Audiolinux Server configurations, Software, Hardware, and Listening Impressions

[ronfint]

Just a quick note to confirm that the nuc8i7hvk performs well with AudioLinux as a roon server upsampling to dsd512. I have it in low power mode, and it is running quietly (in my basement) and it's fairly cool. Core temperatures have been mostly in the high 50s to mid 60s (C). Unlike my MacBook Pro, there have been no dropouts. The roon processing speed when upsampling to dsd512 is 2.6x. On my MacBook Pro it was 1.6.

 

My only problem was learning the linux command to get my network interfaces running. (It's   ip link set interface up. Thanks, Piero.)

[ronfint]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I'm not using HQ Player. I'm only upsampling in roon. I may try HQ Player in the future, but I'd like to sit back and enjoy for a while.

 

In the bios I turned off everything that I don't use — which is almost everything. There was no speedstep setting that I could see. One feature in the bios that I might take advantage of in the future is the ability to undervolt vcore and uncore settings, but I don't want to bother with this unless core temperatures start to rise too much.

[ronfint]

8 hours ago, Ben-M said:

2. My DAC (T+A DAC 8 DSD) can only receive DSD512 via a Windows PC due to its generation of Amanero USB board. It cannot receive DSD512 via Linux, so AL is out until some later time that the DAC may be updated to do so.

 

My Lampizator dac is running Amanero F/W 2002b, and it does DSD512 flawlessly from Linux (sms200 ultra). So changing your firmware mght do what you want.

[ronfint]

41 minutes ago, Ben-M said:

I followed the development of the firmwares to resolve the incompatibility issues, but the 2002b version doesn't have any Windows compatibility. Ideally, I need both. 

 

Anyway, last I read about 2002b was that Linux compatibility at DSD512 was pretty good, but there were still people reporting clicks, pops, and dropouts intermittently. That's 100% not the case for you? 

 

I know this is a bit off topic, but do you have any further news on the Amanero firmware update process? I mean, any further details since about 3 months ago?

Not 100%, but maybe 95-98%, whatever that means. There is sometimes a click at the start of an album, and maybe a tic every so often, but nothing I can't live with. (After all, I was raised on vinyl.) You are correct concerning Windows compatibility. My DAC's datasheet only specifies DSD128 for Windows.

 

I'm sorry I haven't followed the Amanero firmware drama any further than 2002b, which came with my DAC.

[ronfint]

14 hours ago, LTG2010 said:

Here's a tweak to improve Roon and other audio players using alsa mixer, this degrades sound quality, Mpd and HQPlayer connect without alsa mixer.
To disable it:
Create a file in /etc directory:

asound.conf

the following parameters for the file:

pcm.!default {
        type plug
        slave.pcm hw

One immediate result of this is that all of the alsa mixer entries in Roon's settings>audio are now gone. I found them annoying; so that is already good. Second, this definitely improves clarity.  So thanks!

[ronfint]

9 minutes ago, hifi25nl said:

If you boot with a USB audiolinux stick  and use the clone option you can choose to use 100% space,  or only a part of it.

The remaining part will be formatted as another partition with label "Music" automatically.

If one does this and later on wishes to install a new version of AudioLinux, what would be the best way to install to the first two partitions and leave the “Music” partition intact?

 

Thanks!

[ronfint]

2 hours ago, hifi25nl said:

No you should have all cores at higher speed.

A customer asked me to experiment with different frequencies per core. 

 

You could try as root, for each CPU from cpu0

echo your_frequency > /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq

echo your_frequency > /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq

 

echo your_frequency2 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq

echo your_frequency2 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq

 

etc.

Piero,

 

After booting with audiolinuxBFQjail, can one use similar commands to do frequency scaling given that cpupower doesn't work to do that?

 

Thanks.

[ronfint]

Thanks, but at least for my CPU (Intel i7 8809G) isolating cores prohibits the script for CPU frequency scaling from working correctly. Piero confirmed this, I guess on his setup. I can either boot with BFQjail, and get isolated cores and CPU frequency set to 3.9 GHz — no matter what I try to set with the custom cpu frequency script, or I can boot into Extreme2, e.g., and then the frequency that I set with the custom script works, but, of course, no isolated cores.

 

For myself, I like choosing custom frequencies more than isolated cores. It seems to have a similar effect to setting VTA on a phono cartridge. It would be nice to have both, though. 

 

Can you get both to work simultaneously in your setup?

[ronfint]

1 minute ago, lmitche said:

Yes, I have both working simultaneously here on an i7-6700k and NUC7I7DNXX. Make sure you have the latest version of the pstate-frequency package.

I did update with yaourt -S pstate-frequency on Wednesday. I thought that I had both working together, but when I checked CPU frequency in the Status menu, I realized that it was not working.I also checked with  cpupower frequency-info.I then wrote to Piero who confirmed that I was correct, and he said that he would investigate. 

 

My above message was asking whether the commands involving echo your_frequency > /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq 

offer a work around.

[ronfint]

3 minutes ago, lpost said:

pstate-frequency doesn't work if I have 'Quiet n' Cool' disabled in bios.  It's AMD version of Intel SpeedStep.  

 

I adjust the mulitplier for CPU frequency in bios.  I find the slowest Ghz sounds the best in my system.  It's still plenty of HP for my use, a bit of low frequency eq and convolution filters (that I need to re-measure and update for dual subs).

 

Worth a try, checking SpeedStep setting.  I believe this is what allows for scaling.

 

 

Thanks very much. I do have Speedstep and Turbo on. pstate-frequency works fine for me, just not after booting to isolated cores.

[ronfint]

3 hours ago, JohanJ said:

I ask Piero so much and he always is so quick and patient in his answers, so a big compliment.

But now I have a question I really don't dare ask him.

When you open a menu item , at the right underside of the screen appears a percentage, like 28% or likewise.

I can't figure out what it possibly mean... anyone?

I think that in case you have not displayed the whole menu on your screen, it is telling you how far down you have scrolled.

[ronfint]

2 hours ago, hifi25nl said:

You could enable it, if you want, taking out # in front, only if isolated cores enabled:

echo 3 > /sys/bus/workqueue/devices/writeback/cpumask

In that case you should calculate the mask (now 3 equivalent to CPU and CPU1) with the calculator above for the cores not isolated

Sorry to be so slow, but is 3 the correct value for all cores but one isolated? That seems to be what you and the cited webpage are saying.

[ronfint]

1 hour ago, hifi25nl said:

3 is for CPU0 and CPU1, if all other cores are isolated (CPU2 CPU3 etc.)

 

If you have all cores less the first (CPU0) isolated, the right value should be 1 

Thanks. What has confused me is that the webpage you cited shows two CPUs per core. I’m trying to translate. 

[ronfint]

There are many roads to nirvana. This is why I do not trust those who claim to be able to linearly order roon servers, power supplies, dacs, etc. 

[ronfint]

1 hour ago, hifi25nl said:

The night of 31 October CET time... I will wait midnight

Will you be emailing passwords at that time?