Audiolinux Server configurations, Software, Hardware, and Listening Impressions

[lmitche]

The Linux 5.17 kernel SQ exceeds expectations.

[hifi25nl]

Some News...

 

07/06/2022 Menu 370/371
Added option 8 DOWNLOAD and INSTALL Audiolinux to another drive to system menu
This option will download and install Audiolinux to another drive (clean installation)
If you want instead to install the current running installation to another disk, you should select the option COPY/BACKUP

 

07/06/2022 New Audiolinux Raspberry version 2.4.0 with many packages updated and custom kernel realtime 5.15.44-rt46-2

http://www.audio-linux.com/html/rpi4.html

 

06/06/2022 New Audiolinux lxqt version 5.6.0 and headless 3.6.0 with kernel 5.17.1.17.realtime2-3 and many packages updated

http://www.audio-linux.com/html/headless.html

http://www.audio-linux.com/html/lxqt.html

 

Updated some kernels:
Last Audiolinux RT kernel is: linux-rt-5.17.1.17.realtime2-3 (stable)
Last Audiolinux AMD RT kernel is: linux-rt-amd-5.18.v.0-1 (first 5.18.x realtime kernel for zen 3 AMD processors and AL patches)
Last Audiolinux RT BFQ kernel is: linux-rt-bfq-dev-5.18.rt11-15 (with AL patches)
Last Audiolinux RT LTS kernel is: linux-rt-lts-5.15.40.43.realtime1-1 (very stable)
Last Audiolinux XANMOD RT kernel is: linux-xanmod-rt-5.15.43-1 (top latency performance, with AL patches)

[hifi25nl]

Audiolinux on Apple M1?

 

If you are interested on a version of Audiolinux for Apple M1 we can start development and release a version in approximately a month.
We need at least 12 users interested, When this number will be reached these users should pay in advance the minimum sum of 69$ (or more as a donation)
The advantage will be that this low price will be for an unlimited time version!
If interested please contact us at [email protected]

[hifi25nl]

Menu 375/376

added new options 4 HQPLAYER input configuration in Audio extra menu and 5 HQPLAYER streaming input enable/disable in Audio menu
You can send audio to HQPlayer from all audio players (including Spotify) not supporting UPnP or HQPlayer integration (as Roon or LMS)
Audio player -> Loopback hw:0,0 -> HQPlayer input Loopback hw:0,1 -> HQPlayer output to your DAC
After enabling Loopback with 4 HQPLAYER input configuration, you should reboot, start HQPlayer and select the new option 5 HQPLAYER streaming input in Audio menu
There you will be asked to set the sampling frequency of the source

 

I have also made some more tests (lxqt version).
A) RADIO: launching VLC and selecting Loopback as audio device Icecast radio 
are working

B) CHROME  if Loopack device is card 0, you can type in console

touch /home/audiolinux/.asoundrc

(note the .)
Edit.asoundrc with the following content

pcm.!default {
      type hw
      card 0
 }
ctl.!default {
    type hw
    card 0
}

After if you play a video or audio file in Chrome, it should use HQPLayer (if format is compatible)!

 

HOWTO FOR SPOTIFY:

 

1) Go to Audio extra menu -> 4 "HQPLAYER input configuration" and enable it
Please be sure that the package hqp-control2 is installed
You can check in console with
yay -Q hqp-control2
Eeventually run another time the option above or install it manually
yay -Sy  hqp-control2

2) Reboot (this way Loopback device should be 0)

3) Enable hqplayer

4) Go to Audio menu ->  5 "HQPLAYER streaming input enable/disable" and enable it
Set frequency for example to 44100

5) Edit the file (you can use File Editor in System menu or some other method) /home/
audiolinux/.config/spotifyd/spotifyd.conf
Be sure that you have username and password set
Here Spotify send correctly the audio to HQPlayer if he audio device is this one:
device = "sysdefault:CARD=Loopback"

6) Start Spotifyd with the option in Audio menu

7) Select audiolinux as output device in Spotify app on smartphone/Tablet etc.

 

 

[zouyu513]

Audiolinux and hqplayer have recently supported pushing from other players to the hqplayer by loopback. However, I found that the sampling rate of the audio stream pushed to upmpdcli will be automatically fixed at 44100. No matter how I change "hqplayer streaming input enable/disable" in audio menu and the "streaming source"  input page in the web interface of hqplayer, sampling rate is also fixed. The same problem is also happened in Roon-loopback-hqplayer. Has anyone found the same problem?

[hifi25nl]

Some of the most important news. For the full list go to website.  Already working on kernel 6.0!

 

Menu 383
ONLY ON AUDIOLINUX Added new option 3 INSTALL/UPDATE custom optimized kernel in Update menu
AUDIOLINUX CUSTOM REALTIME KERNEL INSTALLATION

 

This script will download, compile and install a custom realtime kernel based on x86_64_v3 architecture (if your CPU is supporting it) instead of x86_64 and specific optimizations for your Intel or AMD CPU.
This will increase performance up to 10-20% depending on your hardware.
You must have at least 9GB free on your Audiolinux installation. If not, you can build on RAM (minimum 16GB) or mount an extra drive with enough free space.
Due to the much work involved this is an extra paid option. You can buy it at

http://www.audio-linux.com/html/paypal/index.html

selecting Audiolinux extra options.

