AudioLinux and NUC Troubleshooting and Tuning

[jcn3]

4 hours ago, jkelly said:

On that same update note...if my iPad running the Roon app says there is an Roon update - and I agree to update, will that update the RoonServer on Audiolinux? Or do I have to go to the audiolinux 2 menu and update there?

 

Yes, you can update Roon from within the app while running AL. Make sure you Save System if running in ram. 

[Aberrant-Decoder]

could someone explain to me the steps to use squeezelite player, as i think i may not be in possession of all the info.

 

I'm running AL, server + endpoint.  i enable squeezeplayer mode via the roon app (in settings). then, on the endpoint, AL Audio menu, i enable squeezeplayer and select DAC as 'FRONT' which refers to mscaler.

But the squeezeplayer end point is never found in Roon, it always just shows a searching screen.

 

Is there something more I need to do on the server?  I though I saw something about specifying the server name on the endpoint but i haven't seen how to do that.

[Aberrant-Decoder]

Also could someone briefly say what the difference between 'ram' and 'zram' is.  I've split my 16 GB up as 4 RAM, 12 ZRAM, then i tried to copy over my roon database but it was saying it was 7 GB (can that be right ? 12000 songs).  But after, I think AL does not run in RAM on the server anymore, is it because theres not enough RAM to hold the Roon database?

[Aberrant-Decoder]

Is there any value in disabling the onboard sound card and web came etc to lower IRQ interupts?  How would i do that?

 

Also what does lxqt stand for 🙂 ?

[Progisus]

I am using AL on Pi 4 with only naa active. After configuring ramroot for 1024 ram 2096 zram and enabling ramroot it will not load according to the ramroot status menu. enabked - no, configured - yes.

 

Any tips would be appreciated. 

[hifi25nl]

I should check first the drive used size (that will be loaded to zram) with

df -H

[Progisus]

Here are the results:

[audiolinux@raspberry ~]$ df -H
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
dev             2.0G     0  2.0G   0% /dev
run             2.1G  537k  2.1G   1% /run
/dev/mmcblk0p2   16G  4.7G   11G  32% /
tmpfs           2.1G     0  2.1G   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs           4.2M     0  4.2M   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
tmpfs           2.1G     0  2.1G   0% /tmp
/dev/mmcblk0p1  105M   45M   60M  43% /boot
tmpfs           403M     0  403M   0% /run/user/1000
[audiolinux@raspberry ~]$ 
 

Sorry but I don’t know what I should be looking at. My Pi 4 has 4 gb memory. 

 

Thanks

[hifi25nl]

As you can see you have 4.7 Gb used in linux ext4 partiton, more than available RAM!

Probably you have copied some files on the card.

In original installation Audiolinux should be about 2.7 Gb. In that case you should give at least 3 Gb to zram in ramroot configuration.

 

[Progisus]

Thanks... I will do a new install. 

[Progisus]

I reinstalled and got it too the 2.7 Gb. I configured as 1000 and 3000. Still shows as not running but configured.  On my NUC when booting with a monitor I saw an option to load to ram. I am running headless on the pi.  Is it showing this menu and I just miss it as I have no monitor connected? If so, can it be forced to load. Maybe 4 Gb is not enough. Sounds great in anycase.

[hifi25nl]

You could try first this configuration in /etc/ramroot.conf

#!usr/bin/ash

# mounts loaded to zram:
mounts_zram=''

# mounts ignored:
mounts_null=''

# prompt default:
ps_default=no

# prompt timout:
ps_timeout=5

# minimum Mb free ram:
ram_min=300

# minimum Mb free zram:
zram_min=300

# preferred Mb free ram:
ram_pref=500

# maximum Mb free ram:
zram_max=500

 

This way the iminum used RAM is 300 Mb and the minimum free space on zram virtual drive is 300 Mb

If the used space is 2.7 GB you will have a minimum used RAM total of 3.3 Gb and a maximum > 3.7 GB

After clean system

yay -Scc --noconfirm

disable ramroot
ramroot -D
reboot and re-enable it
ramroot -E

reboot

 

If nothing is working and you don't need to compile drivers or some application you can remove gcc and kernel headers:

yay -R linux-raspberrypi4-rt-headers gcc --noconfirm

 

 

[Progisus]

Thanks so much! That did it without removing gcc and kernel headers. 

