Källa As A Streamer

[matthias]

This afternoon, I've done a limited comparison of Qobuz, NAS drive and Spotify Premium and I have to say that you wouldn't be disappointed using any of them with Källa.

Just for clarification:
Did you try Qobuz via the app or via mConnect?
Thanks

Matt

[macrotech2]

This afternoon, I've done a limited comparison of Qobuz, NAS drive and Spotify Premium and I have to say that you wouldn't be disappointed using any of them with Källa.

Just for clarification:
Did you try Qobuz via the app or via mConnect?
Thanks

Matt

Ah, forgot to mention that. I tried both and preferred the Qobuz App so stuck with that.

[matthias]

I will get an M1-powered Macbook in the end of November. Then it will be theoretically possible to run the iOS app on the Macbook and make a comparison between the iOS and macOS client. I will get back then with my findings.

Thanks, looking forward to this comparison.
One advantage of iOS is that it offers automatic sample rate switching.

Matt

[lejonklou]

Streaming is superior for finding non-mainstream music since it has more music than any record store on earth.

The biggest issue I've had with the streaming services is that they have been sounding too bad to give new music a fair chance. I still used it since many years to find new artists and albums and once I heard something I liked, I bought it on FLAC or CD/Vinyl.

Now, with Källa, it is very different. I now listen to music I have previously dismissed since the playback at the time was not good enough to do it justice. When I had my DS/NAS-solution, I listened to 80% favourite albums and 20% new music. I have noticed that now with Källa and streaming services, this figure has flipped the other way. Almost everything I listen to is new stuff that I would have never discovered without streaming services and this level of musicality.

So even though I have 2000+ vinyl records in the basement, Källa+Spotify has truly changed the way I listen to music and how frequently I discover new music. Well worth the fees for me. I would gladly pay the double or more for the enjoyment I get from this.

Also, the interface of Spotify makes it very easy to search for artists, albums and sometimes I even use their "recommendation stream" that is built once per week individually for me based on my listening history. I still prefer searching on my own, but the recommendations have been very enjoyable when I just want to listen and don't have time/energy to do the research myself.

I know that needs are different. As a non-mainstream listener, I just wanted to give my five cents because I really disagree with your conclusions.

My experience is similar.

Long before Källa, my wife got the whole family a Spotify account. I used it only to look things up or give some recommendation I'd received a brief listen. I always turned it off after one song - there was something annoying about how it sounded that made me unable to get any real pleasure out of it. I guess I used it as a Wikipedia for music.

Now with Källa, I find myself listening 90% to streaming services and 10% to vinyl. It's not that I listen a lot less to vinyl, rather that I listen so much more to Spotify. One song leads to another and I just can't bring myself to press stop.

We had some kind of lounge theme at home this Sunday brunch. I picked one smooth song that I thought was perfect for the occasion and chose 'Go to Radio' in Spotify, which produced an endless row of similar tracks. It really elevated the occasion.

"What's this song, I like it!" my wife says and then I save it by pressing the heart button and choose "Radio" on it. And we're off in a musically different but equally interesting new direction.

[Lego]

Streaming is superior for finding non-mainstream music since it has more music than any record store on earth.

The biggest issue I've had with the streaming services is that they have been sounding too bad to give new music a fair chance. I still used it since many years to find new artists and albums and once I heard something I liked, I bought it on FLAC or CD/Vinyl.

Now, with Källa, it is very different. I now listen to music I have previously dismissed since the playback at the time was not good enough to do it justice. When I had my DS/NAS-solution, I listened to 80% favourite albums and 20% new music. I have noticed that now with Källa and streaming services, this figure has flipped the other way. Almost everything I listen to is new stuff that I would have never discovered without streaming services and this level of musicality.

So even though I have 2000+ vinyl records in the basement, Källa+Spotify has truly changed the way I listen to music and how frequently I discover new music. Well worth the fees for me. I would gladly pay the double or more for the enjoyment I get from this.

Also, the interface of Spotify makes it very easy to search for artists, albums and sometimes I even use their "recommendation stream" that is built once per week individually for me based on my listening history. I still prefer searching on my own, but the recommendations have been very enjoyable when I just want to listen and don't have time/energy to do the research myself.

I know that needs are different. As a non-mainstream listener, I just wanted to give my five cents because I really disagree with your conclusions.

My experience is similar.

Long before Källa, my wife got the whole family a Spotify account. I used it only to look things up or give some recommendation I'd received a brief listen. I always turned it off after one song - there was something annoying about how it sounded that made me unable to get any real pleasure out of it. I guess I used it as a Wikipedia for music.

