Hi. I am using Studio Trial version and accessing my local files (not streaming) on a mac mini (2014) over wifi to my Marantz SR5015 via UPnp. Virtually every song does some skipping at some point. I assume this is a wifi issue but how can i be sure and more importantly how can i fix it. If I can’t fix it i’m not sure it makes sense for me to purchase the software when my trial is done (next week).
Appologies if the answer is somewhere on this forum. I could not find it.
If anyone has any insight they can share it will be greatly appreciated.
I don’t know if anyone has CD quality (and better) UPnP playback working through wifi, at least for me, all devices being in the same room, it doesn’t work. Keep in mind that Audirvana sends an uncompressed PCM stream (that’s why it sounds so good, it takes care of the playback), that’s heavy and requires much network stability. Like the guy with a headphone nose said, first troubleshooting step is to use an ethernet cable, that way you’ll see if wifi is the problem.
Note that many users are experiencing issues with the UPnP feature of Audirvana. You can also check with foobar2000 which has a different UPnP philosophy (in my case it’s a much more reliable UPnP playback experience, unfortunately the app is terrible in every other regard).
Just for balance. Since sorting out my network issues 3 months ago and using a new Macbook Pro with wifi 6E I have not had a single issue streaming 16/44.1, higher resolution files up to 24/192 and DSD 128 files to my KEF wireless speakers over UPnP with Audirvana. Most people who do not have issues never comment on this forum. Hence it may appear everyone has issues but it is far from being the case.
Firstly, sorry to hear of your problems. UPnP can be a pain due to the loose nature of the standard and differing implementations of it by manufacturers. It could be that your problem lies in an incompatibility in the implementation of UPnP by Marantz with Audirvana or that your wireless connection is poor. I myself had issues with UPnP streaming to KEF speakers in the first instance it was a KEF firmware problem which was resolved by KEF eventually in a firmware update. Later issues were all wifi network related.
To try and resolve I would do the following;
I assume you have set the RAM allocation to Audirvana in the bufferised section of the setup page to a minimum 4GB (4000 MB)
I hate saying this but if you have not done so, power everything down (Mac Mini, router, cable modem, endpoint). Wait 30 secs and then switch back on and try again. (You would be surprised by the number of people writing on the this forum that have issues and have not done so only to find it fixes the issue)
As @Agoldnear states, plug your mac mini into the router via ethernet and the SR5015 also to the router via ethernet. Set up and try again. If this works then wireless transmission is your problem, if not maybe there is an incompatibility between the Marantz and Audirvana’s implementation of a “loose” UPnP standard.
If it is a wireless network performance issue and you can’t leave your mac in wired ethernet mode, check if the wireless spectrum is crowded at your location. When I use the wireless icon in the menubar on my mac I can see 30-40 other networks. If yours is crowded (like mine) get an application like Wifi Explorer or similar from the app store and check which channels the other wifi networks are using and try and set yours to a different or lesser used channel.
If your are still having issues try and stream to the Marantz using Airplay and see if that works. The problem with UPnP is that each manufacturer can have slightly differing interpretations of the standard (or wishes to add some functionality on their system) which results in issues and also in that it will allow higher quality streams of 24/192 files and therefore requires a better wifi connection due to higher bandwidth requirements. (Roon has gone to the length of publishing guidelines on network configuration for its users who continue to have the same issues you are experiencing… )
Hope some of this helps, as stated UPnP streaming will allow transfer of higher resolution files over wireless than competing protocols but therefore is more susceptible to network performance related issues such as skipping, track truncation etc. (Roon RAAT 24/96, Airplay 16/44.1 up to 24/48 (with some Apple devices) B&W in the Formation series 24/96, chromecast 24/96)
Many people spend a lot on their Hifi systems, computers/software and music library but take the bog standard wireless routers that came with their internet account (anything free bundled with a service is normally, well… crap!). To get to the stage where I now have 100% reliability in wireless network streaming of DSD and 24/192 files over UPnP to the KEF’s, I replaced my wireless router with the best I could find, carefully selecting channels, allocating priority to my Mac running Audirvana on the network, rebooting the network once a week or so etc. etc. People need to invest as much time/effort/research into their network installation as they do selecting DAC’s, Amps, Streamers etc…
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I am currently living and working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia so i was unable to get the very latest wifi 6E routers. I use a Netgear Orbi Wifi 6 Mesh router with 2 satellites (RB850). Seems to work really well. My primary KEF speaker is attached to the main router via ethernet.
I have an M2 Max MacBook Pro connected via wireless. The wifi 6E in the M2 Macbook Pros was reported in reviews as being significantly more stable on wireless throughput even when connected to non-6E routers, I have also noticed this in my monitoring of Wifi speeds from the Mac which is a significant improvement over the M1Max (Wifi6 standard).
Obviously would have loved to get a 6E router but they are not yet available here.
