Troubleshooting AirPlay issues?

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armwt

armwt

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  • #1
    So this isn't purely an Apple issue, but I figure best to start there.

    Experimenting with upgrading my home office audio rig, but running into what seems like network issues after about an hour or so of playback.

    Gear:
    • Mac mini M1, playing from music app via Airplay. Ventura 14.5
    • Pioneer VSX-1021 receiver, currently hard-wired via ethernet into:
    • Ubiquity 16 port switch

    Network stack is full Ubiquity/Unify - 16 port switch, Mac mini connected to wifi, Unifi Dream Machine Pro SE managing it all.

    When I first start playback in the AM, all goes perfectly. Receiver will auto-power on if off as soon as it sees a signal, comes online, sounds great.
    After about 60-90 minutes, I'll get a bit of distortion, and then audio drops out. Music app keeps playing, does not seem to see any issues. Nothing on the surface in my Unifi logs.

    If I pause the music app, and resume play, it usually starts right back up, but will repeat the issue, usually in a shorter time frame. It almost acts as if there is some sort of "buffer" that is getting overwhelmed somewhere in the network chain. Happens regardless of what is playing, so it isn't a bad track or anything like that. Audio just "glitches" and then stops.

    Secondary question... other than Airplay, what other audio outputs can be controlled via the Music app's volume slider? I don't want full system audio going to the receiver, only the Music app (I can route it using Audio Hijack or other methods if needed, but I want normal audio to come from the Mini's speakers, and only music to go to the external system)
     
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  • #2
    Two thoughts:

    1. Have you checked for a firmware update on the Pioneer? I use AirPlay into a different model Pioneer, and a couple years back performed an update which notably improved reliability. (However it still fails from time to time, sometimes even requiring a hard power cycle.)

    2. For an alternative AirPlay sink with remote volume control, I recommend the WiiM mini. When it first launched things were a bit rough around the edges, but they’ve continually updated both unit firmware and its companion app and the system is now excellent. Configurable output for headphone vs line-level vs powered-speaker output is especially convenient. It’s a proper AirPlay 2 client, appearing in the Home app, has an optical output, and even has an analog aux-in you can remotely switch to. Highly recommended.
     
    armwt

    armwt

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  • #3
    I briefly tried to update firmware yesterday, but network timed out and I got distracted. I'll check again.

    Re: WiiM... I'd actually considered the WiiM Amp, but remembered that I'd stashed this Pioneer in storage, so pulled it out, and honestly, would be surprised if the WiiM (Amp) could sound much better. I'll take a closer look at the mini... I've also been considering a miniDSP as an external DAC option and to give me the ability to balance the room a bit better, but I don't think they have Airplay. Not sold on Airplay, but it is an awfully convenient way of routing JUST the music without any additional steps required.
     
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  • #5
    armwt said:
    I briefly tried to update firmware yesterday, but network timed out and I got distracted. I'll check again.

    Re: WiiM... I'd actually considered the WiiM Amp, but remembered that I'd stashed this Pioneer in storage, so pulled it out, and honestly, would be surprised if the WiiM (Amp) could sound much better. I'll take a closer look at the mini... I've also been considering a miniDSP as an external DAC option and to give me the ability to balance the room a bit better, but I don't think they have Airplay. Not sold on Airplay, but it is an awfully convenient way of routing JUST the music without any additional steps required.
    Click to expand...
    Mac/iOS -> [AirPlay] -> WiiM mini -> [optical] -> miniDSP -> [analog] -> Pioneer!

    ant1pathy said:
    Do you have an AppleTV you could hook into the receiver to see if that eliminates the problem? I'm always suspicious of quality implementation of AirPlay by non-Apple OEMs.
    Click to expand...
    Agree… and I originally assumed the WiiM would disappoint, but they won me over with a great implementation. Besides, with tv now being HDMI-out only, you’re left with non-Apple solutions to attempt anything out of the box.
     
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    ant1pathy

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  • #6
    Bonusround said:
    Agree… and I originally assumed the WiiM would disappoint, but they won me over with a great implementation. Besides, with tv now being HDMI-out only, you’re left with non-Apple solutions to attempt anything out of the box.
    Click to expand...
    That receiver has plenty of HDMI in, shouldn't be an issue. If it's being used as an audio-box only with no panel connected, hooking up a monitor for a few minutes to set up the ATV to not require a confirmation code for inbound AirPlay should be pretty trivial.
     
