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

[k6davis]

Hopefully this is a simple thing that I'm just missing.

 

Is there a way to have a program run automatically on startup when WS2012 is running optimized in core mode - with drivers & services disabled?

 

I'm trying to have the Task Manager open on startup. I've tried placing a shortcut and a batch file in the startup folder and setting up a task to run it when the computer starts, but it appears that neither of those things works (for me, at least) when the OS is stripped down.

[k6davis]

That's what I'm doing (as I type this) - but it doesn't start up in Core Mode. Listening to some Crosby, Stills, and Nash right now.

 

I use both JRiver and foobar in Core Mode.

 

Actually, I use JRiver primarily and was intrigued when I found out that you can use foobar as the audio engine for JRiver. I'd hoped that I'd have JRiver's powerful UI combined with foobar's sound quality for upsampling PCM to DSD.

 

I did get everything to work without too much difficulty. I set up a JRiver "zone" for its own engine and another "zone" for foobar's. I found myself preferring JRiver's sound. Not by a huge margin but reliably. There are still few options in foobar's DSD plug-in that I need to experiment with. They might make a difference.

 

Anyway, to get back to your question Eric, I'm able to run foobar (by itself) just fine in Core Mode. I set it up in GUI mode first and everything ran the same once I removed the WS2012 GUI. I have tiny batch files that I store in a single folder so I don't have to type the full path to any of the few programs I use on my audio server. Other than that I don't do anything special to make it work.

 

I have no idea how to get things to autostart (other that JRiver) in WS2012 though! I'd love to know. I just wrote a post earlier tonight about that.

 

Keith

[k6davis]

Right-click cmd.exe or Command Prompt and then click Run as administrator afterwards, simply enter these lines to add both Task Manager and foobar2000 to the autostart list...

 

Worked perfectly! Thank you so much.

[k6davis]

If I want to watch video can I easily go into a mode that will do video? What mode would this be?

 

What impact do you guys think Broadwell will have on CPU selection for audio servers? Does it depend if Paul can do the clock mod for compatible motherboards? Broadwell seems to be excellent thermal wise.

 

For the video, I would consider a dual boot system with Windows 7 or 8 installed initially and then WS2012 installed after that. That way you can have all of the capabilities you're looking for in one machine - although not at the same time.

 

For the best audio experience, it's best to have your audio server be as bare as possible.

[k6davis]

Just get on over to NYC when you can and listen to his setup. THEN you will come to know what I had to find out firsthand. As a DSD lover you will be well rewarded for the effort and AL is a great host.

 

I have to mostly agree with Norman. I've sampled about 5 different modern DSD DACs and while some of them are in the same excellent neighborhood of sound quality, there are some that I didn't care for at all.

 

Further, I found that while my favorite of them all, the Lamipzator, didn't quite "wipe the floor" with it's closest competition, it did exhibit distinct sonic qualities with ease that were completely beyond the reach of the others. To say it in a much more informal way, it's like the difference between "Wow, that sounds fantastic..." to "Wow, I had no idea that it could sound like this..."

 

You mentioned, ted_b, that you've heard a Lampizator. I haven't yet heard the Hugo. Unfortunately, there are a huge number of both objective & subjective variables that impact our impression of any piece of equipment. My Lampizator is a Level 4 DSD only model, with balanced topology, volume control & Duelund caps - which I run direct to my power amp. The Lampizator you auditioned likely has a different configuration that may be more or may be less advanced. Then there's the preamp you use, or don't use, and everything else in the chain, plus individual hearing, not to mention individual musical & audio preferences.

 

With all of that, it's difficult to discuss sound with words, but as someone who is passionate about music and sound, I'm grateful to this site for all of the education & guidance I've received.

 

But, to end my rambling, like Norman, I have heard stark differences between well regarded modern DAC's. Most of them sounded great, a few I didn't care for at all, one was definitely the one for me.

[k6davis]

Quick question for those who've installed the AO software recently before I start pestering Phil - did the sequence of events from the point where you started setup.exe coincide with the manual you downloaded after paying for the software ?

 

Running "setup.exe" only copies Phil's scripts and software to your hard drive - to "C:\AO", by default. In that directory, you'll find "service_tool.exe" and "audiophile_core.exe", along with everything else Phil provides.

[k6davis]

K6, I too have Lampi L4 PCM and DSD. In NYC at AL's house was the first and only time I ever heard a BIG7 and it was a wow experience for me...not whith Shizzzle but with ease and naturalness. It trounced my L4 (sonic memory must be accomodated for) in PCM. I have not heard all Lampi models, just L3/L4 and L6...now Big 7 too. Never heard a L5, Big 5 nor an L7

 

In any case, this audio get together in Queens used the same equipment and we swapped back and forth immediately to hear SQ differences with quality Headphones and amp. I never said the other dacs sounded bad, just that I could easily tell better from worse (it was not close and chasm is the best word I can find at the moment)...I did not expect this...I expected subtlety.

 

Final point. If AO/Win2012 makes Hugo sound a lot better, imagine what it must do for the other 2 Dacs that impressed me even more??? I cant imagine the nirvana. I would Love for Ted to heard them all at Al's place via AO and let me and you know what his impressions are.

