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

[Blueline]

Hi

 

no, not needed very often. But its a good point to do it before you set up a computer.

 

mostly vendors stop delivering new BIOS's as fast as possible, meaning only fee months after a mainboard was released. So you definitely won't have to update it "all the time".

 

best,

phil

 

I opdated bios before i install AO first time.

Here is a brief overview, what has been updated since I updated.

 

Enhance compatibility with some M.2 device: I dont use this M.2 slot

Support NVMe: I dont use this M.2 slot

Fix card reader KCR-318 hang POST issue: irrelevant

Implement 5th-Generation Intel Core Processors code: my CPU is Haswell

Enhance the compatibility with some CPU Fans: No fans at all

Support ASUS USB 3.1 PCIE add-on card: I dont need

Support new CPUs: my cpu is compatible

Enhance compatibility with Broadwell CPU: my CPU is Haswell

 

Best regards Haakon

[One and a half]

Hi One and a half,

 

isn't your statement a bit harsh?

 

One might not know the history of AO, so only the number of pages of the manual might frighten a Newbie. Many pages of Phil's manual touch parts which belong less to AO than to setup of OS, player software or hardware. At the beginning it was more an enthusiast's project using his professional knowledge for the niche of sound quality as a commercial project. That is what one still recognizes within the manual and the behaviour of AO's team, don't we?

 

And that has been at least one motivation I know, trying to do the trick again with a much easier available OS like W10. So let's be fair and see how everything improves step by step

 

By the way: R2 Core Mode still outperformes W10 Core Mode both full optimized with AO2.0. So if one is focussed on highest SQ reading the pages might be an interesting task and lead to some personal testing? Enjoy and have fun!

 

Just my 2 cents

Thomas

 

Hello Octagon, while I do have sympathy for startups and admire their work, Damien Plisson with Audirvana+ and Jussi Laako for HQPlayer come to mind, one does relate to their growing pains and often give them air to breathe and not go down too hard on them.

 

For software that exists, and I'm singling out AO, but not the only one of course, since it is a commercial product, and now licensed to SOTm in some way, there's a little more justification to go harder on the presentation of the product. The worst manuals are written by the software developer, the Microsoft Windows resource kit a classic example, that described everything about Windows, but failed miserably on how to use and repair Windows95(98?). If you are familiar with inventing the product, then you should NOT write the manual, far too many corners are cut, because the intermediate steps are supposedly known and assumed, leaving to a very frustrated end user.

 

Give the software to a complete novice that obviously has some level technical and writing skills, and create the manual that way.

 

The alternative is to not produce a manual at all, and rely on say a single page or a better wizard maybe, and let the enthusiasts create an online wiki or post at CA with countless repeats of information.

 

Either way support is going to be stretched, which is not a good thing.

 

I come in from the cold on AO. when I opened the previous manual, quite some time ago, I remember being confronted with having to install JPlay as well. Good grief, two apps/OS to install, plus a Server OS, it's far too much an effort. A single PC has seen the light of day which is a far better idea, however your comment about WinServer2012 still sounding better than Win10 sounds encouraging, however I won't commit to the cost of the Server software, plus a better machine and the time spent that could be listening to music instead.

I'm not comfortable with OS installs, done enough of them with OSX and WIN and the memories to last me a lifetime of misery and long nights well into the early hours.

 

It makes the SOTm one box solution with AO already installed far more attractive. If there was a way to install HQPlayer that outputs DSD512 on that platform without melting the CPU apart, it would be a serious purchase consideration.

 

It is the first official support for Win10 for AO at version 2.00. Perhaps it's wise to wait and review for say 2.5 + or 10 months whichever comes first.

[lucretius]

Hi AudioPhil,

 

Would I benefit from running AO on a Windows machine which is NOT dedicated to audio?

[zackthedog]

Thank you zackthedog for the insight to what AO is capable of. I will keep reading the manual, BTW, typical of software manuals I do admit, in that it leaves out 40% of the instructions. Another post.

 

For SSD versus a rotating drive, the frame of the m93p doesn't allow a spinning drive for the OS, so I may not be able to swing this. The computer is about 1/2 the size of a mac mini in volume, and uses the smaller form factor SSD, oh well.

