I’ve dropped Roon in favour of LMS

[Qwin]

I got the sound to work..... USB settings in piCorePlayer needed adjustment.
it's a different sound to moOde (which is an MPD player), less sibilant but a bit rounded off, not as punchy, or as clear a window into the recording as MoOde.
I read that piCorePlayer/LMS was more about the overall feel of the track, its a pleasant listen, but for me MoOde just leaves it standing, for detail and dynamics.
There are a few more settings I want to experiment with, before making a final decision.
If MoOde had a Qobuz plugin I wouldn't have been looking elsewhere, I like its simple no nonsense and easy to navigate GUI and it sounds fantastic.
I could end up trying to use MoOde again as the player for LMS.

[Kit1cat]

Glad you got it up and running Ken, worth another try with MoOde. Don't forget MoOde will be using squeezelite with LMS not MPD for playing, so you might not get the sound of MoOde.

[Qwin]

@Kit1cat
I reinstalled the latest version of MoOde + LMS v 8.0.0 on my Pi4B and removed LMS from the NAS which is just storing my music library now.
LMS works with MoOdes Squeezlite player option while I'm on the network and I switch over to MoOdes GUI/MPD player when disconnected. This allows independent operation of the Pi at bake offs etc with a USB stick of tunes. MoOde auto-mounts USB devices and also shows anything stored on the SD Card as a menu choice. Its much more versatile and seamless than the piCorePlayer/Jivelite combo, when off the network.
I got Material Skin to run on LMS and functioning on my laptop and Phone browsers. The Qobuz plugin is working and both my NAS files and Qobuz favourites appear together in one library view. The Qobuz thumbnails have the Q Logo in the corner to identify they are being streamed off the net. Its pretty damn impressive, the way it all interacts.
I can do some serious listening tests now, to see which of the two players I prefer.

[Kit1cat]

Looking good Ken. Are you running with LMS and MoOde on the same SD card?

[Qwin]

Looking good Ken. Are you running with LMS and MoOde on the same SD card?

Yes, I installed LMS 8.0.0 on the MoOde SD Card using SSH from my laptop.
Just a couple of lines required to install it.
I can give you the code if you want?

[Kit1cat]

Yes, I installed LMS 8.0.0 on the MoOde SD Card using SSH from my laptop.
Just a couple of lines required to install it.
I can give you the code if you want?

Yes please, could come in handy

[Qwin]

Ok, so this is for installing LMS v8.0.0 on to the MoOde SD Card.
V8.0.0 is in BETA at present, it works on my Pi4B in either 32 or 64 bit mode.
MoOde version I have installed is 6.5.2
You can use this command format and substitute the path/number for a different version of LMS. See what is available at http://downloads-origin.slimdevices.com/ Beta versions are in the nightly folder.

If not already done, expand the file system, in MoOde/Configuration/System, to use your full SD Card capacity.

1). From a networked device SSH to MoOde.
Code:

sudo wget "http://downloads.slimdevices.com/nightly/8.0/lms/0d170acd9c427444df84a414e22d3ab35862eff3/logitechmediaserver_8.0.0~1592463207_arm.deb"

sudo dpkg -i logitechmediaserver_8.0.0~1592463207_arm.deb

2). To reach the LMS server using your internet browser:
"http://YourMoOdeIP:9000"

Do not use the "Quotation Marks" on the paths, the editor here keeps turning the path into a URL link and you need to enter the full path.
Adding the quotation marks was the only way I could get it to display in full.

[Kit1cat]

Thanks Ken, will give it ago when I have a minute.

[Qwin]

Ok here is my assessment of these two players sound quality.

Player 1
Logitech Media Server (LMS) through Squeezelite player

Player 2
MoOde through its default Media Player Daemon (MPD) player.

My kit is fairly neutral and both players ran the same set up:
USB from Pi into Topping D90 DAC, balanced into PS Audio Stella Pre, balanced into an active crossover which splits bass to a Nord class D Amp and Mid/HF to an EL34 valve Amp. Speakers NS1000m MID/Twtr, Scanspeak 12" Bass.

I let the system play for nearly 2 hours before starting my comparison.

Let me say from the start, both these players are very good and differences are minor. Random listening between the two would not have revealed much and it was only back and forth comparison of the same track that allowed the subtle differences to register. That said, it didn't take long for my first impressions to be confirmed, for me, MoOde is the best, let me expand:

LMS has a smooth full bodied sound, but MoOde has a clearer more detailed view into the music, this could effect how they interact with your gear and your preferred voicing.

LMS is more tolerant of hot/edgy recordings but MoOde has a blacker background due to sharper leading and trailing edges.

I felt LMS was slightly like looking through tinted glass and MoOde was a cleaner picture, has more air around instruments and conveyed the room acoustic better on live recordings.

LMS has a rich full bodied midrange and upper bass, MoOde has more impact and definition on rim shots and piano key strikes.

Plucked stringed instruments were more realistic through MoOde, the clean edges to notes gives the effect of more detail and separation.

I enjoyed listening to both, LMS is musical and an easy listen, but I had more goose bump moments with MoOde.

Which you prefer is down to personal taste, I hope I've given enough feedback for you to get the basic flavour of each.

I will probably use MoOde for my serious listening and LMS for Qobuz where it wins hands down, due to it's plugin. I tend to browse and sample music on Qobuz then purchase HiRes Flac versions for my NAS library. With MoOde/LMS on the same SD Card, it's a simple toggling of an on/off button for Squeezelite, in MoOds GUI configuration settings to flip between the two. This arrangement suits my needs.

There is something I couldn't work out, in LMS when browsing Album thumb nails, they are sorted in alphabetical order by title, not ideal! This puts Bowie's Aladdin Sane at the top of the Album list and Ziggy Stardust at the bottom. In MoOde I sort Albums by Artist, alphabetically, then by the year the album was released. So once I've scrolled to Bowie all his albums appear together in Chronological order. I know you can search by artist, then albums in LMS, but that's a structured search, I like to brows and flick through the covers, generally selecting by the recognisable Cover Art, not from the actual album title.
Is there any way of doing this in LMS ?

[mikeyb]

There are settings within the Material Skin that might help, worth a look anyway.

Try under Server Settings, there is a drop down box where you can select whichever section you need to change.

On that screenshot you click on the 'Basic Settings' drop down box to choose whatever section you need.

There is also a line within the settings for the Material Skin itself that you can sort Favourites by the provider default rather than alphabetically.

Photo 1 shows the drop down box section on the Server Settings page.

See photo 2 for how to access the Skin settings, under Settings.

Photo 3 shows the Favourites setting.