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

[greenleo]

4 minutes ago, Narcissus said:

Thanks once again for your contribution @greenleo   Can you please clarify,

 

"3. Just let it run until...... " do you mean the black terminal screen which comes up as soon as we boot the USB disk? Or are we supposed to open a new terminal once AL is up & running?You

You're welcome.

When you boot the headless mode, a simple menu comes up after sometime.  Just hit enter and let it run.  Eventually, a prompt like [audiolinux.....]$ will come out.

[MikeyFresh]

9 hours ago, the_doc735 said:

So you object to freedom of speech and are prematurely quick to condemn other members opinions & concepts, without fair trial or hearing?

 

Not at all, but I do object to the condescending tone and presumptive know-it-all stance of that post.

 

This is particularly true relative to whom it was directed at (the actual thread starter prior to Austinpop's assumption of stewardship), however it almost doesn't even matter who that reply was directed at, statements like " things you obviously know very little about! " and " based on either your limited testing or understanding" are unwarranted, inaccurate, and pompous to say the least.

 

Hence the immediate ignore list election.

 

 

[austinpop]

2 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

Perhaps @the_doc735 (respect!)  @Arpiben   @nbpf and @diecaster should start a new thread where they can argue over their theories ad nauseum while we continue to move forward making actual progress.  Anyone here with an interest could join those threads.  In that way, this thread can get back to its stated purpose. 

 

Alternatively, the above members could simply retreat to their ivory towers. 

 

Thanks for that succinct summation.

 

OK folks - time for an OP reminder. Let's all step back and take a deep breath.

 

This thread needs to stay focused on direct listening experiences with audio experiments discussed here. This is not an opinion thread. Most of what is discussed here does not have a readily available analytical explanation. Once we get into arguing about the why's, this thread is going to disintegrate. Many of us value this thread and its participants too much to allow that to happen. As suggested above, if people want to discuss their opinions and speculations about what is being tested here, please open your own thread and do it there.

 

This is one of the most popular (top 5?) threads on CA. It has had over 10k posts, over 750k views, and 277 followers. As is typical, we have a couple dozen (give or take) active participants, and a large peanut gallery. Trust me, there are enough people out there watching this thread purely for entertainment, simply to see what we wackos will dream up next. That's OK! If you want to join them, feel free.

 

But disruptive behavior through posting must stop. To quote @The Computer Audiophile in a recent post:

 

Quote

 

Knock off the BS. Post have been and will continue to be removed. Save your time and keep the thoughts in your head. 

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - I know everyone's time is valuable and I'd hate to see anyone waste it by crafting comments that will only be deleted. Our policy at CA has always been to allow the OP to control the thread. This works very well. If you disagree with something said in a thread and the OP wants your comments removed, you are 100% free to start your own thread and dictate the terms. 

 

I've given @austinpop moderator privileges to remove comments that don't follow the guidelines set out for this thread. 

 

If you have a problem with any of this please take it up with me. I created the rules. Those who have made this thread so successful are using the rules wisely to increase their enjoyment of this wonderful hobby.

 

 

 

[ElviaCaprice]

4 hours ago, LTG2010 said:

Booting the entire OS in RAM is where the real benefit has become apparent with Audiolinux, to my ears at least.

 

It would seem that Audiolinux real benefit is that it provides a SW/Roon solution for Larry, Roy and others to have an OS for an endpoint such as their chosen NUC suggested, headless.  Great cost efficient find/development.  Just doesn't fit my needs.

 

Now, how that would work or be a benefit for my system with JRiver from a single server is where I can't seem to get good sourced information on.  With 4GB of memory, I know I wouldn't be able to run the OS from memory as a single server with JRiver.  Also, converting my system to using my NUC as an endpoint is not an option, due to my need for Hi Res video playback, endpoints don't work.  

 

Everything I've found online about Audiolinux incorporating JRiver Media Center as a single server confirms difficulties (very little info) and many problems which need a lot of coding/tweaking, if even possible.  Has anyone incorporated Audiolinux OS with JRiver media center and had good success with all media playback?  Video via HDMI and audio via DAC?