Now with Källa, I find myself listening 90% to streaming services and 10% to vinyl. It's not that I listen a lot less to vinyl, rather that I listen so much more to Spotify. One song leads to another and I just can't bring myself to press stop.

We had some kind of lounge theme at home this Sunday brunch. I picked one smooth song that I thought was perfect for the occasion and chose 'Go to Radio' in Spotify, which produced an endless row of similar tracks. It really elevated the occasion.

"What's this song, I like it!" my wife says and then I save it by pressing the heart button and choose "Radio" on it. And we're off in a musically different but equally interesting new direction.

The days of reading reviews of albums is well and truly over.The above is what my kids do , it's a bit like fractal listening ,the deeper you go in the more similar the enjoyment :0)

[ThomasOK]

The days of reading reviews of albums is well and truly over.The above is what my kids do , it's a bit like fractal listening ,the deeper you go in the more similar the enjoyment :0)

The days of reading album reviews was over years ago for me after having purchased a few records that got sterling reviews only to find that I didn't like them at all. Of course, there was a time, before the buyouts in the US by big conglomerates, that radio served that purpose. Such a shame it no longer does.

[springwood64]

The days of reading reviews of albums is well and truly over.The above is what my kids do , it's a bit like fractal listening ,the deeper you go in the more similar the enjoyment :0)

The days of reading album reviews was over years ago for me after having purchased a few records that got sterling reviews only to find that I didn't like them at all. Of course, there was a time, before the buyouts in the US by big conglomerates, that radio served that purpose. Such a shame it no longer does.

After giving up in disgust on NME Sounds and Melody Maker in the 80s. I've recently returned to reading album reviews. I use reviews to pick albums in Spotify to listen to, usually artists I would not previously have considered.

Admittedly the success rate is pretty low. Roughly for every 100 reviews, I find one album I really love. I found Beyonce's Lemonade through a review.

[tokenbrit]

(showing my age) The days of BBC Radio 1 giving airtime to new or unsigned acts through DJs such as Tommy (TV on the radio) Vance, John Peel, and/or Paul Gambaccini in his early career, are distant memories from 40yrs ago, or so, now...

Sadly, BBC radio stations now seem to be shills for the latest from big names/record companies, with all DJs curiously spouting the same marketing message on latest releases from Elton John, or Adele for example... It took an old-school DJ - Tony Blackburn of all people - in response to an obvious cue-card prompt to parrot the promotional party-line; instead he expressed a personal opinion that we wouldn't be drooling over Easy On Me if it weren't from Adele :)

Sharing music discoveries on this forum (in a music thread to be created?) and being able to stream straight away rather than having to wait to buy (& rip CDs or) LPs, especially if Källa competes with a well set-up LP12, or letting a streaming service suggest tracks, seems to offer a listener-led paradigm, away from control by the mega-music industry and marketing/advertising $s.

[Arjen]

I’d say that not all on BBC radio is big record company commercial mainstream. Listen to Laura Laverne, Gilles Petersonn, Iggy (Pop) Confidential and others on BBC6. It is more surprising than what they offer you in the monthly magazine reviews. I’m sure the Kalla is more meritorious than instead of playing mainstream pop or mainstream classics.
.

[tokenbrit]

I’d say that not all on BBC radio is big record company commercial mainstream. Listen to Laura Laverne, Gilles Petersonn, Iggy (Pop) Confidential and others on BBC6. It is more surprising than what they offer you in the monthly magazine reviews. I’m sure the Kalla is more meritorious than instead of playing mainstream pop or mainstream classics.
.

Lauren Laverne is a bit early here in the US to listen live, but I can replay on phone or laptop (just not on my current streamer ;) I'll check out Gilles on Saturday, and Iggy on Sunday... Thanks.

[lejonklou]

Tonläget in Gothenburg tells me that the app foobar2000 sounds better than VLC when playing files stored on a NAS.

I thought I'd test this myself, but realized that my only standard NAS (a QNAP) has locked me out and its reset button doesn't work either. Will try to fix it, but it's not at the top of my list.

[tokenbrit]

What does that give us now for NAS playback:
foobar2000
VLC Media Player
mconnect Player
any others?

I found a couple of lists, but some of the apps aren't free*, and some don't list iPad specifically...
https://www.igeeksblog.com/best-music-p ... hone-ipad/
https://videoconverter.wondershare.com/ ... html#part3

* not a big deal if they're better than a free app

Do the apps need to support Airplay or does the iOS/iPadOS take care of that? I don't have my Hakai setup on an Airport Express to be able to test...

