Feature of network Media Player

At first glance, Krell thoroughly approached the business – a powerful body with a thick milled panels hides the analog power supply with a large toroidal transformer, which envied other amps, and separate the analog gain on discrete elements in a balanced configuration and 32-bit digital to analog converters ESS Sabre. And with a huge metal remote control it seems that here it is the undoubted High End: attention to detail, coupled with the generous use of materials.

However, when you try to work with the device you covered disappointment, if not irritation. The remote control skips a line in the menu, and the application itself is running slow and often spontaneously closed. We used a few well-known programs on the server side (Asset, MinimServer), and in all cases the choice of music turned into a painful procedure. The situation changed dramatically when we installed the server software JRiver Media Center ($ 50), but as a management software program was used JRemote ($ 15). In a relatively small increase in the price of the unit we got a fantastic speed, sophistication and ease of management.

Now it’s time to enjoy the sound of network Media Player Krell Connect, which plays very well. Separate credit goes to the way it works with standard-definition files, manage it and especially contemporary music. So the album The Diary of Alicia Keys impressive clear, deep and well-developed bass, expressive voice Alicia Keys and maintenance. Album Consolers of the lonely Jack White wins a powerful drive, amazing sharpness and dynamics. Of course, when playing music in high resolution you get more information, but the player lacks the ability to organize these components – resulting in the composition Diana Krall in 24/96 lose the characteristic rhythmic swing, which is clearly felt in their standard version. Approximately the same situation with the “Symphonic Dances” Rachmaninov in 24/96 – very authentic in terms of detail and timbre symphony orchestra Minnesota lacks organization.

The application has an austere basic interface platform Stream Unlimited, and by today’s standards it’s slow. In addition, several times in response to our actions depend player and unauthorized application reset. There are obvious drawbacks – while playing FLAC to graph displaying bit strange numbers, and files in high-resolution display device shows not track data – a picture, name, and the home menu. The application provides only basic data playback tracks: track title, artist name, file type, bit rate, the rest of the metadata available. Adjust volume and fast-track is not provided.

In our opinion, network Media Player Krell Connect Vintage fit audiophiles who appreciate the tradition of the company and have a large music library CD, which they would like to listen to and the network. Those who are guided by high-resolution formats, you should pay attention to other players.

Price – network Media Player: $ 6,500

Pros – network Media Player: Excellent workmanship; good sound files in standard definition

Cons – network Media Player: Unstable applications; with remote control also works with remarks; no digital inputs – can not be used as a DAC

Verdict – network Media Player: A decent machine for the price, if we forget about the staffing and access to a complete application JRiver / JRemote

Source: krellonline

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In 2012, Pioneer released the N-50 player – he was so good that the two years of our honored with awards. New Pioneer N-50A – a rare case when the sequel better than the original one is only a list of functions is already talking about mnogom.N-50A is able to work with a variety of sources. Support DLNA certified, you can connect to your home network to a variety of devices – from the server to the NAS-smartphone. USB-port type A allows you to play music from iPod, iPhone, external hard drive or flash drive, and port type B – connect to your computer.

There is also a Spotify Connect and Internet radio; AirPlay is useful to owners of devices Apple. And if that’s not enough, there are optical and coaxial digital inputs. To use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth will have to buy an adapter. List of formats is impressive: MP3, LPCM, WAV, WMA, AAC, Apple lossless, FLAC, AIFF, and DSD. Support for HD-audio formats to apply to 32-bit / 192 kHz (5.6 MHz for DSD). Whatever you suggested N-50A, it certainly handle it.

But most impressive is the quality of its sound. RF inherent confidence and control, average range – a balanced and detailed; the weighty bass does not seem sluggish. Changing the pitch is quite authentic.

At Pioneer groovy and very rhythmic sound with Continuous dynamics. Expressive voice; it is worth noting the high quality of the attack – a combination of energy and accuracy of any music makes delicious.

Excellent detail and high purity ensure enviable meticulousness. Voices and instruments are placed precisely on the volume and a large music scene.

If you like to experiment with a sound mode you’re in luck. Mode “Audio processing Hi-bit 32” bit of the input signal increases, tending to make for his form more smooth, close to the analog. “Upsampling” lifts it up to 192 kHz; it can be called “artificial HD». The sound becomes more detailed but more “sleek” and less dynamic.

To play back files of low quality with a strong compression function is “AutoRecover sound.” It acts on the qualitative tracks: the sound becomes less clear, so it is hardly used it.

We really liked the mode «Direct», enabled by default; when it does not pass the digital audio signal processing. The sound is a purer, precise and much more rhythmic.

