CAAS Audio Digital Audio Server (DAS) User Manual
Table of Contents Digital Audio Server (DAS) Overview................................................................................................................3 CAAS Audio DAS Features.........................................................................................................................4 CAAS Audio DAS Specification...................................................................................................................4 Supported Devices / Peripherals.......................
Digital Audio Server (DAS) Overview The Digital Audio Server (DAS) is a true reference designed for the discerning Audiophile. The DAS has an extremely low noise floor with greater spacial refinement, dynamic accuracy and fine detail retrieval than any other CD Player or audio server on the market. The CAAS DAS has been designed to produce the highest audio quality possible. This has been achieved through our custom bespoke 8 wire digital interface. Featuring 176.
CAAS Audio DAS Features DAS unique features: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Bespoke software based on the award winning open source XBMC (aka Kodi) media centre. Play music from an external 3.5” hard drive or USB Pen (2.5” HDD not supported). Stream music over your network from tablets, smart phones and laptops (Windows shares/DLNA/UPnP). Two USB, LAN and S/PDIF inputs. Sample rates up to 24 bit / 192kHz (16 bit / 96kHz S/PDIF). Accepts multiple file formats (WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, APE etc...).
Important Precautions (Mandatory) Water and moisture The DAS should not be used near water. Care should be taken not to allow the DAS to fall into water or liquids and ensure liquid is never spilled onto or into the DAS. Power sources The DAS voltage and current rating is indicated on the rear panel of the unit. This will state either 240Vac or 120Vac. Two T1A time-lag fuses are included for 120V versions and two T0.5A fuses are included for the 240V versions.
DAS Front Panel Explained (1) (2) (3) (1) Input select button (toggles through inputs). (2) AS LED (Audio Server input selected). (3) DI LED (Digital S/PDIF input selected, D IN on the rear panel). The selector switch on the front panel cycles through the inputs. By pressing and releasing this button, you can toggle through the inputs, audio server (AS), S/PDIF input D in (DI) and then back to AS etc... Audio server (AS) is the default turn on selection.
Using & Controlling the DAS The Digital Audio Server is primarily an audio server. The audio server has an S/PDIF input at the rear that can be selected by the DI selection on the front panel. This allows third party digital sources to be connected to the audio server, such as CD transports.
Recommended DAS Shut down procedure The DAS should always be shut down in a controlled manner just as you would a PC or laptop. The Audio Server should always be shut down via the power icon in the lower left corner of the screen: 1. Select the power icon in the bottom left corner of the screen (using either a CEC enabled TV remote, smart phone, tablet or web interface). 2. Then toggle down and select Power off system. 3. The computer will then power down and you can then turn the DAS off at the rear.
Quick Start (Playing Music Quickly) DAS set up time can be reduced and music can be played reasonably quickly with reduced functionality and without building music libraries. To access all the functionality, sources will need to be added to XBMC and music libraries will need to be built. Adding sources and building libraries can take a large amount of time. The procedure to achieve this is explained in the following sections.
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Playing Music from a Network connected device (Quickly) UPnP and SMB servers can be accessed quickly (with reduced functionality) for near instantaneous network music play, however the interface may not look pretty, it will likely just list file names. For full album art a music library will need to be built (see section Building an XBMC Music Library). Playing NAS Music with a HDMI TV Connected Music can be played quickly from a networked device with reduced functionality by doing the following: 1.
DLNA / UPnP Audio Interface, Networking & File Sharing The DAS can connect to a home network and play audio files stored on DLNA / UPnP enabled devices. The DAS can be connected to a TCP/IP network via a wired connection. Network connection enables the DAS to play audio files stored on DLNA / UPnP servers, computers and network drives. The DAS has a standard Ethernet socket fitted on the rear panel.
You should now be able to access / view your shared files as you would a local device / drive from the main menu. From the Home screen, select Music → Files and your shared device should be listed. Note: You may be prompted for a user name and / or password. This will be your router / system password. Accessing a UPnP Network Device This option is only to be used to access other UPnP devices (e.g. file sharing between two XBMC devices). The procedure is fundamentally the same as SMB sharing: 1.
Installing & Setting up XBMC & Yatse Remote Apps There are many XBMC control Apps on the market. Some will work well and others will not. We have designed our software to work with Yatse for an android operating system and Official XBMC Remote for an Apple (iOS) operating system. We therefore recommend you download and use Yatse for Andriod and Official XBMC remote for iOS. Installing Yatse Remote on an Android Device Yatse can be downloaded free from Google play App store or from: http://yatse.leetzone.