 

Even on JRiver forum,  they have many issues with incorporating their suggested Linux OS's with JRiver Media Center.  

 

Also I'm skeptical of Linux being superior to stripped down Windows 10 OS.  But I do think running the OS from memory can have it's benefits, Linux or Windows.  It just doesn't work for my media demands.  Server size vs memory needed and trade offs in SQ/costs.

 

This whole notion of latency benefits with a software remind me of the whole JPLAY claims, which I never bought into.  I remain skeptical but open minded.

 

Trying out Audiolinux,

Until shown it can be done painlessly or for that matter at all, I'm not willing to go down this path.  It's not about the $29.  

 

Sincerely,

Comfortable fence sitter enjoying the tunes/video.?

[sig8]

56 minutes ago, ElviaCaprice said:

 

It would seem that Audiolinux real benefit is that it provides a SW/Roon solution for Larry, Roy and others to have an OS for an endpoint such as their chosen NUC suggested, headless.  Great cost efficient find/development.  Just doesn't fit my needs.

 

Now, how that would work or be a benefit for my system with JRiver from a single server is where I can't seem to get good sourced information on.  With 4GB of memory, I know I wouldn't be able to run the OS from memory as a single server with JRiver.  Also, converting my system to using my NUC as an endpoint is not an option, due to my need for Hi Res video playback, endpoints don't work.  

 

Everything I've found online about Audiolinux incorporating JRiver Media Center as a single server confirms difficulties (very little info) and many problems which need a lot of coding/tweaking, if even possible.  Has anyone incorporated Audiolinux OS with JRiver media center and had good success with all media playback?  Video via HDMI and audio via DAC?

 

Even on JRiver forum,  they have many issues with incorporating their suggested Linux OS's with JRiver Media Center.  

 

Also I'm skeptical of Linux being superior to stripped down Windows 10 OS.  But I do think running the OS from memory can have it's benefits, Linux or Windows.  It just doesn't work for my media demands.  Server size vs memory needed and trade offs in SQ/costs.

 

This whole notion of latency benefits with a software remind me of the whole JPLAY claims, which I never bought into.  I remain skeptical but open minded.

 

Trying out Audiolinux,

Until shown it can be done painlessly or for that matter at all, I'm not willing to go down this path.  It's not about the $29.  

 

Sincerely,

Comfortable fence sitter enjoying the tunes/video.?

Eliva: Let me try to get you off the fence.

 

Jriver works with Audiolinux flawlessly, in RAM GUI version, using it for few months now, no issues. I never used Jriver for video so only speaking for audio side of it. Installation instructions are given with AL. Most you might have to do is to update servers, and instructions for that are very easy to follow.

 

I came from Windows as many of us have here, I was using PL, Fidelizer and AO, so that is stripped down I guess. AudioLinux sounds lot better out of the box the first time you listen to it.

 

I use Jriver as a control point only for HQPe, and that takes few extra steps to set up, but Jriver on its own should be very easy, so go ahead and try. Send PM if you have difficulty setting it up, and Piero is very prompt as well in providing support.

 

I started to use this combination because of ted_b's thread here:

 

So time to get off the fence, its well worth it. Takes 30 minutes or less for a computer literate person. As an initial hint; you don't need to use any Linux to burn SD card or flash drive etc. Rufus is all you need to get going.

[austinpop]

27 minutes ago, sig8 said:

Eliva: Let me try to get you off the fence.

 

Jriver works with Audiolinux flawlessly, in RAM GUI version, using it for few months now, no issues. I never used Jriver for video so only speaking for audio side of it. Installation instructions are given with AL. Most you might have to do is to update servers, and instructions for that are very easy to follow.

 

I came from Windows as many of us have here, I was using PL, Fidelizer and AO, so that is stripped down I guess. AudioLinux sounds lot better out of the box the first time you listen to it.

 

I use Jriver as a control point only for HQPe, and that takes few extra steps to set up, but Jriver on its own should be very easy, so go ahead and try. Send PM if you have difficulty setting it up, and Piero is very prompt as well in providing support.