 

That's pretty amazing Norman. I don't have PCM in my DAC. I use JRiver to convert everything to DSD128. But that aside, I would love to hear a sound that would "trounce" what I'm getting now. I can't imagine it, and can't afford it (LOL), but I'd love to hear it.

 

I can't tell from what you wrote if you're using AO/WS2012, but if you're not, you're missing out on something really special. I consider it essential now.

[k6davis]

While in core mode, is it recommended to use KS or JPlay (ASIO)

 

audioPhil strongly recommends KS, and I trust him on that, but I actually use both KS and JPlay (ASIO).

 

My understanding is that JPlay doesn't have a KS input. So I send JRiver's output to JPlay via ASIO, but JPlay is connected to my DAC via KS.

 

If anyone knows of a better configuration, please let me know.

[k6davis]

I've had the same experience as you Eric. I don't have any anti-virus on my audio pcs, but AO does give a false positive when the anti-virus on my Windows 8 computer scans it.

 

I don't know why it happens, but as we've all said, it's nothing to be concerned about.

[k6davis]

I upgraded from JRiver 19 to JRiver 20 on my WS2012 Core/AO system with no issues.

[k6davis]

Wow! That is a huge amount of work and changes thank you Phil!

I cant wait to try it out!

Yes! Looks very exciting Phil.

 

Thanks for all of your efforts.

[k6davis]

I did the upgrade. All went well , easy to do. This setup,is a must for anyone serious about digital audio and a cpu setup. It greatly improves any DAC I connect to,it. I have three setups. I have loaned one to rob and luk for the NYC audio show. I'll post results when it's up and running there. And Phil,is a super patient guy and well supports us in this product. He has helped me many times no matter how lazy I was for not reading his pdf manual. No more usb converters for me. This is way beyond any I had going for sure.

Weather battery or linear psu or pc psu it improves enough for me to be glad I took the time and investment. Few things I have tried had this impact from the moment I used it. I feel something I have to listen for is ok but something that jumps at me is what's important to me.

Al

 

Congratulations Al.

 

I agree completely with your findings about the AO, but I'm not sure exactly what you mean when you say "I did the upgrade". I tried to find it earlier in the thread.

 

Could you elaborate, please?

 

Keith

[k6davis]

I've purchased my upgrade and am doing some serious listening with 1.27 now so I can establish a baseline.

 

The music sounds so fantastic already that I don't know how it could be better... but I'm excited to find out!

[k6davis]

If your an IT-Guy CloneZille will be the perfect fit, no doubt.

 

Another IT guy here.

 

Clonezilla has about as archaic a user interface as you could imagine, with lots of seeming complexity, but it's actually very easy to use. After using it a couple of times, I realized that most of the prompts can be ignored because the default option is the correct one.

 

It has the advantages of being free, functioning perfectly (in my experience) and it's not nearly as complex as it appears.

 

On the other hand, if a simpler, point and click interface is something you want, Clonezilla is not for you.

[k6davis]

Dumb question why do we want to clone. Just do a reinstall what am I amissing. ?

 

Cloning/backing up your server system drive is highly recommended.

 

All of the effort (and money) I've expended installing and configuring licensed copies of Windows Server 2012, AO, jPlay and JRiver, not to mention all of the drivers and my settings is preserved in a (relatively) small folder on a USB stick. I have that copied to an offline drive as well.

 

I can restore my entire system from that USB stick in the event of drive failure in just a few minutes. But just as important, I feel free to experiment with my configuration, knowing that I can easily go back to it being just the way it was before.

[k6davis]

Which backup software are you using?

 

I use Clonezilla, but my post about the value of cloning applies equally to all of the cloning software.

 

To be specific, I'm talking about the ability to clone the system drive so that the entire operating system (and the applications, drivers and software configuration) can be restored and booted from - not merely backing up/copying the system files to another drive.

[k6davis]

When SO detects JPlay on your server (which is required to run a dual server configuration), it automatically asks if you're configuring a single, audio or control PC.

[k6davis]

I am one of the AO users who previously contacted Phil privately about not liking the sound of version 1.30. After trying out many combinations of settings in AO & JPlay, I still haven't been able to arrive at a satisfactory result.

 

I too find 1.30 to sound thin and lacking in bass, warmth and most of all, ease. I use Clonezilla to back up my OS drives, so I'm able to switch back and forth pretty easily. All of the magic is restored in my system with version 1.27. To my ears, and in my system, the difference between the two is not a matter of 1.30 being brighter than older versions. 1.27 has all of the high frequency extension I could want. The character of the sound between the two versions is different.

 

It's fascinating that the reactions differ to this degree - from "it is a leap" to "poor results" - and there doesn't seem to be much middle ground. I don't know if there's anything technical to be gleaned from that, but 1.27 makes my system sound amazing, so I'm happy staying there - for now.

[k6davis]

I run a single PC, WS2012R2, core mode, JRMC 19, and JPLAY 5.2.1. Since upgrading to AO 1.30, I don't like my old settings of Xtreme, and 4D. The sound is thin and lacks bass heft as I stated above. In desperation to find settings I like, I tried JPLAY's River engine with 4D. This gets me back to a more familiar sound before upgrading to AO 1.30.