6. From this screen you can Add / Edit / Remove and Select your media centres (see above right). 7. Click the “+” button to add the DAS. 8. The Add Host menu will appear an you will be given several host choices. 9. Select XBMC / Kodi. 10. Yatse should then should auto detect the DAS. It will typically appear as XBMC (caasaudio). 11. Select the DAS (XBMC (caasaudio)) from the menu and then select Add Host it may take a few seconds to check everything. 12. Then select finish. 13.
Notes: • The DAS IP address will pop up in the right hand bottom corner of the TV on DAS boot up (the DAS must be networked first for this to happen and a TV connected to the DAS HDMI port). • The DAS IP address can also be found by using the App Fing on your smart phone / tablet. Alternatively if CEC is enabled on your TV, you can use the TV remote to scroll to System → System info where the IP address will be displayed. • Keep the login and password blank, they are not needed.
Installing Official XBMC Remote on an Apple Device We only recommend Official XBMC Remote for an Apple (iOS) platform. We have designed using Official XBMC Remote and can not guarantee successful operation with other Apps. Note: The following procedures may differ slightly from device to device. The Official XBMC remote App can be installed by performing the following steps: 1. Make sure the DAS is networked. 2. Download (from the App store) and install Official XBMC remote on your iOS (Apple) smart device.
3. Enter the following: ◦ Name: CAAS Audio Server ◦ Host or IP: Enter the DAS IP address (recommended), see notes below. Also you may be able to enter the host name here “caasaudio” although this may not work with a lot of routers. ◦ HTTP API: 80 (NOT 8080 as shown above) ◦ Username: (keep blank) ◦ Password: (keep blank) 4.
Using Official XBMC Remote Once a library has been built (see section Building an XBMC Music Library) you can synchronise Official XBMC Remote with the DAS. Your music library will then be stored along with all thumbnails and cover art. Official XBMC Remote can be synchronised with the DAS by: 1. Start Official XBMC Remote App. 2. Select Music from the menu window (left hand side window). 3. Then select either the Artists or Albums icon from the bottom of the new right hand side window. 4.
Official XBMC Remote Control Help The Official XBMC remote control buttons and descriptions can be seen below: Page 20
Building an XBMC Music Library The music library information can be updated / downloaded from online servers. Note: The DAS must be networked and have a connection to the internet for this feature to work. IMPORTANT!! Building a library takes near 100% CPU time. Any user interaction with the DAS while a library is being built may cause a reboot. Trying to play music tracks while building a library could overload the CPU and may cause a reboot.
Updating a current Library Use this option when new songs / albums are added to your collection. Updating a library is much faster than building a new library. Using either a CEC TV remote, a web browser, Official XMBC Remote (for iOS, Apple) or Yatse (for Android) you can instruct the DAS to re-scan the library for just new content. When doing this the DAS does not rebuild the whole library, it just scans for new files / content. Updating a Library using Official XBMC Remote on an Apple device 1.
Streaming Music from a smart phone / tablet to the DAS This procedure differs slightly from device to device, so outlined here is a generic procedure that will be similar to that required: 1. The audio server must be networked. Connect a LAN cable between the audio server LAN port and your router. 2. Set up a connection between your smart device and the audio server. This can be done using a procedure such as the below, however this does differ from device to device. 3.
Audio Server Software Update See section CAAS Audio Configuration Set Up below. CAAS Audio Configuration Set Up The DAS network settings can be configured under Programs → CAAS Audio Configuration. This procedure is outlined below: 1. Switch the DAS ON, once the audio server has booted. 2. On the TV, scroll right and select the Programs menu; this should give you a list of programs. 3. Scroll down to and select CAAS Audio Configuration; this will open the configuration window. 4.
DAS Factory Reset Important The factory reset function is a last resort function, only to be used if the DAS has undergone a critical failure and will not power up or reboot. Warning ! Under no circumstances should the DAS be powered off during the factory reset function as this could result in a catastrophic disk failure and the DAS will have to be returned to the manufacturer. Please ensure that the DAS is fully powered with no chance of the power disengaging during the factory reset procedure.
DAS FAQ Q: Where is the remote? A: There is no remote with the DAS, if your TV is HDMI-CEC enabled, the TV remote will operate the DAS. Additionally the DAS can be networked and controlled via smart phones, tablets, PCs etc..
Warranty (3 Year Guarantee) To reduce the risk of fire, electrical shock or other injuries, the user should not attempt to service the DAS. Please do not open the DAS. There are no user serviceable parts inside the DAS. Opening the DAS will invalidate any warranty offered. Servicing must be referred to qualified service personnel only.
