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Denon AVR - Using HEOS App w Amazon Music

7831 Views 33 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Baddog-Paul, Apr 20, 2022

Gazzer55

Discussion Starter · Jul 28, 2021

HI All - I decided to change from Spotify to Amazon Music as it has HD and now Hi-Res Audio which is an improvement to the standard lossy on Spotify. The frustrating thing however is that as I understand it you cant connect the Denon through the Amazon App and it has to be controlled through the HEOS App. The issue being that the HEOS app is very slow to use, searching isn't as seamless as the Spotify/Amazon app and you cant create a library or playlists on HEOS. Does anyone know if there is a workaround or will HEOS be doing an overhaul on the app anytime soon?

1 - 20 of 34 Posts

Johnny Angell

· #2 · Aug 20, 2021

I have been using the Amazon Music standalone app with no problems until recently. Now the end of songs are being skipped frequently. The song gets down to 30-10 seconds and skips to the next song, or it will skip several songs.

To use the app, on opening click on the gear symbol at upper right, then choose connect to device. Once you’ve selected your receiver, everything should work. It did for me until the skipping started. Let us know if this works for you.

Spleencheesemonkey

· #3 · Sep 25, 2021

I too am having this problem with amazon music HD listening on my Marantz AVR using the HEO skill. Utterly annoying.

Spleencheesemonkey

· #4 · Sep 29, 2021

Finally got a response from Marantz customer support:

"Thanks for submitting the log. This will now be further investigated to see what is causing this issue and we will get back to you once we have finished the investigation. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Please note that there is a slight possibility that this issue may be from Amazons end, as other customers recently have reported issues when using Amazon Music with other 3rd party companies/ products. best regards Sound United support"

Reactions: 1

Baddog-Paul

· #5 · Oct 26, 2021

Should be able to use Amazon Music to "cast" to HEOS. Sound United /HEOS just created new firmware update, 2.1.620, but I am not sure that this has yet to be released to the general public. Without this update, your AVR will cut off the end of the songs, song advance, and next/previous song will not function correctly. You must confirm that the HEOS App is showing the Marantz /Denon AVR as firmware 2.1.620 when going to Settings > Help > Check My System > Software Versions.

Reactions: 1

Stillhear

· #6 · Nov 25, 2021

I am also having the cutoff problem with Amazon Music and HEOS on my Denon AVR S750H. The Firmware on the S750H is nothing like the number 2.1.620; rather it has 16 digits so I doubt the update is intended for the S750H. I have no problem when I use the Echo device's speakers directly with Amazon Playlists. Never a cutoff at the last 20 seconds or so. But when Amazon is using HEOS to connect via WIFI to my S750H, the cutoff occurs about 80% of the time. The other 20% play to completion and may or may not be HD quality as shown on my TV screen. I have the quality set to maximum since my Wifi and Internet connections are unimpeded. The concept is great and the Amazon Music stream sounds very nice on my S750H attached speakers but the cutoff at the end of 80% of songs is more than annoying. Could this be a buffering problem? In my case, both the Echo and S750H are on the same Wifi network; the problem never occurs when using the Echo's internal speakers; I have gigabit connection to the Internet; the cutoff ONLY occurs near the end of the song playing, and Amazon/HEOS seem to get synced with the next song though sometimes the song identification information is lost following the cutoff though the song itself seems to play well up to its cutoff, etc. It's like the information for the next song streaming causes the HEOS logic to truncate the current song and clear its buffer. It is so repeatable on so many different Denon devices that it begs the question of who and how hard is Denon looking at the problem?

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Spleencheesemonkey

· #7 · Nov 27, 2021

Stillhear said:
it begs the question of who and how hard is Denon looking at the problem?

It’s remarkably frustrating. There are reports on other threads and forums that a firmware update has fixed it for them. Mine is still not working on my NR1200.

https://www.reddit.com/r/heos/comments/p72kk7

Baddog-Paul

· #8 · Nov 27, 2021

HEOS > Music > Settings > Help > Check My System > About >>>>>>> Version:
or
HEOS > Music > Settings > Help > Check My System > Software Versions

Amazon Music Skips End of Songs on Denon AVR-X6500H | Page 3 | AVS Forum #41

You might read that forum for answers to your problems.