[glitchesbrew]

Hi everybody. I'm new to the forum and to AudioLinux and I've just finished reading through this topic.

Thanks to the info contained here I've manage to install AL on my NUC and I'm using it as a NAA endpoint for HQPlayer desktop running on another machine. I've disabled literally everything I could in the BIOS (including Intel Speed Step, Hyper Threading and Turbo Boost), remove M2 and SSD drives and I'm able to RamRoot from a USB Pendrive.

 

I have few question though and I'm sure someone can help me answering them:

1 - I'm using a NUC7i5BNK with 8GB Ram in an Akasa Plato X7 case that I was using until now to run Roon Rock. Almost everyone here seems to use either the Celeron version or the NUC7i7. Is my NUC "sub-optimal" for whatever reason as a AL endpoint?

2 - I'm still using the stock PSU but I've read about the benefits of a good linear psu. I'm thinking about ordering a Paul Hynes SR4 (or I can stretch to a SR4T if the performance increase are worth). I see that a lot of you try to power the Nuc with a 12V psu instead that a 19V one. Is there a reason for that? Which one do you recommend me to get?

3 - How do you use the Realtime Test in AL menu? Is it a good metric to tell if you're config is moving in the right direction? I noticed that the first time I run it i always get better values something like Min:2, Act:2, Avg: 2, Max: 9. What should I aim for?

4 - In Show Configuration I see an entry that states: Network Priority Disabled. What is that about? Is it worth looking into it? Where do I start?

 

 

[hifi25nl]

@glitchesbrew

 

I will leave other to discuss these topics.

I want only to say that your realtime test result is very good! No need to change priorities.

 

[glitchesbrew]

3 minutes ago, hifi25nl said:

@glitchesbrew

 

I will leave other to discuss these topics.

I want only to say that your realtime test result is very good! No need to change priorities.

 

Thanks @hifi25nl. I usually run the test with a test time of 100000. Out of curiosity what's unit of those values? Is the Max field some sorte of variance?

[hifi25nl]

You have a max variance of 7 microseconds and an average of only 2

[glitchesbrew]

On 1/29/2021 at 7:42 PM, glitchesbrew said:

1 - I'm using a NUC7i5BNK with 8GB Ram in an Akasa Plato X7 case that I was using until now to run Roon Rock. Almost everyone here seems to use either the Celeron version or the NUC7i7. Is my NUC "sub-optimal" for whatever reason as a AL endpoint?

2 - I'm still using the stock PSU but I've read about the benefits of a good linear psu. I'm thinking about ordering a Paul Hynes SR4 (or I can stretch to a SR4T if the performance increase are worth). I see that a lot of you try to power the Nuc with a 12V psu instead that a 19V one. Is there a reason for that? Which one do you recommend me to get?

Anyone that wants to chime in about this two points? I'm about to place an order for an SR4T. Pretty please! 😛

[dctom]

I used a PH SR4 19 with my i7 NUC naa. Back in the day haha, romaz kicked off the novel way to improve SQ thread using 19v on his i7 NUC naa so that is what I used. Did not notice any improvement using 12v and using the lower voltage settings makes the PH 19 run warmer. I seem to remember the the general feeling was 19v was more dynamic. You should read the earlier section of "how to massively improve the sq thread, link below.

 

 

[glitchesbrew]

Thanks dctcom. May I ask you what are you using now as a Naa? My impression was that a great linear PSU paired with a wisely tweaked NUC7 was sort of state of the art. Now I'm curious :)

[dctom]

Like a lot of others have found, it varies from system to system ymmv, I use a high powered silent pc + vg power supply (in my case a SR7 T dual rail) server and don't use a naa anymore. This simpler connection has provided an improvement over naa for me.