 

Can anyone else test this?

 

I tried out different versions of JPlay's engines back before the release of AO 1.30 and found that I preferred "River" to the newer "Xtream" and "Ultrastream" engines. The sound was more natural and open and the decay of notes was much more realistic.

 

This is just my opinion/experience, but benefits of "River" are independent from AO. Although River improved the sound with AO 1.30, it didn't remove the qualities of AO 1.30 that I didn't like. The upside is that you can have the benefits of AO 1.27 (which you and I prefer.. so far) and "River". If you haven't heard that combination, you're in for a real treat.

 

There is no AO 1.27 existing?

 

Instead of using an older version of AO one could just skip the new features like SCSI-MiniPort Drivers, SEHOP, SPPSVC, etc.

 

This would end up with something very very similar to 1.26 (this is what you probably mean with 1.27?) and has the advantage of still being supported by us etc.

 

Ooopss. I have version 1.26b.

 

Since I have the ability to switch back and forth between versions, I'll give that a try. What you're saying makes sense to me Phil, but I seem to recall trying that before and still not liking it. I'll report my findings.

[k6davis]

Yes. Just type "js" at any time to access JPLAY Settings.

 

Is that a shortcut that Phil introduced in AO 1.30? It doesn't work for me in 1.26.

 

If that doesn't work for you Audioclyde, the default path to JPlay settings is "C:\JPLAY\jplaysettings.exe". You can type this into a cmd prompt. I created a batch file that I just called "jplay" so I wouldn't have to type the whole path repeatedly.

[k6davis]

I have gone back and forth between 1.26 and 1.30 and found that I have a clear preference for the former. Enabling SEHOP on 1.30 made a positive difference in the sound, but for me, 1.26 has a natural, organic quality that is absent from 1.30. Phil has suggested that running 1.30 without using the new options should result in a sound similar to 1.26. That hasn't been my experience.

 

On the plus side, it is nearly impossible to describe how good 1.26 makes my system sound. Being an audiophile, I will continue to tinker with the system from time to time, but the reality is that with the level of reproduction I'm getting now, changes are more likely to degrade the sound than improve it.

[k6davis]

I finally got around to testing USB optimization. I'd always gone with the recommendation to turn it on, so I tried disabling it on my Control & Audio PC's. The sound lost focus and contrast. After only a few minutes of listening, I turned it back on.

 

I highly value the experience of high frequencies emerging from a black background - kind of like dynamic range, but for timbre instead of loudness. USB optimization makes a significant contribution to that quality without dulling the sound at all.

 

These preferences are of course personal & system dependent. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. I still find that the best sound I've heard is with AO 1.26, running 4D and USB Optimization on both servers.

[k6davis]

Newbie here. I just dropped all my punch cards on the floor, help.

 

How are things going jazzer60?

 

Did you get the Internet working on you computer again? As for organizing and importing your music, regardless if it comes from CD's or a download retailer, you'll want to decide on a specific folder (location) and move all of it there. Then you can instruct JRiver to regularly scan that folder and it will determine if you've made any additions or deletions from it.

 

Beyond that, JRiver has an extraordinary set of tools to assist you wlth the maintenance of your music library.

 

Hope this helps. Welcome to the hobby. AO is an extraordinary piece of software. You're off to a great start!

[k6davis]

I had that same question several months ago when USB optimization was first introduced. Should it be enabled on both servers in a dual server configuration when I'm only using USB on the AudioPC?

 

AudioPhil recommended (earlier in this forum I believe) that it should be enabled on both machines.

 

I haven't tried enabling USB optimization on only one server, but I definitely didn't care for the sound of it turned off on both of them. Changing the setting certainly did have an impact though. It wasn't one of those things I had to convince myself that I was hearing.

[k6davis]

But I've also been reading about the Auralic Aires. It would cost about the same as the Audio PC. It would seem to be much simpler to use and implement than the two PC setup I'm contemplating. I've read many favorable comments about the Aires.

 

The Question: Does anyone expect the Aires to perform as well or better than the Two PC AO Server 2012 setup could? Could simpler be better SQ as well as simplifying your system? Does anyone know if the reviews of the Aires are written by writers who have at least heard the aformentioned system with Dual PCs?

One advantage I see (or weakness) is the endless tweaking the Dual PC setup can entail to get the best performance. One can only apply the tweeks, listen and decide what combo sounds best in your system. (I do find it sort of fun, but a pain to get it all working as well?

I've got no experience with the Auralic Aires, but I'd like to point out that using dual servers is no more complicated than using a single one. In daily use, I have to turn two computers on and off instead of just one. That's it.

 

Dual servers with AO and JPlay do allow for a lot more combinations of settings than does a single server, but experimenting with these doesn't take a great deal of time or effort and the results can be heard immediately.

 

So for me, it's all pros and no cons. My Control PC upsamples while my Audio PC hibernates. Easy to use, potential for best sound quality (according to AudioPhil) and more settings to you can adjust to maximize the synergy with the rest of your system.