How do you control AirPlay2>

Streaming Audio
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My second system is an Atom and I have a Qb in my bedroom and can multi-room using the Naim app.

My main system includes Apple TV HD (4th gen) which is AirPlay 2 compatible (sender and receiver). And I have a mini system in my kitchen/dining room and could get a second hand AirPort Express off an auction site for £30-35 and connect it to the AUX Input potentially giving me four AirPlay sets of speakers.

My questions are about how do I control it all. Can I use the Naim app? I presently use TIDAL vis the Naim app. Will TIDAL work? Would I need to use the TIDAL app itself? Will it play FLAC files? Does the iOS device need to be playing the track or can it just be a controller?i

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Yes, you would use the Tidal App, which will show the Airplay2 receivers. This will play FLAC, but through the iOS device, as Airplay operates over wi-fi. Alternatively, you can use the Tidal Mac desktop app and Airplay from there.

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Thanks. So the Naim app can’t stram to Apple TV or Airport?

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No, unless it’s changed with the update (I haven’t updated my Nova yet), as the App runs through uPnP.

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You will need to use AirPlay volume control as the Naim app can only control Naim streamers.
It’ll be interesting to see how reliable all this is, especially with Tidal FLAC streams. I notice that Radio Paradise have added ALAC support for their iOS app, due to problems with the way Apple devices handle FLAC, which they felt were best avoided.

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So successfully using Airplay 2 to stream TIDAL from my iPad to Atom, Qb and Apple TV HD.

What can I do with my ripped music (FLAC)? I have an MP3 mirror in iTunes. If I copy the FLAC files into iTunes can I use iTunes to play in CD quality? Or would I need to batch convert to ALAC?

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I’m not entirely sure what you mean with iTunes, where are the ripped files? Any audio output on a Mac can be sent through to Airplay 2 devices, not just from iTunes. I used to rip to iTunes using the highest SA setting, but now use a Uniti Core.

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I’m using Windows 10.

I have ripped my CDs onto a NAS drive in FLAC which I have been streaming using the Naim app to my Atom and Qb.

I batch converted my entire FLAC library to MP3 and created an iTunes library and synced it with my iPod Classic which I use in the car and on holiday.

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If iTunes does turn out to handle FLAC badly, I guess there’s no harm in having an ALAC copy of your library for it to use. Last time I looked, it was possible to point iTunes at multiple music libraries, so that wouldn’t affect your need to keep an MP3 copy for portable use.

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iTunes seems to work perfectly with MP3 and ALAC using AirPlay 2 to multiroom. Won’t even let me add FLAC to the iTunes library.

Any other Windows solution that would allow me to play Airplay 2 FLAC files? Roon???

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Roon will certainly do it if you want it to. Paradoxically, it would then use AirPlay to send it to your Muso, as it doesn’t have native Roon support that the Atom has.

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Roon can only sync play like for like protocols so you could use it to send via Airplay to your Atom, Muso and Apple TV all in sync. But your then sending a lower quality signal to your Atom and Muso overall. It will only use Airplay not Airplay 2 but this is irrelevant given Roon would be doing the syncing, Airplay 2 benefits are its multiroom which Roon handles in this situation any way. Seems a bit unnecessary though given the cost of Roon to do this, just convert your files to ALAC and use Apples software to Airplay 2 sync or just forget the Apple TV and use Naims multiroom.

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Good advice, the way I was starting to think myself.

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