Old HiFi system and Spotify

Bought one of these Audioengine B1 for its range and the kids can use their fav apps on their phones to play through the sonos. Quoted range 30m but I practice it is way more and covers all 3 floors of a 5000sq ft house through the walls with ease. Has worked seamlessly for years with zero intervention.

Amazon product ASIN B00MHTGZR4
I have one of those too, great piece of kit, the best of the BT receivers I’ve tried.
 
jeepers.... many thanks indeed for all this - very good of you; and my apologies for the delay - only yesterday did i get a gmail nudge to tell me there were subsequent AV updates and replies, so i'm now jotting down the various recommendations and trying to decide. ... yes, vaguely suspecting that once i go down the streaming route i might find cds increasingly burdensome (finding the same with tv, quite frankly; netflix isn't perfect, but i find i watch 'live' tv hardly at all nowadays and would be lost without the roku box).

but once again, apologies for the delay.... and thanks again for all the very helpful advice and recommendations. pls don't be surprised if i come back to some of you for clarification at a later date! cheers.
 
Hi. If I were you, and I did this myself, I'd acquire something like a Bluesound Node 2I. Start there and work down if the budget is a bit tight. Grat for streaming, and for accessing ripped music, which is also worth doing. Use your old system to playback, and you'll love the convenience
 
I was in a similar situation myself except that I had replaced a faulty Rotel RA930 AX amp with a Marantz PM6006, which has an onboard DAC. I have an old laptop which was spare and available for streaming. I bought a cheap USB soundcard with optical out (£9 last year) and use that via the optical feed to connect to the DAC in the amp. I tend to stream from BBC Sounds or other internet radio stations. There is some flexibility in the arrangement in that I can rip CDs to the hard drive, lossy or lossless (or even add an external USB hard drive) and I can save downloaded music to the hard drive. The soundcard has line level outputs and inputs too. I'm satisfied with the optical output but haven't tried the line level output.
A standalone DAC such as those mentioned previously in this thread could be used with the NAD amp. I don't know what they're like but Richer Sounds sell DACs for not a lot.
 
Hi, I have a Nad amp and the little Yamaha, works a treat and is very easy to set up - honestly!
You just need to be aware, that when using Spotify, you will never get CD quality sound, you have to use one of the higher res options (Amazon HD/Tidal/Quoboz ) for that. I have used Spotify and Amazon HD music and do notice the difference - still deciding if its worth £12.00 a month difference, and for me, the lack of music I like on Amazon that is there on Spotify.
Dont get me wrong, Spotify is fine, but its not CD quality.
 
Hi @jeepsterboy , I've been reading through the thread again. Like you, I'm not up to speed with all this streaming malarkey and the devices, apps/subscription services. I like to keep it simple and so that's why I went for streaming from a laptop via a USB soundcard to the DAC in my amp, streaming BBC Sounds (which streams at decent quality) and other high quality internet radio stations through a web browser.
So I don't really understand the workings of such devices as the Yamaha WXAD-10 and the Chromecast but reading a bit on the Yamaha, I understand that it needs an app (that is available for iOS or Android platforms) to set it up/control it. If you don't already have a smart phone or ipad, that might mean extra expense. I'm presuming that once up and running, you can pair it to a bluetooth device (such as a laptop in the absence of a smartphone etc.) and stream from the laptop.

I'm probably misunderstanding and getting things wrong but it rang enough alarm bells for me to post this. Hopefully someone who knows what they're talking about can shed some light on it and put things right.
 
Hi @jeepsterboy , I've been reading through the thread again. Like you, I'm not up to speed with all this streaming malarkey and the devices, apps/subscription services. I like to keep it simple and so that's why I went for streaming from a laptop via a USB soundcard to the DAC in my amp, streaming BBC Sounds (which streams at decent quality) and other high quality internet radio stations through a web browser.
So I don't really understand the workings of such devices as the Yamaha WXAD-10 and the Chromecast but reading a bit on the Yamaha, I understand that it needs an app (that is available for iOS or Android platforms) to set it up/control it. If you don't already have a smart phone or ipad, that might mean extra expense. I'm presuming that once up and running, you can pair it to a bluetooth device (such as a laptop in the absence of a smartphone etc.) and stream from the laptop.

