seeteeyou Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 OK, here's the answer for a few bucks https://buy.tbfocus.com/item.php?id=629199442290 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=629199442290 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted February 26, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 26, 2021 3 hours ago, Gavin1977 said: By the way, I moved on from NUC to a custom server - I now use a Corsair SFX750. Sounds pretty good to me, but I bet you that the better quality power supply still wins. Corsair SFX750 is just a decent stopgap to true linear IMO. IMHO it's still a viable alternative for those of us who just wanna have a glimpse of what Taiko Audio Server + custom ASIO driver for Thesycon / XMOS really is all about once they're available at some point. Maybe not everyone would go for that Taiko ATX + PSU + chassis + heat sinks + USB card combo (for obvious reasons) while in theory the "bare minimum recipes" should be no slouch 1 ✕ chassis (active cooling) for motherboards with EEB form factor 1 ✕ Asus WS C621E SAGE motherboard + 1 ✕ ATX PSU for feeding 24-pin ATX 1st Xeon Silver octa-core CPU + 1 ✕ ATX PSU for feeding primary 8-pin EPS 2nd Xeon Silver octa-core CPU + 1 ✕ ATX PSU for feeding secondary 8-pin EPS Active cooling solution for 2 ✕ CPUs @ 85W TDP 1 ✕ Windows 10 IoT 2019 LTSC License 1 ✕ USB DAC / DDC with Thesycon U-HEAR or XMOS XU-208 / XU-216 etc. The whole point here really is all about getting something that's gonna be able to run TAS without having to break the bank, while IMHO it might be very difficult (if not impossible?) to achieve the same level of SQ by opting for a different config (i.e. nothing else is able to run TAS) with a single AMD EPYC / Ryzen / Threadripper or Intel Xeon / Core processor. Of course we could always figure out what components could be upgraded / replaced down the road. Gavin1977 and Exocer 2 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted February 26, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 26, 2021 Remote control via Baseboard Management Controller on WS C621E SAGE motherboard ⬇️ Network disconnected ⬇️ Optane SSD installed on specific PCIe slot (directly connected to primary CPU) ⬇️ Reading file(s) off Optane SSD ⬇️ Decoded by TAS (primary CPU) ⬇️ Going through loopback interface via Ultrapath Interconnects ⬇️ Transferring to XD Player (secondary CPU) ⬇️ USB card installed on specific PCIe slot (directly connected to secondary CPU) ⬇️ USB cable ⬇️ USB DAC / DDC with Thesycon U-HEAR or XMOS XU-208 / XU-216 etc. It really ain't about installing another CPU for the sake of adding extra power, as always the online upsampling part should be entirely optional. The purpose of having that secondary Xeon Scalable should be all about connecting server (e.g. HQP or TAS etc.) to the client (NAA or XD Player etc.) via this loopback interface https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/30/?tab=comments#comment-1079668 On 9/16/2020 at 1:25 AM, Nenon said: The last experiment I've done, inspired by @austinpop and @romaz was to install HQplayer with affinities on one CPU and NAA with affinities to the other CPU. It's good to have two processors! I also created a loopback interface with ipv6. And I used ipv6 via the loopback interface to stream from the HQP to NAA. No upsampling, just using HQP as a bit perfect player. This brought the server that was sounding so great already to yet another level. Everything sounds so effortless now. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/52/?tab=comments#comment-1097181 On 12/19/2020 at 2:14 AM, ray-dude said: I have been having a LOT of fun with this combo on my Extreme. My recommendation is to carefully study the block diagram. All the answers are there, and become VERY obvious as you play around with CPU affinity, memory affinity, I/O affinity, etc, and balance priorities. Stunning what an impact even the smallest tweaks make to SQ. As a hint, pay very close attention to which PCIe slots have affinity to which CPU, the UPI channel between CPUs, and the affinity of built in I/O to CPU1. As you get to next level, pay attention to the affinity of memory to each CPU. This block diagram is the roadmap to design and balance processing and playback. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/57/?tab=comments#comment-1101296 On 1/9/2021 at 7:43 AM, Nenon said: - The motherboard onboard NIC, all Windows processes, and HQP all assigned to one CPU. - The Optane card for the OS is physically placed on a PCIe slot connected to the CPU above. - I have my USB card physically placed on a PCIe slot directly connected to the other CPU and assign NAA and any other audio related processes with affinities to that CPU. It makes a difference! https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/70/?tab=comments#comment-1106136 On 1/31/2021 at 8:02 PM, Nenon said: The more important factor in my system is to separate the USB card and the NIC on different CPUs and to optimise the interaction between the OS and NIC I also mentioned why it's necessary to connect both server / client sides with