Jump to content
IGNORED

whats left to do?


Recommended Posts

will keep overview simple.

 

1- I dont stream, only playback local CD quality rips

2- have a fanless slient PC with low spec 35W TDP motherboard (has no HDMI, no onboard GPU, no spdif etc) so potentially less inherent noise

3- Use LMS into squeezelite (both running on this PC) PLUS use Kodi to playback ISO rips of my music DVD's

4- Audio output is via USB into async USB DAC port

5- DAC powers USB receiver via its own internal power supply so am using a "data only" Jmaxwell usb cable

6- Motherboard uses a 19V DC input so am using a HDPLEX external LPS to power the motherboard and the two Samsung EVO sata drives (2TB each)

8- OS is a stripped down Fedora Linux

9- Pulse audio is removed to eliminate any "mixer" issues

10- PC isnt connected via ethernet to any network and uses low powered USB wifi dongle to support the LMS/squeezelite requirement to connect a TCP/IP stack and remote control of LMS/Kodi (if not using my flat sceen TV to browse content)

 

I did try a Ubuntu Mate USB based boot into a memory mounted OS (with user files located on permanent storage) but I found that Kodi playback was flakey.

 

Also, I know that there are a few specialized Linux OS'es available but the issue I see is most are USB boot based and lack any way to install/run Kodi or dont support LMS/squeezlite natively

 

Could potentially do some dual boot thing (USB for LMS and SATA boot for Kodi) but want to keep it simple.

 

So my question is: What's left to do, if anything with this setup.

 

Possible options are:

 

1- upmarket SATA data cables or some inline SATA noise filters

2- some external USB device that purports to clean up USB noise

3- Some unknown to me optimized linux that can run LMS/squeezelite/Kodi

4- Something else?

 

Thanks,

 

Peter

 

 

Link to comment

Depends on how far (or how crazy) you want to go. Read "A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio" thread.

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

Link to comment

you could try #2

 

replace speakers; room tmts. - use a UMIK-1; replace amp, pre-amp, DAC

 

find best releases of your favorite CDs - try HiRes

 

Uptone will allow you to return their units IIRC so you might try that if concerned about the SQ impacts of the USB

 

there are also a variety of $600 isolation transformers for the AC line, and spendy things too; Ghent makes good DC power cables for remote wall wart powered items

 

Link to comment
On 10/26/2019 at 1:00 PM, Ralf11 said:

you could try #2

 

replace speakers; room tmts. - use a UMIK-1; replace amp, pre-amp, DAC

 

find best releases of your favorite CDs - try HiRes

 

Uptone will allow you to return their units IIRC so you might try that if concerned about the SQ impacts of the USB

 

there are also a variety of $600 isolation transformers for the AC line, and spendy things too; Ghent makes good DC power cables for remote wall wart powered items

 

 

Room is well treated and obviously arent going to replace equipment... looking to maximise sound with what I have.

 

I have three phase power into my house (separate ground/netural for each phase) with one phase only for the listening room and use balanced 1:1 transformers and downstream Audience RT12 for filtering.

 

Because LMS and squeezelite run locally on same server and all files are local to the server, there are no wall warts in my system given I am not connected to any network (aside from wifi via USB)

 

This  weekend I did create a new USB memory boot image using a release of Ubuntu (Kubuntu 16.04 instead of Mate 18) , which included recompiling kodi and squeezelite natively plus some kernel tweaks and Kodi works reliably now.. so thats another tick in the box.

 

Have played around with real time kernels but as I am not headless they dont work with this.

 

But I will have a look at your suggestion of "Uptone will allow you to return their units IIRC so you might try that if concerned about the SQ impacts of the USB" 

 

Thanks

 

Peter

 

Link to comment
On ‎10‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 8:04 PM, ricko01 said:

So my question is: What's left to do, if anything with this setup.

See if you can borrow an Iso Regen to see if it offers a further improvement, which in most cases it will.

 You will get improved performance from the internal SSDs if you are able to further improve the +5V  power from the HDPLEX which is not particularly low noise. This will also further isolate interaction via the PSU.  This was verified by a friend who also used a HDPLEX who improved the power from the HDPLEX with further low noise voltage regulation. I can't however recommend anything in that area as we used a DIY solution which is not commercially available. Regulating the earlier model HDPLEX PSUs down to +5V from the adjustable rail was also known to cause overheating and damage to the HDPLEX, and happened to my friend's HDPLEX  (300W IIRC) .

Later models used overcurrent protection, and it should be known that their response to this failure was timely and very good customer service.

 

Alex

 

How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file.

PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020

Link to comment
35 minutes ago, sandyk said:

Regulating the earlier model HDPLEX PSUs down to +5V from the adjustable rail was also known to cause overheating and damage to the HDPLEX, and happened to my friend's HDPLEX  (300W IIRC) .

 

Alex

 

Thanks for that.

 

I have an early 100W HDPLEX which has fixed rail voltages (not the dialup/dialdown of the newer models).

 

works fine with powering the MB from the 19V and 5V for the two SSD drives.

 

If the Iso Regen does help then probably not worth moving to a better LPS or maybe if it does then that might indicate power supply issues so a better supply might have additional benefit.

 

Obviously one change at a time but with my simple setup and my recent move back to a memory resident OS, LPS quality and USB cleaning are all thats left.

 

Thanks again,

 

Peter

 

Link to comment

Peter

 The quality of the rips matters too. Not all CD/DVD/BR  writers are created equal either.

 A small improvement may even be obtained by using anti vibration methods for them, and a stable and low noise PSU yields further improvements. Everything matters ,as most members in this area of the forum (especially participants in Rajiv's thread) will tell you. 

Even the type and length of internal SATA cables can cause small audible differences Don't use the older generic SATA leads with 7 wires side by side for example, and use lengths no longer than necessary.

Ignore the "bits are bits" brigade¬¬

 

Regards

Alex

 

How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file.

PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...