I'm probably misunderstanding and getting things wrong but it rang enough alarm bells for me to post this. Hopefully someone who knows what they're talking about can shed some light on it and put things right.
If you have bluetooth on your laptop and the desired sound available on your laptop you can send it to your amp via Bluetooth with the Yamaha wxad-10. However, if you just want to do this, there is no point buying a yamaha that costs 140 quid, just buy a good bluetooth receiver on amazon for 30 quid
 
What would be a good Bluetooth adapter for the pc or laptop that doesn’t have Bluetooth to send the sound to my Arcam iblink Bluetooth attached to my amp
 
Hi, re the wxad-10 and an app, you dont need phone/app etc, using your laptop you just download spotify and when pressing play it will search for devices on your wifi network. Have the Yamaha wired or on wifi and thats how you connect it, no need for bluetooth receivers etc
 
Hi @jeepsterboy , I've been reading through the thread again. Like you, I'm not up to speed with all this streaming malarkey and the devices, apps/subscription services. I like to keep it simple and so that's why I went for streaming from a laptop via a USB soundcard to the DAC in my amp, streaming BBC Sounds (which streams at decent quality) and other high quality internet radio stations through a web browser.
So I don't really understand the workings of such devices as the Yamaha WXAD-10 and the Chromecast but reading a bit on the Yamaha, I understand that it needs an app (that is available for iOS or Android platforms) to set it up/control it. If you don't already have a smart phone or ipad, that might mean extra expense. I'm presuming that once up and running, you can pair it to a bluetooth device (such as a laptop in the absence of a smartphone etc.) and stream from the laptop.

I'm probably misunderstanding and getting things wrong but it rang enough alarm bells for me to post this. Hopefully someone who knows what they're talking about can shed some light on it and put things right.
I think this is probably right to the extent that, to get the WXAD-10 working effectively, you really need a device (phone, tablet) that can run the MusicCast app. To be honest (and maybe a little controversial), I wouldn't try to get into streaming without such a device. If you're looking to do this on the cheap, I'd suggest looking online for a second-hand phone - you don't have to use it as a phone but it will work on your wi-fi and you can then run Spotify, MusicCast and any other apps you want.
 
So I don't really understand the workings of such devices as the Yamaha WXAD-10 and the Chromecast but reading a bit on the Yamaha, I understand that it needs an app (that is available for iOS or Android platforms) to set it up/control it. If you don't already have a smart phone or ipad, that might mean extra expense. I'm presuming that once up and running, you can pair it to a bluetooth device (such as a laptop in the absence of a smartphone etc.) and stream from the laptop.

As others have said you might be better off just getting a used phone/table or even a cheap/used Amazon tablet, which you can then use solely as a remote if you want.

But it might be worth stepping back and understanding the various ways you can stream music to your HiFi.

(This isn't meant to be a perfect summary showing all edge case, just an overview to understand at a high level how the various protocol differ. Thought it might be useful to others in future too)

This isn't meant to be a guide to 'what to buy' more helping you understand the various jargon.

Protocols only​


These are simply ways of getting audio from A to B, they don't have their own 'apps' and normally require you to use a 3rd party app ie. the streaming services own app or a 3rd party audio app. If built into a device you may need to use that devices menus to enable them, but normally this can be done via a hardware remote control or web browser.

Bluetooth​

You'd plug a Bluetooth receiving device (receiver) into an analog RCA input on your amp. You'd then send the audio output of your laptop (encoded into a digital Bluetooth audio stream) to that receiving device. Bluetooth is sent as a radio wave rather than over the network, so range is limited. The device then converts it back into an analog signal that you can connect to your HiFi (like you would a CD player).

These are fairly dumb devices, think of them as a radio receiver/transmitter, with your laptop being the transmitter. Although if your laptop doesn't support Bluetooth you might need a cheap Bluetooth USB dongle.

Most devices will work without setup/configuration. No dedicated control app needed, just plays the output of your PC.

Pro: Cheap, The basic devices can be setup without an app or web browser. Allows playback of any audio source or audio app on your laptop.
Cons: Laptop needs to be on while music is playing. Bluetooth audio isn't optional quality. Range is limited (as signal is sent as a radio wave). Will play all audio from your laptop, including laptop sounds/alerts.