Ultrapath Interconnects between a pair of Xeon Scalable (i.e. inside the same box + on the same motherboard) instead of having two separate boxes https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/35/?tab=comments#comment-1083511 Finally here's another post with quite a few links that described what's so striking about the TAS + custom ASIO driver combo https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/61996-preferred-out-and-input-route/?tab=comments#comment-1109935 And then we don't even have to own an expensive DAC to begin with https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-286#post-700196 Quote In general when you pass the 10-12.000 EURO retail DAC pricing range, it virtually always comes with a XMOS or U-hear controller based interface, and nowadays it's even often found in cheaper DACs as more and more manufacturers are starting to notice interface controller quality can have a significant impact on sound quality. Exocer, jean-michel6, vhs and 2 others 1 1 3 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted February 27, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2021 FYI - here's another Gallium Nitride (GaN) option with 500W / DC 28V output to either Taiko ATX or HDPLEX 800W DC-ATX etc. https://product.tdk.com/info/en/catalog/datasheets/pfh_e.pdf https://product.tdk.com/info/en/products/power/tec_data/ps_pfh.html https://www.transphormusa.com/en/news/tdk_lambda_pfh500f_power_module/ 250 bucks for the module and 500 bucks for the evaluation board respectively https://power.sager.com/tdk-lambda-pfh500f-power-supply.html https://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/pfh500f-series/79643 https://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/pfh05w-evaluation-test-boards/83877 vhs and Gavin1977 2 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted February 28, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2021 https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/72/?tab=comments#comment-1107076 FYI - pretty interesting results since 4️⃣ (optical USB 2.0 isolator as I quoted above) looked quite stellar to me? 1️⃣ (PC) = direct output of USB port 2️⃣ (Iso-1) = unknown isolator added to 1️⃣ 3️⃣ (SCHIT) = Schiit Wyrd added to 1️⃣ 4️⃣ (BW) = optical USB 2.0 isolator added to 1️⃣ https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/usb-5v-measurement/ Already sold out at the moment, it ain't too bad for roughly 225 bucks plus another $50 for the Chakra 5V PSU http://www.erji.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=2218628 That audiophile in China was totally impressed by the microdynamics and layering etc. Gavin1977, kyoya78 and vhs 2 1 Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 2 hours ago, Gavin1977 said: Very interesting - $500 for the evaluation board kinda kills it though. It doesn't have the right connector (i.e. 6-pin for HDPLEX etc.) but replacing the entire DC cable should be OK for this $150 PSU https://www.coolgear.com/product/300watt-24v-gan-switching-power-adapter Gavin1977 1 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted February 28, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2021 1 hour ago, Gavin1977 said: That is a very high quality power brick - but it's ripple and noise are still way higher than a Paul Hynes or Shaun Jacobs. If the Taiko DC-DC ATX is as good as described with regards to noise and ripple rejection then it will be interesting how it performs with a SMPS like this. Like Nenon says though, the Taiko DC-DC is so transparent it will sound different depending upon what is used to power it. IMHO that's more like comparing apples to oranges, I just meant to find something that won't breaking the bank while still being able to get a glimpse of TAS as I mentioned earlier on this thread. If we're having that kinda budget, by all means go for the entire DIY package from Taiko Audio since that's supposed to be the "Holy Grail" for now. In the end it's just matter of having an alternative for those us who might be getting hurt by the ongoing global pandemic, recovery could take quite a bit of time. And then there's always something else out there that could bridge the gap by quite a bit, up to 10A in this case https://www.belleson.com/sphpappnote.php https://www.belleson.com/store/SPHP-High-Power https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/battery-power-for-router.25835/#post-540824 Quote The result: µV levels of noise, and ultra low output impedance to my router. I compared to a full linear also with Belleson regulation and there was no difference. Up to 6A https://www.mpaudio.net/product-page/aws-hpuln-ps http://toukiyakoneko.web.fc2.com/High_Current_Ultimate_Low_Noise_Power_Supply-DOZEN_Circuit_Graphics_and_Parts_List.html Up to 5A https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=620730645365 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=621194139045 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=630808013093 https://www.mpaudio.net/product-page/als-hpuln-ps https://www.mpaudio.net/product-page/lsib-hpuln-ps Up to 3A https://www.mpaudio.net/product-page/als-hpuln-ps