 

I started to use this combination because of ted_b's thread here:

 

So time to get off the fence, its well worth it. Takes 30 minutes or less for a computer literate person. As an initial hint; you don't need to use any Linux to burn SD card or flash drive etc. Rufus is all you need to get going.

 

I think @ElviaCaprice is wise to reflect before jumping off the fence! The benefits of running in memory with NUC hardware seems to be most striking with an endpoint, which has no state to preserve or persist. Things do get more complex for a server, though. I see 2 areas that need careful navigation.

1. Memory footprint: I will guess that to run AudioLinux AND JRiver in memory will need more than 4GB of RAM? I also guess that can be fairly easily remedied with the purchase of more RAM.
2. Persistence: This one is trickier. Any write I/O's the server does will not be preserved when running in ramroot mode. I wouldn't count on ramsave as a safe persistence mechanism. There may be some workarounds, analogous to what we've done on Roon Server, which involve replacing the location of the database and executables with symbolic links to persistent storage. Has someone found a way to do this with JRiver?

[rickca]

9 hours ago, romaz said:

To this day, no one understands the physiology behind why Pepto-Bismol is effective for diarrhea and yet it works.

I wish it worked on OT posts.

[89reksal]

2 minutes ago, rickca said:

9 hours ago, romaz said:

To this day, no one understands the physiology behind why Pepto-Bismol is effective for diarrhea and yet it works.

I wish it worked on OT posts.

It apparently works for the OT posters. ?

[romaz]

8 hours ago, Arpiben said:

May I respectfully suggest the posters good at discerning audible differences to gather with people experimented in phase noise, jitter or EMC measurement? I am not expecting manufacturers to do so. It is a long run task and variables must be separated. I am pretty sure that such collaboration may help improving/understanding issues with a faster convergence.

 

As a side note, even batteries do have different phase noise characteristics whether this translates into audible differences I don't  know.  

 

This would be an idyllic thing to do and I would be in support of it.  Many listeners get good at it because they do a lot of critical comparative listening but they often can't account for what they're hearing and so they offer their own theories that may have no factual basis.  Then there are the engineers who make measurements but don't listen or they don't know how to listen and they insist that what the masses are hearing must be placebo if it can't be measured and so you get products like a Sansui receiver that measures great and sounds horrible.

[Dev]

5 hours ago, tapatrick said:

its out.. :0. who says OS change don't make a difference...

 

"Ted Smith has done it again. A major breakthrough in the art of digital audio. Over this weekend we have been beta testing our newest operating system for our DirectStream DAC, Snowmass, and the reviews are flooding in:

“listening and it is scary – black background with delicate sounds, then the sax… this sound stage is just unbelievable! That track is like velvet textures on a very smooth and dark background. Man is the background black!”

https://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/listening-is-scary/#comment-94814

 

 

 

I have been listening to it all weekend. Big upgrade from Redcloud (previous version) - everything is just more and natural. All DS owners should be very happy with this update.

[romaz]

6 hours ago, hopkins said:

 

I experiment as well, and I just thought it would be useful to let some people know here about the advances being made in DACs, and which are not necessarily advertised on CA. It is a different perspective, and I am not criticizing yours. 

 

However, you choose to reply explaining that that specific DAC I linked is NOS and NOS is no good because it misses out on the musical content that you somehow recreate by oversampling..

 

I call BS when I see it. Sorry for being so straight forward. 

 

I never said your DAC is no good because it’s NOS and so if you somehow inferred that, than I apologize.  But my claims are valid and I stand behind them.  As I stated, NOS and oversampling DACs aspire to different things and in the ideal world, I believe we each would desire to faithfully recreate the original analog waveform if we could and not just get the best out of the digital recording.  The problem is with the execution and there are successes and failures on both sides.  I can name plenty of NOS DACs that sound better than oversampling DACs and visa versa.

