'pretty' as specially purposed music servers, but sufficient for my needs.

 

3. If you're controlling playback via WiFi, your Control-PC will have to be able to access the router either via WiFi (perhaps using a separate router that does not access the internet) or a direct ethernet connection. An ethernet cable directly linking the Control and Audio-PCs (rather than WiFi) has been reported to give the best sound quality, and ethernet switches have also been reported to have beneficial effects.

 

4. Sorry, I can't help with this one as I don't use core mode. However, many forum participants do and I'm sure someone can answer this for you.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Bernie

[blawre]

I have certainly found varying sound quality with different phones/tablets running Bubble.

 

You have to decide which suits your setup.

[billgr]

1) Does the processing power of your control point device affect sound quality using JPLAY FEMTO?

 

I found that more powerful control devices do sound better. I use a Samsung S4 but would like to experiment more around this. 

 

2) DO I have to have the JPLAY FEMTO PC connected to the internet?

 

After activation, Jplay pc does not need internet access.  

 

3) Can I connect the WIFI router directly to the control PC via a separate switch, or additional NIC? Will this negatively affect sound quality? I only want to use WIFI in order to control the Control PC, I don't want the CONTROL or AUDIO PC exposed to the internet, due to no firewall, no anti-virus, etc.

 

There are many options and they all impact the sound. My controlpc is connected to a wap (with linear power) so the audio network is physically separate from the home network.  This means I can't use streaming services (Tidal, etc) and the music has to be local, not on a nas.

 

4) With my WS2019 keys, Will I be able to activate WS2019 core using the trial ISO that the AO optimizer guide points to? 

 

This area is always tricky and I can't remember all the details. You'll need to do a fresh install. I don't know whether the key will work again. You might need to download a trial iso and key again. If in doubt you could create a backup image of the pc first.