Baddog-Paul

· #9 · Nov 27, 2021

The Music seems to play alright, the displayed words are out of sync with the sung lyrics. This happens when casting to HEOS and Amazon devices (echo, dot, show, etc.). Contacted Amazon a few weeks back, was told they would get back to me. Will try again in a week or so. Also alerted Marantz /HEOS tech support of the problem, not holding my breath there.

Stillhear

· #10 · Nov 28, 2021

I'm not seeing anything useful in the Link provided by Baddog-Paul. The firmware on my Denon S750H is 16 digits and there are no updates available. Not sure that the Heos App has anything to do with frequently (not always) dropping the last 20 seconds of songs. My Heos App is now at 2.1.660 but I don't use it and it should not be in the path between my AVR and Echo though I understand it is a HEOS controller though not required. Most times I tell Alexa to Shuffle a playlist on my Home Network and she does her thing using my Wifi and HEOS protocol. Incidentally, I just received an Echo 4th generation device replacing my 3rd generation unit and the new unit behaves the same way in cutting songs which still points to my Denon S750H's ability to buffer and complete songs. If I'm watching the scroll bar on my TV, it'll show "Unable to Play Media" following the truncation, or the scroll will continue to the end. Once it passes the 20sec mark or so, I can count on a smooth ending, but I can't find a pattern. I started in this Forum, and now I'll join the chorus and submit a Ticket. The music sounds so good apart from this overriding "cutoff" problem.

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Baddog-Paul

· #11 · Nov 28, 2021

The 16 digit firmware number to which you refer has not changed on my system since I have been working with Marantz /Sound United. It is the firmware version number within the HEOS app /on the AVR that has changed /updated. There might be two firmwares on the system, one for base setup (speakers, inputs, etc), and another for the HEOS app /HEOS AVR.

Stillhear

· #12 · Nov 28, 2021

Baddog-Paul said:
The 16 digit firmware number to which you refer has not changed on my system since I have been working with Marantz /Sound United. It is the firmware version number within the HEOS app /on the AVR that has changed /updated. There might be two firmwares on the system, one for base setup (speakers, inputs, etc), and another for the HEOS app /HEOS AVR.

Thanks for that. My Versions are:
HEOS Android: 2.1.660
HEOS Denon S750H: 1.583.161 Bld 165840. Auto update is on, and also did a manual check and no updates.

I will check with Denon tomorrow. I tried to open an issue via HEOS App and the App gave a server error with some suggested HTML correction after I hit submit. I quit.

Spleencheesemonkey

· #13 · Dec 8, 2021

Ok. So I’m finally working. It took someone from the @marantzofficial team on Twitter in America to reach out to me after I complained about the UK customer service setup. I was told that the firmware is due to be made available for general release in the next couple of weeks which should fix it. I went back and requested (as per the info on this forum) to have my device added to the whitelist and have the update made available earlier. 2.1.701 was installed this morning (I had to check for updates - it didn’t push automatically) and it finally works as it should; No tracks skipping/cut short, information displayed properly, lyrics in time with the music, seek forward and backwards works, and is actually quite responsive. It works well via voice control from my Amazon echos and also from the Amazon music app. It took 4 months, but I now, finally, have the functionality I bought my AVR for.

…until the next firmware update. What’s people’s thoughts on not updating the app and turning off automatic updates on the hardware?

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Reactions: 1

N4T93

· #14 · Jan 2, 2022

Spleencheesemonkey said:
Ok. So I’m finally working. It took someone from the @marantzofficial team on Twitter in America to reach out to me after I complained about the UK customer service setup. I was told that the firmware is due to be made available for general release in the next couple of weeks which should fix it. I went back and requested (as per the info on this forum) to have my device added to the whitelist and have the update made available earlier. 2.1.701 was installed this morning (I had to check for updates - it didn’t push automatically) and it finally works as it should; No tracks skipping/cut short, information displayed properly, lyrics in time with the music, seek forward and backwards works, and is actually quite responsive. It works well via voice control from my Amazon echos and also from the Amazon music app. It took 4 months, but I now, finally, have the functionality I bought my AVR for.

