Adding streaming services to a streamer via usb

Since Sonica is a DLNA compliant renderer, I believe you can stream music through DLNA, which should support 24/up to 192 hi-res from Qobuz. Another option is to buy a genuine Lightning to AV adapter and physically connect the iPhone to stream music from Qobuz through the USB port.  However, in which case, you are using iphone as your streamer and Sonica as your DAC.

No. There are workarounds for a few, device dependant.

Best luck with UPnP.

The iFi Zen stream will do this.

Looks like I'm going to try the hardwired route and see what happens.  

I might throw Volumio on a usb drive and see what happens but it appears Volumio might actually need to be tied to a cpu.  I thought I read somewhere a while back about a third-party app for the iphone that would bypass the dac software and output hi-res but I can't find that either.

Thanks for the replies. 

You have to boot to Volumio, I doubt a flash drive will do it. Anyway Volumio Free does NOT support anything but Spotify. If it miraculously works you still got nothing. Call Oppo to see if it is even possible.

If it has UP P, BubbleUPnP (free) gets you Qobuz. The only thing I know of that plays Prime is Bluesound. I dropped it after a trial for that reason, and perceived poorer quality. Amazon has NO support. At least Qubuz has responded to emails.

A hardwired phone gets you crappy phone sound. And it makes your mobile phone non mobile. Better off with a dedicated network player.

Unless you enjoy displaying cheapness.

@cdtd there are cheap streamer options such as WiiM or WiiM Pro Plus. Way better off using these options than jumping thru hoops with usb drive. 

OP,  for iOS the TEAC HR Audio Player app could be what you are looking for.

Download '"USB audio player pro".

 Depending on the phone it should work.

Connect a USB c to phone and USB a to the Dac. I had a Sonics and now a 205. I stream Qobuz and Tidal. If I remember zi used Amazon music also.

 I believe I paid $5 for the download.

audphile1

3,748 posts

03-01-2024 at 11:08am

@cdtd there are cheap streamer options such as WiiM or WiiM Pro Plus. Way better off using these options than jumping thru hoops with usb drive.

@cdtd , @audphile1 is spot-on: the streamer functions of the Oppo Sonica are dead as a doornail - you’re well advised to run another streamer into the Sonica for DAC purposes only. The device wasn’t well-managed software-wise even before Oppo abandoned its AV lab in Cali. The USB port was good for external drives of modest capacity, and even that became potentially troublesome after a couple iOS revisions. Oppo simply never did upkeep for the device, not surprising since it was only released about a year before they folded shop.

I’d advise caution re: running another server/streamer into the USB port (especially an extensively modded unit like yours) - I could not get Volumio to recognize a connection with the DAC via USB (digital coaxial worked fine), but admittedly I just switched to another on-hand DAC before sending Volumio a log report on the Oppo USB matter. I keep intending to get back to that for curiosity’s sake, but always get lost in the music instead. 😅

Please consider keeping this thread posted, @cdtd , as there are still many Oppo DAC users out there - it’s a great piece of kit IMO (less the blasted server/streamer feature). I almost picked up a second unit with the same tube mod you have, but as I go to line-level-in on my powered subs, having tubes in that pathway made no sense (to clarify: in my use case - to each their own on that matter/preference!).

I hope to see follow up here. Thank you for posting.

Addendum: obviously the routes suggested above for streaming via a phone may well suffice for you, too.

Amazon Music is a problem as while you are able to stream from your phone or tablet to a DLNA enabled device there is a loss in quality.  I finally just purchased a small Windows fanless computer to run Amazon Music over USB and then control it from my laptop using RemotePC.   The Amazon app doesn't sound quite as good as the Qobuz app in an A B comparison but it's really close and without the AB comparison undetectable.

Google Chromecast sounds excellent and doesn’t require a physical connection.  The new CA streamers in the $500 range do Chromecast.  Might be worth the investment by the OP just for that and AirPlay ( not as good as Chromecast but definitely better than Bluetooth).  If the OP likes the new streamer he can sell off the old one

Sounds like flogging a dead horse to me.

My pet peeve is the lack of native support for many streaming services with the OS of most high end streamers!! I listen primarily to Amazon HD and Idagio,  and can't get support for either or both of these from Naim, Aurender,  Innuos,  etc.  At least Innuos says they are working on it,  but have other priorities.  So I'm using a Bluesound Node 2i,  moded with a TeddyPardo LPS,  and using an English Electric inline filter.  Probably gets me to at least 90 % of the SQ of a really high end streamer anyway. But,  like most "audiofools", I crave that remaining 10%!!

I appreciate the additional insight into your individual experiences.  

I'm going to grab a long lightning usb cable w/camera adapter and hard wire it to the Sonica usb port while I digest some of these ideas. 

My family uses the system as well so adding wireless for all services at some point would be ideal.  

Thanks again,

@kmcong 

It’s hard for anyone to collaborate with Amazon because they do not share tech unless they can sell commercials. You’ll have to "reverse engineer" diy.

At least you are in a 100% better place than the OP will ever be with Oppo.

@cdtd I just recently picked up an IFI Zen Streamer to use with my Oppo Sonica that I've been using for years as my streamer/dac. Was able to stream Spotify no issue. I just managed to connect Quboz today thru Mconnect hd to try hi res streaming. Only concern I have to figure out is that my streamer shows its streaming hi res 24/96 but my oppo dac is saying 44.1 pcm. not sure what to make of this but it sounds good. Recommend the Zen.