I’m using Deezer → HQPlayer … as well as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal Desktop app, all through HQPlayer.
As well as Roon (with Qobuz) sometimes but I prefer those ‘official’ streaming services apps for music discovery… recommendations work way better than Roon for me and curated playlists.
What are your thoughts of the Deezer desktop/mobile app UI/UX? You like or don’t like?
Are you using HQPlayer Desktop or HQPlayer Embedded?
Can you please ellaborate on how you go from Deezer/Spotify to HQPlayer?
Dirk
I’m using HQPlayer Desktop, so, unfortunately no UPnP AV for me 
I think I’ve stumbled across what might be your way of doing that but didn’t dig through it yet. If you could elaborate on your setup a bit, that would be awesome. I don’t mind the Deezer app on either Windows or Android - it’s fine. Same for Qobuz. That said, I’m highly interested in replicating your setup 
I can do it 3 ways.
Can even use the Node 2i’s Spotify Connect input.
Could use a Cambridge Audio CXV V2 or Chromecast Audio for Chromecast input.
Anything with a TOSlink output really.
PC/Macbook directly USB connected to HQPlayer OS running on UpBoard Gateway. This features automatic sample rate switching… cool for Qobuz. Not required for Deezer and Spotify and Apple Music for reason mentioned above.
On macOS, using Black Hole as an input in HQPlayer Desktop. Does not support auto sample rate switching but not required for Deezer and Spotify and Apple Music for reason mentioned above (they are fixed at 44.1kHz).
No UPnP involved in any of the above.
Hi again, under another label
If I have one computer in the local network with Spotify (PC - windows 10), can I transmitt somehow the music output through the network to the computer running HQP? I guess I can have a signal like TosLink from one computer to the other, but it is inconveniant, a do not have more space in the canal for wires. Is there any software that can turn the ethernet output to a “sound card” sending readable bitstream to HQP?
Hi again Stefan !
How far (distance) is your Win10 PC from your HQPe server ? Both are in the same room?
Your listening room is in the same room or different room?
As you can see in my first post, there’s a few different ways to do it, but the best solution depends on overall system layout.
If you can tell me what equipment is in what room and exactly how stuff is connected, it’s easier to recommend a solution.
Which DAC, what is connected to the DAC and which cable and which room. All the details.
OK, here we go:
The Spotify PC is in separate room from my listening room, 'cuz not quiet enough, will be remotly run by spotify connect over wifi-LAN. The HQP Embedded PC is in listening room (dead silent). Roon ROCK PC is also, talking to same network, addressing the HQP PC’s IP entry I added in Roon ROCK PC. Roon ROCK does nothing except playback NAS, Tidal and Qobuz. No DSP or any signal tempering, just “as is”.
The Spotify PC It is connected to the local network and “sees” the HQP computer in Explorer, The HQP PC’s IP-address available to read from the desired Spotify PC. Distance not so far, but not possible to make shorter (noise). Only Ethernet communication. Spotify PC should I hope, communicate like the Roon Rock PC, but Roon offers a IP-address entry, while the Spotify PC do not. From the HQP the signal travels over USB to a digital interface converting any output from HQP Embedded PC to AES, balanced digital stream. Each monitor and sub has its own DAC, so the AES line is daisy chained between the monitors and sub-woofer.
That is all, I guess. Feel free to ask if anything is unclear
Rgds /Stefan
Edit: I spell like ■■■■ … hope you understand anyway
Ok this part makes it easy then.
If you buy a miniDSP USBStreamer and any Spotify Connect device with TOSlink output, then you can play Spotify/Deezer/Apple Music through HQPlayer.
https://www.minidsp.com/products/usb-audio-interface/usbstreamer-box
This is used for Toslink INPUT and USB OUTPUT - connecting to any USB port (type A) of your HQPe server.
A Spotify Connect TOSlink source could be a cheap Chromecast Audio device or a Bluesound Node 2i or a Sonos Connect. There’s heaps out there at different prices.
I use an Airport Express (Airplay 2 - not technically Spotify Connect but doesn’t matter). So it goes (as an example):
Airplay 2 (Spotify/Apple Music/Deezer/whatever) to Airport Express → TOSlink → miniDSP USBStreamer → USB → HQPe server
The miniDSP TOSlink input doesn’t know or care what type of streamer it’s connected to, so any TOSlink source works the same.
On your HQP browser page you see the page called ‘Input’.
You select USBStreamer as input. And that’s it, done 
None of the above devices add any acoustic noise to the room, they’re all fanless.
You could actually move the Roon Core and HQPe server to your other PC room and put all those together. And for the listening room only have a low powered HQPlayer NAA (endpoint) inside the listening room.
