Gapless Playback

[nautibuoy]

I've recently purchased a Pro-ject Stream Box DS media renderer (DLNA streamer that is 24bit 192KHz capable, which I feed the digital output from into a very high quality hi-res capable DAC). Streaming music from Asset, the sound quality is amazingly good. Until I cable the 'hifi room' I'm using a wireless connection to the Stream Box (no obvious drop-outs even with 24bit 96KHz FLAC files).

However, there is one slight problem; the Stream Box is supposed to do gapless playback but tracks are being truncated by a small amount (tracks will just end very abruptly, sometimes a decay will be cut short but often it will be the actual music that simply stops) before the next track begins. The truncation is short but enough to be annoying.

Most of my music is ripped from CDs (via dbPoweramp) but some is hi-res commercial downloads and the affect appears to happen with both. All is held as FLAC files.

I also stream music to my Denon AV receiver (DLNA compatible) without the issue, though it doesn't do gapless playback, likewise if I use my iPhone as a renderer.

I control the operation from my iPhone using either PlugPlayer or eLyric (from PS Audio).

I believe that in order to do gapless playback the media renderer has to have some sort of added functionality, over and above the DLNA/UPNP standard so the issue is likley to be with the Stream Box implementation of such an add-on but I thought I would check to conform my understanding and/or to see if you guys can see any other possible causes?

I have reported the issue to the supplier of the Stream Box.

Thanks

RP

[Spoon]

Re: Gapless Playback

The stream box cannot do gapless, unless it holds its own playlists, like the linn DS players.

[nautibuoy]

Re: Gapless Playback

The stream box cannot do gapless, unless it holds its own playlists, like the linn DS players.

Thanks Spoon.

I did some more checking yesterday and it seems that if you select an album using the supplied remote control it will play through the tracks 'gaplessly' without the truncation but it will happen if you use a third party controller. You cannot explicitely create a playlist via the remote control/Stream Box screen interface (i.e. various tracks from different albums) and I don't know if selecting an album via that interface crwates an implicit playlist.

Using the supplied remote control isn't a viable way forward as I cannot read the screen on the Stream Box from my listening seat and would have to cross the room so I could see it every time I want to change what is playing.

I guess the same will apply to any device using the StreamUnlimited Stream700 module that is used within the Stream Box (such as the Musical Fidelity M1 Clic).

RP