 

I used to own a TotalDac d1-monobloc, an R2R NOS DAC that to this day is the 2nd best sounding DAC I have ever owned.  NOS DACs are known for their musicality and I imagine that your NOS DAC excels in that virtue, otherwise, you wouldn’t be extolling it.  However, both from a conceptual and experiential standpoint, I prefer to oversample and I believe there are ways to oversample today to gain the advantages of resolution while still maintaining musicality, but that’s just me and so this statement shouldn’t be looked at as some gospel truth.  

 

There is no way to know if someone will like a DAC based on its topology or its stat line alone and so maybe I would be floored by your DAC given the chance to evaluate it but resolution is the inherent limitation of NOS DACs and that isn’t BS.  Ultimately, resolution is only one factor and I concede that in the big picture, musicality, as we each define it, is the more important factor.   Peace.

[romaz]

Personally, I have no problems with dissenting or contrasting views and I think skepticism is healthy.  As a published medical researcher, everything we publish is subjected to a peer review process for the sake of the health and safety of the population at large but this thread is different.  This thread is about expressing subjective observations with the intention of furthering the enjoyment of our music.  

 

The problem I have is with the manner of dissent and the lack of respect and cordiality afforded by certain posters.  I feel that nobody here should feel a burden to prove what they are hearing and that anyone expressing their observations about pieces of equipment should be taken as sincere until proven otherwise.  If there are those who demand charts and graphs, then you’re at the wrong thread because something like an Audio Precision APx555 costs north of $30k and so none of us are going to own this kind of equipment.  While @diecaster should have the freedom to express his views, certainly, his post on another thread makes his intentions here very suspect:

 

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/35129-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-microrendu-ultrarendu/?page=26&tab=comments#comment-892419

 

With regards to the “flat-earthers” comment, the irony of this statement is that it is the overly technical, chart demanding, engineer-types who are generally the flat-earthers since they hold fast to their old and tired theories and insist that this or that can’t possibly make a difference instead of actually taking a listen for themselves to see if their theories should be revised.  For better or worse, this closed-mindedness has never been the mantra of this thread.

 

As for the longevity of this thread, it has exceeded any expectations I ever had for it and as Rajiv posted, it is indeed surprising to note how many people have participated and how many tune in, whether it be for entertainment reasons or otherwise.  If I may be so bold to offer my own reasons for its longevity, I believe it is due to:

 

1. Rajiv’s very capable stewardship.  Any way you slice it, this thread is a jumbo hot mess with no real direction except to find any and all means possible to improve our audio setups and so I take some responsibility for this as I chose to look this thread as a personal think tank when I first started it.  Regardless, keeping this thread flowing to have kept the interest of so many has been no easy task and Rajiv has done a better job with it than I ever could have.  Furthermore, the index Rajiv created has been invaluable.

 

2.  This thread is not really about the OP or any one person, it’s about the collective contributions of the CA community at large and I know of no other thread anywhere like it.  While not everything that has been discussed here has passed muster or has passed the test of time, I do believe it is because of the open-mindedness of its participants to try new things and share their findings that our audio setups today are better than they were before this thread was started.  

 

3.  Cordiality and respect.  No one wants to tune in to a thread full of haters.  While this thread can be criticized for being over-exuberant at times, I think most of us enjoy seeing someone else succeed in their audio journey and in so doing, hopefully, we all learn something new along the way.  The day this thread becomes about “no way that would work” or “no way you’re hearing what your hearing” is the day this thread should be retired.

[rickca]

11 hours ago, romaz said:

To this day, no one understands the physiology behind why Pepto-Bismol is effective for diarrhea and yet it works.

It's pink!  It can't possibly make a difference. ?

[The Computer Audiophile]

32 minutes ago, romaz said:

Personally, I have no problems with dissenting or contrasting views and I think skepticism is healthy.  As a published medical researcher, everything we publish is subjected to a peer review process for the sake of the health and safety of the population at large but this thread is different.  This thread is about expressing subjective observations with the intention of furthering the enjoyment of our music.  