As long as both rooms have ethernet cable between them. This is what I do for HQP endpoints around the house. This sends any TOSlink source across the house over ethernet cable.
I mentioned in first post, this method doesn’t support automatic sample rate switching. But as I mentioned in first post, Deezer/Spotify/Apple Music/Soundcloud all use same sample rate anyway (PCM 16 bit / 44.1 kHz)
Let me have this sink in and I maybe will come back with some questions again. Seems like a great idea.
You could actually just have the following RPi based HQP NAA (endpoint) inside your listening with direct AES3 digital output.
No other PC inside listening room. No USB inside listening room.
What if I am able to locate one of the numerous Raspberries I have laying around here or in the workshop… or I have a mini computer built actually on a Allo Sparky, with an Allo clean USB HAT that I probably could run with RopieeeXL, whick in turn also incorpartes Spotify Connect service on top of the Roon connectability. That would not be as beneficial as LAN for Roon to HQP, so it would not replace the IP connection for Roon, but maybe would do just great for Spotify? I don’t need a toslink, because when playing from Spotify, the Allo connects to my account, using the tablet just as a remote over W-LAN. What puzzles though is to find an USB cable with same connector in both ends? Does those exist? You don’t need to answer, I will have to look up myself. This tiny computer can be located as my Roon ROCK Intel NUC, using Velcro on the back of my TV. Need to replace the psu shortly though, those switch mode piece of **** , is banned from all mains connections on the hifigear fuse.
But that is just small issues.
What do you think about this solution? Won’t need to go further than a Spotify Connect certified end point like RopieeeXL and USB out as it would have been to a DAC normally, but instead to the HGQ computer?
No can’t do this Pi 2 design. The Pi is not good enough to be last link before the AES diasy chain. It is far to sensitive to RFI and is noise beyond any decent levels, even if psu is replaced. It needs to be inside the LAN section, to the ground of the computer, to stop flooding the cable shields from ground noise.
See my post just above.
You could run RoPieee XL on that device… running all 3 - HQPlayer NAA, Roon Bridge and Spotify…
However Spotify would not run through HQPlayer itself.
To run Spotify through HQPlayer (and apply your favourite sinc-M to Spotify or any other TOSlink source) you need to do the miniDSP solution.
The miniDSP box comes with the USB cable and TOSlink cable you need
It’s just a standard printer type USB cable - type B goes into miniDSP box and type A end goes into standard computer port.
What is your current last link before AES3 daisy chain? Can you share the model?
I got it here: https://www.kjell.com/se/produkter/dator/kablar-adaptrar/usb/usb-kablar/anslutningskabel-for-usb-18-m-p38432
Here is the digital interface, in original. Mine is rebuilt off course. They cannot treat ground and zobel nets in China: WEILIANG AUDIO Breeze audio Best pure USB decoder XMOS XU208 =DU U8 DAC Asynchronous USB coax + fiber XMOS Ultimate Edition DSD|usb coax|usb decoderusb usb - AliExpress
A RopieeeXL on a mini computer is not good enough for output of final bitstream. There are too much noise spreading by these small boxes, there is a reason why I have them laying around in numbers. But connected using an FTP ethernet cable to my final switch with ground to protective earth, will drain the pcb circuit boards inside and the output signal is galvanically isolated by pulse trnasformer. It will get the Spotify signal from the ethernet, remotely controlled by a tablet, and fed out to the HQP computer if it will accept tha RopieeeXL to connect with the usb?
This is wrong USB cable to use with the miniDSP box. But anyway it comes with correct cable (Type A to B)
No worries, if you want to keep using this box then just a Raspberry Pi 4 alone is enough , no HAT required.
Or you should be able to use Allo USBridge as HQP endpoint - I haven’t tried this though, so cannot 100% confirm.
The old Allo Sparky board is not supported by RoPieee or Jussi. They moved to RPi.
Why would not a cable networked Raspberry’s USB output (RopieeeXL) be suitable to feed my HQPlayer computer with music bitstream to an (input) USB port? Computers cannot talk to eachother over a USB cable?
Perhaps this is a very silly question, but without them I do not learn. 
Nope it won’t work. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know the technical reason I but asked the same question early to Jussi too.
You can try it right now to confirm to yourself - try to connect RPi USB output to your computer with Type A to Type A and see if you can get anything. You just have to trust me it won’t work.
The method I described has come from following Jussi’s approved and supported recommendations. I did what he said and everything works
There is another device supported by Jussi which I also have (UpBoard Gateway) which will take USB input and output running it through HQPlayer but this is quite complex to describe and trickier to get it working.
The miniDSP box solution I described is best for your purpose I think.
If you look at the Pi2Design, its AES3 output is also isolation transformer isolated. Low noise linear regulators also.
