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

[rickca]

@austinpop so internet traffic (like Qobuz streaming) goes to your server without first passing through the switch, right?

Would it not be beneficial to have something like an EtherREGEN in front of your server?

 

What do I lose by connecting the switch to the router and the server to the switch?  The original bridging idea was to avoid connecting the endpoint to the router and instead connect the server and endpoint directly.  So this seems to be a different kind of bridge?

 

Am I just having a mental block today?

[rickca]

23 minutes ago, mourip said:

Does the card automatically disable power input from the bus when the SATA input is powered?

No it doesn't. See

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/?do=findComment&comment=924903

 

But for those with good DIY skills, @numlog has a solution.  I just can't find his post right now.

 

[rickca]

28 minutes ago, numlog said:

I think optane ''Support'' refers to its intended function as high speed cache for hard drives, rather than as typical storage.

Correct.  Optane will work in any system that supports an NVMe PCIe V3 x2 SSD.  The newer, as yet unavailable Optane M15 and 815P require x4.

 

Optane Memory caching requires a Kaby Lake or newer platform and the use of Intel's Optane Memory storage drivers for Windows. Otherwise, both the M15 and 815P are standard NVMe SSDs that can be used as regular data or boot drives in any system that supports flash-based NVMe SSDs.

[rickca]

I'm still researching this, but it seems like AMD x470 provides at least one M.2 slot supporting NVMe PCIe V3 x4 straight to the CPU, so this may be an advantage of the AMD platform.

 

Also if you care about hard disk acceleration using a small SSD, AMD has this thing called StorMI which is AMD's answer to Intel RST caching.

https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/store-mi 

[rickca]

9 minutes ago, numlog said:

However wont the 9900T be underclocked to achieve that low TDP?

The base clock frequency is reported to be 1.7 GHz.

 

 

[rickca]

14 minutes ago, Dev said:

The question now for me is where do I go from here ?

So are you saying that on your server Euphony/Optane sounds better than AL/ramroot?

[rickca]

For those running Windows and can live without Roon, do a free trial of TuneBrowser Version 4.9.2.  I think you will be very pleasantly surprised.  I'm running the 64-bit AVX2 version.  Just use Google translate.  All the hover help is in English.

https://tunebrowser.tikisoft.net/download/

 

[rickca]

5 hours ago, austinpop said:

both my custom server and i7 NUC endpoint can support Legacy and UEFI boot devices simultaneously

How do you set up BIOS so that you can boot in either mode?  Is that what you mean by simultaneously?

[rickca]

1 minute ago, mozes said:

Ideally, I'd like to have Euphony on dual PC with Stylus running as a server on one PC and as an end point on the second. This would save me from investing in Roon.

Does Stylus have a server/renderer architecture, or is it designed to run on a single box?

[rickca]

I'm looking forward to Computex in late May.  AMD is expected to formally announce Ryzen 3000 CPUs and x570 chipset featuring PCIe V4 with availability in July.  AMD stock has tripled in the past 12 months. 

[rickca]

On 4/3/2019 at 7:37 PM, rickca said:

I'm looking forward to Computex in late May.  AMD is expected to formally announce Ryzen 3000 CPUs and x570 chipset featuring PCIe V4 with availability in July.  AMD stock has tripled in the past 12 months. 

And now it looks like Intel will announce their 9th gen 35W CPUs on May 15.

 

Do we understand yet whether it's better for a server to have more cores with a lower base clock vs fewer cores with a higher base clock?  What's the best trade off?

 

https://www.anandtech.com/show/14214/intel-9th-generation-core-35w-cpus-launch-may-15th-kikatek

[rickca]

1 minute ago, John769 said:

Well, it came free with the help of a flat head tip of a screwdriver- doh!

It's probably just because the Ethernet port on the motherboard doesn't line up perfectly with the cutout on the case.

[rickca]

11 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

Akasa Turing (105 euros + VAT)

In the USA, I now see it at Newegg for $150.

