@alex_h - for your info, the UDP800 MKII is a CD/BD Player and it doesn’t have an HDMI input, only outputs, or a USB connection. So multichannel via Roon is not possible with this device.
Hi @alex_h & @Geoff_Coupe,
as @alex_h have many times well explained the ONLY problem with an 5.1 RAAT streming in this scenario is in the kind of MAgnetar UDP800MKII certification, where no multichannel capabilities are exposed from Magnetar to Roon Server. If the certification is no update with this funicionality (requested to Roon from the manifactures) multichannel track playback is not possible.
@Geoff_Coupe the main problem is not hardware, so please let’s avoid confusing users who are still unclear about the possibilities and differences between analogue (RCA or XLR), digital (coaxial, optical, HDMI) and streaming connections (the confusion is even greater when it comes to network streaming, both local - such as with Roon’s RAAT - or internet - as offered by Qobuz, Tidal, etc.
However, I am glad that the discussion on this issue is growing, because the only way to move forward is to contact Magnetar and put pressure on them to include multi-channel track playback in Roon certification.
Best regards to all
Andrea
Unfortunately, the issue is hardware - it’s the internal design of the Magnetar that will only support 2 channel audio streams passed to it via RAAT. As has been said, RAAT supports multichannel audio streams, but if the receiving device can’t handle it, then Roon won’t send it.
Hum… I am not at all sure about this. In fact, as I have also reiterated to Magnetar, if there are hardware limitations that make multichannel playback via RAAT impossible, they should inform their customers and therefore be much clearer. We will see if they have the courage to do so. Let us remember that we are talking about a very expensive device that is declared to be HI-End class and not simply Hi-Fi.
Bye
Unfortunately, it’s the same old story. The vast majority of such manufacturers simply don’t make their devices’ concrete roon/RAAT support public, unless you directly ask them.
And all this has absolutely nothing to do with the reputation of a manufacturer or the price of concrete devices.
I wonder: Why is it possible to stream multichannel files via DNLA to my Oppo whereas RAAT is only Stereo? I do this via JRiver as a server over Network to my Oppo and it is Multichannel. Where does the Hardware limitation jump in when streaming with RAAT? I thought this is just another Network Protocoll?
Yes, and it has to be implemented. “Hardware limitation” not as in “the hardware can’t do it” but as in “it wasn’t implemented on this hardware device for RAAT”.
@Suedkiez
This is not my opinion. I will try to summarise to make it clearer.
As far as I know, RAAT has no significant limitations with regard to the characteristics of the audio track that the Roon server can send to various devices via this protocol.
Roon was designed to allow audio tracks that a user makes available to the Roon server, either through a streaming service or through archives available on their local network, to be sent to a specific playback device (depending on its specific characteristics), regardless of the characteristics of each individual track.
This is because the Roon server, depending on the device’s certification, knows its characteristics and therefore, with respect to these characteristics, performs any necessary conversions, resampling and channel mapping to ensure that the audio track can always be played.
Now, if the certification is lacking, i.e. it does not cover ALL the formats that the device can play, unpleasant situations arise, as in the scenario I have described.
So, for me at this point, the limitation is not hardware (on any side) but software, based on the Roon Ready certification specifications that Magnetar has chosen to share with ROON.
In fact, as Frank_Nichel and I have pointed out, all other multichannel sources on the Magnetar work very well (USB, DLNA, SMB, NFS, and even physical disc).
So, if there is a specific hardware limitation, with respect to the RAAT protocol, that prevents Magnetar from certifying the UDP800MKII for multichannel audio tracks as well, it is Magnetar that must tell us!
Bye
Whatever the very concrete reason for this limitation actually is, it may be hardware, software or simply any additional costs to implement e.g. multichannel for RAAT.
And only the manufacturer is able to tell you.
And again, just because e.g. multichannel works via some other port or protocol doesn’t say anything about if it works with RAAT or how much effort it would be to implement this for RAAT.
roon/RAAT is just the technical base for this.
I would go even further and ask Roon to specify this on their own roon Ready listed Website as a Stereo only Roon Ready device as they apparently knew that already. As mentioned earlier, on the Magnetar Webiste there is no information about that limitation. When both involved parties of a Roon Certification know about the capability of the RAAT protocoll it would be very helpfull to give customers complete information.
Welcome to the growing club. But since at least one party has no interest in openly and proactively communicate this information it’s unlikely to happen in the near future.
Well said, Frank!!! I completely agree with you!
Given that Roon is so sensitive to the complete satisfaction of its customers and given that manufacturers are unable to be clear, it would be very significant if Roon were to be clear instead!!!
Excellent proposal! I hope Roon welcomes it!
Opinions don’t help, we need facts about the implementation on this specific device.
Yes, I know. The problem is not RAAT as such, because there are a few devices that actually implemented multichannel RAAT.
However, it depends on the device as was already pointed out countless times.
There were countless previous cases with other devices where RAAT was without a doubt only implemented in stereo.
Yes, like I already said before
Funny enough my 14 years old Media BluCinema Media PC supports it (7.1 channel up to 96 KHz) and that is the way I listen to multichannel in my main system when I don’t use the Oppo. I wonder what kind of implementation needs to be done and wether it is so complicated to get this done.
Anyway. Magnetar does not reply so apparently they are not interested to sort this out.
I noticed that I had made a typo. I intended to write „The problem is not RAAT as such“, I hope this was clear anyway 
Yep, you were perfectly clear. 
