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

[AudioPhil]

How goes the work on the trial version....?

 

unfortunately i had absolutely no time so far. we are getting a baby very soon, and the priorities have changed a bit. but i have it on my list, don't worry.

 

Phil

[AudioPhil]

I don't and will not have a control PC. Just a similar build to the Zuma in the CAPS style.

 

So with this singular music server with ws2012 installed as the os, Jriver as the player and jremote to control it headless (after setup), will I be able to make this work with solid stabilty and letting the server hibernate/sleep when not in use.

 

If not, will ws2012 (without optimizations/core mode if impossible) be a better OS in general over win7/8 64?

 

My rebuild is in slow/stalled mode at the moment due to no HDplex H5 cases being available so I'd really like to finetune/plan my new build before it becomes available.

 

I appreciate your advice.

 

Hi

 

Server 2012 setup after Guide will give you about 20% of whats possible, but still better than win 7/ win 8.

i would think more than twice if you really want to go without Optimizer. long story short, it would be your loss

i assume everyone here will agree with this.

 

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

the next version of the ServiceTool will include all those things like shell replacement. The included shell_explorer.reg fits for GUI. If you want back the command prompt, delete tje second of the "explorer.exe" in the reg file, then import it and reboot.

 

best,

phil

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

Almost all customers i have are running desktop boards.

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

most of the drivers will load natively by the OS. What quiet often causes trouble are the network drivers, some need some effort to make them work. But in the end they all work

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

This would probably work but i definitely don't recommend it. Think about the latency and instability of the signal an internet connection in between would introduce to the signal path. no, i would not follow this route.

 

Best,

Phil

[AudioPhil]

...have some previews of the next ServiceTool

 

You no longer have to know in what mode you are to switch modes. this cuts down 6 into 3 options.

additionally the whole shell replacement part (JRiver MC18 & MC19, Foobar2000 & Total Commander)

is now covered with the ServiceTool, as well as getting back to the traditional command prompt or

desktop environment in GUI. No more registry file tweaking to configuration Autologon, the ServiceTool

can do this for you now. The release version of the ServiceTool 1.44 will even offer the possibility

to configure a JPLAY Dual-PC setup.

 

The new version of the Optimizer will have an option to support RigiSystems USBPAL Drivers and

therefore DAC's like Mytek or AudioResearch etc. On top the ServiceTool can show you all informations

about your setup, including mainboard, cpu, RAM, P/N of the RAM, your DAC etc.

 

 

 

 

 

I think this will make the whole handling part easier than ever! Especially for those not very savy about dos command etc.

 

Best,

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Phil, what are the advantages/disadvantages of going to a jriver shell versus a minimal core/dos shell?

 

Well... It's certainly better (if you are in GUI mode) to replace the shell with the media player of choice instead of using your desktop environment. but it's definitely not comparable with true core mode.

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

There is no signal processing at all. At least not touched or influenced by me or the AudiophileOptimizer.

I only treat the operating system, no additional processing available or needed for what i do

 

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Phil are you saying that in core mode by making JRiver the shell the sound is not as good as if you ran the normal shell and started JRiver? Or is "true core mode" not running JRiver at all?

 

I'm confused as why it would be better to run JRiver from cmd as opposed to making it the shell.

 

Thanks.

 

Hi

 

No. I think it's best to have the actual media player as shell. if possible. but we are not taking about huge differences here.

 

JRiver runs fine in core mode, please watch the videos on my Homepage to have a better idea: Highend-AudioPC | Videos

 

Best,

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

No, not in detail. (a magician won't tell you he's tricks, wouldn't he? ). These are several settings of the operating system who directly change what you hear in the end. But they don't change the signal in terms of being bit-perfect, it's still exactly the same data that get's processed.

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

Unfortunately it would be a bad idea to run a music system in a virtualized environment

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

Switching to core mode removes all audio functionality of windows server 2012. So after you switched to core mode, you should run the AudiophileOptimizer at least once (full run). This will also re enable Kernel-Streaming, one of the most important features of the Optimizer.

 

Best,

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

Even a very well optimized Windows 7 system normal has not the slightest chance against an optimized server 2012 system, by far. you being in core and do not get a wow effect, i get the feeling something was not done right or is not working good (your drivers may be an issue, etc.) Did you follow the guide, did you make the BIOS changes, etc? What hardware do you have, what DAC, what DAC/DDC driver do you use? What player do you use? what is you setup topology?

 

Regarding the HD spinning:

 

powercfg.exe -change -disk-timeout-dc 5

powercfg.exe -change -disk-timeout-ac 5

 

this will spinn em down after 5 minutes of inactivity.

[AudioPhil]

Hi Phil

I just entered the AudioOptimizer's club. I definitely got WOW effect even with my AudioPC's motherboard: Motherboards - AT5IONT-I and an old Lenovo G550 laptop as ControlPC.

 

Greetings from Bulgaria

 

Hi

 

That's how it's supposed to be ENJOY IT

 

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

Generally speaking my solution was designed with USB DAC's & DDC's in mind. But, it's not limited to that usage. Best will be to download Server 2012 R2 Evaluation ISO and see if your card works.

 

Best,

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Hello Folks

 

 

Unfortunately i do not have the PDF Guide updated yet, but AudiophileOptimizer 1.24b1 and ServiceTool 1.44b2 are ready for testing. Please give me an email message if you are interested in testing the new Optimizer and ServiceTool.

 

I will not send the beta to gmail.com adresses, please use other mailproviders if you want to get the beta.

 

Change Log Version 1.24b1:

==========================================================

- USBPAL (RigiSystems) driver support (MYTEK, Audio Research, etc.)