 

The last time I used a straight USB connection from PC a few months ago and it was unlistenable, very gritty and undefined. The fixers do have their place, but will try a gradual approach AO alone, see how it goes, and progress or retard from there.

 

Fair enough, and thanks for being a good sport about my intrusive suggestions. :-) I think you'll find it makes a very big improvement.

[zackthedog]

Downloaded the user manual for AO today June 28. I'm only interested in the Windows 10 install, so skipped the first 42 pages as irrelevant, pertaining to Server OS. I wouldn't know which section is the relevant to windows 10 or not. Guidance please for some commonality.

 

Pages 43 to 46 are relevant to the Win10 install - OK.

 

Page 47 talks about the Service tool. Fine, but how to launch? No detail. Oh wait, it's on page 56 under a FAQ.

 

Page 48 starts about converting Server edition to core mode. So what happened to the Win10 install conclusion, like reboot, have a coffee or wash the dog...?

 

Page 52 Shell replacement - Does it apply to Win10?

 

I'm really sorry to read this manual, out of five it's a 0.1 for the Windows 10 install.

 

I'm not prepared to risk a working pro Win10 install without knowing the full install procedures, since in the front of the manual on page 3, specific mention is made not to deviate from the instructions, which is fine, but if they are incomplete to begin with, who knows what to do?

 

As an aside on the topic of headless control, will rdp software such as RealVNC Server work and does it need to be installed first or later after the AO install.

 

LOL! But it's really not that hard. :-) There are some good tips early in the manual that apply to both systems. Pour a nice glass of wine and read it all. :-)

 

By the way, I found that you do NOT need a static IP if you only have one machine (as opposed to a two-computer JPlay setup). That was driving me a bit nuts until I searched this thread and realized it wasn't necessary. I also did NOT turn off Write Cache service since it slowed my browser down too much.

 

Apart from that, run it and it will pretty much walk you through everything. The ServiceTool and AO both have shortcuts on the desktop, so they are easy to find. The Windows 10 strip-down in the ST is well worth running. It will hang at the end then suddenly restart, so just let it do its thing.

 

As I said earlier, I have found only a few little things that don't run as expected, but there are easy workarounds. File converters actually run much faster now. WiFi and ethernet work just fine. But it is a good idea to create a restore image on an NTSF back-up drive so you can restore your old system.

 

I think if you want to run a VNC server do NOT turn off Remote Desktop and Remote Events.

[zackthedog]

Hi AudioPhil,

 

Would I benefit from running AO on a Windows machine which is NOT dedicated to audio?

 

I definitely think so. I use my music Mac Mini for downloading hi-res music, browsing, watching movies, iTunes and other things. Generally everything seems to be running fine, and a lot of things go faster. All my media-related apps work just fine. But as the manual says, if it's a work machine, that's not a good idea. There's a way to create a dual-boot system that might work for you.

[AudioPhil]

LOL! But it's really not that hard. :-) There are some good tips early in the manual that apply to both systems. Pour a nice glass of wine and read it all. :-)

 

By the way, I found that you do NOT need a static IP if you only have one machine (as opposed to a two-computer JPlay setup). That was driving me a bit nuts until I searched this thread and realized it wasn't necessary. I also did NOT turn off Write Cache service since it slowed my browser down too much.

 

Apart from that, run it and it will pretty much walk you through everything. The ServiceTool and AO both have shortcuts on the desktop, so they are easy to find. The Windows 10 strip-down in the ST is well worth running. It will hang at the end then suddenly restart, so just let it do its thing.

 

As I said earlier, I have found only a few little things that don't run as expected, but there are easy workarounds. File converters actually run much faster now. WiFi and ethernet work just fine. But it is a good idea to create a restore image on an NTSF back-up drive so you can restore your old system.

 

I think if you want to run a VNC server do NOT turn off Remote Desktop and Remote Events.

 

good morning

 

i really like the wine-glass approach. Reading the entire guide is a good idea. As octagon earlier said a lot of it has nothing to do with AO itself but rather how to prepare and set up such a machine. Almost oall off these things are relevant for both OS's. The usage of AO and ST is mostly identical for both OS's as well, expect those features which are dedicated for one or the other OS. AO and ST itself are very much aware on what OS they run, so they will onl offer features that are ment to be offered on the particular OS.

