Best way to play Amazon Music from PC to audio-video receiver?

[mtrot]

So, I signed up for Amazon Music Unlimited on the $0.99/3 months deal today. I figured, for 99 cents, I couldn't go wrong trying it out. The highs actually sound pretty decent sitting here at my laptop PC, but highs are all there really are. Not much mids and certainly no bass. Hence my interest in playing the Amazon Music through my AVR.

My PC is a new HP Envy and my receiver is a Denon AVR-X5200W. A while back, I did try to connect the PC to the Denon via Bluetooth, but they would not seem to pair. Also, I was able to connect my Galaxy S4 to the receiver via Bluetooth and play something, but the sound wasn't so great. In the past, with an Onkyo receiver, I was able to play flac files from my PC via DNLA. But I assume that is different from playing something like Amazon Music, in which case the data is coming from Amazon.

I would prefer some sort of wireless method of playing Amazon Music from my PC to the receiver, but if a cable of some sort is going to be the best way, can anybody suggest what type of cable connection will offer superior sound? Thanks for any and all tips!

 

[jcparks]

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Echo-Dot-Portable-Bluetooth-Speaker-with-Alexa-Black/dp/B01DFKC2SO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1514768506&sr=1-1&keywords=echo+dot
hands down best way in my opinion..
The Dot really is awesome and will do everything you need with voice commands... for 30 dollars you can leave it connected to your receiver and you really cant go wrong. Use one of these cables
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-3-5mm-2-Male-Adapter-Cable/dp/B01D5H8KO2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1514768867&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=rca+to+3.5mm&psc=1
Audio should be similar to that of the labtop as the labtop wont be sporting super high end audio.

If you just want to connect the labtop to the receiver, use the same amazon basics cable that I linked earlier. Amazon music streams at a slightly more compressed 256 kbps, and your PC wont have super high end audio circuitry so there are plenty of limiting factors in the set up. While I'm sure it will sound awesome with the rest of your equipment, it wont compete with good old fashion CDs.

 

[jcparks]

With the dot you can either set up play lists and tell the dot to play a certain play list, or you can control is more specifically by artist and song... all by voice, and it will have superior audio to any sort of wireless bluetooth interface that you may set up between your receiver and laptop.

 

[lovinthehd]

I've not tried it but the Bubbleupnp app (DLNA) I use on my S4 does list Amazon Cloud Drive as an option but don't know if you can access their music service that way, I normally just stream various music stored on my phone or pc to my avr with that app.

 

[KenM10759]

My son has an Amazon Music account with his Prime membership. Recently Bluesound added Amazon Music to their list of available streaming services, and since I'd given him a Bluesound Node (original N100 version), he streams direct from that to his Denon AVR1912 receiver from the Node's analog outputs. Funny thing (to me) is that receiver was mine, bought it new @ Best Buy around 2011.

 

[mtrot]

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Echo-Dot-Portable-Bluetooth-Speaker-with-Alexa-Black/dp/B01DFKC2SO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1514768506&sr=1-1&keywords=echo+dot
hands down best way in my opinion..
The Dot really is awesome and will do everything you need with voice commands... for 30 dollars you can leave it connected to your receiver and you really cant go wrong. Use one of these cables
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-3-5mm-2-Male-Adapter-Cable/dp/B01D5H8KO2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1514768867&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=rca+to+3.5mm&psc=1
Audio should be similar to that of the labtop as the labtop wont be sporting super high end audio.

If you just want to connect the labtop to the receiver, use the same amazon basics cable that I linked earlier. Amazon music streams at a slightly more compressed 256 kbps, and your PC wont have super high end audio circuitry so there are plenty of limiting factors in the set up. While I'm sure it will sound awesome with the rest of your equipment, it wont compete with good old fashion CDs.

Okay, so got tired of trying to figure out a way to listen to Amazon Music wirelessly, so I just received from Amazon the cable you linked above and have been listening to Amazon music(Quigley Down Under soundtrack, which is gorgeous, btw. Also, Eva Cassidy's Fields of Gold, Live-check it out!). It sounds pretty darn good to me.

BTW, this HP laptop has something called, "Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)". I guess it's supposed to be a good device, not sure.

