Building a DIY Music Server

[kelvinwsy]

1 hour ago, GUTB said:

After a few years with my first custom PC server, I'm stuck. The server itself is nothing special: consumer ATX motherboard, passively-cooled 7700k running Windows 10, Roon, HQPlayer and Fidelizer Pro. Chinese linear PSU running the 19v and motrherboard power, use of a simple USB-SATA splitter cable to isolate the SSD's 5v power to a USB charger in another room. Paul Pang USB card, one with the big OCXO powered off a USB battery pack. The LPSU is plugged into a regular outlet in my listening room, no further power conditioning or special cabling being used.

 

The issue is -- my vinyl setup is massively superior to my digital. I noticed this first when I dabbled in audiophile-grade vinyl playback with decent little starter system (MoFi StudioDeck, AT-OC9/III which I found online for under $500, an iFi phono) for around $2k. It was immediately evident that dynamic performance of the vinyl system was significantly better than my digital. This eventually lead me down a path of stepping up my vinyl game to see where it could go and I ended up with a system around $10k, which I think you'd consider a mid-range audiophile vinyl setup. In fact, it's still not complete, I have a sub-$400 Chinese tube phono. 

 

The "problem" is, this vinyl setup sounds much, MUCH nicer than my digital. There are some aspects my digital is still better: bass especially, but also resolution and quietness. Inner detail, especially with native DSD recordings. Sound staging is also better, with my vinyl often struggling to break free of my speakers. But the problem is, my vinyl sounds like REAL MUSIC. Powerful, stunning dynamics. It's like looking out through a huge picture window vs staring at a high resolution photograph. Frankly, the experience is no comparison.

 

So, I tried to bridge the gap. I thought maybe the DAC is the culprit. I have had various DACs. I picked up a Holo Cyan DSD and this unit provided exceptionally clear, detailed sound especially using HQPlayer upsampling and native DSD recordings, but now I wanted dynamic performance and the Cyan, along with my other various DACs, appeared to offer the OPPOSITE of that. So, I found a Canadian boutique tube gear manufacturer, Space-Tech Lab, who makes a big-bottle rectified + KT150 output tubed DAC.  The manufacturer promised me it was the closes you're going to get to analog at that price point ($3500 at the time). Sadly my hopes were dashed -- it was a very nice DAC and I'm still considering it to take over my main digital duty over the Cyan, but it did NOT raise dynamic performance anywhere near that of my vinyl!

 

So -- I'm stuck! I'm starting to question whether digital CAN match vinyl. So, some of you building an audio server my benefit from my experience, and if some of you have defeated the problem please let me know!

I too have this problem; my HQPlayer 10700k gives me very good digital sound as you describe above. My vinyl rig is a Clearaudio Avantgarde Magnum with a AudioTechnica AT33EV Moving Coil on a Satisfy arm, 

The sound is warm and inviting. However at the end of the day, it is not the pops and crackles even properly cleaned LPs produces, it is the lack of a proper repertorie of music that my tastes have gravitated to. So my existing(read legacy) collection - 300plus LPs of classic Rock, British NewWave, (recent additions of Blues, Jazz) just does not satisfy my musical tastes any longer. On the digital front, one can download almost any music genre under the sun. I have had LP's and CD's disappear that I ordered on line during this COVID-19 shutdown. Downloads always works. 

Sigh! It is inevitable passing of the age of physical media.

[kelvinwsy]

Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Ultra with intel 10700k in a Lian Li O11Dynamic Tempered Glass Case with nice LED Accented Fans in Push Pull setup with a Cooler Master MK360 All in One Cooler

[kelvinwsy]

Latest Push pull half speed fans on Cooler Master ML360 AIO

[kelvinwsy]

Passively cooled case build will be my next project! I always worry about Not just CPU but also VRM cooling. My previous 6700k lenovo rig had vrm overtemp which  led to CPU Voltage instability and Overclocking cutback! HQplayer asdme7 was stuttering!!

With this new build using a 360mm AIO and most fans separately on a NZXT Sentry 3 fan controller with its own ATX psu.. I hv almost unlimited fan speed control. Sometimes I can even switch off the room AC to just fan mode w/o any fear of overtemp

[kelvinwsy]

Nice build ..I hv a HDplex 500 watt Lpsu on my preorder list with Larry of Hdplex..😁

 

Turemetal UP10 latest case for my next total new build msybe with AMD CPU.. http://turemetal.com/product_en.html

This is on beta preorder on Taobao Mall

Suppose can do 140 watt CPU and 160watt GPU..

But these fanless cases for Hqplayer is bothering on the limit and cannot take the Nvidia 3000 RTX GPU's (I think?)

