Tl/dr
I use emby because it is the only one I have found that will
1. Display my albums sorted randomly with filter applied or not.
2. Allow me to play any or all of my music outside my home network easily and (with Symfonium) where the signal is patchy.
3. Start playing a a predetermined or random selection of music and continue to play it after the original device that instigated the session is closed. Then rejoin and control the session from a different device (phone/laptop/tablet/pc) later.
I've been messing about with music servers since about 2006 when I saw my friend's squeezebox. He gave me his old computer that ran linux and I purchased a squeezebox of my own then another 2. Around the same time I think Slimdevices was bought by Logitech and I got a squeezebox boom and radio, never bothered with a touch. I was a very happy customer until Logitech pulled the plug. Since then I've been searching for something that does what I want it to do.
( I know lms has continued to be developed since then but what I want from a music server has developed too
)
Around the same time Chromecast audio was gaining traction. I didn't want to get involved with Sonos because as much as I thought the squeezebox boom and radio were funky, I've always had half decent audio gear and would rather plug something into that. I also refuse to be an "audiophile" because I know that once I start down that road, only bankruptcy and madness lie in my future. So I never started looking at those high end streamers. I got some Chromecast audios and went down the upnp/dlna route. I've tried everything that will run on linux multiple times with Bubbleupnp and Hificast. Great software but not really what I was looking for.
I, stupidly, bought Roon lifetime a few years ago. While I love Roon's features including Roon Arc, it doesn't do the number 1 thing I want from a music server and that is display my albums (filtered or not) randomly. I listen to music about 80% of the times by choosing an album from a random list of albums which both Emby and Plex do. If Roon ever implement sort by random I will buy a Roon Nucleus but until then it's useless to me.
So I bought lifetime Emby and Plex keys too. I have some movies, which let's face it, they are both designed for that mainly, but they work well for music. When Plexamp came along it meant that I could play anything from my music library while I was out and about too. Before then, I'd had mixed results using Bubble Server with dlna servers and it was just easier to use a portable music device until Plexamp. Being able to play my music library outside my home network (easily without loads of messing about) is now the 2nd most important thing in a media server for me.
I have also messed about successfully with mpd, and also mpv/cmus/musikcube combined with icecast to create lossless streams that will play as "radio stations" that I configured to change playlists at the touch of a button with my phone. I also have my music stored in ibroadcast and have tried all manner of software over the years. Still nothing was doing it for me.
Chromecast audios are the most buggy, unreliable, cheap bits of plastic uselessness I've ever invested in for music listening so when I saw Wiim minis I jumped in. Of course they don't do Chromecast so I couldn't use Plexamp but that's ok because Emby does dlna. But while Emby's android app works fine out and about if the signal is good, it doesn't have Plexamp's ability to increase the playback cache. Did I mention that I'd rather not have 5 music servers running at the same time?
Anyway Symfonium changed everything, it can dlna Plex and/or it can pre-cache Emby so now I have a choice Emby or Plex........ but I'd better just try some subsonic servers first to see if they are the holy grail.
What settled it for me is that out of all the music servers that will display my albums randomly; and work outside my home network easily (Emby, Plex, Navidrome, Light Media Server etc), only Emby will do my 3rd most important thing reliably. Start playing a playlist or album or radios staion or whatever on my Wiim devices and continue to play it without needing my phone to have an active app controlling it. I suppose plex will do that now it has native Wiim app support but it won't let me join the session and control it later on from my laptop and anyway, the point, is I'm happy now. Emby at home and with Symfonium while out. One Wiim Ultra, 2 Wiim Pro Plus and 2 Wiim Minis.
Plus a cheeky Asset instance just for the presets on my Wiim remotes because I can't get Emby dlna playing nice with my Wiims right now but I'm done messing anyway. I'm finally happy with my setup. I'm going to need a new hobby or something.
I use emby because it is the only one I have found that will
1. Display my albums sorted randomly with filter applied or not.
2. Allow me to play any or all of my music outside my home network easily and (with Symfonium) where the signal is patchy.
3. Start playing a a predetermined or random selection of music and continue to play it after the original device that instigated the session is closed. Then rejoin and control the session from a different device (phone/laptop/tablet/pc) later.
I've been messing about with music servers since about 2006 when I saw my friend's squeezebox. He gave me his old computer that ran linux and I purchased a squeezebox of my own then another 2. Around the same time I think Slimdevices was bought by Logitech and I got a squeezebox boom and radio, never bothered with a touch. I was a very happy customer until Logitech pulled the plug. Since then I've been searching for something that does what I want it to do.
( I know lms has continued to be developed since then but what I want from a music server has developed too
)Around the same time Chromecast audio was gaining traction. I didn't want to get involved with Sonos because as much as I thought the squeezebox boom and radio were funky, I've always had half decent audio gear and would rather plug something into that. I also refuse to be an "audiophile" because I know that once I start down that road, only bankruptcy and madness lie in my future. So I never started looking at those high end streamers. I got some Chromecast audios and went down the upnp/dlna route. I've tried everything that will run on linux multiple times with Bubbleupnp and Hificast. Great software but not really what I was looking for.
I, stupidly, bought Roon lifetime a few years ago. While I love Roon's features including Roon Arc, it doesn't do the number 1 thing I want from a music server and that is display my albums (filtered or not) randomly. I listen to music about 80% of the times by choosing an album from a random list of albums which both Emby and Plex do. If Roon ever implement sort by random I will buy a Roon Nucleus but until then it's useless to me.
So I bought lifetime Emby and Plex keys too. I have some movies, which let's face it, they are both designed for that mainly, but they work well for music. When Plexamp came along it meant that I could play anything from my music library while I was out and about too. Before then, I'd had mixed results using Bubble Server with dlna servers and it was just easier to use a portable music device until Plexamp. Being able to play my music library outside my home network (easily without loads of messing about) is now the 2nd most important thing in a media server for me.
I have also messed about successfully with mpd, and also mpv/cmus/musikcube combined with icecast to create lossless streams that will play as "radio stations" that I configured to change playlists at the touch of a button with my phone. I also have my music stored in ibroadcast and have tried all manner of software over the years. Still nothing was doing it for me.
Chromecast audios are the most buggy, unreliable, cheap bits of plastic uselessness I've ever invested in for music listening so when I saw Wiim minis I jumped in. Of course they don't do Chromecast so I couldn't use Plexamp but that's ok because Emby does dlna. But while Emby's android app works fine out and about if the signal is good, it doesn't have Plexamp's ability to increase the playback cache. Did I mention that I'd rather not have 5 music servers running at the same time?
Anyway Symfonium changed everything, it can dlna Plex and/or it can pre-cache Emby so now I have a choice Emby or Plex........ but I'd better just try some subsonic servers first to see if they are the holy grail.
What settled it for me is that out of all the music servers that will display my albums randomly; and work outside my home network easily (Emby, Plex, Navidrome, Light Media Server etc), only Emby will do my 3rd most important thing reliably. Start playing a playlist or album or radios staion or whatever on my Wiim devices and continue to play it without needing my phone to have an active app controlling it. I suppose plex will do that now it has native Wiim app support but it won't let me join the session and control it later on from my laptop and anyway, the point, is I'm happy now. Emby at home and with Symfonium while out. One Wiim Ultra, 2 Wiim Pro Plus and 2 Wiim Minis.
Plus a cheeky Asset instance just for the presets on my Wiim remotes because I can't get Emby dlna playing nice with my Wiims right now but I'm done messing anyway. I'm finally happy with my setup. I'm going to need a new hobby or something.