 

[2channel lover]

Okay, so got tired of trying to figure out a way to listen to Amazon Music wirelessly, so I just received from Amazon the cable you linked above and have been listening to Amazon music(Quigley Down Under soundtrack, which is gorgeous, btw. Also, Eva Cassidy's Fields of Gold, Live-check it out!). It sounds pretty darn good to me.

BTW, this HP laptop has something called, "Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)". I guess it's supposed to be a good device, not sure.

Sounds like you got it solved already...but my thoughts were USB or hdmi from the laptop to access the DAC in the Denon. I can connect my laptop to the pre/pro via wifi or Bluetooth but I haven't been overly enthused with the stability of either...especially Bluetooth.

 

[mtrot]

Sounds like you got it solved already...but my thoughts were USB or hdmi from the laptop to access the DAC in the Denon. I can connect my laptop to the pre/pro via wifi or Bluetooth but I haven't been overly enthused with the stability of either...especially Bluetooth.

Hmm, maybe I'll get a long USB cable and try that out.

 

[2channel lover]

Hmm, maybe I'll get a long USB cable and try that out.

I'm in the process of converting my laptop to a permanent music server so I've toyed around with most of the connections.

I go from the laptop to my Oppo 205 and I use both Asynchronous USB...that terminates at the sabre dedicated stereo dac in the Oppo and the hdmi which can handle multi channel music. Generally speaking the compressed audio I have from ITunes and such sounds better via the hdmi connection...cd quality and hi res music typically sounds better in analog.

 

[KenM10759]

Hmm, maybe I'll get a long USB cable and try that out.

I don't know if you'd be up for shutting off the computer but if you are, you can get a Bluesound Node N150 (the original version) for $300 brand new with full warranty. Add a $10 wireless USB dongle from Amazon and you can stream Amazon Music from that Node, controlling it with a tablet or smartphone. You only need to have your wireless (or better, Ethernet) network live.

The $500 Node 2 is a little better and has wireless built in but with either one you can also get all internet radio and quite a few other streaming services. See the photo for the complete current list.

 

[2channel lover]

I don't know if you'd be up for shutting off the computer but if you are, you can get a Bluesound Node N150 (the original version) for $300 brand new with full warranty. Add a $10 wireless USB dongle from Amazon and you can stream Amazon Music from that Node, controlling it with a tablet or smartphone. You only need to have your wireless (or better, Ethernet) network live.

The $500 Node 2 is a little better and has wireless built in but with either one you can also get all internet radio and quite a few other streaming services. See the photo for the complete current list.

I just bought a 4TB hard drive so I'm 90% complete on the task of re-purposing my laptop to a full-time music server...now you've peaked my interest...does this unit have storage capacity? (I didn't see that in the specs).

 

[KenM10759]

I just bought a 4TB hard drive so I'm 90% complete on the task of re-purposing my laptop to a full-time music server...now you've peaked my interest...does this unit have storage capacity? (I didn't see that in the specs).

No, it doesn't store files but DOES access them. When connected to your internal network it can access that 4TB drive if it's connected (as a NAS), indexes and plays those files. It will display the associated artwork and afford the ability to create playlists of your files, streamed files and any combination of them.

The Bluesound Vault or Vault 2 (which I have) has a 2TB drive and does all the same things while also being able to rip and store without a computer. It's a lot more money though.

 

[2channel lover]

No, it doesn't store files but DOES access them. When connected to your internal network it can access that 4TB drive if it's connected (as a NAS), indexes and plays those files. It will display the associated artwork and afford the ability to create playlists of your files, streamed files and any combination of them.

The Bluesound Vault or Vault 2 (which I have) has a 2TB drive and does all the same things while also being able to rip and store without a computer. It's a lot more money though.

Okay...I think I need to stay the course. Salk actually makes a streamer as well and it has storage, set up for Roon/Tidal ready for two of the 3 models, but also not cheap.

The laptop running JRiver vm23 seems to be working well as a file manager, ripper, it can playback hi res files, but I still prefer running it thru the Oppo.

Besides...I've been wanting a larger screen to work on at home and re-purposing the laptop allows me to get one w/o hearing any flak from the wife.

 

[KenM10759]

The Bluesound Vault 2 is $1200. The "BlueOS" system is also Roon compliant & capable, and fully unfolds MQA files from Tidal Hi-Fi or any other source. That and the ease of tablet operation is why I own it.