Streaming with Macbook Air and NAS via ethernet.....and still having dropouts!

What is "dropping out" - streams via the Sonos?

Streams via the Sonos without dropping out, but not via the Macbook.

and by dropping out, I mean gaps in sound, and where the track often returns back to where it was before. Which I guess, now thinking about it, would mean the computer and/or NAS connection, would it not?

Any problems connecting MacBook Air to the Internet? Are you able to, say, watch YouTube videos uninterrupted?

No problems with YouTube or with internet connection. I've connected the NAS and the computer to an Ethernet switch - would it make any difference if I also connected the NAS directly into the computer? I maybe wrong but the 'jumps' and 'dropouts' often occur when I hear the NAS making its "I'm busy doing some data-crunching" sound.

Or could it be BitPerfect not being quite so perfect after all? I have read elsewhere that it could be a little 'buggy' at times.

Big thanks for your help on this Big Boss and amcluesent btw.

Actually as I read your opening post I was going to suggest BitPerfect as a possible solution because you can make it buffer a certain amount of data which would help to compensate for erratic streaming.

I'll try it MajorFubar. Many thanks for that.

if you know the ip address of your router you could open a terminal window on your macbook and type

ping <ipaddressofrouter> ie ping 192.168.1.254 [return]  on a macbook that'll continusously ping your router  (ie send a network packet and then acknowledge reciept of it - bit like throwing a tennis ball against a wall and then catching it again) until you ctrl-c.  once you ctrl-c it you'll get a statistic run down of what happened (whether it lost packets, etc) - give it a good 5-10mins before you ctrl-c it.  that'll give you a clue as to whether your network is loosing packets.  if it's loosing packets then start replacing cables with new ones to see if that makes a difference...change one cable at a time though otherwise you won't know how you've fixed it. if all cables are changed then it's time to look at your hardware.

and of course doubly doubly doubly make sure you are definitley connected via ethernet and you've not left wireless on and it's streaming via that.  Make sure airport is turned off to eliminate that.

cheers.

I think it is BitPerfect that is to blame. My experience has been that while it definitely gives a more rounded sound, it causes stuttering, so for now I have it switched off.

If you're having problems with BP stuttering, have a go at changing the default settings.

The manual, here: http://bitperfectsound.blogspot.co.uk/p/manual.html

...which a lot of users don't seem to know about/read, gives quite a few tips regarding how to optimize the software for your system.

Many thanks everyone for all the input. I've changed the buffer size on BitPerfect preferences to max and that seems to have done the trick. Haven't heard another dropout nor a jump. Hope that's not famous last words..........

It might work, but you may also have to do a bit of experimenting with various settings, such as 'Minimize iTunes Interaction' and 'iTunes Response Speed'. It's also one of those programs where the more memory the better, and with a MBA you're stuck with what it came with I think.

Very good idea to experiment with the settings and, of course, read the manual! Guess I should have done that sooner.................