how to use Aurliac Altair G1 - no lightning DS App anymore

@audphile1 

@babyseaotter99 no you can’t use jplay to play ripped cds stored locally. Not without additional configuration. It works great with qobuz and tidal though. 
if you want to run your local library Roon is the best tool for that. 

Damn. I have a $3,000 paper weight now. I probably play my ripped music library 80% of the time.

I don’t know anything about Roon - what is the best way to find out what that will cost? I use an Anthem AVM-70 Preprocessor. It says it supports Roon. I just remember the DACs in the Auralic sounding vastly better than the DACs in the Anthem when I ran digital out form the Auralic to the Anthem, versus analog out from the Auralic (much much better).

So still trying to figure out how to play my ripped CDs.

I am pretty sure I can link my Qobuz subscription through my Anthem.

EDIT: Maybe as Roon Nucleus One with 2TB Storage? I would still have to use the Anthem DACs, which are not prime in my opinion.....

I use my Altair as a DAC only, sometimes with Airplay. I agree it sounds great. As for your dilemma:

You could get a MacBook and a subscription to Audirvana, which is a a great audiophile player that can access local file servers. Then use a USB C to B cable to connect to the Altair digital in or use Airplay from the Macbook to the Altair.

Not perfect, but it would accomplish your goal.

@babyseaotter99 

I would suggest that you visit the JPlay thread over at Audiophile Style and ask Marcin the owner of JPlay your questions directly.  Then you would have a definative answer as to what is and isn't possible.  

Audirvana sounds good overall, but when playing from a stripped-down PC, the bass tends to be lean. In addition, you really need to dedicate a stripped-down PC or Mac to get the best performance out of it. At $80 per year, the cost also adds up over time.

The easiest and most cost-effective way to achieve the decent sound quality is to replace the G1 as a streamer with a budget streamer, while continuing to use the G1 as a DAC.

The best budget streamer under $500 that I’ve personally used is the Bluesound Node Nano. Using the optical (Toslink) output provides the best sound quality. In my experience, I actually prefer its sound over the much-hyped Eversolo A6, despite the A6 costing more than twice as much. The Node Nano delivers a smooth, rich presentation with weighty bass.

Its soundstage is not as wide or deep as higher-end options like the Rivo or Innuos Zen 3 that I currently use, but those are in a completely different price bracket—roughly four to five times more expensive.

The Bluesound app is solid and user-friendly. By using the Toslink output, you can keep the USB port free for connecting an external SSD to store your local music library.  Overall, compared to other budget streamers (iFi Zen Stream, WiiM Pro+, WiiM Ultra, Cambridge MXN10, etc.), as well as higher-end options like the Eversolo A6 and its bigger sibling, the Node Icon, I prefer the Node Nano. I’m currently using it in my third system.

@easystreamer you said:

I use my Altair as a DAC only, sometimes with Airplay. I agree it sounds great. As for your dilemma:

I recently came across the Roon Nucelus one - can read ripped files on SSD, controlled by iOS App, Qobuz streaming, and cheap ($599) ,etc - and I would need a DAC.

I assume I could use one of the USB outs on the Roon and run it into the Auralic? Then I get to keep using the Auralic's DACs, which as I said above I think are very good.

Thank you