Play your FLAC files on a network amplifier (DLNA / UPnP)

How DLNA works

DLNA uses UPnP AV for discovery and media sharing on the local network. Three roles can be spread across devices or combined in one device:

• The server shares the library: that’s the role of RustMusic’s DLNA server on your computer.
• The renderer plays the music: your network amplifier, TV or connected speaker.
• The controller chooses the tracks and controls playback on the renderer. It may be the amplifier’s own interface, a separate UPnP app, or RustMusic itself when you pick the amplifier as the output.

Either way, RustMusic sends the original file over HTTP without transcoding. The receiving device downloads and decodes it. This preserves the file during transfer, but the network player’s settings, volume and processing may alter the signal afterwards: it does not prove end-to-end bit-perfect playback.

Server mode: the amplifier fetches the music

1. 1

   Install RustMusic and add your music

   Windows, macOS or Linux. Index your folders as usual.

2. 2

   Turn on the DLNA server

   In Settings → Network & DLNA, enable Share on the network. On Windows, allow RustMusic through the firewall for private networks if needed. On macOS, accept local network access when RustMusic asks for it. Check that the server is online.

3. 3

   Open the network source on your amplifier

   Look for a Media Server or Network Library source. The default name is RustMusic Media Server; you can change it in settings. Discovery requires the same local network and permitted SSDP communication.

4. 4

   Browse and listen

   Browse artists, albums or folders from the device or its controller. Pause and seeking within a track work from the amplifier or its app: since version 0.3.0 the server announces that it accepts them, whereas some devices, notably Onkyo, used to refuse to pause.

Network player mode: RustMusic sends the music (beta)

Since version 0.3.0, you can choose tracks in RustMusic and have the amplifier play them. This feature is in beta and off by default: while it is off, RustMusic does not look for any device on the network.

1. 1

   Turn on network playback

   In Settings → Network & DLNA, enable Play on a network player for UPnP/DLNA devices, and Play on an AirPlay device (v1) if needed. The two options are independent, and the DLNA server can stay off.

2. 2

   Pick the amplifier as the output

   Open the player’s audio output menu. WiiM devices, amplifiers and network players (Onkyo, Denon, Marantz, Yamaha…) appear in the Network players section, alongside AirPlay devices. Sonos speakers are listed under their room name.

3. 3

   Listen from RustMusic

   The queue, pause, seeking, volume and gapless playback work as they do locally. Title, artist, album and cover art show on the device. Switching output mid-track resumes at the same point, and the chosen player is restored at the next launch.

• UPnP/DLNA: the file is sent as is, without conversion, and the device decodes it, in hi-res if it can. A format the device says it cannot play, often DSD, is flagged straight away.
• Sonos: playback up to 24-bit / 48 kHz, with a short gap between tracks. In a group, playback is handed to the speaker that leads it.
• AirPlay: only AirPlay 1 is supported. RustMusic decodes and sends the sound in CD quality (16-bit / 44.1 kHz, ALAC); its volume control acts on the sound it sends, not on the amplifier’s volume. DSD is not supported, and password-protected or AirPlay 2-only devices are not offered.
• In the player bar, the Network pill shows what is active (players, AirPlay, DLNA sharing) and lets you turn each one on or off with a click.

Server or network player: which one to choose?

Server mode suits you if you browse your library from the amplifier, its remote or its app. Network player mode suits you if you prefer RustMusic’s library, playlists and queue, with the amplifier only doing the playing.

Which formats your amplifier can play

Over UPnP/DLNA, whether the amplifier fetches the music or RustMusic sends it, files go out as they are, with no conversion. Your device therefore sets the limit:

• Check that the network player supports FLAC. USB compatibility or a DLNA logo alone does not guarantee support for every format.
• For hi-res files, check the sample rates, bit depths and channel counts accepted by the network input; these may differ from USB limits.
• DSF and DFF require support for those DSD files in the network player. USB DoP compatibility is not enough. RustMusic’s local audio-output DoP settings do not convert files sent over the network.
• With AirPlay, the protocol sets the limit: 16-bit / 44.1 kHz, no DSD.

Amplifier can’t see the server, or doesn’t show up in RustMusic?

• Check that the computer and the amplifier are on the same network, not on the Wi-Fi “guest” network, which often isolates devices.
• Allow RustMusic on your private network: SSDP discovery uses UDP port 1900 and HTTP transfer uses TCP port 8200 by default. If you change the server port, adjust the local rule. In network player mode, tracks are served by a second HTTP server, preferably on TCP port 8201. No Internet port forwarding is needed.
• Since version 0.3.0, an active VPN (WireGuard, OpenVPN…) no longer hides the server: it only announces itself on local network adapters, and the search for players starts from every network adapter on the computer. If the amplifier shows “No server” with a VPN on, check that RustMusic is up to date.
• On macOS, allow RustMusic to access the local network (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network). Without this permission, macOS 15 silently blocks device discovery and the DLNA server.
• Some routers filter multicast between Wi-Fi and Ethernet: check client isolation and the multicast (IGMP) settings on your router.
• Keep RustMusic open, the computer awake and files accessible. A disconnected drive, unavailable network share or sleep mode can interrupt playback.