Has anyone tried FLAC Player+ - looks interesting but only lists iPhone or iTouch, not iPad?

Curious who has tried any other apps, and with what success.

[macrotech2]

I’m just trying foobar2000 and will compare with MConnect. First impressions are positive.

Someone please correct if I’m wrong but I think any app that can play through the iDevice speaker can be broadcast over Airplay. Some apps like Qobuz have the facility built in, whereas, for foobar2000 , I used the system panel shown by dragging from top right of the screen to Airplay.

[tokenbrit]

I’m just trying foobar2000 and will compare with MConnect. First impressions are positive.

Someone please correct if I’m wrong but I think any app that can play through the iDevice speaker can be broadcast over Airplay. Some apps like Qobuz have the facility built in, whereas, for foobar2000 , I used the system panel shown by dragging from top right of the screen to Airplay.

Can you explain to an Apple noob, please? I installed foobar2000 thinking I could test it using my NAS & Hakai , but there doesn’t seem to be a player/renderer option like in a DS control point… Presumably if there were ‘iDevices’ on the network I’d be able to do ‘something’ to handoff over Airplay from foobar2000, but I can’t see how… (w/out an iDevice’)
Realising the answer may have been in your post, I dragged from the top right corner - from there would I just click the ‘triangle with halos’ to handoff to Airplay and playback via an Airport Express (or a Källa)?

[macrotech2]

Can you see your HAKAI listed under Media Servers? My MinimServer eventually appears there, though it can take a while.

Navigate to find an album or track to play.
If your iOS device is already Airplaying it should just work. Otherwise, yes, pull down from top right and press the airplay symbol in the top right block.

I’ve only just started looking at foobar2000. The play selection/playlist mechanism seems quite rudimentary but it should suffice.

There doesn’t seem to a suitable Getting Started guide online unless anyone can advise?

[tokenbrit]

Can you see your HAKAI listed under Media Servers? My MinimServer eventually appears there, though it can take a while.

My NAS (MinimServer) appeared as soon as I gave the foobar app permission to access the network... My Hakai doesn't show up, but it's not a HAKAI - it's a Debian-upmpdcli player... Maybe it'll show up in time as I saw something about foobar being a upnp/dlna control point, but not to worry as long as Airplay works since this is a Källa thread ;)

Thanks for confirming on the drag down - don't think I would have found it w/out your post...

I think I need Apple for Android Dummies, not just a foobar2000 app Getting Started :)

[macrotech2]

Glad I could help. I’m being silly suggesting HAKAI would appear under a list of servers if it’s actually a renderer!

Now to go home and see what foobar2000 is made of.

[TMV]

Looking forward to the Lejonklou app for NAS playback! :)

[fatjulio]

Can you see your HAKAI listed under Media Servers? My MinimServer eventually appears there, though it can take a while.

My Hakai doesn't show up, but it's not a HAKAI - it's a Debian-upmpdcli player...

Volumio has airplay support, a straight Debian install won't have it. You'd need to find some software to install to support airplay, which I don't know about.

[tokenbrit]

Can you see your HAKAI listed under Media Servers? My MinimServer eventually appears there, though it can take a while.

My Hakai doesn't show up, but it's not a HAKAI - it's a Debian-upmpdcli player...

Volumio has airplay support, a straight Debian install won't have it. You'd need to find some software to install to support airplay, which I don't know about.

I was thinking about finding some hardware to install to support airplay... ;)

[ThomasOK]

My Hakai doesn't show up, but it's not a HAKAI - it's a Debian-upmpdcli player...

Volumio has airplay support, a straight Debian install won't have it. You'd need to find some software to install to support airplay, which I don't know about.

I was thinking about finding some hardware to install to support airplay... ;)

You shouldn't have to wait long.

[tokenbrit]

I’d say that not all on BBC radio is big record company commercial mainstream. Listen to Laura Laverne, Gilles Petersonn, Iggy (Pop) Confidential and others on BBC6...

Prompted by Arjen's suggestion(s), I'm quite enjoying a "Laid-back Sunday Tapestry of Lyrics Music And Archive" courtesy of Guy Garvey's Finest Hour available on Radio 6 Music
My Hakai is using a TuneIn stream - will be interesting to hear what Airplay & Källa makes of it...

Edit: the music is varied, and not saying it's all to my taste, or yours, but the musicality is there with Hakai, hence wondering what Källa will make of it.

[Arjen]

Token from BBC6, Fine selection of b-sides? Very joyful isn’t it, Tokenbrik? Have a nice sunday, Arjen