Hi Res Audio and Linux Mint

[Dumfy]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to the forum and this is my first post.

 

I've been an audiophile for a long time and also a computer audio fan. I normally use Windows & JRiver to feed Hi Res audio to my DAC up to and including 24/192 and DSD/DFF and it works and sounds great.

 

I've just taken the plunge into the Linux world via Mint & 32bit Cinnamon and what I'm looking for is a recommended Hi Res audio player for Linux - much like JRiver is for Windows.

 

Any suggestions please?

 

I'm currently using a 5 year old Samsung Netbook for purely music/Hi Res work. I'm dual booting Win 10 with Linux Mint and was going to try the HQ Audio Player which seems to be highly recommended, but is only 64bit I believe. The problem I have is that the Atom processor in the Netbook is 32bit only.

 

I'm totally new to Linux and have only recently installed it. Are there any 32bit Hi Res audio players out there for Linux that are easy to install and use? They must be able to stream hi res flac and DSD to my Yamaha DAC.

 

Many thanks for the help

 

Dumfy

[richie60]

I don't know about streaming DSD to your DAC but I use Deadbeef & Audacious music players as these can be set to bypass pulseaudio & output direct via ALSA to the hardware.

[Norton]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to the forum and this is my first post.

 

I've been an audiophile for a long time and also a computer audio fan. I normally use Windows & JRiver to feed Hi Res audio to my DAC up to and including 24/192 and DSD/DFF and it works and sounds great.

 

I've just taken the plunge into the Linux world via Mint & 32bit Cinnamon and what I'm looking for is a recommended Hi Res audio player for Linux - much like JRiver is for Windows.

 

Any suggestions please?

 

I'm currently using a 5 year old Samsung Netbook for purely music/Hi Res work. I'm dual booting Win 10 with Linux Mint and was going to try the HQ Audio Player which seems to be highly recommended, but is only 64bit I believe. The problem I have is that the Atom processor in the Netbook is 32bit only.

 

I'm totally new to Linux and have only recently installed it. Are there any 32bit Hi Res audio players out there for Linux that are easy to install and use? They must be able to stream hi res flac and DSD to my Yamaha DAC.

 

Many thanks for the help

 

Dumfy

 

Not sure about the 32/64 bit issue, but I have used both JRiver and HQPlayer with Mint without problem.

 

As both can be tried FOC, why not just experiment?

[jriver]

Hi everyone,

I've just taken the plunge into the Linux world via Mint & 32bit Cinnamon and what I'm looking for is a recommended Hi Res audio player for Linux - much like JRiver is for Windows.

I can't tell from your post if you know that JRiver Media Center is available on Linux. Here's our board for Linux:

JRiver Media Center 21 for Linux

[Dumfy]

I can't tell from your post if you know that JRiver Media Center is available on Linux. Here's our board for Linux:

JRiver Media Center 21 for Linux

 

Hi jriver,

 

Thanks for that. I did know JRiver was available for Linux as I'm using the Windows version.

 

I'm trying to be true to the open-source idea and hence giving Linux mint a try and then use whatever open source programs are available. Having paid for JRiver once, I'm a little reluctant to pay for a Linux based version as well.

[CR250]

Deadbeef is considered by most, to be the best Linux music player for audiophile use. Its also simple and easy to use. The only thing is, you can't get it directly with Software Center or Synaptic.

 

If you want to try it, go to Deadbeef's website and click on downloads. 0.6.2 is the latest stable build. Download the debuntu version. Package i686 is the 32bit option and amd64 is 64bit. Open it with gdebi package manager to install it.

[Norton]

Hi jriver,

 

Thanks for that. I did know JRiver was available for Linux as I'm using the Windows version.

 

I'm trying to be true to the open-source idea and hence giving Linux mint a try and then use whatever open source programs are available. Having paid for JRiver once, I'm a little reluctant to pay for a Linux based version as well.

 

I've not used it with Mint, but I would have thought MPD might be considered the "gold standard" as far as open source Linux audio replay software goes.

[Dumfy]

As I mentioned earlier, I'm a complete noob with Linux Mint. It seems installing programs isn't as simple as it is in Windows.

 

I'll try out Deadbeef as suggested, but I've also seen Music Player Demon mentioned a lot too.

 

Am I right in thinking that to use MPD in Mint, I also need to install a client such as Gnome Music Player? How are these installed? The same way as @CR250 mentioned above using gdebi package manager?

 

Will Deadbeef and MPD/Gnome let me play DSD/DFF as well 24/96 and 24/192 flac??

 

Cheers

 

Dumfy

[CR250]

"As I mentioned earlier, I'm a complete noob with Linux Mint. It seems installing programs isn't as simple as it is in Windows."

 

You just need to get used to using Linux. Its extremely easy to install most programs. Deadbeef isn't the most popular program to normal Linux users and its just not listed in the repositories that Mint uses.

 

Try this instead. Find the application called Synaptic; it comes with Mint. Once in Synaptic, do a search for an application called Audacious. That's another music player similar to Deadbeef. Mark it for install, and then apply. That will automatically download and install the program for you. Once complete, Audacious will appear in the menu with all your A/V programs. Then get another music player called Clementine. That's also a really good one to try. The main thing is to get a few programs installed so you see what the process is. If you see any other programs that look interesting, by all means, install them as well.

[Norton]

As I mentioned earlier, I'm a complete noob with Linux Mint. It seems installing programs isn't as simple as it is in Windows.

 

I'll try out Deadbeef as suggested, but I've also seen Music Player Demon mentioned a lot too.

 

Am I right in thinking that to use MPD in Mint, I also need to install a client such as Gnome Music Player? How are these installed? The same way as @CR250 mentioned above using gdebi package manager?

 

Will Deadbeef and MPD/Gnome let me play DSD/DFF as well 24/96 and 24/192 flac??

 

Cheers

 

Dumfy

 

MPD will play DFF . Can't help re installation though. The Music Player Daemon - User's Manual should tell you all you need to know. AFAIK, Bryston, Auralic and Aurender all use mpd as their replay software, which I guess is a vote of confidence in its qualities.

[CR250]

If you decide to install MPD, here's a link to some instructions on how to do it.

[Dumfy]

If you decide to install MPD, here's a link to some instructions on how to do it.

 

Hi CR250 - would you mind reposting the link please as it doesn't seem to have come through on your post? Many thanks.

 

All,

 

I installed Deadbeef without a problem, but it won't play DSD/DFF files. I thought it may need a plug-in but couldn't find one.

As a result, I'll give MPD a try next.

 

Doing a quick test of playing a FLAC in Linux has thrown up a separate issue . . . I can't get the Netbook under Mint to stream to my DAC. Only have sound coming from the Netbook. Under Windows/JRiver, there are settings I need to check under Audio Options and assume it's the same for Mint/MPD etc?

 

Feels like I'm at the start of a steep learning curve!

 

Thanks

 

Dumfy

[CR250]

https://sites.google.com/site/computeraudioorg/linux-for-audio

 

There it is again. I don't know what happened to it in my other post.