New to the Plex ecosystem for music playback. I have a Chinese no-brand Android 6 based streamer with touch display. I have plexamp running on this device (sideloaded apk). This streamer is connected with my Holo Audio DAC via I2s. Dac gives samplerate and bitrate.
All is well, execpt that when i select a hi-res album in flac, it is streamed in 16/44.1
Reading through all discussions about Plexamp and ‘bit-perfect’, its does not get clear for me if I will be able to stream high-res files (24 bit/192 kHz) through my android based streamer without them getting downsampled to 16/44.1kHz. when i upgrade to the ‘Plex Pass’ . It is stated clear for Apple devices, and for the headless Linux version, but Android is vague
Before spending money on the extra’s, I like to have a clear statement if the Plex Pass will give me ‘Sample Rate Matching’ on my plexamp on the android player, i.e. will my streamer get offered a 24 bit / 192 kHz file when i stream such a file.
My player/ streamer is capable of this, its native app has no problem with it. … but that app does not do media liberary, only file browsing, very slow…
Bit Perfect is possible. But it depends on your settings. It also might depend on Android. You might be able to check this now, in Plexamp on the streaming device, you have to set the settings on the streaming device. Under the settings gear icon there is Playback >> Audio Output >> Sample Rate Matching. If this setting is on disabled you won’t have sample rate matching. Switch this to either strict or smart.
Access Plexamp settings on the streamer.
And then audio output
For example. Here is one track from my library at 44/16
And here is one hi-res.
These tracks are coming through Headless Plexamp Pi but I also have a Pixel Android Phone, and a WIIM Pro streamer, and Plexamp plays at hi-res matching the frequency and bit depth. I use a simple usb-c to headphone adapter for my phone. I have Plex Pass I am not sure what the settings look like without plex pass. If you are streaming to chromecast that is where it gets a bit weird. Chromecast streaming on some devices is stuck at 48k. The only way to know for sure for your streamer is to try it out.
In my system there is no reconized DAC. Maybe thats because its not connected over usb but over i2s. I cannot test this unfortunatly, my streamer and dac’s usb chips do not want to talk to eachother.
Secondly, I have only two options under ‘Audio interface’ namely ‘AAudio’ and ‘OpenSL ES’
Bitrate matching is not in my menu. Will it be visibable, when I pay up for Pass?
So maybe USB would be preffered, but I2S sounds top notch on de Holo Audio Cyan 2
You are welcome. Hmm, someone else will have to validate about those features. I can guess yes as I have a plex pass and those are the settings I have access to.
Apologize for the extra questions I am trying to figure out exactly what the issue is with playback.
Is the streamer working now, can you play something on plexamp from the streamer? If you play something using Plexamp on the streamer does music come out of the HOLO? Or does the HOLO not even register the stream coming in?
Is the issue that you can’t use Plexamp on the streamer at all? Or Is the issue that the HOLO plays music but it is not bit perfect?
For normal playing, flac’s in 16/44, there is no problem at all. The Holo gets his signal from the streamer and the appropriate lights signal this is CD quality stream.
First question I got after a while, was, is this a ‘bit perfect’ stream in plexamp>streamer>dac chain. Or does it (re)sample the music in-between. This is kinda what i read in the official replies from the co-founder here. I read about Apple and Linux based devices only offering this.
Second, more problematic, question came on as i downloaded a album in two versions, one old in 16/44 and one remastered in 24/192 . When i played the latter one, no lights changed on the Dac indicating its still a 16/44 file. So plexamp downsamples it.
Do I have to have to get Plex Pass to get the stream to go to the dac without downsampling?
And aditionally;
Will Plex Pass give a ‘bit perfect’ stream in 16/ 44?
These answers are nowhere to be found on the net
If not, it will be maybe interesting for me to also try out a headless linux based streamer solotion to the DAC. But that will probably only offer USB. Where the Holo shines in this I2S connection. I2S my also be possible with a more expensive streamer like the Magna
Then i will lose the big now playing Screen on the streamer.
That’s a tough choice to make. I2S or USB lose the screen or get better fidelity. I want to help you decide so here is something else to think on.
When you play the file does the server dashboard or PlexDash show you anything? What I mean is from the web UI for the server. Go to Activity–> Dashboard–> it should look something like this:
This Pink Floyd album is 24/96. This is going to my Pixel Phone and being received by my phone as 24/96. I know this because where it shows Audio; it says PCM (Stereo) instead of PCM(stereo) OPUS - Transcode and the plexamp app shows me 24/96. If I want to be super sure I check my plexamp settings and have Loudness Leveling off, sweet fades off, equalizer off, limiter off. With these all off, Plex and Plexamp don’t do anything to the stream at all.
In Plexdash we can show this and it looks like this:
The shaggy track is being streamed to a chromecast and that track is 16bit/44khz but is getting converted. Chromecast does something to the stream.
So what I can say from my experience and from the Plexamp website and settings I have seen. Plex Pass is needed for sample rate matching. However, when it comes to android and android tv devices. Its a mixed bag and not totally a guarantee of bit perfect. It kind of depends. My android phone no issue with downsampling. Other devices from FIIO and others, it caps at 48Khz. If you are chromecasting you will most likely always have transcoding and you will not have gapless playback over chromecast.
Sorry if this is not an exact answer for you. but this is how it is right now. The devs are aware and there are many forum posts on this topic. We just have to wait and see what the final verdict is on this.
I have taken Plex Pass last month, because of the sale… and then… nothing has changed. So it is definitely a android thing. A bit dissapointed I am, 100 euro for nothing? I dont need an AI to make playlist for me.
Well, maybe I will have a headless linux based streaming unit one day to see if this changes anything.