Airplay

This is Apple's 'local network' audio streaming protocol (ie. the data is sent over your wired or wifi network). AirPlay will either be built into a device, be that an amp or streamer or in the case of or it could just be an AirPort Express connected to an RCA input on your amp.

Most audio devices will support Airplay without setup/configuration (an Airport Express requires a laptop to setup). No dedicated control app needed, just plays the audio from whatever app you are using to play / stream music on your laptop.

Pro: Cheap (Airport Express) or free (if it's already built into a device you already own). CD quality, stable connection/unlimited range (or rather is limited by the quality of your home WiFi network). Allows playback of any audio source or audio app on your laptop. No setup needed fro AirPlay (although an Apple device is needed to setup a physical Airport Express).
Cons: (realistically) Apple only, laptop needs to be on while music is playing, doesn't handle Hi-Res/CD+ quality (whether that matters / you can hear any difference is another matter).

DLNA​

DLNA is also an open/non-propritery network streaming protocol (and often built into audio devices). But under the hood the streamer is the device requesting/retrieving the remote stream and the software that comes with the device (or some 3rd party control software running on your laptop) is telling it what stream to request.

This is where (under the hood) it differs from the direct A->B approach used by Airplay and Bluetooth. Although at first glance it may seem like your streaming direct from your laptop, in fact your laptop is simply telling the DLNA device (the renderer) where to get the stream from (*). The advantage of this approach is that your laptop isn't tied up handling the actual streaming.

(* to slightly confuse maters the remote DLNA device/renderer could be requesting the audio steam from the same machine that initiated the playback. But in the case of streaming services it will normally be the streaming services remote servers).

Requires a DLNA supporting control app on laptop, often this is the app that comes with the device, but can also be a 3rd party DLNA app. Can normally be enabled (or a streamer / receiver) via a remote control or web browser, but this does vary by device (so do check first).

Pro: Can handle full Hi-Res quality, you can take your laptop off of the picture once an Album or playlist has started.
Cons: Needs a dedicated control app, be that the one that comes with your DLNA supporting device or a 3rd party 'control' app to initiate playback. Not directly supported by native Spotify / Tidal apps.

It is however is supported by the Qobuz desktop app via a 'beta' setting. It is also supported by 3rd party Audirvana desktop app (paid).

Chomecast​

Chromecast is similar to DLNA in that it handles the requesting of a remote stream itself, with the app/browser on your laptop simply initiating the playback. It's proprietary to Google, but well supported, meaning that you can stream to a Chromecast device from various music services using the native Qobuz and Tidal desktop apps as well as 3rd party audio apps. It also has a built in Spotify Connect client (see below) allowing the native Spotify desktop app to stream to it naively.

Pro: Cheap, widely supported.
Cons: Streaming app needs to support Chromecast (or work in Chrome web browser) - most do.

Single service clients / protocols​


These are protocol built/supplied by individual streaming services to work well with their native apps, which often - but not always - offer better interfaces than the generic control apps. Like the above protocols these services are built into various audio device and streamers.

The downside to this approach is if you use multi streaming services (ie. one for music and one for radio) and would rather use a single app to control them all.

Spotify Connect​

Spotify have their own audio protocol / client that is built into many devices, including Chromecast and many low-cost boxes. Like DLNA and Chomecast the audio is streamed direct from the device itself with the native Spotify app controlling / initiating playback.

Pro: Cheap, widely supported.
Cons: Only works with Spotify

Tidal Connect​

Similar to Spotify, Tidal have their own client / protocol, albeit much less supported.

Pro: Limited device support
Cons: Only works with Tidal

Platforms / eco-systems​


These hardware/software platforms normally have their own apps and direct arrangements with the streaming platforms (which allow you to use a single app to control multiple services). Although most support many of the above protocols directly as a fallback.

They normally excel in support for local music collections/libraries and multi room playback.

But you may find them overkill if you're simply using them to playback Spotify to a single device.

Sonos​

Sonos have their own audio protocols/ecosystem that handles the streams directly (ie. the audio isn't routed via your laptop), with the desktop/mobile app simply acting as a remote. Sonos have cross platform desktop apps (at a high level this is the main way you control playback from all streaming services, although you can also use the native Spotify client if you wish). You can also use AirPlay to stream audio content direct from your Apple devices — although your phone/laptop must remain connected while streaming for this to work.

