Wireless protocol between Vault 2i and Pulse Mini 2i?
AnsweredWe have configured a Vault 2i as a streamer with a pair of Pulse Mini 2is as wireless end points. For some months we controlled this configuration with the BluOS app. Today we downloaded and installed Roon. As a result we are seeing (for the first time, thanks to Roon) that the Vault is transmitting to the Pulse Minis via Airplay. This was a surprise, and raises a couple of questions:
1. Is the Vault's wireless communications channel limited to the Airplay protocol? I ask because Apple's implementation of the Airplay protocol, as is well known, restricts audio bandwidth to 16/44.1. We are storing files on the Vault with resolutions up to 24/96.
2. What happens when the Vault streams a 24/96 source to the Pulse mini? Does the communications protocol change to accommodate the source bandwidth, and if not, how does the Vault modify the source to accommodate the Airplay protocol?
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Official comment
Not sure where or how you are seeing this but Bluesound devices do not transmit using Airplay, they just do not have this facility. Your devices (Vault & Mini’s) can receive via Airplay as an end point.
Your Vault will be using Ethernet to connect to your Roon server but it possible Roon is configured to use Airplay to your end points.
Ignoring Roon, your Vault can serve Bluesound devices directly with files of up to 24/192.
Edit… you may want to post over on the Roon forum for help with configuration.
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Thanks for your reply, Seppi. And I apologize. I should have posted the picture along with my original question.
Roon displays the following:
So where does Roon get this information? It can only get it from the Vault. Though it can read the file attributes directly from the Vault's hard drive, Roon itself plays no role in the streaming, does it? The Vault and Minis have presumably negotiated the connection between themselves and Roon seems not to be talking to the Minis.
Also, Roon says the signal path is "high quality." This implies the Vault has chosen a lossy encoding format, the default for AirPlay audio. I draw this conclusion because Roon reports "Lossless" if it believes the source is being transferred in a lossless encoding such as FLAC or WAV, which I believe the Minis understand.
Good to know that the Vault can serve 16/44.1 files directly. Is there a way (say in BluOS) for a user to tell the Vault to use a lossless protocol?
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Confession I have only played with Roon briefly on a trial but Roon does indeed handle the streaming it pulls tracks from your library or Qobuz / Tidal and then either converts the tracks to play successfully on your end point even if not supported. Also it gives you DSP options in-addition to a beautiful central library.
Best off posting on the Roon forum to get it setup, there are a few Roon users here but few and far between. The recent Bluesound firmware changes several things with the Roon integration and not familiar with it but do recall when I “played” there were two audio paths available one Airplay and one not.
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