Metal case N-50A looks very good quality. We like simple, modern front panel of brushed aluminum. Color LCD display at the N-50 was too small; here it increased to 3.5 inches. Defines color finish product name: Silver is in N-50A-S in black and N-50A-K (K denotes «kuro», or “black”).

In detail – Pioneer N-50A

Overview of network music player Pioneer N-50A: Proposal from which you can not refuse

1. Without wires

N-50A is not equipped with a built-in wireless network. You can buy branded adapter AS-WL300, connect it to the Ethernet connector, and power he will get through this USB-output.

2. Take control

If you have other components Pioneer (eg, CD-player or amplifier), you can connect it here and manage all applications with ControlApp.

Remote control pleases a convenient location with responsive buttons. Smartphone owners can download the free application called banal ControlApp for Android and iOS. It is convenient to select songs and view cover art, but generally not fully thought out.

Pioneer N-50A exceptionally well; if you need a network player at a reasonable price, do not look for anything else. He has – sound quality and lots of useful features. Two-time winner of beat Award is very easy, but the Pioneer succeeded. We are ecstatic!

Price: $ 650

Rating: 5

PROS: Great sound; appearance; many functions; good app

CONS: Wireless not included; the rest – nothing

VERDICT: A great player just got better – sheer luck Pioneer

Source: Pioneer

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Yamaha R-N500 can be called almost perfect network music system. Whatever the media or make up your music collection – CD, vinyl discs, HD-files from NAS-server or broadcast with Spotify Premium (or all of the above), Yamaha R-N500 cope with them. At a sufficiently low price this system many features and capabilities. You will only need to connect it to the Internet, add a pair of speakers – and you can start broadcasting music over the network.

On the composition of the group Breezeblocks Alt-J with the home server, Yamaha R-N500 immediately fascinated by the size and surround sound. Instruments and voices correctly placed on a large music scene.

Warm and full-bodied sound that we love the models Yamaha, here is particularly soft and crystal clear. Many details are built layer by layer; HF can not be accused of excessive brightness or stiffness. Through this approach, the system easy for the soul music of any genre – whether it’s an album of Tom Waits in the format of 24-bit / 96 kHz audio or soundtrack to the film “Guardians of the Galaxy” server Spotify.

We only wish that the sound was a little more energetic. R-N500 is well able to give the correct notes at the right time, but it lacks the drive to breathe life into them. Catchy songs Donde Estas, Yolanda? group Pink Martini performed too relaxed instead force the listener to sway to the beat.

Selection of the AU will require attention. Columns B & W 685 S2 emphasize the magnitude of R-N500 and fine attention to detail, but Wharfedale Diamiond 220 ($ 280) will suit even better because with them the system will sound more lively and cheerful.

By equipping Yamaha no major complaints. Connect it to your home network via Ethernet (in the absence of Wi-Fi), you can stream music files from laptops, smartphones, tablets, and NAS-servers. An extensive list of formats includes almost everything from the standard MP3-files to FLAC and WAV files with sample rates up to 24 bit / 124 kHz.

In addition, the system supports AirPlay and DLNA, equipped with FM- and AM-tuners, vTuner Internet Radio and Spotify Connect; you for a lifetime not all available songs. Channel sufficiently stable during testing, we noted no loss of signal.

There is a lot of digital and analog inputs and even MM-phono stage for connecting a turntable. R-N500 does not support any Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but we will not miss them. If you really miss them, buy separate modules Yamaha.

Logically and rationally organized free app NP Controller is much easier to use than the old-fashioned remote control. However, sometimes the application reluctant to respond to commands; with “material” remote control has not happened.

Every time I look at Yamaha R-N500, we wondered suddenly affordable price system: it looks a lot more expensive and quality. Especially good are perfectly polished regulators.

In Yamaha R-N500 excellent value for money and a lot of interesting features – and for owners of large music collections, and for those who are just beginning their acquaintance with the world of Hi-Fi. She needs only add a little to the accuracy and vigor.

Price: $ 550

Rating: 4

PROS: Surround sound and scale; clarity and detail; a soft approach; equipment; price

AGAINST: ulterior attack; lack of mobility, accuracy and dynamics; no Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

VERDICT: Very good universal system, especially considering the price

Source: Yamaha 

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It is not surprising that for the development of network players took a firm that specializes in multi-media centers. However, most of these companies expect perfect digital filling and application management than perfect sound because the development of audio components needs a special experience. But somehow miraculously Hong Kong Pixel Magic Systems is managed and – tested before the last room Lumin A1, we came to the conclusion that we are facing one of the most competitive vehicles in its category.

Today it was the turn flagship model Lumin S1, which is obliged to demonstrate all that capable engineers of the company and not to drop the honor of the brand in a higher price bracket.