Pro: Works well, huge customer base, wide range of streaming services supported. Solid cross platform desktop and mobile apps. Limited number of 3rd party protocol supported (AirPlay/Spotify Connect). Good Mutiroom support. Supports local music.
Cons: Expensive (esp. if your only using it to stream to a single setup/not using their speakers elsewhere/not using the multi-room features). Requires use of Sonos app for most services, but can use native Spotify app or AirPlay direct from your phone or laptop (however your phone/laptop must remain connected while streaming for Airplay to work).

MusicCast​

In short, this is Yamaha's version of Sonos.

Pro: Wide range of streaming services and 3rd party protocols (ie. AirPlay/DLNA/Spotify Connect) supported. Mutiroom support. Supports local music.
Cons: Expensive (esp. if only using it to stream Spotify), Native MusicCast client is mobile only (ie. no native desktop app) and is required to stream most services at full quality, although you can use native Spotify app or AirPlay/Bluetooth direct from your phone or laptop (however your phone/laptop must remain connected while streaming for AirPlay/Bluetooth to work).

BlueOS​

In short, this is NADs version of Sonos. BlueOS is the operating system that runs on devices like the Node 2i and various NAD devices.

Pro: Wide range of streaming services and 3rd party protocols (ie. AirPlay/Roon/Spotify Connect) supported. Cross platform desktop and mobile apps. Supports local music.
Cons: Expensive (esp. if only using it to stream Spotify). Native BlueOS app required to stream most services at full quality, although you can use native Spotify app or AirPlay/Bluetooth direct from your phone or laptop (however your phone/laptop must remain connected while streaming for AirPlay/Bluetooth to work).

Roon​

Again Roon is similar (at a very high level) to Sonos/BlueOS/MusicCast in that it's a multi-room networked audio ecosystem that has it's own mobile and desktop control apps. But rather than running on dedicated/propriety hardware it's centralised server software can be installed on a standard off-the-shelf PC hardware. It can then stream to a variety of audio devices (not just those of one manufacturer) using a variety of different audio protocols. If you don't have a local music collection or multiple audio devices to playback to it's almost certainly overkill.

Pro: Superb interface and features. Not tied to a single hardware manufacturer/vendor. Superb local music library support. Superb multi room support.
Cons: Expensive, limited range of streaming services supported. Ideally need additional hardware to run the server software on. Roon itself is purely software.

Logitech Media Server (LMS)​

Logitech Media Server aka LMS aka PiCorePlayer was originally the backend server component of the Logitech range of Squeezebox devices. After Logitech stopped making the hardware devices the community took over the development of the server software. Nowadays when people talk about LMS they are normally referring to the open sourced audio ecosystem that has sprung up around LMS, often using low cost Raspberry Pi (RPi) computers.

You can think of LMS as a free / hobbyists version of Roon, albeit without quite the same commercial polish. Out of the box LMS looks a bit dated, but by enabling the 'Material Skin' plugin within LMS you can an interface that brings it more up to date.

Almost certainly not not an option for the OP - but thought I'd add it for completeness.

Pros: Free. Extremely flexible / customisable. PiCorePlayer effectively gets you a full blown network streamer for just over £100. Great multi-room support. Good local library support.
Cons: More for DIY fans & tinkerers. Can be 'comparatively' complex to setup and you'll need to read setup guides and understand how the various components fit together. LMS itself is purely software.

----

So in short you can buy a device like Bluesound's Node 2i that will cover all bases or you can pick a device that ticks just the boxes you need.

Spotify is kind of a special case as they managed to get their 'Spotify Connect' client built into thousands of devices. So in the case of Spotify you can simply use the native Spotify desktop client in most cases.

Where is gets more complex is if you want to playback non-Spotify sources ie. local music or other streaming services. Your options are then:
  1. Buy a device that supports those services directly via a special/bespoke agreement and then use the devices own app to browse/control playback - in which case the quality/support of the vendors app is an important consideration.
  2. Buy a device that implements a particular streaming services own 'client' (ie. like Spotify Connect) and use the streaming services native desktop app.
  3. Use a protocol like AirPlay/Bluetooth to stream whatever is currently playing on your laptop to a device that supports that protocol.
  4. Use a Chromecast or DLNA supporting desktop control app (this could also be a streaming services native app if it supports those protocols) to initiate playback of a stream on a remote device that supports one of those protocol.
 