https://www.belleson.com/store/SPX-Max-Performance https://www.ldovr.com/product-p/dxp-3a0dscombo.htm https://www.mpaudio.net/product-page/msw-hpuln-ps-single-rail-3a Of course LT3045 itself couldn't accept anything higher than 20V at all, let's be VERY cautious. And then LT3045 won't be able to provide more than 15V output, while HDPLEX 800W DC-ATX would require at the very least 16V to begin with. LTG2010, Gavin1977 and vhs 2 1 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted March 1, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 1, 2021 https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/623/?tab=comments#comment-1021453 On 1/16/2020 at 6:01 AM, dminches said: The woman from whom I have been ordering is Grace Wong. [email protected] https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/25/?tab=comments#comment-1072858 On 8/9/2020 at 7:54 PM, dminches said: Write to Apacer directly. [email protected] vhs, Exocer and Downtheline 3 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 2, 2021 https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-323#post-707368 Quote I have created a flowchart to visualize the building blocks which make up TAS in an attempt to increase understanding of what is going on where. The green blocks are all our own code and/or under our control. The red blocks is not our code and/or not under our control. I will now describe each block and it's purpose individually. Starting with our own developed code: 1) "My Taiko Cloud" is a webserver hosted on the internet which enables functionality like discovery of the Extreme on your local network by the Taiko remote control app and it can host future TAS software updates which can be installed from the Taiko remote control app. 2) The "Taiko Remote Control App" provides the interface to remotely control the Extreme 3) The "Communication Protocol" is a secure protocol we designed to allow the remote control App and the Taiko Cloud to interface with the Extreme and to control all internal processes without any negative effects on Sound Quality. We had to design a new protocol from scratch as all the existing ones, like telnet and ssh for example, turned out to have quite an influence on Sound Quality. This protocol is partially responsible for negating negative influences from your network environment. 4) The "File Treatment Protocol" negates differences in where your files are sourced from and how they were created. It very significantly improves Sound Quality as a cherry on top, even of files on local storage. This part of TAS is responsible for the delays before a track or a batch of tracks start. 5) The "Serial Play Bridge" makes the "File Treatment Protocol" pre process one file at a time and then feeds that file to the "Extreme Direct Player". 6) The "Batch Play Bridge" makes the "File Treatment Protocol" pre process up to 25 files at a time and then feeds those to the "Extreme Direct Player", this causes a larger initial delay then the "Serial Play Bridge" but it will be able to play an Album gapless, the gapless feature is a phased development as we are working to make this to sound as close as possible to the "Serial Play Bridge". 7) The "HQPlayer bridge" is similar to the "Batch Play Bridge" but it places files into the HQPlayer playlist Queue in stead of feeding them to the "Extreme Direct Player". 8) The "Extreme Direct Player" is the file playback engine, aka "The Player" which plays files and outputs to the selected ASIO driver. 9) The "Taiko ASIO driver" is the driver which drives the output, typically USB but it can also drive AES/EBU or ASIO network protocols. Quote from wikipedia.org: Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) is a computer sound card driver protocol for digital audio specified by Steinberg, providing a low-latency and high fidelity interface between a software application and a computer's sound card. 10) The "USB firmware" controls the USB controller which we have under our control with our USB card scheduled to arrive here tomorrow, shipping to customers in a few weeks. External code used, not under our control: 1) HQPlayer software, its main function is Realtime up-sampling. 2) Vendor supplied ASIO drivers, we have developed some means to control it / enhance its behaviour, but that control is limited to supported functionality. 3) Logitech Media Server and its Tidal and Qobuz plug-ins. This indexes and serves your music, provides metadata and is what you are currently using to browse and select the music you want to play. It therefor currently defines the look and feel of TAS. We are going to replace this with our own server application, but this will be relative large project and this will take time, not as much as it took us to develop and code the 10 parts listed above, but a considerable project nonetheless which now has to timeshare its development with support for over 100 BETA users. As you can understand we are willing to change some bits and pieces of code of Logitech Media Server to remediate the most urgent quibbles, but we are not putting significant resources into this particular part