[kelvinwsy]

IMHO and trials shows  that the better the PSU the better the SQ! I have a RM550x powering all the fans in my i 10700k / Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Ultra, the Cpu with a RM650x thru the EPS connector and the MB powered by a HX850! Thinking that the ultra low ripple of the RM550x would give better SQ, I swapped this into the MB. The bass disappeared in my listening tests. The peak current of the Hx850 is 70amps while the Rm550 is only 50amps.. The Hx850 has overall better components and the VRM system of the Aorus Ultra MB needs big current input. I hv no more wish to get a  HDPlex 500 w LPSU.. Waiting to get a AX1200i to power my MB and move the Hx850 to the EPS !! 

[kelvinwsy]

Let me explain further my set up. First a typo 

The RM550x has only 45amp peak current on the 12V +ve rail

The RM650x has 54amps while the HX850 is 70amps

The overclocking K series needs amperes to work. Especially on a Z390/490 motherboard with good high current VRM capability. This is provided you feed it with lots of high quality current.

For overclocking i7 10700k /i 9 10900k and the 10th gen upcoming K chips, there is very little LPSU's that can provide this kind of juice!

It is possible and preferable to power the CPU through the EPS 12v connectors using a separate PSU. For this I use the RM650 and leave the MB powered by the HX850. 

Note that I have 2 SSD's powered by LT3045 1.5 amp power units. The Audiophile grade PCIE slot - USB card I use is the Clones Audio (Hong Kong Hifi brand) SHAAR USB3.0. This is powered by another 2 amp LT3045 power unit. So all the music producing components are powered by LT3045's. The VRM onboard the motherboard has pure 12v power coming from the HX850 on a single rail. 70amp peak into 55amp output from the VRM single phase output module. That gives the very potent bass on my Class A 30watt monoblock HP amps driving my Abyss AB-1266 phi/cc HP's.

The stereo separation, depth, height, instrument location, Vocals with Body and solidity are all improved greatly.

The RM550 drives the AIO pump, AIO fans and Case exhaust fans through 3 separate Fan PCB's I found on Aliexpress which only takes the PWM signal from the MB but allows separate power from a separate PSUs. I have 3 suction fans and 3 additional push fans on my Coolermaster 360 AIO in a Push Pull configuration driven by a separate fan header unit. All the fans are on half speed resistors and fan filters from Elfidelity. The MB has 2 PCIE power filters - I dont use Graphics card. JUst overclock the 10700k at 4.4ghz and drive the HQ Player 4.0 Desktop with ASDM7EC/ASDM 512 f+EC (Hqplayer 4.10 new modulators) - No stuttering and great low temps - CPU is at most at about 55 deg C on full 4.4ghz overclock.

Basically the fans are also all on flexible mounts and the panels in the PC case are all damped with bitumastic pads and rubber damping pads.

All the ATX psu's are Outside of the PC case. Even the MB PSU - I use a 18gauge extension ATX cable lead and is now outside the case. I took very extra care with Earthing the PCIE brackets and case to the Earth point on my DC/Ground filtered Power Conditioner.

The SQ is really great. So good that I have really no big urge to do any upgrades = Just enjoy the music.

Kelvin

[kelvinwsy]

Lian Li O11Dynamic ATX pc case with in built Light Show😊. Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Ultra with Corsair Hypex RAM c/w LEDs!!

The 3 ATX psu's are under the Display Screen with marble piece shielded with thick Copper and Aluminium sheets. The cables enter the PC case via the HDD hatch on the rear of the Lian Li case.. and i hve mumetal sheets to shield any emf/rf from the 3 PSU's. The SSD's are also outside of the PC case wrapped in mumetal and aluminum sheets and star grounded to PC case and ground point on the Power Conditioner..

2nd image shows 4 units of AC powered LT3045 psu.. i hv 2 more battery powered LT3045 psu.. the white metal case .. 1 is in charging cradle... total 6 in all.. 

[kelvinwsy]

Yes tricky and fussy wiring job but the Diy joy and big cost savings (I built the PC myself) over a commercial streamer makes it s no brainer... HQPlayer 4.10.1 playing with EC modulators .. Win Server 2019 core with AudioOptimizer 3.0! 

[kelvinwsy]

If u do not go fanless pc case route then u need to use this pc fan pcb device. See picture below!  U eliminate 90% of the fans impact on the MB power stability. Add on fan half speed resistors and u eliminate most of the PWM fan pulse noise!! Add on the Elfidelity fan filters and u are DONE!  Trust me .. U can hear the improvement in background blackness and silence! Ambience and decay are all enhanced . U hear the timbre of musical notes played and the subtle vocal tone variations so much clearer.

Of course if u can find an audiophile LPSU that csn pump out 70amps peak current then go for it! It will cost 5-7k USD at least?? My entire HQplayer tweaked to the Kelvin Extreme is under 3k USD. I hv cooling capacity to overclock to 5Ghz and csn install a RTX 3080 anytime.. No restictions as in a fanless case approach

[kelvinwsy]

Forgot to nention.. my pc fan noise is a low murmur in the background .. same level as my room Air Con unit. From I sit 15 feet away HP on.. i dont hear a thing😅

[kelvinwsy]

The Gallium arsenide transistors in the Corsair AX1600i woll sound evem better as switching frequency pushed up to 100Mhz and above way out of sound reproduction...better transient characteristics .. should sound noticeably better.. So saving up my pennies for One big jump to the AX1600i

[kelvinwsy]

I hv thought of this device too.. the fuse will likely slow the transient current delivery but my main concern is how to feed big current supply to the 12v connector? why not just use an extension 24pin ATX cable.

