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


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Most important: please realize this thread is about bleeding edge experimentation and discovery. No one has The Answer™. If you are not into tweaking, just know that you can have a musically satisfying system without doing any of the nutty things we do here.

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29 minutes ago, lmitche said:

And here is a link to a post showing some of the differences between AL and Euphony configurations. 

 

This list may be useful to those of you that wish to tune AL to sound more like Euphony.

 

Very curious to hear about the result of these changes from various people.

Are you @lmitche, @austinpop @bobfa going to make these changes?

I was about to buy Euphony but I’ll wait a bit 

Meitner ma1 v2 dac,  Sovereign preamp and power amp,

DIY speakers, scan speak illuminator.

Raal Requisite VM-1a -> SR-1a with Accurate Sound convolution.

Under development:

NUC7i7dnbe, Euphony Stylus, Qobuz.

Modded Buffalo-fiber-EtherRegen, DC3- Isoregen, Lush^2

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16 minutes ago, RickyV said:

 

Very curious to hear about the result of these changes from various people.

Are you @lmitche, @austinpop @bobfa going to make these changes?

I was about to buy Euphony but I’ll wait a bit 

The only change, amongst many, that I hadn't done before was step 6 - adding the asound.conf file. It does indeed increase clarity but was harsh until the real-time priority value was lowered from extreme to standard from the AL menu as recommended by Piero.

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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2 minutes ago, lmitche said:

The only change, amongst many, that I hadn't done before was step 6 - adding the asound.conf file. It does indeed increase clarity but was harsh until the real-time priority value was lowered from extreme to standard from the AL menu as recommended by Piero.

 

Larry, was the combo of "asound.conf+standard priority" a net improvement over " no asound.conf+extreme priority"?

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58 minutes ago, atxkyle said:

Based on the chatter on this thread, I ordered a 32G Optane card and did some A/B testing between it and my Samsung Evo SSD.  This is on my Intel NUC (NUC7i3BNH) server running Roon ROCK.  Music storage is on a USB stick.

 

In my case, the Optane brought a subtle upgrade to imaging/separation and realism. 

 

It took several back and forth changes comparing the same 5-6 tracks to be sure of what I was hearing.  This wasn't nearly as big an improvement as I've experienced with tweaks (e.g. improving power supplies).  However, it was only $60 for the 32G Optane card, and it's nice to get any sort of improvement for that small an investment.  And as a little side bonus, Roon is also running faster for me with the Optane.  

Was the Evo SSD a M.2 ? Do you mind giving the actual details of the Samsung drive? 

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31 minutes ago, atxkyle said:

I believe Roon ROCK is based on a minimalist Linux OS.  (Plenty of info about it on Roon’s website.)

I see, somewhere i read  Optane should work with windows for best effect, or is it intel chip or both ? I can't remember. But it could perhaps be how the 2.5" Sata is connected. Mine requires a long wire to connect to the motherboard. Is the way your SAMSUNG SATA connected differently from the Optane, since I presume they go to different type of slots ?? (sorry I am not computer literate) Also are they both externally or internally powered? 

 

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5 minutes ago, Chopin75 said:

I see, somewhere i read  Optane should work with windows for best effect, or is it intel chip or both ? I can't remember. But it could perhaps be how the 2.5" Sata is connected. Mine requires a long wire to connect to the motherboard. Is the way your SAMSUNG SATA connected differently from the Optane, since I presume they go to different type of slots ?? (sorry I am not computer literate) Also are they both externally or internally powered? 

 

 

Maybe this is what you were thinking of? https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000027987/memory-and-storage.html

 

We here have discussed using Optane cards as a low-latency, low-power, low-noise SSD, but Intel actually conceived these to be used as caches for slower drives. This feature called Data-driven Acceleration is available on Windows, through the Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology) application.

 

That caching use case is not relevant for our audio servers.

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3 hours ago, tapatrick said:

I find recording quality more of an issue these days after setting up AL/NUC server and endpoint and I put more attention on choosing good recordings over tweaking. 

 

Watch developments at PS audio as Paul is bringing audiophile attention to the recording process....

 

Your system and mine probably have some similar qualities. We both have Topaz isolation, use Roon with AL, vacuum tube amps, and Omega Alnico speakers.

 

Ironically many of my favorite recordings are from the "Golden Age of Stereo" including RCA, Mercury, and Everest for classical and various other 50's and 60's jazz labels.


