Getting started with network audio¶
Overview¶
The miniDSP SHD Series processors incorporate a custom version of the popular network audio endpoint Volumio, running on its own ARM CPU inside the SHD Series processor chassis. Volumio has a wealth of functions for controlling and delivering network audio.
Please note however that since Volumio and the other software mentioned in this chapter is third-party software, miniDSP support for this software is limited.
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While the SHD Series processor contains an ARM processor running Linux for network streaming, miniDSP does not support any additional software installation or custom Linux builds on this processor.
Ethernet connection¶
Connect an Ethernet cable from your home network router to the Ethernet port on the rear panel. This is a typical example:
A short Ethernet cable is provided with the unit. If a longer cable is required, these are readily available from computer stores and online. The recommended maximum length of Ethernet cables is 100 meters (330 feet).
Note that your router must be set to allow dynamic IP addresses i.e. DHCP. Most routers will have this function enabled by default.
Wi-Fi connection¶
Insert the provided Wi-Fi adapter (aka "dongle") into the USB Host port on the back of the SHD Series processor.
Use your computer's network manager to search for a wireless hotspot named miniDSP SHD. This is started automatically by Volumio when it can't connect to a network. Select this hotspot and connect to it. No password is needed.
When the hotspot connects, the Volumio interface will automatically open at the setup wizard:
If you see a message saying that you have to log in here to access the Internet, ignore it. After completing the initial setup wizard, locate the Volumio Settings page. Depending on your device, this may be accessed from the sidebar on the left-hand side, or by clicking on the gear icon at the lower right.
Select Network Settings and scroll down to the Wireless Network Connection section. Locate your network in the list and click on it. Enter your Wi-Fi network's password and click Connect:
If you have a hidden network, use the Manual WiFi Connection option.
After clicking on Connect, the miniDSP SHD Studio will close the hotspot. The miniDSP SHD Studio is now joined to your wireless network. Disconnect your computer from the miniDSP SHD hotspot and reconnect it to your wireless network. Follow the procedure below to open the Volumio web interface.
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After reconnecting to the Volumio web interface, we strongly recommend going back to Network Settings and adding a password to the hotspot. This will ensure that your miniDSP SHD Studio does not broadcast an open hotspot if it is unable to connect to your Wi-Fi network for some reason in the future.
The Volumio web interface¶
To open the Volumio web interface, click on one of the following:
Depending on your network setup, one may work while the other will not. If neither works, you will need to connect to the web interface by IP address. In that case, see Finding the IP address.
When you connect to the interface for the first time, you will enter a simple setup wizard. Just proceed through the steps:
You can repeat the setup wizard at any later time by navigating to Settings then System, and clicking on "Run First Config Wizard."
To change the background image or to set a solid color, navigate to Settings then Appearance:
Once done, get ready for audio playback by using the front panel encoder or the remote control to select the LAN input source:
As a quick check of audio playback, go to the Web Radio section and select a radio station to play back. If all is well, you will hear audio from your speakers.
Playing audio from USB stick¶
Insert a USB stick containing music files into the USB HOST port on the rear panel, next to the Ethernet port.
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It is not possible to play audio from a USB stick if using the Wi-Fi dongle, as there is only one USB host port.
Volumio will start indexing the USB stick. Navigate to the home screen. On a wide desktop window, you can click on Music Library on the left sidebar and navigate to the USB stick, where you can select an album for playback. On a narrow desktop screen or mobile device, navigate to the home screen and click on the Music Library icon.
You can also click on Albums or Artists to directly browse the USB stick.
Accessing multiple processors¶
More than one SHD Series processor can be controlled from the same web interface screen. To do so, follow these steps.
- On the first SHD Series processor, navigate to Volumio settings and select System. Set Player Name to something unique then click Save. In our example, we used "Main system":
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Select Shutdown and then Restart.
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Connect and turn on the second SHD Series processor. Connect to it at http://minidsp-shd/ or http://minidsp-shd.local/ and change its name away from the default as above. In our example, we used "Study system" for the second SHD Series processor. Select Shutdown and then Restart.
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Re-open the web interface using one of the new names. If you used spaces in the name, replace the spaces with hyphens. For example, in our case we connected to
http://main-system/](http://main-system/. Click on the speaker icon to display the list of active devices and click on the one that you want to control. The location of the icon will depend on your device.
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Clicking on the name of each processor gives you independent control of them. However, synchronized playback to multiple SHD Series processors is not supported.