of TAS as we are going to replace it entirely a few months down the line. We are fully aware of its limitations, especially when compared to Roon, hence TAS will remain BETA code until we finish coding our own server application. I hope this provides more insight into the TAS project and environment, and to where we are heading. IMHO it's unlikely to find something else that could have the potential to beat THAT kinda USB chain, maybe the only exception would be Wadax Akasa Reference Optical System Connection? https://www.audioexotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Wadax-Atlantis-Reference-Dac-Review.pdf#page=7 Quote As good as the Atlantis Server is, Wadax is preparing to ship the Reference Server, which will have the same form factor and size as the Reference DAC’s main unit, with a price likely to be commensurate with that of the Reference DAC. It will use a proprietary optical interface, realized with an optical module inserted into the Reference DAC. Wadax plans to send me one—I’ll have a follow-up report in a future issue. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-284#post-699544 Quote Gavin1977, Exocer and lwr 1 2 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted March 7, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 7, 2021 Broadcom Opens Up Chips With SDK https://www.futuriom.com/articles/news/broadcom-opens-up-chips-with-sdk/2018/01 https://github.com/Broadcom-Network-Switching-Software https://www.facebook.com/groups/1666878710260500/permalink/2874965776118448 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1666878710260500/permalink/2887367801544912 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1666878710260500/permalink/2888886371393055 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1666878710260500/permalink/2898887480392944 Apparently a local audiophile here in Hong Kong got his hands on Broadcom SDK and did something very naughty, DELA / Melco S100's ROM was "transferred" to Buffalo BS-GS2016 accordingly and the rest was history. I guess it's gotta be a piece of cake for @Nenon to get that done as well? https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/51/?tab=comments#comment-1096974 On 12/18/2020 at 5:40 AM, Nenon said: The 900P is different series. They are not bad, but the P4800X sounds better. I compared the two in my system. Oddly enough Extreme users report no difference between the Intel 660p and Optane 900p. That is not my experience. That is all on Windows. With Linux / Euphony these tests need to be redone. Did anyone give P5800X a shot yet? https://newsroom.intel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2020/12/Enable-Unprecedented-Storage-Value-with-Intel-Optane-SSD-P5800X-David-Tuhy.pdf Speaking of latency, why don't we PXE boot LTSC 2019 (via Ultra OCXO PFBuffalo) into Apacer wide-temperature RAM instead of running Windows off Optane P4800X? https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/691/?tab=comments#comment-1072512 On 8/7/2020 at 3:40 PM, Nenon said: You can do that same test in my system, and although you disconnect the cable while playing, the buffered tracks using the switch with the upgraded clock sound much better. In other words, even if you disconnect the network cable, whatever good or bad things your network does is already embedded in the buffered track somehow. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/26743-running-win-os-purely-in-ram/ On 1/27/2016 at 10:18 PM, manisandher said: Running the OS purely from RAM has provided a quantum leap in SQ. Whether this is down to the increased speed or decreased noise, or a mixture of a lot of things, I have no idea. But the result is dramatic. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/59138-subjective-comparison-of-software-music-player/page/5/?tab=comments#comment-1097768 On 12/22/2020 at 10:07 AM, manueljenkin said: I uninstalled my apogee dac driver and reinstalled it on the RAMDisk. And now everything made started falling in to place. The 8khz hiss on all the three players reduced drastically and the bass improved a lot. Exocer and kyoya78 1 1 Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 https://www.xingcore.com/resource/XingCore_UsbAudio_v4.86.0.exe https://www.xingcore.com/?page_id=12 Quote PCM 1.536MHz (bi-stream) FYI - just found this alternative for Chord fans (without the blessings of Thesycon U-HEAR / XMOS) who might benefit from this potential solution — it could still get a chance to take advantage of the custom ASIO driver from Taiko Audio https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/361176-purchase-usb-i2s-converter-2.html#post6373052 Quote You see, I am not theorizing. I bought several (well, more than several) USB boards to evaluate. Same for dac boards. Reverse engineer most of them, sketching out circuits from following traces and ringing out connections with a meter. Many listening tests performed too. After enough time and effort invested, one gets to know a lot about how dacs, USB boards, etc. are designed just by looking at at pictures of them. https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/361176-purchase-usb-i2s-converter.html#post6366228 Quote Best sound quality I have found is either I2SoverUSB or the latest Chinese USB board with Accusilicon clocks. The latter board can be found at: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001033056460.html Also, JL Sounds makes an optional oscillator board that allow use of alternative clocks with I2SoverUSB. There are clock footprints that can work with Crystek 975 or the large case size Accusilicon AS318-B. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/singxer-su-6.902272/page-25#post-15997150 Quote I'm now using this new board with the most expensive clocks option. Denafrips actually licenses the XING hardware. It's easily one of the best DDC I've had. I guess that latest Chinese USB board could be somehow mounted next to the Taiko USB card? Though we still have to convert its I²S output into DX outputs (i.e. 16fs) and here's another example with ComTrue CT7601 https://audiowise-canada.myshopify.com/products/src-dx-usb-to-dual-spdif-interface Owners of other non-Thesycon / non-XMOS DACs with an I²S input might also consider going that route by adding BridgePi + FifoPi + TransportPi (or HDMIpi) https://github.com/iancanada/DocumentDownload/tree/master/Adapters/BridgePi https://github.com/iancanada/DocumentDownload/tree/master/FifoPi https://github.com/iancanada/DocumentDownload/tree/master/TransportPi https://github.com/iancanada/DocumentDownload/tree/master/HDMIpi Exocer 1 Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 FYI - it's pretty hilarious that quite a few copycat switches were "inspired" by this thread below G-Switch auf Basis des Zyxel GS-108B v3 https://www.aktives-hoeren.de/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=11581 https://community.naimaudio.com/t/english-electric-8switch/8345/1095 Quote Then offer it themselves–with an inexpensive upgraded clock replacing the $0.30 oval crystal–as the Silent Angel Bonn N8 at €400. Quote They also offer it in a nicer case to other manufacturers, still with exact same circuits and clock. Here it is as the Nuprime Omnia SW-8 at €499 Quote And then as here it is branded by English Electric as the 8Switch £450 (note currency change & difference) but ships with a 0.75m C-Stream cable worth £40. https://community.roonlabs.com/t/value-of-audiophile-network-switches/129611/207 Quote It is actually the same as a ZYXEL GS-108B v3, and many many more. ThunderData is a small OEM manufacturer in Guangdong, China. They designed a basic switch. Here is the board. It is pretty simple, nothing fancy, probably not more than about $30 assembled. OTOH, his €4,165 JCAT M12 Switch Gold might not be necessary anymore https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/656/?tab=comments#comment-1053701 On 5/22/2020 at 3:11 PM, darkfrank said: I must say that even I'm already using the Telegartner M12 switch, by using ROON to play local file only, unplug the network cable still improve the SQ for about ~20%. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/61249-the-ultimate-network-solution/?tab=comments#comment-1108489 On 2/10/2021 at 10:43 AM, darkfrank said: Yes, I tried this method and its the best method that SQ is almost as same as to unplug the network cable. Since I only play local files, I installed a second JCAT Femto net card on my normal PC, enter a separate subnet other then the Internet and connect to my server though a Lan cable. Install the ROON remote on this normal PC, create a pair of .bat file to enable network adapter>start ROON UI, select songs as usual, then click another .bat file to kill ROON process and disable network adapter. http://www.headphoneclub.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=737776&page=5#pid5303362 Quote 小弟現在已經連交換機都不需要用了,買了一個貝爾金的Lightning轉RJ45轉換器,直接從專機JCAT網卡拉網線到轉換器上,再通過一根2米的Lightning線接到IPad/Iphone上作遙控。 這樣你手機選完歌后扔一旁,立刻就自動斷網了,干擾為零 聲音嘛,明顯比接上M12的時候更通透純淨,少了一層紗霧,也去掉了接上網絡周邊時線電、電源線、接地等帶來的各種附加染色。 http://www.headphoneclub.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=737776&page=5#pid5304013 Quote 由於iphone/ipad待機的時候會把外設斷電,所以轉接器甚本上是處於關掉的狀態。 就算不拔那根Lighting線,在Windows上的網卡上顯示為斷開 聽感上拔掉心理作用上會好點,但實際應該沒啥區別 Once M12 Switch Gold was gone, it's obvious to notice the increased transparency / purity of the sound. There's one less layer of fog, while getting rid of the coloring of PSUs / power cables / grounding for those network peripheral devices. Basically he simply connected a network cable plus this Belkin adapter to his Apple device and picked some tracks to play from local storage https://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F8J227/ https://9to5mac.com/2019/02/04/belkin-ethernet-lightning-adapter/ Then iOS was put to sleep and the status of JCAT NET Card FEMTO on the other end was changed to "Disconnected" afterwards. Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted March 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 13, 2021 On 3/5/2021 at 4:07 AM, Nenon said: Taiko's new USB card: Source: https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-325#post-707914 https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-329#post-709331 Quote The retail price has turned out higher then what we originally aimed for at EURO 1600 excluding sales tax where applicable, but I do feel it's performance more than warrants its price tag. I expected that would cost around 2,000 bucks since it should be able to beat everything else out there, and then it's also mighty interesting to read this Quote I will not disclose specs but it exceeds the performance of a reference OCXO which on its own exceeds the entire USB card retail price, without the use of an oven! PCIe cards don't require an extra USB cable so that's something to be taken into consideration, and then it's also important to pick the right CPU-direct PCIe slot when we're running a pair of Xeon Silver processors. Once we've added that USB card, expensive switches could be replaced by MUCH more affordable ones Quote An unexpected side effect I did not anticipate is it dramatically changes the equation on the networking side of things. Where we managed to achieve a significantly reduced audibility of network components used in TAS, the USB card changes the equation. My favourite (currently available) switch for example is the Telegartner Gold M12 with its supplied CAT7 network cables, however with the USB card in the Extreme, it deteriorates performance compared to a standard Netgear GS108 switch with a standard CAT5/6 unshielded network cable, muting top end extension, decreasing overall clarity and detail levels and reducing dynamic impact and sound staging abilities. NanoSword, Exocer and lwr 1 2 Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 https://linustechtips.com/topic/1211595-true-phase-vrm-or-less-phase-with-doubler/ Quote Iirc, to get power to the cpu, using less phases and doublers makes it cheaper, but less stable power delivery and produces more heat. It's basically a way to cut costs. More phases are expensive, but is more efficient and more stable. World’s First 16-Phase Direct Power Design X570 AORUS XTREME https://www.aorus.com/First-16-Phase-Direct-Power-Design.php Quote It’s important to note that this isn’t any 16-phase power design. It’s a direct 16-phase design and this is achieved without the use of any doublers at all. The direct design means that 16 direct signals are coming from the PWM chip, allowing for more stable voltage. There's a fairly comprehensive list here https://linustechtips.com/topic/1137619-motherboard-vrm-tier-list-v2-currently-amd-only/ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Smj5dh97n32wJqm5dkdDcQt8ID7vH52-lKzaaXUUQx8 Topk 1 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted March 23, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 23, 2021 Let's understand what it really is, DisplayPort Alt Mode should require hardware / BIOS support and therefore we don't wanna assume that all USB-C ports are created equal https://www.displayport.org/displayport-over-usb-c/ Check the manual of motherboard and find out if DisplayPort Alt Mode were actually supported, otherwise nothing video-related would go through the USB-C port to begin with. And then there's something else called DisplayLink, though not sure if that were any good for the specific purpose of getting past POST https://www.displaylink.com/products/usb-monitors Exocer and Gavin1977 1 1 Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 If there were no power delivered to the integrated graphics in the first place, how do we expect DisplayPort Alt Mode to work? Well, I guess that some of us (i.e. not everyone) could somehow figure out a way to "modify" the motherboard for that? https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/9481/asus-maximus-xii-extreme-intel-z490-motherboard/index.html Quote There is no iGPU power Seems very solid & nice - for non-gamers as there is no way to utilize the CPU integrated graphics https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R13YYJEHV4U9J9 Quote I first ordered this king Asus Z490 motherboards but after delivery noticed that there was no ability to utilize on-board integrated graphics from the CPU (which I desire to use). So back it went. Here's a different Z490 motherboard from MSI https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threads/z490-use-thunderbolt-as-display-out-with-igp.340937/ Quote Just watched a breakdown of the board on youtube and seems no power at all is delivered to the IGP IMHO that didn't sound very feasible then. Gavin1977 1 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted March 24, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 24, 2021 FYI - here's a list of Z490 / Z590 motherboards that either came with or without VCCGT (i.e. no VCCGT = integrated graphics couldn't even be powered on) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16YJm4L1-ohpL8s-4rLDDDCBZvi97ZYwkc44s7LS5-2Q https://www.overclock.net/forum/6-intel-motherboards/1746916-1440a-madness-z490-vrm-discussion-thread-v3-13-6-20-a.html#post28432822 Higher end z490 - why no iGPU support? https://www.overclock.net/threads/higher-end-z490-why-no-igpu-support.1748442/#post-28467322 Quote In addition it removes all the traces required for it from the PCB so they can be optimized more for CPU. In addition, not sure if there were even a way to allocate memory for integrated graphics as shown on the right (i.e. amnesia without memory?) Gavin1977 and Exocer 1 1 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted March 29, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 29, 2021 IMHO this opened up a whole new can of worms, the same Linux distro turned out to sound different if we're compiling the kernel etc. on a drive that's powered by different external PSUs https://www.stsd99.