 

The problem I have is with the manner of dissent and the lack of respect and cordiality afforded by certain posters.  I feel that nobody here should feel a burden to prove what they are hearing and that anyone expressing their observations about pieces of equipment should be taken as sincere until proven otherwise.  If there are those who demand charts and graphs, then you’re at the wrong thread because something like an Audio Precision APx555 costs north of $30k and so none of us are going to own this kind of equipment.  While @diecaster should have the freedom to express his views, certainly, his post on another thread makes his intentions here very suspect:

 

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/35129-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-microrendu-ultrarendu/?page=26&tab=comments#comment-892419

 

With regards to the “flat-earthers” comment, the irony of this statement is that it is the overly technical, chart demanding, engineer-types who are generally the flat-earthers since they hold fast to their old and tired theories and insist that this or that can’t possibly make a difference instead of actually taking a listen for themselves to see if their theories should be revised.  For better or worse, this closed-mindedness has never been the mantra of this thread.

 

As for the longevity of this thread, it has exceeded any expectations I ever had for it and as Rajiv posted, it is indeed surprising to note how many people have participated and how many tune in, whether it be for entertainment reasons or otherwise.  If I may be so bold to offer my own reasons for its longevity, I believe it is due to:

 

1. Rajiv’s very capable stewardship.  Any way you slice it, this thread is a jumbo hot mess with no real direction except to find any and all means possible to improve our audio setups and so I take some responsibility for this as I chose to look this thread as a personal think tank when I first started it.  Regardless, keeping this thread flowing to have kept the interest of so many has been no easy task and Rajiv has done a better job with it than I ever could have.  Furthermore, the index Rajiv created has been invaluable.

 

2.  This thread is not really about the OP or any one person, it’s about the collective contributions of the CA community at large and I know of no other thread anywhere like it.  While not everything that has been discussed here has passed muster or has passed the test of time, I do believe it is because of the open-mindedness of its participants to try new things and share their findings that our audio setups today are better than they were before this thread was started.  

 

3.  Cordiality and respect.  No one wants to tune in to a thread full of haters.  While this thread can be criticized for being over-exuberant at times, I think most of us enjoy seeing someone else succeed in their audio journey and in so doing, hopefully, we all learn something new along the way.  The day this thread becomes about “no way that would work” or “no way you’re hearing what your hearing” is the day this thread should be retired.

Great post romaz. Like I told diecaster in a PM after he messaged me, free speech around CA is like the Supreme Court has interpreted it. You can say whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want wherever you want. That's why we enable dissenting voices to start their own threads. 

 

I also look at it this way - A group of lung cancer survivors went out for coffee and sat at the same table in a non-smoking area of the coffee shop. Then a guy sat down next to them and started smoking, claiming he should be able to do this despite the wishes of the cancer survivors that he please smoke in the designated smoking section. Does anyone thing the smoker's behavior is OK? I doubt it. Bring this same concept to a party where one guy is a jerk. He shouldn't ruin it for everyone. He can have his own party. 

 

Now bring this concept to CA. It works fine to have people start their own dissenting threads if asked to do so.

[rickca]

3 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Bring this same concept to a party where one guy is a jerk.

Jerks tend to ignore the rules.  That's why they're jerks.

[sandyk]

8 hours ago, LTG2010 said:

Jriver also implement playback from RAM as a selectable option although, as I understand this is due to user demand and the developers don't actually beleive their is any sound quality benefit in its implementation.

 

 There must have been an awful lot of customer demand for them to finally agree to provide this facility.

YES, it does result in a worthwhile improvement in SQ with JRiver for me.

[sandyk]

26 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Then a guy sat down next to them and started smoking, claiming he should be able to do this despite the wishes of the cancer survivors that he please smoke in the designated smoking section. Does anyone thing the smoker's behavior is OK? I doubt it.

 

 This also applies to commuters. Even having a smoker sitting down next to you may cause an Asthmatic (I am) to start wheezing.

 We shouldn't need to get up and walk away to avoid a nasty confrontation.

[Chopin75]

On 9/18/2018 at 4:21 AM, seeteeyou said:

 

This site is acting strange, I get these quotes stuck on and cannot delete. Above is an error.  Ok, maybe it would be a good idea to have people express their grievances and arguments by PM (via this site) to the other person directly instead ?  

