Marcin's app stores as much information as possible on the tablet or smartphone itself to forward the minimum amount of data over the network like when changing tracks. That's why when I went into the Lumin app to see what the player had in its internal playlist, I only saw one track. I thought that with network drives of RAM and CPU limits, it might make more sense to restrict how much gets buffered. But according to Marcin, it's really all about the digital noise from incessant network pings between reader and control point which penalizes the transparency of the system. What I described above required extensive time to collect and sufficient hardware to compare. But in each case JPlay proved to be the best application for the job of sound quality. The difference delta will simply depend on a number of variables. I thought that my Lumin deck benefited the most. But the gain remained substantial for each of the network players I use in my different audio systems.
You will no doubt have already figured out that I am cancelling my Roon subscription to replace it with JPlay for iOS. I gain financial savings, better sound and a lower load on my computer server by eliminating its Roon layer. My main motivation obviously remains the sonic benefits that I observed on the Lumin X1 and P1 but also Esoteric N-05XD and HiFi Rose RS201E. That was substantial enough to be easily discernible by the majority of networked audio users. Some people will remain fiercely opposed to paying €50 a year for an app when others are free. Yet what's €50 in the annual budget of the average mélomane? The amortization of a pair of €500 interconnects will probably not bring a tenth of the improvements made by JPlay. And what to think of Roon's pricing excesses which do buy a super-interactive app but one that's less evolved on audio quality? Thinking about it just a little, the small amount asked by Marcin Ostapowicz seems extremely reasonable compared to the benefits provided by JPlay for iOS. This earns it my highest recommendation and 2024 Grand Frisson award.