[luisma]

On 2/2/2021 at 6:57 AM, glitchesbrew said:

My impression was that a great linear PSU paired with a wisely tweaked NUC7 was sort of state of the art. Now I'm curious :)

Like dctom stated every system is different,
I started with the high powered nuc powered by an LPs 12V, then added an endpoint (Allo bridge) powered also by the LPS (7V) there was an improvement, Allo stopped supporting some DACs on their old kernel so replaced the endpoint by a Celeron Nuc (12 V) sounded subjectively like the Allo, maybe not as good, replaced the whole system by a single high powered computer and sounded like the Allo maybe a little better, this PC without the LPS but the HDplex Atx power supply so that's what I'm running now, I think the USB shielding quality on a good motherboard surpasses the USB on the Nuc and IMO that makes more of a difference, I was planning to power the PC with an SR7DR but still waiting on that.

Let me say this, in my system and IMO the change I made that makes most of a difference keeping of course speakers Dac and Amp the same, it is HQPlayer, that have made more difference than power supplies and nucs, with the high powered computer I have access to "better" resampling. YMMV

 

 

[glitchesbrew]

6 minutes ago, luisma said:

Let me say this, in my system and IMO the change I made that makes most of a difference keeping of course speakers Dac and Amp the same, it is HQPlayer, that have made more difference than power supplies and nucs, with the high powered computer I have access to "better" resampling. YMMV

Thanks @luisma. I think the rest of my system is very transparent detailed.

I the Nuc is connected to an RME ADI-2 fs in Direct DSD. Then it goes into a Freya+ preamp and a Benchmark AHB2, and finally to a pair of Harbeth P3ESR 40th. If I use the freya+ in passive or jfet I hear absolutely no noise from the speakers (even with my ear against them). And well recorded music comes out with tons of details without brightness.

I run HQPlayer from a Mac Mini M1 upsampling to DSD256 with the new ASDM7EC modulators. As you say the improvement that HQPlayer is bringing to the game is massive. I feel it's like having a new DAC. But reading these topic, and others on AS I felt like I was missing out since it seems that good linear power supplies are the real deal.

 

[lmitche]

5 hours ago, glitchesbrew said:

Thanks @luisma. I think the rest of my system is very transparent detailed.

I the Nuc is connected to an RME ADI-2 fs in Direct DSD. Then it goes into a Freya+ preamp and a Benchmark AHB2, and finally to a pair of Harbeth P3ESR 40th. If I use the freya+ in passive or jfet I hear absolutely no noise from the speakers (even with my ear against them). And well recorded music comes out with tons of details without brightness.

I run HQPlayer from a Mac Mini M1 upsampling to DSD256 with the new ASDM7EC modulators. As you say the improvement that HQPlayer is bringing to the game is massive. I feel it's like having a new DAC. But reading these topic, and others on AS I felt like I was missing out since it seems that good linear power supplies are the real deal.

 

Over here most NUCs sound better powered at 19 volts. The 19 volt Paul Hynes Designs SR4 or SR4Ts work well, as do the Hdplex linear power supplies. I have several customers using the stock Intel power supply with 5 volt lps powered monoprice fiber USB cables with great success.

 

Recently I built a NUC with an Adnaco single SFP+ port and Adnaco USB remote.  This machine uses an high speed SDcard for boot and micro SDcards or USB HDDs for music storage depending on library size. SQ is terrific running Roon/Audiolinux.

[glitchesbrew]

43 minutes ago, lmitche said:

I have several customers using the stock Intel power supply with 5 volt lps powered monoprice fiber USB cables with great success.

 

Now that is interesting! I'll look into that, thanks!

[Aberrant-Decoder]

hi,whenever i assign a cpu to roon appliance, does that include the roon server,or is there a way to assign  cpu specifically to roonserver.  my setup is 1 pc as roon server,seezelie player out by usb to my dac.

thanks