Air (OS X) Problem, what problem?

[Hifi_swlon]

Having found Air massively frustrating and annoying so far, I've realised that was nothing compared to highres playback. Most of my library was 44.1, and now I've added a few more highres files Air is practically useless. A joke really. I can barely get through a whole track before the crackles start and the Air app has to be quit and restarted.

How Devialet aren't massively embarrassed about this is beyond me. And how they continue to advertise it is simply unbelievable. Sorry those that defend it, but it simply doesn't work.

As soon as an iOS remote comes out for roon, I'll abandon and go USB via that route. My dream is they integrate Qobuz too, in which case I need never look at Air again. So much for the idea of moving all the other hifi gear out of the lounge and having a single sleek box connected only by Ethernet.

As a side note I've also gone right off Audirvana, which was previously my player of choice before exploring other things that played more friendly with Air (time well spent). To my ears, it creates an increasesed clarity by emphasising treble and reducing bass. Subtle but having used it for a while and historically felt the bass in my system lacking, I now put a lot of that down to Audirvana. Straight iTunes and Air sound more natural and less 'shrill'. I also has a few weird things where Audirvana worked, but then after using air nothing would come through the USB. Still now I'm not sure what fixed it - seems to take several reboots, deselecting the output, and messing about with the midi setup. Then it pops back to life again. I guess it does things Air doesn't like and vice-versa.

Sorry you are having problems with Air. I am not sure how robust an Air, or any other wireless streaming music system, network needs to be for 24/192 streaming.
Have you done much experimenting with your network?
I and most other users have trouble free Air connections, but I had to make sure I had a good robust network before I did.

Getting rid of Android devices (which have lots of network activity without asking as a default), changing my router to use a fixed channel no other network round here is using and having a good quality wifi access point with strong signal all helped.

I can no longer use Air completely wirelessly since the signal strength at the Devialet is suddenly too low to register (I suspect maybe a fault has developed) but Air-ETH works flawlessly on all my files up to 24/192 now, and has done for 3 years or so.

OTOH I know one person who has done everything imaginable to have a robust network, including the things that worked for me, and still has problems.

Thanks f1eng.
I've never tried wifi tbh. All of my issues are Air Ethernet. Netgear gigabit switch, cat5e structured cabling throughout the house, very little traffic on the switch, dedicated Mac mini music server with only audio playback duties. Never had a network glitch on anything else in the 2 years I've lived here (I had the networking installed). Same issue with my replacement unit (previous had other issues).

44.1 stuff will break it at some point - might be minutes, hours, or days.
24/192 within a track.

I'm not convinced most other users have trouble-free connections from what I've read here and elsewhere, but I do accept it works for some.

I just don't have the patience to spend anymore time on it really - trouble shooting something like that's not what I bought a D200 for.

USB isn't as good. But at least I can just listen.
I don't believe Devialet will ever fix this tbh. They seem to have all their energy focussed elsewhere, although that energy may well bring an alternative like dialogue. But I'd never trust a Devialet streaming product now - there are already lots of good options around, and it's a hotbed of activity, so there will be plenty Of viable alternatives going forwards.

I guess what annoys me the most, is I just didn't expect to have to buy something additional to 'appease' the Devialet in my setup, I thought I could stream to it over my network and move everything out of the living room. That was the whole point. But since that's not the reality, as soon as I can afford to I'll get a streamers for it. Unless someone takes me up on the D200 sale, in which case I'll change direction!

My main problem is I love the look of it, and so does my wife who has really bought into its aesthetics, so it's a tricky situation...... And in fact if I hadn't have had these issues I would have considered Phantom as that appeals too - but I just don't think Devialet have got their act together on the software side, which is worrying On cutting edge products that are totally reliant on it.