Cambridge Audio EVO 75 cannot play AAC format while Roon ARC via CarPlay works (ref#H0TYJ5)

Support
1

What best describes your playback issue?

· Music doesn't start when I press "Play"

What type of Zone is affected by this problem?

· *Directly-connected Zones* are affected.

Does the issue affect all file formats?

· The issue *only affects one file *format.

Which format is giving you trouble?

· AAC

Is your device connected directly to the Roon Server via cable or over the network, or is it chained through another device (such as a streamer, Roon Bridge, or Roon Remote)?

· It is connected through a different device (e.g Rasberry Pi)

Does the device play audio from another source when using the same connection?

· The device has no problems with another audio source

Have you checked that Roon is whitelisted in any firewalls?

· I've checked the firewall and the issue remains

If the device has multiple output options, do the other options work as expected?

· Multiple output types are affected

Is the device using the latest firmware as per the manufacturer?

· Firmware is up-to-date but the issue remains

Do you have an approximate timestamp of when the issue last occurred?

· Since I purchase the evo 75 one year ago and the problem persist

What are the make and model of the affected audio device(s) and the connection type?

· Cambridge Audio Evo 75, Denon Home 250 and all other devices have the same problem

Describe the issue

Cambridge Audio EVO 75 cannot play AAC format music through Roon, but the same AAC file can be played successfully using Roon ARC through Apple CarPlay. Why is this?

Describe your network setup

Netgear Orbi (1000M broadband)

2

What are you using as the Roon Server, a NAS or ROCK?

When using ARC, lossy files like AAC will be transmitted to ARC in original format (at least with most settings), and then will be decoded by the phone, which has an AAC codec. Therefore, the Roon Server doesn’t need an AAC codec in this case.

When using Roon at home, the Roon Server decodes the AAC file to PCM before sending the PCM samples to the endpoint. Therefore, the Roon Server needs the AAC codec, and if the Roon Server is on a NAS or ROCK you may have to add it. (It’s not included for licensing reasons).

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Please tell me how to add the AAC codec in my roon server.

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Synology NAS DS220+

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See Appendix: Adding support for additional audio codecs (like AAC…) here:

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Hey @LIU_Chia_Hua_John,

Thanks for writing in! We couldn’t have said it better than @Suedkiez - let us know if you have any additional questions along the way. :+1:

Thank you!

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Hi Benjamin,

I’ll try to solve the problem as advised. May come back to you later.

Thank you very much!

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Hi @LIU_Chia_Hua_John ,

Sounds like a plan, do let us know how it goes!

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I’ve tried some step as advised but situation is still the same.

What information should I report here to facilitate your assessment?

Besides, can I keep this discussion thread a bit longer in order to solve the problem?

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What „some step“? What were the steps exactly that you did?

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Hello @LIU_Chia_Hua_John,

Thank you for the update.

There are three steps to update the codecs:

  1. Download the ffmpeg binaries from the John Van Sickle website:
    John Van Sickle - FFmpeg Static Builds
    You’ll need the amd64 build for Roon Server running on your DiskStation.
  2. Extract the .tar.xz archive and copy the ffmpeg binary from the extracted folder into:
<<your selected database location>> / RoonOnNAS / bin
  1. Restart Roon Server from the Package Center.

Could you kindly let us know exactly where you got stuck in this process, so we can guide you further?

Thank you!

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(i) visited JohnVanSickles website;
(ii) downloaded ffmpeg-git-amd64-static.tar.xz to my macmini’s folder “download”.
(iii) unzipped the file.
(iv) copied the unzipped files folder, namely “ffmpegf-git-20240629-static” to RoonOnNAS/bin.
(v) restarted the NAS.
Result------>> the same situation with AAC.

Alternatively, I tried downloaded from JohnVanSickles’s website another zipped file, namely ffmpeg-release-amd64-static.tar.xz, unzipped it and copy the folder “ffmpeg-7.0.2-amd64-static” to RoonOnNAS/bin but still in vain.

P.S. my “RoonServer/RoonOnNAS/bin” is stored on an external SSD which is connected to the Synology DS220+ NAS through a USB-A cable.

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No. After unzipping, you need to go into this folder and find the file called “ffmpeg”. Then copy only this file to RoonOnNAS/bin.

You may also need to give it executable permissions after copying it to RoonOnNAS/bin. (Try right-clicking it in the Synology’s file manager; I suppose there will be a “Properties” option in the menu where you can do this)

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So, which zipped file I should use? The “22040629” or the “release” one?

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Hello @LIU_Chia_Hua_John

Thank you for the update.

It is better to use the release one.

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I’ve tried both and they work fine.

Thank you for solving the problem!

1 Like
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Glad to hear the issue is resolved and happy listening. Please reach out if we can assist further by submitting a new tech support request.