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Who's used the Audiophile Optimizer for Windows 2012 Server or Windows 8?


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Hi, Ya’all

After quite some time of reading this thread about Audiophile Optimizer, I’ve decide to write my first post here. After more than two months of playing, trying, listening of different types of settings I finally came to conclusion/solution that’s suits my taste... But first things first… Thank you Phill for such a great product/solution for computer based systems!

I had problems from beginning setting my computer for streaming audio to my DAC. Every question sent to Phill considering those issues were answered in incredibly short time and that was way before I even said I’m willing to purchase AO. Highest level of professionalism I haven’t encountered in a long time…

Phill helped me starting with driver installation and with all needed advices regarding server setup. Thanx a million, Phill !

My first mail sent to Phill was somewhere in June and I bought AO late in September… after some 40+ mails we sent to each other and plenty of advices I received from Phill, I was ready for final step in setting audio system…

In my system with singlePC setup which is simple and minimal, component-wise, I found that best sound for me is with following settings:

OS: Windows Server 2012 R2

 

Sound Signature: X (Windows Default)

Digital-Filter Mode: X (Windows Default)

 

High precision event timer (HPET): enabled

Structured Exception Handling Overwrite Protection (SEHOP): enabled

Software Protection Service: enabled

WASAPI/MMCSS Optimization: NO

SCSI-MiniPort drivers disabled: YES

USB Optimization enabled: YES

Drivers and Services disabled: YES

Plug and Play service: disabled

AMD CPU/SATA drivers: disabled

Remote Desktop services: enabled

Remote Management services: disabled

Netowrk related services: enabled

Windows Management Instrumentation: disabled

(this setup gives: 30 process; 331 threads; cca 8900 handles)

 

I’m still in GUI mode and that is because I never use TC before and don’t know how to play music or import albums with it. My music is on an external HDD. Even setting a library in JRiver is a bit complicated task for me because I never could set it the way I use to it ( list of folders with authors/albums…) saw somewhere that is easy but still didn’t try it. Unfortunately not enough time for everything…

Comparing KS and ASIO:

Reading this post many of you are using KS as a better, more direct way between PC and DAC. But in my case with ASIO sound is much more open. Cymbals have more (longer) decay…Soundstage is resolving with more air between instruments and all that with full bodied sound… I stayed with ASIO. (KS sounded much more darker or quieter, less lively… )

SS/DF:

This was a hard one… After a month of trying A-D/1-4, at the end I realize that X/X is best sounding in my system… at least coloration of any kind…

No emphasizing… just a “flat” sound… equal amount of low, mid and high tones in any of listened recordings that I used for testing. To me, that sounded like most natural sound…

-guitar strings sounded precise, sharp, crisp, detailed…

-double bass/ electric bass sounded deep but focused and resolving

- Drums sounded clear, stayed behind but with authority and every hit was powerful but not overtaking the rest of soundstage..

-vocals sounded “real” with clearly audible inhaling/exhaling and breathing while singing

- piano is complex instrument.. a combination of percussion( hummer and pedals) and string instrument (simplified explanation, maybe not the accurate one) sounded clear, filling the room.. Great presence of all instruments and vocals overall…

Sound never sounded fatiguing in any moment no matter witch type of music was playing, and it was “full bodied” sound all time

Music used:

*Stevie Ray Vaughn:

-Couldn’t Stand The Weather SACD ISO

-The Sky Is Crying SACD ISO

-In Step SACD ISO

*Manu Katche – Neighborhood

*Brian Bromberg – Wood

*Vlatko Stefanovski & Miroslav Tadic – Krusevo

*Patricia Barber:

- Modern Cool (MFSL) SACD

-Nightclub (MFSL) SACD

- Verse (MFSL) SACD

-Companion (MFSL) SACD

* Jacintha

- Jacintha - Autumn Leaves [XRCD2]

- Jacintha Goes To Hollywood

- Jacintha - Here's To Ben (1999) (XRCD)

*Isao Suzuki :

- Ako’s Dream (TBM) XRCD

-Black Orpheus

-Blow Up (TBM) XRCD

* Tsuyoshi Yamamoto:

- Misty XRCD (TBM)

- Girl Talk (TBM)

-Speak Low

- Midnight Sugar (TBM) XRCD

- Autumn In Seattle (TBM) XRCD

* Anouar Brahem – Astounding eyes of Rita (ECM)

* Rabih Abou – Khalil

- Journey To The Centre Of An Egg (ENJA)

- Morton’s Foot (ENJA)

Sumary:

AO is a great product. In my system changes it made were clearly and audibly noticeable. Nothing like a “wow” effect but it did put a smile on my face. Records sounded less digital, more analog like… noise floor was lowered down. Sound stage is little better. More air between instruments. All in all much more enjoyable sound overall. Does it worth $130? Absolutely!