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Firstly - Sorry if I'm hard work. I'm not the OP looking for a solution but I have a functioning (streaming) set-up that doesn't involve the many devices discussed in this thread: I have a laptop dedicated to the task, streaming internet radio via a web browser and I have a USB soundcard outputting an optical (S/PDIF?) data stream to the onboard DAC of my amp.

I can understand this set-up adequately enough to operate it and discover new music sources - whether they be via a web browser, via an "app" or from music files stored locally on a hard drive etc.. I am, however, still struggling to understand the options and devices discussed in this thread - it all seems very complicated and expensive to get to the end result.

Trying to understand without getting swamped by the plethora of technologies available and starting with the WXAD-10 - if I were to have this and an amplifier with line level inputs only, apart from speakers and an internet connection, what else would i need to listen to streaming music? Would I be able to plug my ethernet cable into the back of the WXAD-10, connect the WXAD-10 to the amplifier with some interconnects, power up and start listening? How would I "change channels"? Or would I need firstly to configure it using a laptop or smart phone? For listening to streamed audio, would I have to use a laptop or smartphone to access a service such as Deezer or Spotify (I use neither of these and so do not know how they work for selecting music)? Would I be able to listen to BBC Sounds through it? Would I be able to play any audio through the hi-fi that I would otherwise be able to play through the internal speaker of my laptop/smartphone?
 
Trying to understand without getting swamped by the plethora of technologies available and starting with the WXAD-10 - if I were to have this and an amplifier with line level inputs only, apart from speakers and an internet connection, what else would i need to listen to streaming music? Would I be able to plug my ethernet cable into the back of the WXAD-10, connect the WXAD-10 to the amplifier with some interconnects, power up and start listening? How would I "change channels"? Or would I need firstly to configure it using a laptop or smart phone? For listening to streamed audio, would I have to use a laptop or smartphone to access a service such as Deezer or Spotify (I use neither of these and so do not know how they work for selecting music)? Would I be able to listen to BBC Sounds through it? Would I be able to play any audio through the hi-fi that I would otherwise be able to play through the internal speaker of my laptop/smartphone?

Short answer: Yes
Longer answer: It depends (*)

(*) For example you could use the Yamaha MusicCast app on your phone (but not the desktop as there is no desktop MusicCast app) to browse and kick off playback of an album or playlist in your Deezer library directly from Deezer's servers at the highest quality. This is the ideal scenario as effectively the Yamaha is doing all the work and streaming the highest quality stream direct from Deezer, the Yamaha app on your phone is just the remote control. You can even turn your phone off once music starts.

But counter-intuitively you can't use the native Deezer app (desktop or mobile) to do this ie. get the WXAD-10 to retrieve the stream directly from Deezer.

[it also depends on what streaming service you're using, as for example you can use the native Spotify [via Spotify Connect] and Qobuz [via DLNA] clients on your phone to do this].

However on a Apple device you could use the native Deezer app (mobile and desktop) and send the audio output to the Yamaha via AirPlay (effectively routing the audio via your phone or desktop, rather than directly between the WXAD-10 and Deezer) but you'll then be limited to CD quality (44.1khz/16bit) as that's the limit of the AirPlay protocol. You can do a similar thing on Android/Windows with Bluetooth, but again audio will be limited to Bluetooth quality.

Whether that matters to you only you can answer. The main downside to this approach is that your iPhone or Mac's audio output is tied up with streaming, which again may or may not be an issue for you — for example if you're streaming music at a party (OK not likely at the moment) and then take a call on your phone the stream/music will stop.

A common compromise is to get your network streamer ie. the WXAD-10 in this case, to directly handle the streaming from your main streaming service like Deezer. But then 'fall back' to using AirPlay or Bluetooth when using an app on your phone or laptop like BBC Sounds (or any other audio app on your phone/laptop) — where you're less concurred about ultimate sound quality and won't be concerned if the stream stops when you take a phone call.

I guess the question is — if you don't mind your phone/laptop being the playback device — do you really need a full blown 'network streamer' over a simple Bluetooth / Airplay supporting device/adaptor. Then again ~£140 isn't an astronomical amount to pay for a Bluetooth / Airplay supporting device/adaptor from a known vendor, so probably not the end of the world if that is all you ended up using it for.
 
