Summary
We developed 3 plugins for LMS used in our AAMS – WinPlayer, UPnP (for JPLAY iOS), and CD Ripper. These plugins elevate AAMS user experience and improve its sound quality significantly, making AAMS XT the best sounding music server we have currently.
Lyrion Music Server (LMS)
LMS is used by a number of heavyweight music server manufacturers with heavy customization. Our approach is different. We did not touch the LMS original codes but we developed LMS plugins only, the important ones which matter. The plugins we developed will not be overwritten when LMS goes through software updates. They go away if LMS is completely uninstalled.
LMS Windows Player
This is the enhanced audio renderer derived from the original SqueezeLite which supports various platforms (Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, Solaris, and ESP32 microcontrollers). On Linux, ALSA is used while for Windows and macOS, PortAudio is used.
The plugin we developed is called LMS Windows Player. It is derived from SqueezeLite but with PortAudio no longer used. Instead, the official methods are used for Windows audio engine. We have total control of how rendering is done instead of relying on third party library. We only allow selection of WASAPI or WDM-KS (Kernel Streaming) since the others (except ASIO) are not bit-perfect.
LMS Windows Player works with or without Windows audio driver for the specific USB DAC being used. The user needs to test which one sounds better: with or without driver. The tests need to be done for both WASAPI and WDM-KS. In our own system, when using Holo May KTE DAC, it sounds better with Thesycon driver installed with WDM-KS sounding better compared to WASAPI. When used with our second DAC, Marantz SA-10 USB DAC input, it sounds better without Marantz driver installed. Again, WDM-KS sounds better than WASAPI.
This PlugIn is a lightweight UPnP Player or Endpoint. It does not include UPnP Server functions. The design approach was intentional – we prioritize the best way to stream music for best sound quality by:
- using readily available Slim functions for secured radio streaming
- using the best-in-class audio renderer, SqueezeLite
- designed specifically for JPLAY iOS UPnP controller
Why We Developed This
We have been using BubbleUPnP controller for TIDAL streaming which supports bitrates up to 192k. WhiteBear UPnP Media Server PlugIn is installed into Windows as a service. WhiteBear is free (but not open source) and not maintained for a long time, causing it not to work with the very popular UPnP controller called JPLAY iOS.
The recently updated UPnP/DLNA Media Interface PlugIn does not support https:// streaming, only http://. This is due to http:// being renamed to upnp:// as protocol handler. Some discussions on protocol handler here.
We decided to develop our own UPnP Player from scratch instead of modifying UPnP/DLNA Media Interface. One very important feature we want is the ability to stream TIDAL and Qobuz using secured URL with includes subscriber token, i.e. streaming account authorization is done inside JPLAY iOS. Fetching music data from TIDAL or Qobuz server is done directly by LMS, not iOS phone or tablet. This capability already exists inside LMS (i.e. FLAC Radio). WhiteBear UPnP indeed uses LMS FLAC Radio.
With the removal of WhiteBear UPnP Media Server from Windows, the bump in sound quality for LMS local playback is very significant. What thrilled us more is that TIDAL/Qobuz streaming sound quality we get now is very close to local playback when tested on our own flagship music server, AAMS Extreme. with AA SiG XT USB cable into Holo May KTE DAC.
LMS Material Skin interface enables excellent local music files browsing and playback sound quality. We don’t see the need to use UPnP controller to browse LMS local files as it adds unnecessary overheads which affect sound quality.
Scope of Testing
We have tested this UPnP Player PlugIn thoroughly with LMS v9.1.1 running on Windows 10 21H2 IoT Enterprise LTSC. Both Qobuz and TIDAL streaming was tested. Since the PlugIn was written entirely in Perl, we assume it can work with LMS running in other operating systems. We will create a thread in Lyrion Community forum soon.
About US
We are a one-man company based in Penang, Malaysia. For the past few years, we make and sell music servers, USB audio cables, and linear power supplies.
Our Motivation
Roon is the de facto and popular music management software which includes streaming services. While we like its incredible user experience, we never like its sound. We like LMS so much but received comments that for music streaming, the interface is not good enough.
With the public sharing of this UPnP Player PlugIn, we want to role model that GNU GPL license should not be abused by manufacturers but must be complied.
Contribution
If you like the UPnP Player PlugIn, there are 2 ways you can help us cover the PlugIn development and support expenses:
- Buy AA Audio products from this website’s Online Shop
- Donate to us directly