Thank you Phill!

Regards

Marko

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Thanx guys for advices and I agree with you but still there is some things I'm not shure about..

First, can I still use Remote Desktop in core mode?

How to navigate music from external HDD, send songs or .cue files, remove songs to JRiver when in core mode using TC? I understand that when I type jriver.exe player will show up like in GUI mode...

Some help on this will be highly appreiciated :-)

@AlRAINBOW

I do agree with you about PSU-s but I have laptop using his own battery and connected to Transparent Audio power conditioner... no room for dual boxes and too much cables...

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  • 1 month later...

Hi

until yesterday, streaming from my laptop was with no issue with DSD/DFF files. CPU utilization was no more than 10%. All of a sudden, on some albums CPU util is going to 100% for not less than 10 sec (!?) ... I didn't change anything in settings. Even with buffer increased it's the same thing... fans inside my laptop are so noisy that I can hear them from almost 10 ft distance.. I tought that PC that I'm using was capable enough for that and it was until yesterday... what could be the problem? Can anyone help me with that?

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  • 1 month later...

Hi, Everybody

Yesterday I've tried to use WOL option on my AudioPC. I've enabled it in BIOS, instaled this software

( WOL - Magic Packet Sender - Free Windows Software ), set everything and it was ok, it worked as expected but there is something else;

after installation CPU usage is 30-35% all time, even when pc is idling (?!) ... before that, with JRiver is no more than 2-3%

I've noticed that service responsible for that is "svchost - ntkernel" ... any expolanation? I would realy like to use WOL option but no way I'll accept 33% CPU load for nothing. Can some of you IT savy guys help me about this?

Thank you

Marko

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you need two devices:

one computer sleeping - with WOL activated

second computer / iPad - this one will wake up the first one.

 

what would you expect that WOL can do for you?

 

and yes: open notepad and save the file with the extension bat. inside the file follow the examples from my previous link.

now run the bat and your batch will wake up the computer.

 

in case you need more details infos, please write me a pm

 

:)

 

HI, EuroChamp

I did exactly all in the way you told me but with no succes. Tried all three exaples with wol.exe app but nothing happened.

wol [MAC adress] [NIC IP adress] ...I even tried with port they suggest 12287 but nothing...

Did I missed something?

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  • 3 months later...

Hi everybodyAfter months and months of being blessed by the musical heaven I had and countless hours of enjoyment my musical Nirvana unfortunately ended couple of days ago. Even though I didn't change nothing in settings or hardware since I completed my system just some strange things start to happen few days ago.

So, my problem is :

When I turn on my laptop first 10 to 15 seconds after initial boot up of operating system and all software ( Jriver only) procesor utilize 100-90 % for a minute and after that falls down to 30-35% and it stays there even in idle...

Both LED's on RJ45 connector are orange and amber, no green LED on connector ( no good connection) so no WOL for me ( wol enabled in BIOS and NIC ) even though I DO have internet access (?) ... RDP is working w/no problem what-so-ever...

This happen after I updated the Windows which I didn't updated for a couple of months and BIOS for my laptop...

After few days strugle with all this and with no success, I decide to go for a fresh install and setting up all from a scratch...

Didn't make to establish good connection with NIC "good conection" or wol.... ok I can live with that...

I've install everything else ( devices that I don't use disabeled in BIOS and device manager) ... I've even downgrade BIOS to a prior version...and....

SAME THING! EVEN WORSE!!! proc util stays the same ( frst 100-90% and then goes down to 35% - from those 35% between 15-20% goes on NT kenel - System and 10-15% on system interrupts).. tried to see which are interrupts but couldn't ... don't know how... and now even JRiver cannot recognize external HDD...I do understand some things but I'm far away of computer savy

For some reason, now I have much more difficulties to setup my music server then the first time... What should I do? Or better say it, how to do it?

Any Idea or advice how to solve this big problem of mine will be highly appreiciated

Thanx

Marko

 

P. S. If this is way too off topic I appologize so please point me to right thred. :-)

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

"It's no longer possible to disable Plug & Play Service if "AudioPC" or "SinglePC" is selected

during usage type menu.

 

Some DAC's just don't like that. To preserve such instabilites, i removed the option for the usage

types which will most likely have some hardware connected. You can still use it on the Control-PC

if you have a Dual-PC setup."

 

Hi, Phil

In the other hand, there are some DACs that have no problem with that option, and, you said that less we need is better, so can you please leave that option in "ultimate mode", so, at the end we can choose what type of settings is best for our system.

Thanx

 

Marko

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