"Don't Believe Everything You Think"

System

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3 hours ago, tapatrick said:

I find recording quality more of an issue these days after setting up AL/NUC server and endpoint and I put more attention on choosing good recordings over tweaking. 

 

Watch developments at PS audio as Paul is bringing audiophile attention to the recording process....

The following remark is conversational not confrontational! ... One of my favourite tracks ever is Gene Vincent's rendition of 'Roll Over Beethoven' sounding like it's recorded live in a Town Hall on a cheap tape recorder. I listen to music for the goose bumps. This recording epitomises Rock 'n' Roll. The better my system gets, the better this track rocks my inner world and forces my feet to tap. Pure Mojo. Makes me smile. What else is music for.

 

This Youtube link is the same recording - but you'd have to come to my place for coffee to hear what I mean 😉

 

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5 hours ago, tapatrick said:

I find recording quality more of an issue these days after setting up AL/NUC server and endpoint and I put more attention on choosing good recordings over tweaking. 

 

Watch developments at PS audio as Paul is bringing audiophile attention to the recording process....

 

The quality of the recording always has a huge impact.  I'm always looking for improvements there.

 

If you haven't read Floyd Toole's book I highly recommend it. 

 

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9 hours ago, atxkyle said:

I believe Roon ROCK is based on a minimalist Linux OS.  (Plenty of info about it on Roon’s website.)

 

It is similar, but having tried it, I found AL to easily exceed it. AL can run completely in ram, allows you to operate with no storage drives at all, and has many tweak options. Also ROCK is plug and pray, only officially supporting certain NUC models. AL can run on almost anything. I have run it on a Mac, a regular Windows desktop, a NUC, and a CAPS-like fanless box.

 

ROCK will probably meet the needs of many audiophiles but not the crazies that congregate here 🙂


"Don't Believe Everything You Think"

System

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10 hours ago, atxkyle said:

I believe Roon ROCK is based on a minimalist Linux OS.  (Plenty of info about it on Roon’s website.)

 

1 hour ago, mourip said:

 

It is similar, but having tried it, I found AL to easily exceed it. AL can run completely in ram, allows you to operate with no storage drives at all, and has many tweak options. Also ROCK is plug and pray, only officially supporting certain NUC models. AL can run on almost anything. I have run it on a Mac, a regular Windows desktop, a NUC, and a CAPS-like fanless box.

 

ROCK will probably meet the needs of many audiophiles but not the crazies that congregate here 🙂

 

I've gone back and forth with ROCK many times.  AL sounds better out of the gate.  I've never had a problem installing ROCK on anything, but that's only about 4 different hardware platforms.

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13 hours ago, mourip said:

 

Your system and mine probably have some similar qualities. We both have Topaz isolation, use Roon with AL, vacuum tube amps, and Omega Alnico speakers.

 

Ironically many of my favorite recordings are from the "Golden Age of Stereo" including RCA, Mercury, and Everest for classical and various other 50's and 60's jazz labels.

😎

yes indeed agreed about the golden age. We must have a similar taste and sound. It’s a big subject (unless we are only listening to live unrecorded music) and I’m not doing it justice by a short post but with this current set up (like yours) I am genuinely surprised by the variation in recording quality between one album and another. Previously I would have assumed my system wasn’t ‘there’ yet but now I know it’s mostly in recording quality.

 

Given how much time and money we all spend on improving our systems it’s still one part of the chain.  I think what PS audio is doing by focusing on recording electronics is very interesting. Maybe a small step now but hopefully will have a larger impact down the road. 

 

As as mentioned in an exchange earlier with @lmitche live recordings are especially magic due to the ability of the AL/NUC combo to extract dynamics and ambience from the recordings. 

Topaz 2.5Kva Isolation Transformer > EtherRegen switch powered by Paul Hynes SR4 LPS >MacBook Pro 2013 > EC Designs PowerDac SX > TNT UBYTE-2 Speaker cables > Omega Super Alnico Monitors > 2x Rel T Zero Subwoofers. 

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I am using NUC i7DNHE in a Akasa Plato xd case and I am hearing squeaking noise as if its running a fan inside if I put my ears close to case. This may sound a bit weird since there isn't any moving parts when I remove the fan to install it inside the fanless case. My other NUC CJY is dead silent like it should be. Does anybody has any experience like this ?

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