As for the 5v my LT3045 solution suits me more!

[kelvinwsy]

When will the Taiko ATX be on sale?

At what price?

You are right about filtering the AC Side of ATX PSU's . I forgot to nention I finally tamed the HF hash sand noise of the ATX psu's by plugging them into Acoustic Revive RTP -2 ultimate ..2 units I had spare from my tube TT system --. 2000USD of power conditioner for 3 Psu total cost of <600 Usd😅 But it worked

[kelvinwsy]

I hv the Aorus Ultra Z490 with the 10700k ! Overclockong is a breeze! You need to feed the MB VRMS with a ATX PSU of at least 850watt.. SQ with Hqplayer 4.13?? gives thumping bass, Soaring clean highs and very prominent Mids.. Great PRAT! Though wished i had paid more for tge Aorus Master with better VRMS! 

[kelvinwsy]

The problem that I have with the Aorus Ultra Z490 is that ONLY the lowest PCIe slot is compatible wiht 1x4 Audiophile USB PCIE plug in cards. I thought it was a driver issue or something similar. But with both of my SHAAR USB 3.0 and Matrix Elements  PCie cards, only the lowest slot will have the OS be able to identify the presence of the USB PCIE plug in card.

 

So for me it is not whether the PCIe card is linked to the CPU directly; first and foremost the USB PCIe card Must work. I have tried PCie riser cables, PCIe plug in extension cards etc etc... Only the lowest slot works. 

I tried it with the Ethernet plug in card TPLink Gigabit Pcie card - same result only works in the lowest slot. 

I see that the higher range ASUS ROG MB has a dedicated 1x4 PCIE slot. That will be what I would upgrade to for my next 11th Gen Intel PC. or a AMD 5900 PC...

 

 

[kelvinwsy]

The setting in the BIOS is supposed to give the user choice of backward compatibility with older PCE 1x4 and 1x8 devices. Tried the 3 options. None worked. Even bought a PCIE riser with extension card to try.. Only the lowest slot which is universal 1x4, 1x8 and 1x16 works with my PCIE usb cards/ethernet TPLink gigabit cards. So next MBO upgrade I go with ASUS.

 

[kelvinwsy]

Ok maybe I try that . Don't see why that should matter. USB Controller should read all USB/USB Compatible devices. I thought it was just WinServer 2019 OS I was using. I tried the USB PCIE cards in my Lenovo 6700k older PC running plain Win 10 PRO and it is only the 1x4 slots that will work. And also only the lower one 1x4 slot will work. 

And if I disable my USB that all my wireless switchboard and mouse will all stop working. No not a long term solution. I do not use the HQPlayer Server 4.0 in headless mode. Just direct USB Connection which I find that if you handle all the power filtering of the ATX PSU, SSD's all on LT3045 power direct injected, isolate all cooling fans/AIO on a separate power source only taking the PWM signal for control than the Direct Mode is VERY VERY punchy, excellent PRAT will no high frequencies hardness. Smooth soaring highs all the way.

I will try it anyway this weekend and report back. Not much hope either way.

Thanks for the suggestion - Not very comfortable doing a BIOS update - dont want to brick the PC and then I have to do a CMOS hard BIOS reset - All my software settings will be affected. UGH.... Let me see what happens this weekend...

[kelvinwsy]

19 minutes ago, ASRMichael said:

Hi

 

If one has 2 LPS, 1 for ATX & 1 for CPU. What is the best way to power them on? 
 

Start ATX first or vice versa? 

I have 2 ATX PSU's  to power the CPU and the ATX individually. From my simple trials. it does not matter as long as when the BIOS starts activating, the CPU must be fully powered. So I adopted the routine to power up the CPU and then the ATX. The bios always takes about 2-3 seconds to initiate the startup sequence so the CPU will be steady on state when it needs to be.

[kelvinwsy]

I think then the difference is the timing each LPS takes to reach stable 12v dc output. The ATX PSU's of course are standard PC PSU's and can power up in split seconds. Even then when I was using a HDPLEx 400W LPS to power the ATX and a Standard ATX PSU for the CPU/EPS, this CPU/EPS should also have to be powered on first. I guess the BIOS bootup characteristics and MB differs. I am using the Gigabyte AORUS Z490 Ultra. I dropped the HDPlex 400W LPs as it was not powerful enough for the upsampling I was doing for HQPlayer. Current output - peak was also too low. ATX psu's are more flexible and suitable for Intel 10th and 11th GEN 9900/10900/10700 K type CPUs at 4.5 Ghz and above overclocking.

YMMV of course