That seems like it could be perfect. Thanks!

ooh, thanks for this. I will check that out!

Don't worry - that couch isn't for listening :)

I've got a very comfy and intentionally positioned chair on the other side of the room for that.

For now, yes. I'd also like to make a standalone wireless physical volume knob and I may try to make an iPhone app for it. Ideally I'd be able to override the behavior of the volume buttons, similar to how Spotify is able to do that on iPhones when you're using Spotify Connect.

It is concerning. On this particular model, it's available over plain HTTP, provides no auth settings, and provides an easy input for uploading new firmware.

https://jamesbvaughan.com/volume-controller-1/basic-web-inte...

That helps explain why the "volume" as represented on disk in the debug bundle as "attenuation" and was measured in negative dB.

This is a great point! When I'm using AirPlay, that feature is really useful. I'm more often using Spotify Connect though, where I'm limited to either using the physical volume buttons on my phone, the small slider in the desktop app, or the slider that's many clicks in to the Spotify mobile app.

In reality though, this project is more about the fun of it than about it being a really pressing need.

It also works when using Spotify Connect on your iOS device. If you can use your volume buttons to control it you can also adjust it with the slider in the control centre.

You're correct, TIL!

That's really helpful to know. At this point though, I'm excited enough to build a volume knob that I'll probably still do it.

edit: After trying this out it a bit, it's definitely an improvement over the small sliders and a huge improvement over the stepped volume changes from the buttons, but I'm still left wishing I could make use of more than ~10% of the slider's full range.

spotify has so many user hostile practices that I am completely mystified why the majority of the population seems to prefer them in a world where youtube music exists.

The only competitor that I've given a fair shot is Apple Music. I'm not thrilled with either. Between those two, Spotify wins solely for Spotify Connect. I much prefer the way it works to AirPlay.

I haven't really tried YouTube Music, but I'll give it a go. I've been meaning to try out Tidal too but haven't yet.

If you’ve a computer to run it on, I highly recommend trying Roon out as a superior alternative to Spotify connect.

What do you prefer about Roon?

They’re not increasing my subscription to give me stuff I never asked for.

On an actual technical side, I can stream to multiple devices concurrently, the interface is cleaner and it supports a local music library.

With youtube premium you get no ads on youtube and youtube music. Its a great deal.

In this case, I was using the optical out from a WiiM mini into a Yamaha amp. I don't know much about digital audio, but I know that I was able to control the volume of the WiiM's digital output with that setup.

On the other hand, I use a Schiit Asgard at my desk, where I have it connected to my Mac via USB-C. In that setup, I have no control over the volume level going in to the Asgard. MacOS just disables the software volume control when I'm using that audio output.

I think for a WiiM mini to control the volume on the digital output, it would need to scale down every sample. This is probably fine over some range (it has a 24 bit output, so putting the volume at two thirds, would still result in 16 bits, the same as CD). But I'm curious what would happen at very low volumes, e.g. if you're down to only 4 bits.

Each bit is ~6dB, so 2/3 perceived volume is still 23 bits. 8 bits is 48dB, which is less than 1% of the original volume, and still using 16 bits

And this is why all computer audio should be 24 bit internally. A lot of the newer pro apps are actually using 32 bit floats

Too late to edit my original comments. I am clearly mistaken about the relationship between amplitude and perceived loudness.

I do something similar. I primarily use a MacBook these days and I really miss how my ThinkPad could open up to 180 degrees while using it laying down on the couch.

Jack Stratton of Vulfpeck has been vocal about frustration with music streaming services' artist payout models. In this video he proposes a specific alternative.

I don't know enough about the economics here to know if this plan is viable, and it's a bit light on the details. I'd love to see a website with a more detailed proposal and some example scenarios.