[rickca]

2 hours ago, scan80269 said:

I replaced this grease with some Kryonaut compound.

I've seen a test that indicates Kryonaut beat Arctic Silver 5.  How is Kryonaut to work with compared to Arctic Silver 5?  What did you use to clean off the thermal pads?

I wonder how your Prime95 test would perform on the Akasa Plato X8.  Which case is supposed to be more effective at cooling?

 

[rickca]

1 hour ago, austinpop said:

He is operating on a celestial plane

But there are seven heavens.

[rickca]

Looks like there is a downside to the new x570 motherboards supporting PCIe V4.  The chipset has a fan!  Apparently, the chipset is 15W compared to 5W on x470.  

https://www.pcgamesn.com/amd/amd-x570-chipset-fan-nobody-wants-this

[rickca]

For you Optane fans, Intel has officially announced the M15.  The M.2 card is now PCIe 3.0 x4 rather than x2.  Expected availability is middle of Q3.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/14437/intel-announces-optane-memory-m15-3d-xpoint-on-m2-pcie-30-x4 

 

Intel also announced Ice Lake CPUs built on 10nm process with 9W (Y-series), 15W and 28W TDP variants up to quad core.  They have built-in support for Thunderbolt 3 and Wifi 6.  

https://www.anandtech.com/show/14436/intel-10th-gen-10nm-ice-lake-cpus

[rickca]

6 hours ago, austinpop said:

This CPU is 12-core

The E-2136 is 6 cores/12 threads.

[rickca]

On 5/28/2019 at 6:11 PM, rickca said:

Looks like there is a downside to the new x570 motherboards supporting PCIe V4.  The chipset has a fan!  Apparently, the chipset is 15W compared to 5W on x470.  

https://www.pcgamesn.com/amd/amd-x570-chipset-fan-nobody-wants-this

Here's a new x570 motherboard that uses passive cooling for the chipset.  It uses 16-phase power delivery.  Looks like it will cost a lot!

https://www.anandtech.com/show/14432/gigabyte-unveils-it-s-flagship-x570-aorus-xtreme-16-phase-for-ryzen-3000

[rickca]

Nvidia has some announcements planned for E3 in LA next week.  One rumor is that RTX cards will get a $100 price reduction and GDDR6 memory to better compete with AMD.

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-super-lineup-will-consist-of-three-cards-faster-rtx-2060-2070-and-2080-variants-with-100-off-msrp-and-souped-up-gddr6/

[rickca]

I'm looking forward to seeing what SOtM can do with a custom motherboard.  Will it make the power supply less critical, or will it make power supply differences even more apparent?

[rickca]

On the Pink Faun website, I read the statement

We only use motherboards with the an external CPU clock, not with an integrated CPU clock.

Which motherboards would have an integrated CPU clock?

 

[rickca]

1 hour ago, Miska said:

 

And seems to be totally impossible device to obtain...

 

No problem getting EVGA Nu Audio in the USA.  

[rickca]

I'm considering a JS-2 to power the EPS12V 8-pin on a motherboard.  I'd be surprised if it didn't outperform a 12V rail from an HDPLEX 400W ATX LPS.  I have no idea how it would compare to a Sean Jacobs DC-3 supply with Mundorf caps and the 5A high current boost module which prices out around 1000 euros.  This would be a very useful comparison.

 

An interesting issue.  Many of the latest gaming motherboards which people are considering due to good VRM etc. now have two 8-pin connectors because they're designed for overclocking.  How do you handle such a thing?  Do you use two 12V rails with half the amps for each connector or what?  I'm not sure whether such motherboards are stable if you only use one of the two 8-pin connectors.

 

What is more sensitive to the quality of LPS ... the 24-pin on a motherboard or the EPS12V?  I'm thinking of using a separate LPS for each of these.

[rickca]

2 minutes ago, guiltyboxswapper said:

Do you mean Element M card?

Matrix Element M and Element X are streamer/DACs.  I think @bobfa means the Element H, which is the latest Matrix USB card.