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

[dminches]

Why are fans or fan cooling a bad idea if the power supply is isolated? Does it affect the sound or is the ambient noise it creates?

 

 

[dminches]

1 hour ago, Nenon said:

 

The new JCAT USB card with OCXO clock was released today. According to early testers (I was not lucky enough to be one of them):

a. It is very good.

b. It scales with a really good LPS. In other words the better LPS you use, the better it sounds. 

 

Order placed and will report back soon. 

 

Did anyone compare it to the Pink Faun with the upgraded clock?

 

[dminches]

1 hour ago, mourip said:

 

One thing that really stands out is that you have nearly always stayed with a NAS for storage. Any ideas why this would consistently sound better than a local drive? Probably the only thing that I have never tried was a single box plus NAS setup.

 

 

I have been trying to figure this out for myself as well since I have always had my music on a NAS.  I have an 8 TB library.  That would require a standard mechanical drive.  Would that be quieter than a NAS given the HD vibrations and the fact that the SATA controller attaches to the PCH while my network card goes directly to the CPU (I think)?

[dminches]

2 hours ago, StreamFidelity said:

In my early days I also had problems with graphics drivers. It can be seen that dxgkrnl.sys causes high latencies.

 

With update the graphics driver repaired. In the meantime I used the Shell replacement from AudiophileOptimizer and bypass the graphics driver. In the current expansion stage, I switch off the graphics driver completely, since I carry out occasional maintenance of my audio PC by remote control.

 

Can you make changes to the BIOS remotely?

 

[dminches]

10 minutes ago, StreamFidelity said:

 

No, I have to connect the mouse, keyboard and screen as usual. BIOS is called before starting Windows with F2 (in my case). I rarely change BIOS. 😉

 

That’s what I thought.  Just making sure I wasn’t missing something!

 

 

[dminches]

What is the power supply requirement for the Buffalo switch?  12V / 1A?

 

[dminches]

51 minutes ago, Gavin1977 said:

The Taiko thread is amazing...

 

”The other thing I learned is that this Roon modification made by Emile to my Extreme could be operable to non Extreme but Roon users so stay tuned”

 

I hope we can find out what the tweak is... I may actually try Roon if it’s that good.

 

Also, which software packages can be used to load music (or buffer general network traffic) into memory first?

 

I could be wrong but I don't think Emile did anything to Roon itself.  I believe all the tweaks were to the Extreme (Windows OS).  It is possible that some of those tweaks could be applied to other servers but that would depend on the configuration of those servers.

 

[dminches]

6 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

 

I might be missing what @Gavin1977 meant but my understanding is that Emile at Taiko is ditching Roon altogether and building a new music software system from scratch.

 

 

 

 

Yes, that is happening too.  Taiko is in beta testing now for the TAS (Taiko Audio Software) which will be an option for Extreme users to use instead of Roon.

 

In the meantime, Taiko did some tweaking of people's Extremes to help "improve" the sound with Roon.

 

I am in the camp that doesn't feel that Roon has killed the sound.  There are so many moving parts with digital music that any change to software can cause audible differences.  My understanding is that Taiko made modifications to various Windows OS settings to compensate.  I don't own an Extreme so this is just speculation.

 

What is ironic is that for many years people viewed digital music and a convenient, plug and play experience.  While that may be true for some, it is way more complicated than analog music based on my experiences with computer hardware, power supplies, network hardware and software.  Every settings can make an audible difference.

 

[dminches]

3 minutes ago, matthias said:

 

I would not worry, trust Emile, he knows what to do. 🙂

 

Matt

 

Emile is a master but his ears are different than everyone else’s.  People should learn more about how to tune the Extreme so they can make changes that fit their preferred sound.

 

Just like different tubes sound different to everyone else, computer tuning does too.

 

[dminches]

5 minutes ago, matthias said:

 

Of course, I think this will be possible with TAS 🙂

 

Matt

 

It should be possible with Roon too.  No?

 

[dminches]

3 minutes ago, matthias said:

 

Yes, but this must be addressed to Roon, not Taiko.

Good luck 🙂

 

Matt

 

Maybe I wasn’t being clear.  In order to get the Extreme to sound well with Roon, Emile and his team made adjustments to various settings in the Extreme.  My point is that people can play with these same settings to fine tune their Extreme to their listening preference.

 

[dminches]

1 hour ago, Pablooo said:

I would like to build a new server with AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Ryzen 9 3900X on a Gigabyte Aorus B550 Master. Has anyone experienced any compatibility problems with this particular Apacer memory?

 

I am using that memory with the Ryzen 7 3700x but with an Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero motherboard.  That combination works fine..

 

[dminches]

2 hours ago, sig8 said:

Is there a recommended Verizon Fios router to be used for better SQ? I remember some discussions about it. 

 

I replaced mine with an Ubiquiti EdgeRouter.

 

[dminches]

8 hours ago, Johnseye said:

I seriously hope the Extreme is the beginning of a truly well thought out and executed music server platform that can be followed by other companies in the future. The engineering,. attention to detail and design of the server is what the future should hold as a standard. 

 

Most of us don't have the means to build something of such high quality but we all try in what ways we can. If more companies learn from Taiko, innovating, improving, generating competition and mass producing we should begin to see more devices like this in the future. Of course we can always continue to build our own or tweak. 

 

I really don't see that happening.  There are reasons why the Extreme costs $25k, including Taiko's attention to detail and all the time they devote to continual maintenance and updating.  The machine is a work of art.  I doubt any other company will be able to even come close.  And once you get to a lower price point the customer expectations are very different.

[dminches]

16 minutes ago, basillus said:

Hi, it would not be better in your server build  to rotate the hdplex 800w

180 degrees so that both atx are closest to each other?

 

Actually no.  Even the shortest cable is too long when the 2 24 pin connectors are adjacent.   

[dminches]

36 minutes ago, StreamFidelity said:

I think saving in RAM and Buffer size are two different things. Saving in RAM is about separating the music files from the network noise. The music is played from the fast working memory.
 

 

It isn’t exactly the same thing but I run Euphony and Ram root.  All the my music is buffered and played from memory.  I have tried removing the network cable after the music is buffered and I hear no difference in sound quality.  This approach in Euphony does a great job in reducing network noise.

 

[dminches]

9 minutes ago, StreamFidelity said:

 

I like to believe that.

 

Still, you could take a look at your network map. There are a multitude of settings in the network adapter that influence the buffer in the data traffic. That's what I mean. There a small buffer ensures low latencies and, in my and other experiences, this improves the audio playback considerably. Look for example to Pink Faun: "During the process of developing the streamer 2.16, we found out that latency is one of the key elements to achieve the really smooth and natural sound; the lower the latency, the better."

 

My contribution should only make it clear that not all buffers are the same. I also think it makes sense to cache it in RAM, and the buffer should be very large there. The buffer in the network traffic, however, should be as small as possible. 😉

 

Understood, but if I don’t hear any sound improvement with my server off the network then what improvements could I hear in changing my network?

 

I also don’t know how to change the network adapter setting with Euphony.  I have done that when I run Roon in Windows.

 

[dminches]

When you are playing local files from the SSD with the network attached are there still a lot of “calls” for network activity with the Extreme? I would think they would be minimal but they must be significant enough for the disconnect to result in an uptick in sound quality.