Plexamp

Hi guys, as I wrote earlier, Plex is not as easy as Roon (too bad) and has its limitations in file handling, as "Curael" wrote about, and this is already a discriminatory defect. All that remains is to save up for Roon ($850) and have it all forever. For me, Roon has at least two advantages: 1. it plays virtually all formats (apart from ISO, but you can also deal with that by purchasing an inexpensive program that extracts files from .ISO as dsf and Roon will play it) 2. it has an advantage that is probably not found anywhere else, that it aggregates information about music stored at home on HDD/SSD and from Tidal and Qobuz. You simply have access to all resources for a given artist in one program tab, without having to switch sources like in Plex or Eversolo itself. There is another JPLAY apk that runs on iPad and iPhone which uses the UPnP protocol which accepts all formats. Unfortunately, DMP-A6 does not fully cooperate with this application, i.e. Jpaly does not see the files on the internal drive. ssd because it is supported by the SMB protocol. However, if you have your library on NAS drives etc that support UPnP, this apk is for you.

 

Roon is indeed a great piece of software, and pretending Plex would do the same for free is just an unfair comparison...
That said, does Roon play gapless; I mean, everything gapless, from every source (local / stream / etc.) and format (16/24 / 44.1/192 etc.)
Asking, because I heard it doesn't, and for me this is a huge limitation that a 1K software cannot allow itself.

 

Yes, Roon plays at 100% without interruption. Remember that you can have Roon for 14 days for free. However, you must register to create an account and indicate the payment source.

 

In my search, I am looking for a program similar to Roon with the two functions described earlier. Jplay seems to be close.

 

That's a relief, shall I decide to bury my money into it. Yes, I know you can try it out, of course you should: it's not so cheap, to say.
Nevertheless, I play mostly local files, with occasional internet "radio" and the quality is astonishing. If I get Roon, it's gonna be just because of lazyness, and not gonna happen before I turn 65... that is, just another ten years or so...

 

FYI, both Plex (Plex Pass if you want to use all the features) & Roon are subscription based and both offer a one time 'lifetime' option.

 

Your two conditions are both met by Logitech Media Server.

I took Roon for a spin for twelve months. Great software but some pretty big deficiencies for my use case. No linux client - running under wine was temperamental and resource heavy. Internet reliant - I couldn't believe when they introduced this. Not allowing me to access my local music without their servers is nuts!! All to accommodate their poor mobile client Roon Arc. Advising all their customers to open ports to their home network is pretty shocking too even if the risks were reasonably limited. You could get it working with a VPN to your home network but their RAAT protocol performed badly with these network parameters. Other than that, it was truly pretty excellent!

LMS may not be for those that prefer a plug and play set up like Roon but for those willing to put in a small amount of effort, it is a powerful self-hosted home (and away) music software.

 

Everything's OK, but I'm looking for software for iPad or Android smartphone to support Eversolo DMP-A6, and LMS doesn't support it?! Anyway, I just need it for music. Roon ARC doesn't interest me at all. Local network playback only. I mentioned the advantages of Roon, such as ease of installation and aggregation of music from many sources in one place, as well as suggestions for new artists and, of course, playback of all lossless formats. I don't know if you know the app. JPLAY for iPad and iPhone, does not require core and has very similar properties to Roon. The disadvantage for me is, of course, the lack of support for the Samba (SMB) protocol. If this is not a problem for someone, it is a great application. It's worth checking out, although I don't use it for the above reasons.

 

You seem happy with Roon, that's great! Just for information purposes LMS can use mobile apps, iOS and Android, to control playback on the A6. All lossless formats supported etc

 

I put the Roon image onto an older Intel NUC. Couldn't you throw that into a small VM under Linux? Maybe docker?

Or maybe you mean a desktop Linux app. I suppose that's the case. Maybe you can use Proton instead of Wine? I hear it works way better than base Wine.

 

Roon Server and Roon Bridge do indeed run on Linux. I ran the server component from my home server. Roon's product 'Nucleus' is also set up this way.

You're right again. It's the desktop app that they don't support and have stated that they probably never will. Proton wouldn't improve matters as it's just a version of wine optimised for Windows games. There's a github project for roon-on-wine that offered the best desktop stability. Still below par performance and things would break between wine versions or Roon updates. Not a problem you want when paying for 'premium' software.

I'm an open-source advocate and all things being equal, I'll opt for the open-source project. For my usage LMS wins out against Roon. More integrated services, a superior implementation of 'Roon Radio' type features and better compatibility for the devices I use. Not being able to play my own music without their servers was the death-nail though. I can see how others choose differently, Roon is aesthetically very pleasing and is easier to set up for most users.

 

I like Roon yeah. I understand the problem with always online. That's a thing far too common these days. :/ And they should probably develop a Linux client, hehe. More customers!

 

Yes, I like Roon but I don't use it because it's too expensive. I'm looking for a solution similar to roon but without CORE (an additional PC, Linux, Nuc etc. machine). Plex also needs Core, so that's out of the question. What remains is what I found JPLAY. You probably don't know this. This application is based on UPNp and requires a UPnP server, e.g. MinimServer, Twonky, Asset, where the music files are located. I'll be heading in that direction. It's worth checking out.

 

You do understand the concept of "Server" in Media Servers right? Even UPnP is a client/server service
The term "Roon Core" has recently been deprecated and was replaced with "Roon Server" because it confused customers.

Roon 2.0.25 is live!

FYI, I run both Roon & Plex Servers on a Qnap NAS (where all music & movies are stored). Had LMS there also until Logitech dropped it's support.

 

LMS is further running on a QNAP in using
a container:

 

Not quite with this name Roon Core and Server. There are two Roon distributions for PC. One is Roon Core with full GUI and the other is Roon Server without GUI. Either way, to use Plex or Roon you need an additional computer or compatible NAS, and that doesn't work for me. That's why I don't use ROon, Plex or Logitech. I prefer a solution without additional machines. For now, I'm staying on Eversolo until something new is created, although as I wrote earlier, there is a JPLAY application that does not need Core in the sense that it is in Roon, where there is an additional machine based on Nuc, PC, etc. and is responsible for its action. Only the files themselves can be there or elsewhere. These two things cannot be confused. One is a file handling machine, the other is a Samba or Upnp protocol drive where music files are stored. JPALY (https://jplay.app/) doesn't need the first machine, but it does need a disk with Upnp support.

 

You sound like you don't want a dedicated server. Why not just serve the music directly 8n the DMP-A6 then?

 

Yes, I prefer a solution without an additional external device. Today I'm playing from an SSD in DMP. The eversolo application is very good, but I would prefer it if it had the function of aggregating music and artists in one place like in Roon without having to switch between Tidal, Qobuz and SSD. This is my goal.

 

I'll think you can't get this without an external device.
Perhaps Eversolo will get in the future not only a LMS client, but also a LMS server and with this you've an integration (local files, Qobuz, Tidal,...).
If the server integration will not come, then you can use (LMS is a lightweight software) a RPi with PicorePlayer or a mini PC with Daphile.

 

I seem dissatisfied, but without ideas like mine, technology would not develop. Maybe one day I'll find the solution I'm looking for, until then I'm happy to use the eversolo app. Regards