…until the next firmware update. What’s people’s thoughts on not updating the app and turning off automatic updates on the hardware?

Have these updates made it so you can get Ultra HD playing through a Heos device using the Amazon app? Or is it still downgraded to just HD unless you use the Heos app to control your Amazon account with the rubbish usability.

Baddog-Paul

· #15 · Jan 4, 2022

Not sure of your question of Ultra HD vs HD? Using Amazon Music App cast to the Marantz, have stream settings in Amazon to use Best Available. Auto update not working on Marantz, was just contacted by Sound United to say they were looking into it. Don't know that turning off auto update will gain you anything because if next firmware bad, manual update will pick it up.

Your lyrics are in sync with the music? Trying testing in full page mode (multiple lyrics displayed at once) with Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic" (fast lyrics, one right after each other). First song seems to be in sync but when advanced, loses sync. Let me know. Contacted Amazon for third time, their tech support was worse than Sound United's. Their suggestion was for me to toggle my timezone aetting...then nothing more from them, even though I replied that lyrics still not in sync.

N4T93

· #16 · Jan 4, 2022

Early in 2021 if you used the Amazon app to cast to a Heos device it was downgraded to 44.1/16 even if the full 192/24 was available. The only way to get the 192/24 was to use your Amazon account through the Heos app which is terrible. I was wondering if the new updates to include Alexa had changed this?

Baddog-Paul

· #17 · Jan 4, 2022

How are you seeing the bit rate using Amazon Music to cast to HEOS? When I use HEOS to play Amazon Music, my AVR displays the bit rate in the upper left. --- I realize this bit rate will vary based on what is being played. For Aerosmith "Toys in the Attic", I am only getting FLAC -96 kHz/24 bit. For Stones Tattoo You (2009 Re-Mastered), I get FLAC - 44.1 kHz/24 bit. Internet Radio, Houston Blues Radio displays MP3 - 128 kbps, whereas Jus Blues Radio displays AAC -94 kbps.

Baddog-Paul

· #18 · Jan 4, 2022

I see to fix the lyrics sync, the words are no longer displayed through the AVR, simy the album jacket.

Tried jumping back and fourth between HEOS playing Amazon and Amazon casting to HEOS. MY AVR became unresponsive and had to power off AVR to get HEOS app to even see the device. Also used Marantz AVR app to control next song, pause/play. It too became unresponsive. When bouncing between HEOS and Amazon Music, the display was 2 songs behind what was actually being played. I am tired of dealing with Sound United's inept tech support. Funny how we can test, but their response is always the same....perform a factory reset, reset your router, reinstall the software, etc., etc., etc.....it's a problem Amazon's software...closing the ticket after each step.

Reactions: 1

N4T93

· #19 · Jan 4, 2022

Baddog-Paul said:
How are you seeing the bit rate using Amazon Music to cast to HEOS? When I use HEOS to play Amazon Music, my AVR displays the bit rate in the upper left. --- I realize this bit rate will vary based on what is being played. For Aerosmith "Toys in the Attic", I am only getting FLAC -96 kHz/24 bit. For Stones Tattoo You (2009 Re-Mastered), I get FLAC - 44.1 kHz/24 bit. Internet Radio, Houston Blues Radio displays MP3 - 128 kbps, whereas Jus Blues Radio displays AAC -94 kbps.

You can see it in the same way, just have your TV switched on. When you cast from the Amazon app it is still controlling the Heos system so the same display shows on your TV. I suspect through that it will show a lower bit rate.

Baddog-Paul

· #20 · Jan 4, 2022

Have the TV on. When using HEOS to play Amazon, the bit rate is displayed. When using Amazon to cast to HEOS, only displays "NOW PLAYING" in upper left corner. It used to also display the words if you had them displayed on your phone. Now it just displays the album jacket, current song, time progression, and controls (pause, next/previous song).

HEOS ver. 2.1.710
Amazon Music ver. 17.19.4 OTA Dec. 20, 2021

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