Externally, the Lumin S1 is not much different from his younger version, but inside there are some major changes. The most important concerns DAC: instead of a pair of chips, four Wolfson WM8704 ESS 9018, in each 9018 chip ESS eight transducers – total in each channel set DAC 16 operating in parallel.

As A1, the flagship model supports a variety of formats, including high definition files encoded in PCM and DSD, only S1 is able to work with DSD-data with twice as high bitrate (DSD 128). For such volumes of information requires a high-speed connection, so it is reasonable that the developers abandoned the Wi-Fi in favor of wires. It is a pity that the built-in DAC can not be used with other digital sources – from S1 no digital inputs. But you can connect to the device any portable storage media formatted with FAT 16 or 32, wherein the content of the discs will be available to other players on your network. Of course, you will need to UPnP-server, which can be a computer or network storage, where your music is stockpiled and install the appropriate software. The developers recommend the use of the program MinimServer, however, the device works steadily and with other software, but the sound and the ability (which we have little upset in the standard UPnP) for all programs a little different. However, in the case of S1 you hardly notice a dramatic difference, at least on the part of management: the player at the first call to the server scans the entire library by uploading covers and tags. It takes some time, quite palpable in the case of a large collection, but the firmware application Lumin App (about it we wrote at length in the test A1) works with lightning speed, navigation information for referring not to the server, and the built-in memory. The application provides extensive sorting capabilities, including not only the usual categories: album name, artist, composer, genre, year, or last added record, but also the physical folder on the server. Formed scrollable hand movement, an alphabetical index is available, as well as filter by keywords. You can adjust the volume, listen to the tracks without a pause and even rewind them – that can be easily obtained on the PC, but still rare in the network players.

Appendix Lumin App is one of the most comfortable that we met

We were so inspired by the sound of Lumin A1, that listening to S1, which is almost twice as expensive, came with some skepticism: each manufacturer in the model number have an older model, which sounds better than others but do not always justify the difference in the sound of the additional costs . Especially our anxiety increased when rack space over S1 took the old school with approximately equal price: newly SACD-player Esoteric K-03x, massive and stuffed to overflowing with all the traditional audiophile stuff. We were not going to carry out a direct comparison, but still the duty of conscience would not give us the award S1 high rating as a source of class High End, not considered as an alternative to the traditional close-player class.

But fears were not realized: Lumin S1 does sound a whole head is better than A1, and on equal performs with Esoteric K-03x. Listen to “Motets” Bach performed by RIAS-Kammerchor – and you’ll hear everything we were delighted to A1, only more superlatives. However, the most dramatic change in the ability of the organization of musical material -slit nose, fluidity and plasticity of the parties and voices of soloists – combined with amazing brightness, sharpness, and dynamic performance.

When playing “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Mussorgsky in the sound of timpani hits dynamics along with the study of details, but more importantly, that Lumin S1 never for a moment forget about the integrity of the sound of the orchestra, the balance between timbre, spatial and musical aspect of the sound of each instrument perfectly weighted. Due to this when listening to “First Piano Concerto” Shostakovich’s so easy to perceive unexpected changes of mood, style, and spirit of music.

All these entries are made in the 16 / 44.1 and once again prove that there is equipment (alas, still expensive) the ability to create a full-fledged music in the listener the impression, despite the technical limitations of the format. In addition, as in the case of younger model, S1 does not put you in front of the need to revise the collection in favor of high-resolution records. Of course, the record “Symphonic Dances” Rachmaninov format 24/96 sounds sharper and more dynamic, and more comfortable and easy to play music in the format of DSD, such as live concert Dave Brubeck, but great musical pleasure you get into any of the above.

The three main differences:

1. To convert the signal instead of four Wolfson WM8741 applied ESS Sabre 9018 – as a result of each channel service as much as 16 DAC

Overview of the network player Lumin S1: «The most dramatic improvement in the ability of the organization of musical material.”

2. Digital stuffing improved – for each sampling frequency used separate quartz

Overview of the network player Lumin S1: «The most dramatic improvement in the ability of the organization of musical material.”

3. The power supply is modified due to the high-quality electrolytic capacitors Elna, apparently he was a couple of inches deep

For the first time we encounter a network player, able to compete on an equal footing with major unit with High End, do not cause us problems on the part of the stability of the device and the convenience of the application.

Price: $ 13,200

Pros: Stable operation, user-friendly application; precise, solid and musical sound files of any resolution, including DSD

Cons: No digital inputs – can not be used as a DAC

Verdict: Company from Hong Kong surprised everyone by creating a role model to other manufacturers Network player class High-End

Source: Luminmusic

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