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=19613#p19613 That's pretty darn cool if those differences were actually significant enough to warrant the cost of a flagship PSU. Exocer and MarcelNL 2 Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 sha256sum DaiCosel/* GanCosel/* GanDaitron/* 9c163bb0c55e549aeedf97437c94efb95ef1043f61b94cb28d7e796c2d7284f1 DaiCosel/0.fat 4cbb497a9666eb1b908693009a5982cbf5a4bc0f64693ec0464fa74e07948a4f DaiCosel/initrd-4.19.122v8_44k.gz 1f8d2e81ad08571f421dc322a7e88c6f50c87fb0ca2e347f5b74718754f34e3c DaiCosel/initrd-4.19.122v8_48k.gz f6cbc0bfb975ad9b882747e74d9b51fa435ddfcf6196687410c9dfc147c4b90a DaiCosel/kernel419122v8_44k.img 68fbe95e0f9bce7fd8083b1b898a3c8d9247af056ea848bb6828d4eb49b2d74c DaiCosel/kernel419122v8_48k.img e5be39fa11123938c62947e818e2eaa503573d0066fe707daf059a2e77c71ac6 GanCosel/0.fat 3f8da38a89973eaac5f1cba9d66e2e9c8c242d0791e5bb9d149890dacd98b4bc GanCosel/initrd-4.19.122v8_44k.gz 5147885bb60f58f612aa230a856832634e2d31f0b36ec544676cc2b8c43d8ec7 GanCosel/initrd-4.19.122v8_48k.gz 80ceaf4682b14b020b3419010123db6079f8893b9e2c58d06df108185bf1a92a GanCosel/kernel419122v8_44k.img 99d11b205f25052f02f3420fcd9da0dc47294df112723d4ec6759ab8ef72ca7f GanCosel/kernel419122v8_48k.img 7b9ff78b336332b228c7d623763474f48659657cc8658a12965c4dae3c3f2c7f GanDaitron/0.fat be392188a879d4bd88cd2c1c75cfa83c7f5c83effa78e32ccb8591aea9e23949 GanDaitron/initrd-4.19.122v8_44k.gz d8cef1ba373c89fa011d5324ec67c66758a7b18e485fd8c6bfd8b57cd7432bf2 GanDaitron/initrd-4.19.122v8_48k.gz c9bcdb5e5a8506408d68042e666e9acc04c53348d46454b440b5af84f6471da8 GanDaitron/kernel419122v8_44k.img 87a5bc973b91df3bc34c62bc8517c72fdd231a1cedf1502028bf503d65643a87 GanDaitron/kernel419122v8_48k.img ls -og DaiCosel/* GanCosel/* GanDaitron/* -rw-r----- 1 67108864 Mar 27 10:07 DaiCosel/0.fat -rw-r----- 1 1103789 Mar 27 10:07 DaiCosel/initrd-4.19.122v8_44k.gz -rw-r----- 1 1103450 Mar 27 10:07 DaiCosel/initrd-4.19.122v8_48k.gz -rw-r----- 1 8890616 Mar 27 10:07 DaiCosel/kernel419122v8_44k.img -rw-r----- 1 8890616 Mar 27 10:07 DaiCosel/kernel419122v8_48k.img -rw-r----- 1 67108864 Mar 27 15:41 GanCosel/0.fat -rw-r----- 1 1103867 Mar 27 15:41 GanCosel/initrd-4.19.122v8_44k.gz -rw-r----- 1 1103275 Mar 27 15:41 GanCosel/initrd-4.19.122v8_48k.gz -rw-r----- 1 8890616 Mar 27 15:41 GanCosel/kernel419122v8_44k.img -rw-r----- 1 8890616 Mar 27 15:41 GanCosel/kernel419122v8_48k.img -rw-r----- 1 67108864 Mar 28 06:02 GanDaitron/0.fat -rw-r----- 1 1103906 Mar 28 06:02 GanDaitron/initrd-4.19.122v8_44k.gz -rw-r----- 1 1103433 Mar 28 06:02 GanDaitron/initrd-4.19.122v8_48k.gz -rw-r----- 1 8890616 Mar 28 06:02 GanDaitron/kernel419122v8_44k.img -rw-r----- 1 8890616 Mar 28 06:02 GanDaitron/kernel419122v8_48k.img ls -og *DaiCosel.img.* *GanCosel.img.* *GanDaitron.img.* -rw-r----- 1 25000000 Mar 29 02:38 piCorePlayer6.1.0-Quantum_DaiCosel.img.7z.001 -rw-r----- 1 23524433 Mar 29 02:38 piCorePlayer6.1.0-Quantum_DaiCosel.img.7z.002 -rw-r----- 1 25000000 Mar 29 02:38 piCorePlayer6.1.0-Quantum_GanCosel.img.7z.001 -rw-r----- 1 25000000 Mar 29 02:38 piCorePlayer6.1.0-Quantum_GanCosel.img.7z.002 -rw-r----- 1 577603 Mar 29 02:38 piCorePlayer6.1.0-Quantum_GanCosel.img.7z.003 -rw-r----- 1 25000000 Mar 29 02:38 piCorePlayer6.1.0-Quantum_GanDaitron.img.7z.001 -rw-r----- 1 25000000 Mar 29 02:38 piCorePlayer6.1.0-Quantum_GanDaitron.img.7z.002 -rw-r----- 1 499435 Mar 29 02:38 piCorePlayer6.1.0-Quantum_GanDaitron.img.7z.003 Dunno what the developer did (i.e. other than having different PSUs) before / after each compilation, somehow he just happened to end up with different flavors of kernels https://www.stsd99.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=19586#p19586 Quote 我把kernel大小和設定檔拿出來比對一次,沒錯。 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted April 4, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 4, 2021 20 hours ago, guiltyboxswapper said: I think HQplayer and also active cooling will change the results considerably, I've seen the same thing with running a slow active fan against a LT3045 10x PSU (considerably better SQ with fan). 