 

if one wants to run VNC remote desktop services and remote management services can be safely turned off. But i always recommend to use the free and already OS-integrated Remote Desktop Services. Not only because they are free, because they are slim, fast, reliable and no additional software (which introduces more services) need to be installed.

 

The static IP is needed if one wants to use the "disable network related services" feature. This feature will turn off the DHCP Client service which would lead to lost network connection if no static IP is configured. Otherwise a dynamic IP is just fine.

 

 

best,

Phil

[zackthedog]

good morning

 

i really like the wine-glass approach. Reading the entire guide is a good idea. As octagon earlier said a lot of it has nothing to do with AO itself but rather how to prepare and set up such a machine. Almost oall off these things are relevant for both OS's. The usage of AO and ST is mostly identical for both OS's as well, expect those features which are dedicated for one or the other OS. AO and ST itself are very much aware on what OS they run, so they will onl offer features that are ment to be offered on the particular OS.

 

if one wants to run VNC remote desktop services and remote management services can be safely turned off. But i always recommend to use the free and already OS-integrated Remote Desktop Services. Not only because they are free, because they are slim, fast, reliable and no additional software (which introduces more services) need to be installed.

 

The static IP is needed if one wants to use the "disable network related services" feature. This feature will turn off the DHCP Client service which would lead to lost network connection if no static IP is configured. Otherwise a dynamic IP is just fine.

 

 

best,

Phil

 

Ah, that explains it, thanks.

 

I just set the digital tuning to 2A and am getting the most remarkable three-dimensional sound I've ever gotten from my system.

 

I also decided not to use Fidelizer after trying it with and without. For the moment I prefer the sound signature of AO alone, but that could change after further experimentation.

[lamechops]

If we had set our digital signature, had run "strip down windows", the next time when we switch on our PC, do we need do run "AO" to set back the digital signature and run "ST" to strip down windows again?

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

the strip-down feature needs to be run only once. Sound signatures & Digital-Filters are not related to the strip-down feature and also need to be set only once. Expect you want to play around with them :-)

 

Basic Usage of SS/DF:

 

Much better, doing it while playing back a song (this helps a lot to find the perfect settings):

 

best,

Phil

[lamechops]

Hi

 

the strip-down feature needs to be run only once. Sound signatures & Digital-Filters are not related to the strip-down feature and also need to be set only once. Expect you want to play around with them :-)

 

Basic Usage of SS/DF:

 

Much better, doing it while playing back a song (this helps a lot to find the perfect settings):

 

best,

Phil

 

Nice, thanks Phil for your prompt response

[sydlow]

...But i always recommend to use the free and already OS-integrated Remote Desktop Services. Not only because they are free, because they are slim, fast, reliable and no additional software (which introduces more services) need to be installed...

 

Hi Phil, when running RDS, I presume we leave Remote Desktop enabled, but can disable Remote Events?

[zackthedog]

Question: How do I switch shells, or access ServiceTool while in player shell?

[zackthedog]

Never mind, I found it. :-)

[One and a half]

As a follow up to this post, the separation and rather flat soundstage was fixed.

 

The DAC's Phase was set to inversion. Correcting this to no phase inversion, and increasing the DSD sample rate on HQPlayer from DSD128 to DSD256 fixed up the rest.

 

The soundstage is a lot better, as it should, the SQ from the digital chain is closer to the SACD player. Doesn't quite exceed, however, for me now the digital chain is "close and good enough" to listen to without aggravation or knowing, that it should or need be improved upon.

 

Still, if I want to feel what miserable is, buy/build a new PC, spend quite a bit on a Server license and spend two days to install with Server 2012 in 10 months time, then I would certainly have a shot at installing AO. I need to check though if the drivers for the Mutec MC-3+USB will work on the Server OS.

 

No need for a trial basis, if I'm going to spend big money and time, then the effort is not going to be wasted, it has to work.

[AudioPhil]

Hi Phil, when running RDS, I presume we leave Remote Desktop enabled, but can disable Remote Events?

 

exactly yes.

[AudioPhil]

As a follow up to this post, the separation and rather flat soundstage was fixed.

 

The DAC's Phase was set to inversion. Correcting this to no phase inversion, and increasing the DSD sample rate on HQPlayer from DSD128 to DSD256 fixed up the rest.