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  • #7
    ant1pathy said:
    That receiver has plenty of HDMI in, shouldn't be an issue. If it's being used as an audio-box only with no panel connected, hooking up a monitor for a few minutes to set up the ATV to not require a confirmation code for inbound AirPlay should be pretty trivial.
    Click to expand...
    FWIW, I've tried tv HDMI-in with another Pioneer. It can work well, however:

    1. You can end up with the TV turning on any time you're playing music. This isn't always desirable.
    2. Disabling TV auto-on can mean disabling CEC – which prohibits the tv from controlling volume.

    For any moderately complex home theater setup there exist dozens of opportunities for CEC to foul things up, rendering the tv for music streaming unworkable.

    (additionally... tv resamples all output to a 48Khz – which will only matter to some, but probably should matter to anyone considering DSP room correction IMO)
     
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    ant1pathy

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  • #8
    Bonusround said:
    FWIW, I've tried tv HDMI-in with another Pioneer. It can work well, however:

    1. You can end up with the TV turning on any time you're playing music. This isn't always desirable.
    2. Disabling TV auto-on can mean disabling CEC – which prohibits the tv from controlling volume.

    For any moderately complex home theater setup there exist dozens of opportunities for CEC to foul things up, rendering the tv for music streaming unworkable.

    (additionally... tv resamples all output to a 48Khz – which will only matter to some, but probably should matter to anyone considering DSP room correction IMO)
    Click to expand...
    True, which is why I don't bother with CEC and do panel power on/off and input switching manually :p. A frequent use-case for me is the ATV on and showing the pretty screensavers, while I play records. Receiver does that no problem; leaves the video source on the ATV and swaps to the phono input for the turntable audio.
     
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    armwt

    armwt

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  • #10
    Hmmm. Interesting :)

    Re: aTV... not something I would consider long-term for some of the reasons listed, but absolutely a good test to see if it is network issues on the Ubiquity side vs. something in the Pioneer. FWIW, long-term I don't plan on having any video output on this rig, although I did run HDMI into a monitor just to check settings on the Pioneer. Once the office buildout is done, receiver will just sit on top of a file cabinet, no TV in the room.

    Not sure I see a point to having both a WiiM AND a miniDSP... their functions are somewhat redundant for what I'm after, but I'll take a closer look :)

    Longer-term, not a requirement but a "nice to have" is something where I can still control volume from within the music app.. for a dumb reason: I have a USB volume knob that I've re-programmed (via Karabiner) to adjust volume in the music app. The Mac mini is going to sit in a bookshelf on the other side of the room (small office), but with a long USB cable giving me volume (and pause) control. For concentration/focus reasons I don't want the mini accessible from my desk while I'm working, but I'd like to keep using that volume knob vs. keeping a remote control on the desk. Not a huge deal, just something in the back of my mind.
     
    armwt

    armwt

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  • #13
    So I broke down and bought the WiiM, mostly as an experiment, knowing that I have another stereo in the living room that I could add it to in the future to get another AirPlay endpoint.

    But one thing that is frustrating me. I've gone through and done a rough balancing run, using HomeCurve and a calibrated mic. Input all of the results into the WiiM (latest firmware update gives a 10-point PEQ option). Seemed to work as expected, flattened the curve out and got a nice, stable baseline, BUT...

    Now in Music, if I try to apply Music's EQ, it is totally ignored. As in... I can turn it on/off, set the gain all the way up, and... nothing. Not sure how WiiM is over-riding my Music EQ settings, but... seems to be. Worked fine when I was running Airplay to the receiver/amp directly, but connected to the WiiM via Airplay the internal Mac EQ settings are completely ignored.

    I thought the PEQ settings would give me a good "baseline" to build from, but still allow me to tweak things the way I like them. In all honesty, the flat setting sounds... well... flat. I normally boost bass slightly, and then boost upper (8-16K) sliders slightly to add a little on the top end. Trying to decide if I'm just approaching things the wrong way, or if this really isn't going to achieve what I was after. Still looking to add the MiniDSP to the mix in order to tweak timing for the dual subs in the room, (at which point I'll likely move the WiiM upstairs), but if I experience the same result there re: equalizer and losing the ability to tweak things, I'll be frustrated.
     
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