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Playing My iTunes Music via My Denon AVR-1912 Receiver. (1 Viewer)

BluHT

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I play the songs in my music collection primarily from my iMac desktop computer, using iTunes (v. 12.6.2.20). But, I would like to improve the experience by playing them wirelessly via my 5.1 surround system. That's controlled by my Denon AVR-1912 receiver (https://usa.denon.com/us/product/hometheater/receivers/avr1912).

How can I do this? I connected an iogear Universal Wi-Fi N adapter to the Denon and can now listen to internet radio on the receiver. But, how do I link the iMac to the receiver or otherwise play the music stored on my computer? Neither device seems to recognize the other via my local network.

Do I have to use Apple AirPort Express instead of my current adapter?

Please advise. Thanks.
 
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DaveF

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Use AirPlay. From the Denon website:
"The receiver also supports AirPlay, which allows you to stream music wirelessly from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or iTunes. "

If your Mac is too old and doesn't support AirPlay, you can use your iPhone or iPad. If that isn't desirable, you can use an AppleTV connected to the AVR to play music from your iTunes library.
 

DaveF

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i don't think an Airport Express is needed or helpful. It's just a device to provide AirPlay, which your Denon already has.
 

BluHT

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Use AirPlay. From the Denon website:
"The receiver also supports AirPlay, which allows you to stream music wirelessly from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or iTunes. "

If your Mac is too old and doesn't support AirPlay, you can use your iPhone or iPad. If that isn't desirable, you can use an AppleTV connected to the AVR to play music from your iTunes library.

Thanks very much, Dave. That did the trick.

The music already sounds much better. I do notice that the songs are playing only in stereo, utilizing only the front left & right towers. I checked the stats of some of the actual music files and noticed they're AAC (or MP3) audio files designed to play in stereo. To achieve 5.1 sound should I reimport the songs using a different audio file format? Which do you recommend?

Edit: Hmm. In iTunes, even the customizable AIFF format offers only mono and stereo options. Guess audio CDs aren't capable of accommodating more channels.
 
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DaveF

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Music bought from iTunes will be only stereo.

Use a multi-channel processing mode on your Denon to get what you want: all-channel stereo; Dolby IIx; etc.
 

BluHT

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And now, there's one more issue. The connection to the Denon keeps dropping out when I play the music. It worked reliably at first but not anymore. I wonder if this is due to the larger file sizes of the Apple Lossless Encoding I selected when I reimported the songs. Or maybe it's the limit to the WiFi adapter?
 

BluHT

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Now, I don't think the drop-outs have to do with the larger Apple Lossless Encoding file sizes. I just tried playing some smaller MP3 files using the av receiver and the same disconnection issue appeared again after a short few minutes. So, now I'm thinking I need either a better/faster wi-fi adapter for the receiver or I need to connect an extra-long ethernet cable to my modem.

For reference, I'm using the Iogear Universal Wi-Fi N Adapter Model Number GWU627W6 (https://www.iogear.com/product/GWU627W6/).

What would you recommend? Anyone else who has successfully resolved a similar issue?
 

JohnRice

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The bandwidth needed to stream stereo music is miniscule, even for lossless, so that's not likely a problem. When in doubt, restart the whole wi-fi system. A direct ethernet connection should also solve the problem. Instead of a more expensive wi-fi adapter, if you need to go that way, I recommend either an AirPort Express (you can often get them refurbished directly from Apple for 50% off) or an AppleTV. Of course, the AppleTV will gain you lots of other features, such as the ability to stream video from iTunes as well as audio. I don't know if the AirPlay in the receiver can stream video. An AirPort Express can be connected to the receiver by optical digital audio.
 

BluHT

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Finally had the time to really look into the options. I live in a large apartment building and, after looking at the article Dave referenced, I realized there must be a lot interference from the numerous wifi networks of my many neighbors. It seems that experiencing music via wifi without dropouts would be nearly impossible.

So, goodbye, wifi adapter; hello, extra long ethernet cable. It's connected directly from the receiver to my modem (which, in turn, remains connected by ethernet to the computer as it always was). I listened to my iTunes collection in stereo through my Denon av receiver and big living room speakers for hours without a single dropout or other problem. Sounds good—much better than through the little speakers on the computer. Maybe I'll set it up so the music plays across all 5.1 speakers.

Case closed. Thanks again, everyone.
 

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