 

The soundstage is a lot better, as it should, the SQ from the digital chain is closer to the SACD player. Doesn't quite exceed, however, for me now the digital chain is "close and good enough" to listen to without aggravation or knowing, that it should or need be improved upon.

 

Still, if I want to feel what miserable is, buy/build a new PC, spend quite a bit on a Server license and spend two days to install with Server 2012 in 10 months time, then I would certainly have a shot at installing AO. I need to check though if the drivers for the Mutec MC-3+USB will work on the Server OS.

 

No need for a trial basis, if I'm going to spend big money and time, then the effort is not going to be wasted, it has to work.

 

hi

 

the only drivers i am aware which will not work on server 2012/2012 R2 are from CMEDIA, everything else works fine. (sometimes still help from the DriverHelper in ServiceTool needed).

[Dev]

hi

 

the only drivers i am aware which will not work on server 2012/2012 R2 are from CMEDIA, everything else works fine. (sometimes still help from the DriverHelper in ServiceTool needed).

 

Not entirely true. I have Schiit Yggy which uses CMEDIA usb drivers too. The drivers won’t install if you double-click and try to run on WS 2012 R2 but it installs if you do it from the device manager and select the driver conf file. That’s how I used to play in a dual pc Jplay setup before I got the uRendu.

[AudioPhil]

Hi

 

Oh, very good! what do you use to extract the content of the exe file?

[Dev]

Hi

 

Oh, very good! what do you use to extract the content of the exe file?

 

 

Its been a while that I installed it. If I remember correctly, the Schiit drivers comes as zip file. It would extract to create WIN7, WIN8, WIN8.1 directories which in turn would contain the ini files. All you need to do it to point to the right directory in the driver install “have disk” and it will pick the correct one. Now I don’t know how other CMEDIA drivers are packaged with other USB DACs.

[AudioPhil]

I think your DAC is the only one with drivers in a ZIP file :-(

 

normaly they come as exe and are not extractable.

[Dev]

I think your DAC is the only one with drivers in a ZIP file :-(

 

Possible. That’s the reason I said earlier I am not aware of how other oem packages it.

 

Windows USB Drivers | Schiit Audio

 

 

normaly they come as exe and are not extractable.

 

I have PS Audio DS dac as well. They also come in a zip format and fully extract-able :-)

 

Downloads | PS Audio

[sydlow]

I've been running AO on W10 for a few days now and noticed there are still a few processes that don't look necessary lurking around. Can the Windows gurus advise if I can kill or stop any of them?:

 

Background processes (21)

Cortana

Device Association Framework Provider Host

Fidelizer Pro - Core Engine (32 bit)

Host Process for Windows Tasks

Killer Network Manager

Killer Network Service

Microsoft Windows Search Indexer

processreaper.exe

RAATServer

RDP Clipboard Monitor

RDP Session Input Handler

RoonAppliance

RoonServer

Runtime Broker

SoftPerfect RAM Disk (64-bit)

Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel

Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Helper (32 bit)

Windows Audio Device Graph Isolation

Windows Shell Experience Host

WMI Provider Host

WMI Reverse Performance Adapter Maintenance Utility

 

Windows processes (27)

appmodel (2)

Client Server Runtime Process

Client Server Runtime Process

Console Window Host

Console Window Host

Console Window Host

Desktop Window Manager

Local Security Authority Process (2)

Service Host: DCOM Server Process Launcher (6)

Service Host: Local Service (5)

Service Host: Local Service (Network Restricted) (7)

Service Host: Local Service (No Impersonation) (4)

Service Host: Local Service (No Network) (2)

Service Host : Local System (10)

Service Host : Local System (Network Restricted) (8)

Service Host : Network Service (4)

Service Host : Remote Procedure Call (2)

Service Host: Unistack Service Group

Service Host: Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)

Services and Controller app

Shell Infrastructure Host

System and compressed memory

System interrupts

Windows Explorer

Windows Log-on Application

Windows Session Manager

Windows Start-Up Application

[AudioPhil]

I d'highly recommend that you do not disable more services than AO does when using all options!!

[sydlow]

I d'highly recommend that you do not disable more services than AO does when using all options!!

 

ok!