questions on how V works prior to deciding upon using it

Help and Support Help
1

Dear community,

I got here from a forum suggesting an alternative to my Synology NAS and the DS Audio Player.
A brief explanation of what my current setup is (it does not have to remain this way):

SETUP

  • SYNOLOGY DISK STATION (DS112j) NAS (with 1 TB of HIRES FLACs) … connected via:
  • m2tech hiface TWO (USB-S/PDIF Interface) … to a:
  • REGA DAC-R … connected to a:
  • REGA BRIO-R AMP … and the music is controlled / played back via:
  • DS iOS & Android Apps, sometimes also over the broswer on my PC (DS Web-Interface)

MAIN PROBLEMS OF THE SETUP

  • DS does not support ReplayGain/VolumeNormalization which makes listening a pain…
  • DS does not support multiple genres

…which all made me realize, this is not the perfect setup for my needs!
I’ve been using this for 3 years, it works, but the two issues make it less and less favorable, especially on Synology support users were asking for those two features for 6 years now, myself filed two support tickets in the last years, nothing happened. This is why i decided to find new solutions, and this is how I got here!

What I completely did not understand about Volumio so far is:

  • how does Volumio work, do I need to know linux?
  • why arent there any screenshots at all? anywhere?
  • do i need an extra player, or is Volumio the player? if yes, again: screenshots & features???
  • where is a complete list of all supported features? (ReplayGain, Multiple Genres, Playlists etc.)
  • there is a Android controller, but is there also an iOS controller?
  • but can I also control it from a browser running on no matter what OS (PC/iOS/Android)?
  • the combination with the CuBox-i4Pro sounds interesting, but what I do not get is, how do I add my music library?
  • would I need to connect my SynoNAS with the CuBox?
  • or do I still need the NAS? can I just use the NAS HD with my music collection and connect it via eSATA to the CuBox?
  • do you recommend the CuBox or are there any other alternatives maybe better ones (important is the best possible sound with less hastle/DYI on setting it up)?
  • does it support multiple synchronous playback on my REGA via the USB-S/PDIF Interface, and external AirPlay speakers, and a bluetooth speaker and maybe later ChromeCast? (so in order to get multiroom music)
  • does it support Soundcloud playlists?
  • does it support Youtube Audio from videos?

I hope this was not to much asked and hopefully my journey comes here to a good end, as I tried so far PLEX, JRIVER etc… all with no satisfaction.

Best regards,
Dee

2

That’s quite the wall of text uhh a list of question you have.

- How does Volumio work, do I need to know linux?
No you do not NEED to know “Linux”, but some basic knowledge is very handy if you run into “problems”.

- Why arent there any screenshots at all? anywhere?
There are multiple some are of custom web pages (webui).
[spoiler]Where did you look :confused: Barely cant resist LMGTFY.com[/spoiler]
- Do i need an extra player, or is Volumio the player? if yes, again: screenshots & features???
Volumio is a music player, see above.

- Where is a complete list of all supported features? (ReplayGain, Multiple Genres, Playlists etc.)
Not sure we have a complete list https://volumio.org/project/

- There is a Android controller, but is there also an iOS controller?
Search for a mpd controller there should be multiple. There is no 100% official app digx’s for android is closest one to official. He is doing a great job supporting every user from this forum.
https://volumio.org/forum/sound-home-android-app-for-multi-rooms-and-other-t21.html

- But can I also control it from a browser running on no matter what OS (PC/iOS/Android)?
YES, the main control and setup is via a web page, the WebUI.

- The combination with the CuBox-i4Pro sounds interesting, but what I do not get is, how do I add my music library?
You can add music locally via the available connections on your platform or from a NAS.
[b]

  • Would I need to connect my SynoNAS with the CuBox?[/b]
    That is possible but not required. But it probably is preferred with most platforms and multi device setup.

- Or do I still need the NAS? can I just use the NAS HD with my music collection and connect it via eSATA to the CuBox?
You could, see above.

- Do you recommend the CuBox or are there any other alternatives maybe better ones (important is the best possible sound with less hastle/DYI on setting it up)?
If you don’t want any form of DYI pre-build systems are your way to go. The Xiomair kickstarter could be your thing. (michelangelo, main dev, is on that team)
But if you don’t mind a tiny bit of DYI-ing and arn’t scared by bare boards or on a budget Cubox with DAC, Rapsberry Pi with HAT DAC, Odroid C1+ with DAC board are great. All boards have there pro’s and con’s.

- Does it support multiple synchronous playback on my REGA via the USB-S/PDIF Interface, and external AirPlay speakers, and a bluetooth speaker and maybe later ChromeCast? (so in order to get multiroom music)
Multiroom isn’t supported at the moment. You can use multiple setups in one building but syncing them is a nightmare and the setup leans heavily on your own skill.
Bluetooth is not implemented.
One device, one song at a time, it should be possible to get multiple outputs working.

- Does it support Soundcloud playlists?
No, this is on the feature request list.

- Does it support Youtube Audio from videos?
No, but I’ve seen a workaround.

I hope these answers are satisfying, don’t hesitate to ask more questions. even though I don’t like these lists :laughing:

3

first of all thank you for the thourough answer and sorry for the long list and the late reply

on your replies:
- Why arent there any screenshots at all? anywhere?
There are multiple some are of custom web pages (webui).
Where did you look :confused: Barely cant resist LMGTFY.com
Usually one looks for screenshots on the website the service is from, this is called usability / good documentation, I never thought users would post screenshots online (and i cant think of a reason so far), but thanks for pointing this out!

- But can I also control it from a browser running on no matter what OS (PC/iOS/Android)?
YES, the main control and setup is via a web page, the WebUI.
As I am not quite comfy setting this all up on my Synology or buying other HW in order to test it, is there maybe a way running it on my WINlaptop over the browser and just connect an external HD with music on that laptop for starters? Would I need to install Volumio on lets say XAMPP, or is there an even easier solution?

thanks in advance and have a good night