A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming

[FelipeRolim]

18 hours ago, davide256 said:

I guess what I'd like to see is a comparison of a PC using something like a JCAT USB  FEMTO as endpoint machine with AL vs AL/NUC endpoint using built in USB. I don't see anything special about the hardware quality in an endpoint NUC,  just good hardware integration. My suspicion is that an independently powered well made USB card in a decent endpoint machine will best NUC.  Hopefully we can get a CA member who already has one of these or an alternative to give it a shot and report in.

 

I haven't tested any kind of NUC recently, but I compared AudioLinux against Windows on my computer, which at the time had SOtM tx-USBexp (today I have the JCAT USB Card FEMTO). In my opinion, listening on the same computer, Windows has played considerably better. I cannot tell if a NUC would be even better, but considering at least the dedicated USB card, I don't think so. I also have linear power supply on this computer, use RAMdisk and did several other correct adjustments.

 

Another detail is that I didn't exhaust the possibilities of AudioLinux. I haven't tested everything that it can offer, like HQPlayer, for example. At the end, I cannot give any constructive opinion. I really don't like Linux. It isn't good for audio purposes...

[FelipeRolim]

About hard drives 2,5" 5400rpm, I've tested it a lot at the beggining. Using a SOtM SATA II filter and external power, the hard drive sounded very very close to the SSD at the same condictions. I also tried to put the hard drive outside the computer, and the sound improved a little bit. However, only then was possible to avoid certain electromagnetic interference, and yet I couldn't get rid of a specific problem: when using JRiver or foobar2000, the best performance I achieved was configuring a complete buffer of music to RAM. Fact is, using JRiver or foobar2000, there were cases where the music was fully loaded into RAM, and only at the end, in the last 15 or 20 seconds of a song, the next one was starting to load. That made the 5400rpm hard drive, in these final seconds, need to re-accelerate (to get out of the latency state - spin-up) to be read properly. The result of this, for the audio, was a relative lack of uniformity in the final seconds of a song, which doesn't occur with the SSD (always ready to be read - much lower latency). But, it's important to note that the 5400rpm hard drive is usually better than the 7200rpm one, for some reasons, but for two in particular: a) lower vibration and less noise irradiation; b) easier to reach the standard working speed and, consequently, lower latency.

 

It's true that we're dealing with milliseconds, but when it comes to digital scope, it's exactly what we want to avoid. I like the SSD for the sonority and the price, but I only use it to store music files. The Windows runs directly from RAM.

[FelipeRolim]

I just tested Fidelizer free and I didn't like it. I use the Audiophile Optimizer. As I said, there's no way to compare operating systems. Who really knows what it does, knows how to configure and LISTEN, uses Windows Server with Intel hardware.

[FelipeRolim]

22 hours ago, Advieira said:

IMPRESSIONS WITH A NUC SERVER

 

Mikrotik router SFP Fiber + Nuc7i7BDNE Akasa (LPS Zerozone) > SnH-10G sclk-ex (stock ps) > Direcstream Sr. Bridge II

 

AudioLinux Ram: sound very sharp, bright, lean, very detailed, a little fatigating, very stable (nuc gets very hot)

Windows Server Data Center 2019 (no A.O) (M.2): details, bodied, harmonics richness, very enjoyable, network not very stable occasionally

 

I will keep AL for some auditions and impressing some friends, but for my ears, WS19 sounds better (understanding better as natural and real).

 

Now, I didn't understood why all that AL fuss...

 

Exactly what I said here:

 

[FelipeRolim]

For a long time I tried to promote electromagnetic shielding and electrical isolation among countless of my DIY devices, with particular emphasis on what I've built most in recent years: dedicated computers. My practical experience from power cords, electrical wiring, and computer construction indicates that for all system items, there's an optimal point of filtration and isolation. If you add too many filters (like the Nordost Qv2, the iFi AC iPurifier, or even regenerators like the PS Audio P5 and P10), the sound system tends to work as perfectly as it would if the electrical installation was best built to the point of not relying on such equipment/gadgets.

 

I know several power conditioners, including the PS Audio P5, and from a certain qualitative level of power (with large grounding circuits, good quality wiring, special fuses etc.), it becomes a clear limitation, unless the listener likes something extremely dry, analytical and focused on detail, not music. The same thing with electromagnetic shielding: when exaggerated, it causes hardness, loss of harmonics, dryness, and the cable level drops. I've experimented with all kinds of material, and the less shielding the better, especially on digital cables (I risk this being one of the secrets that makes Curious Cable USB so hard to beat). You can try this from a simple cable to a high level cable. SATA cable is a good prototype for experimentation. I have here a Deronxin-T 6Gbps SATA cable which, after adding two layers of cotton plus one layer of aluminum, touches a much higher level than Pachanko Red, and this with an investment of less than $ 10.00. But if one or two more layers of aluminum are added, the sound gets very bad. So, it's not just shielding, isolating, because, as I always say and make a point of reinforcing, music isn't just benchmark, and measurements don't qualify audio. What's not lacking in the market is DAC that goes bad on bench and plays very well, and DAC with everything "perfect" playing badly.

 

There's a theoretical minimum that must be respected, but much of the result stems from patient experimentation. Objectively thinking, for example, any Linux with 2GB or less, which has very few processes and that takes up 300MB of RAM should play better than a Windows. At least on my system, that's not what happens. But, it didn't come overnight. It came from years of experimentation and fine-tuning until it reached the current stage. Every good system demands listening time, not measuring time. We don't have an oscilloscope placed in the ear.