 

2 hours ago, austinpop said:

 

I think @ElviaCaprice is wise to reflect before jumping off the fence! The benefits of running in memory with NUC hardware seems to be most striking with an endpoint, which has no state to preserve or persist. Things do get more complex for a server, though. I see 2 areas that need careful navigation.

1. Memory footprint: I will guess that to run AudioLinux AND JRiver in memory will need more than 4GB of RAM? I also guess that can be fairly easily remedied with the purchase of more RAM.
2. Persistence: This one is trickier. Any write I/O's the server does will not be preserved when running in ramroot mode. I wouldn't count on ramsave as a safe persistence mechanism. There may be some workarounds, analogous to what we've done on Roon Server, which involve replacing the location of the database and executables with symbolic links to persistent storage. Has someone found a way to do this with JRiver?

For the memory issue 4 RAM should be adequate for most playback on a system like linux. I have no experience of J River on Linux. J River Mac is fine with 4 RAM but I did not use up/down sampling or conversion from PCM  __> DSD.  Usually more than 4 RAM is needed mainly for upsampling/resamping/conversion from PCM---> DSD, esp if the track is all loaded into RAM.  For low res to 24/96, 4RAM should be fine. DSD may cause issues with Mac, not sure about Windows, but   DSD runs on my linux/euphony OS, even at DSD256 (native, not upsampled), and with 4 RAM only.   

[BigAlMc]

On 11/11/2018 at 3:48 PM, lmitche said:

Hi Ted,

 

Good idea! nuckleheadaudio.com was available so I bought it.

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

 

Great stuff Larry!

 

Best of luck with the new venture.

 

As discussed on PM I'm sitting on the fence for now re the intrepid stuff you're pioneering but I'll defo keep you, er knucklehead ?, in mind if I decide to slip off the fence.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[tapatrick]

As several folks got in touch with me curious to hear my opinion, here is my assessment of using the NUC with Audiolinux.

 

Once again big thanks to @lmitche and @romaz!

 

I have a NUC7CJYH running Audiolinux headless in Ramboot set to Extreme mode - no hard drives. This all loads automatically when the NUC is switched on. I put the NUC in a fanless Akasa case which I found makes a noticeable impact on SQ versus the standard case with fan. I have a USPCB/ISO Regen/USPCB between my NUC and DAC. This is powered at 5v ( 8v from modded Teradak PSU into 7.5v then 5v LT3045 regulators)

 

The NUC is powered by a Paul Hynes SR4 using Tubelover2’s discovery of PoE DC cables - in my case with Audioquest Forest Cat7 used for positive and Ugreen flat Cat 7 used for negative. Bios have been tweaked to switch off Wifi, Bluetooth - anything uneccessary that I could find. All of these tweaks add to the final result.

 

A bit of Background:

As we all have different preferences I’ll briefly describe mine. I love intimate, live guitar and singer songwriters - Eva Cassidy, Glen Hansard, Jeff Buckley, King Creosote, Van Morrison stuff like this as well as jazz trios and quartets. Hence my choice of Aqvox Switch, PS Audio Directstream Junior DAC, Decware mono amps and Omega Super Alnicos, as they excel in the kind of music I like. I have found it very hard to achieve satisfaction with treble in voices and have spent a lot of time and money to improve on this (apart from sibilance due to poor quality of recordings which I try to avoid).

 

Seeking a solution and to make use of the I2S slot into my DAC, which I consider the best input, I had researched and built my own Roon I2S endpoint. This is based on a Sparky SBC running customised dietpi - isolated and reclocked with Ian Canada’s McFifo and McDualXO boards and powered by SR4s and modded Teradak DC30 into LT3045 regulators, silver wire etc. I have used this endpoint for the last year or so being very happy with the result. As I invested so much time and effort in this I was so hoping it would still better the NUC...

 

Conclusion

SO….The new NUC set up has moved the goal posts for me in a significant way.. I agree with Larry and Romaz when they say this is end game territory and is based on my trials and listening tests over the past few weeks. 