- No Question about USBPAL if selected usage type is ControlPC

- USB optimized via AudiophileOptimizer (relevant for SQ)

- AudiophileOptimizer offers possibility not to disable WMI (Acourate Convolver)

- Minor changes in AudiophileOptimizer

- No reset of Optimizer needed anymore to use additional features of ServiceTool

- Enable and configure autologon via ServiceTool

- ServiceTool can show system and component information

- Shell replacement via ServiceTool (JRiver 18, 19, Foobar2000 & Total Commander)

- Restore of default shell via ServiceTool (automatically detects core/minimal/GUI)

- ServiceTool no longer deletes Sound Signature and Digital-Filter settings

- ServiceTool now has only three switches to switch modes (core/minimal/gui)

- ServiceTool doesn't start anymore with a full reset of the Optimizer

- ServerManager won't be reenabled by the ServiceTool's reset function

- Update of the PDF guide

 

The new Optimization of the USB bus will help to make your playback more stable, less hickups etc. On my System i was able to go down from US 125 to US 25 while playing native DSD tracks. That seems to be quiet a big jump. US 125 was not 100% stable before. Now US 25 and DSD is 100% stable on my System, a good sign. The cmd file "mytek_dac.cmd" is no longer needed now. The Optimizer has direct Support now for USBPAL (RigiSystems) bases Drivers like Mytek or Audio Research etc. To make Acourate Convolver work you can now also Chose to not disable WMI (acourate needs it running).

 

 

The ServiceTool was improved big time. It's codebase is three times larger than before, a lot of time and testing was invested to make it a bullet-proof Utility. With all the registry files included in the past, many people messed up their Systems. They did not know how to adjust the registry files for Shell replacement, ended up with a black Screen etc. Obviouls it was also very unclear, that replacing the Shell and switching the mode are two completely different things. so after Messing up the Shell, even switching back to GUI did not remove the black Screen etc. (what is completely normal behavior, since Shell and modes are two different things).

 

The new ServiceTool takes a way all these kind of problems, there are no more registry files included in the package now, besides the jplay dual-pc example. Means you can now also enable and configure Autologon via the ServiceTool for example. Switching between modes is easier now as well. you do not anymore Need to know in which mode you are, you just Need to know to what mode you want to switch. The Shell Replacement Feature has also a plausibility check inside, so it is now failsafe to replace the shell, no Chance of a black screen anymore. You also have the possibility to restore the default shell, ServiceTool automatically detects the mode you are in (core, gui, etc) and sets the appropriate Default shell, be it the command prompt or the Desktop Environment. You don't Need to do a rest of the Optimizer anymore by starting the ServiceTool, now you can directly Access all Features of it, without reseting the Optimizer. And while switching modes, it will also ask you if you want to restore the default shell after the Switch has been completed.

 

 

Have fun,

Phil

[AudioPhil]

JPLAY Ultrastream buffersize

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

this is probably because of the new usb optimization in AO 1.24b1 :-)

[AudioPhil]

This may have been covered earlier or in another thread, but I don't recall a definitive answer? If my DAC (Luxman DA-06) requires an asio driver with windows, would I be able to run a WS2012 with optimizer (no jplay) in the recommended kernel streaming mode?

Thanks,

Jordan

 

Hi Jordan

 

You can run ASIO or Kernel-Streaming, but not both at the same time. i have customers using Luxman DA-06 and my Optimizer, so this works very well together.

 

Best,

Phil

[AudioPhil]

trial version ready yet? or should i/can i beta test...?

 

Hi

 

The trial/money back guarantee version will be the next thing i do after the release of 1.24

 

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

Yes, i am speaking about the Ultrastream buffer size settings in the JPLAY Registry. (25 is the lowest value possible at all.) Often it is not possible to get there, many end up with US 50 or 100 to have stable operation.

 

The shell is what the operating systems loads directly after you log on. In core or minimal-server mode the shell is a command prompt, in GUI mode the shell is the desktop environment. The idea of replacing the shell has two components, loading your desired player immediately, and having another "layer" less, even if it is a very small one combining autologon and a shell replacement ends up in a "one click" solution. you only need to press the power button and have your AudioPC ready for playback.

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

The "beta phase" ended in 2013. 1.24b1 is a beta of a coming update of the Optimizer. Only existing customers can test it, sorry. But this might be interesting for you: Highend-AudioPC | ChangeLog

 

Best,

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Hello

 

No, there won't be a free trial sorry.

 

But I will offer a money-back guarante bound to a special version of the Optimizer. It will contain a full version of the Optimizer with no limitations but it will only work on trial/evaluation versions of server 2012/R2.

 

Phil

[AudioPhil]

Hello Folks

 

Version 1.24 is online now and can be downloaded. All new features are described very well in the PDF guide. Especially the ServiceTool offers many new features. Have fun with the latest version...!

 

 

Version 1.24

===================================================

- Possibility to optimize USB via AudiophileOptimizer (relevant for SQ)

- USBPAL (RigiSystems) driver support (MYTEK, Audio Research, etc.)

- No Question about USBPAL if selected usage type is ControlPC

- AudiophileOptimizer offers possibility not to disable WMI (Acourate Convolver)

- No reset of Optimizer needed anymore to use additional features of ServiceTool

- Enable, configure and disable autologon via ServiceTool

- ServiceTool can show system and component informations

- Shell replacement via ServiceTool (JRiver 18, 19, Foobar2000 & Total Commander)

- Restore of default shell via ServiceTool (automatically detects core/minimal/GUI)

- ServiceTool no longer deletes Sound Signature and Digital-Filter settings

- ServiceTool now has only three switches to switch modes (core/minimal/gui)

- ServiceTool doesn't start anymore with a full reset of the Optimizer

- ServerManager won't be reenabled by the ServiceTool's reset function

- Update of the PDF guide

 

Best,

Phil