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Thanks for the reply @jamieu . Going on from that and back to my particular set-up and the question of quality (or definition/fidelity) of/from the source. I'm aware of the limitations of the quality of internet radio (generally and specifically BBC Sounds) but at 320kbps (BBC Radio 3) and none of the problems of receiving a radio signal, it is better than the FM signal. I can also source music of CD quality or even better to play from a local drive (not least by a lossless ripping of a CD). Putting aside issues of whether a coaxial digital connection is better than Toslink and of jitter etc., I understand that the connection between my laptop and amplifier DAC is S/PDIF via my USB soundcard. So, if I understand correctly, the S/PDIF protocol will be the limiting factor (it will set the ceiling) in the quality that my DAC receives and can process. Using S/PDIF, how much better than CD quality can I realistically achieve and how much of a difference will that make with what comes out of the Marantz PM 6006? Given that I really enjoy listening to music streamed at 320kbps, this is more of a "thought exercise" than a real issue for me.
 
Thanks for the reply @jamieu . Going on from that and back to my particular set-up and the question of quality (or definition/fidelity) of/from the source. I'm aware of the limitations of the quality of internet radio (generally and specifically BBC Sounds) but at 320kbps (BBC Radio 3) and none of the problems of receiving a radio signal, it is better than the FM signal. I can also source music of CD quality or even better to play from a local drive (not least by a lossless ripping of a CD). Putting aside issues of whether a coaxial digital connection is better than Toslink and of jitter etc., I understand that the connection between my laptop and amplifier DAC is S/PDIF via my USB soundcard. So, if I understand correctly, the S/PDIF protocol will be the limiting factor (it will set the ceiling) in the quality that my DAC receives and can process. Using S/PDIF, how much better than CD quality can I realistically achieve and how much of a difference will that make with what comes out of the Marantz PM 6006? Given that I really enjoy listening to music streamed at 320kbps, this is more of a "thought exercise" than a real issue for me.

Probably a question for a different thread (and a contentious one at that).

In short you'll get the maximum quality you can possible hear / differentiate via an S/PDIF connection.

Even if you could pass a higher res DSD stream (ie. over 192Khz) to your DAC via USB you would be unlikely (and that's being generous) to hear any difference. The main reason for higher res DSD files is in mastering, where you may want to start with a higher sample rate to allow you to downsample it later, for playback purposes at home it's purely academic willy waving.

If you mean can you hear anything above CD quality worth paying for ie. 24bit/96Khz encodings. My personal opinion (and others will certainly disagree here, but please — let's not derail this thread) is that on good speakers, you can tell a difference on some recordings, but it's not night and day across the board. I expect some 24bit/96Khz recordings simply come from better sources or have been encoded with more care. Past 192Khz and I'd call bullshit, human hearing isn't that good esp. if your over 30.

Also remember that a CD will always top out at 44.1KHz (the rate CD are mastered at) regardless of what sample rate you rip it at. You can't add data or quality, you can only remove it. If you want a higher sample rate it has to come from a higher or equal quality recording to start.
 
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Thanks for the reply @jamieu . I will endeavour not to derail the thread any further except to say that with regards to your last answer, I think we're "reading from the same page". You have been very helpful in improving my understanding and I appreciate your time and effort in answering my queries.
 
See you've had heaps of replies but my twopenn'orth.

I also have an aged but loved main system so have been down this route.
1. You can run 1 Spotify subscription on many devices, although not simultaneously. I use smartphone for convenience, PC or laptop and a Fiio M9 portable player.
2. The advantage of the last option is, as well as holding my music collection in FLAC quality, it can run Spotify(although not pre-installed & getting it may be a bit of a faff if you're not tech-savvy) + other streaming apps & can also serve as a USB DAC for the PC.
3. If you went this route, you could plug direct into your amp's AUX terminal (3.5mm headphone jack Y cable to twin RCA) or use Bluetooth.
4. for the last you need a Bluetooth receiver. I went with Arcam mini Blink which I'm happy with & also have a Logitech which was really cheap & works OK + has an amazing range (which can be a mixed blessing).

Happy to help further if I can
 

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