 

The most striking quality is an ease that is very satisfying. There is a tremendous amount of detail arising in a deep rich black landscape with a more distinct 3D soundstage and well defined individual musicians and instruments. I had enough detail already with my set up but it's the EASE that strikes me the most with the NUC. Emotionally I find this very satisfying and compelling.

 

I’ll probably keep an eye out for how to get I2S out of an NUC and upcoming switches from Uptone etc but this set up is delivering the best sound I have had. The new PS audio OS ‘Snowmass' is coming very soon for my DAC and its getting rave reviews for the Directstream users, so as far as audio goes it can’t get much better than this.

 

Cheers all - back to the glorious music..

[Blake]

Regarding the experimental nature of this thread overall, many of our greatest ideas came about through accidents

 

 

[LTG2010]

5 hours ago, ElviaCaprice said:

This whole notion of latency benefits with a software remind me of the whole JPLAY claims, which I never bought into.  I remain skeptical but open minded.

The problem with digital audio is Jitter. You've addressed a large part of this in your server, with improved clocking and master clock plus good power supply. Consider the software as a natural extension of this approach, lower latency equates to lower software induced Jitter and improved sound quality - software enabling the hardware to perform at its peak.

I'd agree with what @Sig8 has posted above so won't repeat any of it.

I ran a small test on video with Jriver it seems to work fine with Hi res just like the windows version.

4GB RAM is a problem, the lxqt version has an image size of 3.6 GB you'll need to install Jriver but I suppose a large amount of stuff can be removed.

One thing about Celeron processors is that they will work with larger amounts of RAM than their specs. My motherboard is rated at 8GB max- but works fine with 16GB.

 

[Blake]

10 minutes ago, tapatrick said:

The most striking quality is an ease that is very satisfying. There is a tremendous amount of detail arising in a deep rich black landscape with a more distinct 3D soundstage and well defined individual musicians and instruments. I had enough detail already with my set up but it's the EASE that strikes me the most with the NUC. Emotionally I find this very satisfying and compelling.

 

 

Thanks for posting your feedback.  One follow-up question- are you hearing more detail, or the same amount of detail, just presented in a more relaxed manner?

[Hauser]

This may be a good time to take a short break from NUCs to share my recent upgraded power supply project.   Although the thread title says 'massively improve', everything in audio is relative and I consider the upgrade significant and well worth the effort if DIY is of interest and for those confident working with AC.

 

The project has involved several months of research, design, execution and a few repairs.  The original construction of the box was to house a TX USB hub Ex and Iso Regen along with a couple of LPS1s and SMPS to power them and accomodate all the associated cabling.

 

Some, probably ill founded, doubts over SMPSs led me to explore the potential to change the supplies to linear, regulated.  I upped the challenge by adding a third supply for the Aries in the same box.   This required external transformers and for aesthetic reasons, toroids with custom stainless covers.

 

More important was the selection of the power boards.  Recommendations from posts on DIY Audio, Audio Asylum and Seeteeyou, suitable dimensions, cost and availability as completed boards made the Studer 900 the board of choice.  The vendor had limited knowledge of the board's performance and suggested testing.  From my testing, the board's power requirements seem similar to the Sigma 11 which is extensively covered on the AMB site and proved to be a valuable source to achieve success.

 

Modding the board by replacing the large cap with an industrial Kemet brought a worthwhile improvement.  Replacing the other caps with Panasonic FCs, nothing conclusive.  Adding the LT3045s made the sound subtly smoother.  I used Toroidy 30VA transformers.  These sustain higher voltages than another commercial transformer I tried.  Schedule 5 Stainless pipe will comfortably sleeve these transformers; I had to ream schedule 10 pipe.

 

Compared to the previous power supplies: more bass and treble extension, better detail and more realistic sound and more stage depth.  

 

For a very modest material cost there is a potential very worthwhile sonic benefit to be had for those with the time available, not to mention the satisfaction.  Just don't get zapped.

 

Martin.