Note 1 : it is recommended to backup first your installation with the option in System menu or install custom kernel in a new test installation on USB drive.

For more information:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Arch-Linux-x86-64-v3-Port-RFC
https://www.phoronix.com/forums/forum/software/desktop-linux/1244867-x86_64-microarchitecture-levels-benchmarked
The kernel is also compiled with clang instead of gcc:
https://www.phoronix.com/review/clang12-gcc11-icelake

 

Menu 409
ONLY ON AUDIOLINUX: realtime priority system switched to the proprietary application rtpriority!
rtirq and rtapp will be removed
New configuration files are in /etc/rtpriority
You should exit from menu after update, restart it and reconfigure realtime priority with the options in System menu or Expert menu
Now is possible to give priority to the specific IRQ of your audio card instead of giving priority to all USB devices or internal cards. For this you should go to Expert menu -> 1 REALTIME MANUAL ASSIGNMENT configuration -> 4) Configure IRQ priority

[jram]

Thanks for the v4.0.

The kernel 6.0 works fine with Roonserver and Hqplayer Embedded (in root mode).

[pranabindu]

I ran 

/lib/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 --help

and the result was:

 

x86-64-v4

x86-64-v3

x86-64-v2 (supported, searched)

 

Please forgive my ignorance, but does that mean my CPU does not support x86-64-v3?  Thanks for your help.

[hifi25nl]

Yes, for v3 you should have

 

  x86-64-v4
  x86-64-v3 (supported, searched)
  x86-64-v2 (supported, searched)

 

[jram]

Hi,

I've tried to disable eth and USB powersaving with 420 menu. It's not working, the file /opt/configuration/nopowersave.conf doesn't exists.

[hifi25nl]

Thanks for reporting...

 

Menu 421
Added missing nopowersave.conf for option 19 NETWORK/USB power saving

[jacobacci]

Linux noob here. I have a question re ramroot configuration. I have 8GB  of RAM in my system and I am using Roon bridge. What are the optimal values to input in the ramroot config menu for RAM and zram?

This information is probably somewhere in this 59 page thread, so excuse if I asked the obvious.

[dctom]

For some reason my audiolinux server with HQ desktop will not communicate with remote computer with HQ client, so cannot control HQplayer  remotely. Both machines on the same network. Network is ok have internet.

[stefano_mbp]

1 minute ago, dctom said:

HQ desktop will not communicate with remote computer with HQ client

Which OS is running on remote computer with HQP client?

[dctom]

4 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

Which OS is running on remote computer with HQP client?

Windows on the client, it has worked fine in the past. Just since recent menu update issue has occurred. 

[stefano_mbp]

Just now, dctom said:

Windows on the client

Check the Windows network type, it should be Private.

If it is Public any inbound connection will be refused 

[dctom]

4 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

Check the Windows network type, it should be Private.

If it is Public any inbound connection will be refused 

 

Thanks Stefano - it is on private network. Have the same issue when I tried HQPD control on my mac?

[hifi25nl]

1 hour ago, jacobacci said:

Linux noob here. I have a question re ramroot configuration. I have 8GB  of RAM in my system and I am using Roon bridge. What are the optimal values to input in the ramroot config menu for RAM and zram?

This information is probably somewhere in this 59 page thread, so excuse if I asked the obvious.

 

In Audiolinux minimum RAM recommended for ramroot is 16GB

However is possible to make it work if the used space is not too much.

 

-> You can go to console and type

df -H

You should check used space on the line with /

ZRAM (the virtual hard disk) must be more than used space to leave a good amount of free space, otherwise the system will break the first time you press SAVE system.

 

In general you could try 6500/7000 for ZRAM and 1500/1000 for RAM but if you are using Roon I do not recommend to enable ramroot with only 8 GB because of Roon library size. 

[stefano_mbp]

Have you tried using HQPDControl V4 app on smartphone/tablet? Does it work?

[dctom]

17 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

Have you tried using HQPDControl V4 app on smartphone/tablet? Does it work?

 

yes tried phone and tablet, no luck.

 

[stefano_mbp]

12 minutes ago, dctom said:

 

yes tried phone and tablet.

Does it work? If not, are you able to use the local HQPlayer Desktop UI (ie is HQPlayer running)?

[stefano_mbp]

@dctom are they on the same subnet?

[dctom]

thanks - will have to check that out.

[hifi25nl]

Note that you should have AL menu updated and probably you should also re-install last HQPlayer version.

This will fix some library problem (Audiolinux is using more recent libraries...)

[dctom]

1 hour ago, hifi25nl said:

Note that you should have AL menu updated and probably you should also re-install last HQPlayer version.

This will fix some library problem (Audiolinux is using more recent libraries...)

 Thanks

Have updated system and HQplayer, still no connection with HQPclient and HQPD control.

not sure how to find subnet on the AL machine?