11 hours ago, Topk said: Therefore, the idea naturally came that the Aorus Master might be the best MB for audio PC since it has the best power phases (along with 6 layer PCB, 2 oz of copper etc.) therefore benefiting from robust, low ripple, stable, more dynamic power to the CPU. Also high quality VRMs overclock better, generate much less heat etc. This is entirely measurable and all proven via benchmarks. In fact the Aorus master is considered one of the best MB for the AMD Ryzen in the PC world. That's true for the AMD side of the coin, while here's yet another true "monster" on the Intel side and most likely active cooling should be required for one of those Xeon W processors @ 160W TDP https://www.tomshardware.com/news/evga-sr-3-dark-goes-up-for-pre-order-at-1800-dollars Quote The motherboard is carved from a 16-layer PCB with gold-plated edges that supposedly improves overclocking and durability. On top of that, EVGA has equipped the SR-3 Dark with a 24-phase power delivery subsystem. A total of four 8-pin EPS connectors provides the Xeon W-3175X with all the juice that the 28-core chip requires. https://www.evga.com/articles/01386/evga-sr-3-dark/ Quote Higher volume of precious metal (300% Gold) used in the Narrow 30u socket creates lower contact resistance, resulting in better power delivery. Therefore we could actually power the CPU with a pair of HDPlex 500W @ 12.5 × 4 = 50A (i.e. 12V × 50A = 600W) Emile only compared dual-socket Asus WS C621E SAGE to single-socket Gigabyte C621 AORUS XTREME (no such option for SNC) but perhaps he didn't repeat the same comparison with SNC-enabled / single-socket EVGA SR3 Dark https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000176921/bios-characterization-for-hpc-with-intel-cascade-lake-processors Quote SNC (Sub-Numa Cluster): Enabling SNC is akin to splitting the single socket into two NUMA domains, each with half the physical cores and half the memory of the socket. If this sounds familiar, it is similar in utility to the Cluster-on-Die option that was available in Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 and v4 processors. SNC is implemented differently from COD, and these changes improve remote socket access in Cascade Lake when compared to the previous generations, which were using Cluster-on-Die option. At the Operating System level, a dual socket server with SNC enabled will display four NUMA domains. Two of the domains will be closer to each other (on the same socket), and the other two will be a larger distance away, across the UPI to the remote socket. I *guess* that *maybe* SNC on a single Xeon might be just as good (if not better than?) as splitting that between a pair of Xeon? https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-100#post-616762 Quote Well RAM is a topic on its own, to start with, the 2 cpu’s are split into domains (NUMA / SNC), so you really have 2 x 6 dimms, 6 for each CPU, they are not shared. Music services have their own cpu/dimms and the OS has its own cpu/dims. So its sort of a core and endpoint into a single machine going beyond just core allocations for individual processes. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/30/?tab=comments#comment-1079668 On 9/16/2020 at 1:25 AM, Nenon said: The last experiment I've done, inspired by @austinpop and @romaz was to install HQplayer with affinities on one CPU and NAA with affinities to the other CPU. It's good to have two processors! I also created a loopback interface with ipv6. And I used ipv6 via the loopback interface to stream from the HQP to NAA. No upsampling, just using HQP as a bit perfect player. This brought the server that was sounding so great already to yet another level. Everything sounds so effortless now. FYI - it's also explained here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yE-KaMs4PQ#t=8m25s Topk and Exocer 2 Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 On 4/15/2021 at 2:04 AM, Nenon said: - A Chord DAVE DAC powered by DC4 using offline upsampled files with a program called PGGB. BTW, I can't stand the stock DAVE DAC. Yay, @Zaphod Beeblebrox just announced that the embargo was lifted https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/reality-quest-power-and-digital-audio-with-the-sean-jacobs-dc4-and-sound-application-pgi-tt-7-part-2-of-2-r975/ On 1/21/2021 at 12:26 AM, ray-dude said: For this review, all these tracks were off-line upsampled (using a custom software package currently in private beta) to 16fs (705/765kHz, 32 bit) to match the input pipeline of the Chord DAVE. The custom upsampling pipeline is optimized to maximize time domain accuracy in reconstruction, and minimize noise in the audio band. The result is an exquisite and natural holographic soundstage with remarkable timing accuracy, all of which is an excellent test of what a Chord DAVE is able to deliver at its best. • Main site: www.remastero.com • PGGB: www.remastero.com/pggb.html • FAQ: www.remastero.com/faq.html • Guide: www.remastero.com/guide.html • Onboarding: www.remastero.com/onboarding.html ray-dude 1 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted April 18, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 18, 2021 On 4/4/2021 at 2:51 AM, Topk said: However, I noticed 2 very interesting posts from Energy and Seetoyou on the Gigabyte Aorus Master MB. It’s the first MB on the market that has 16 direct power phases. Power phases/VRM down convert and regulate the 12V and provide power to the CPU and chipset. Therefore, the idea naturally came that the Aorus Master might be the best MB for audio PC since it has the best power phases (along with 6 layer PCB, 2 oz of copper etc.) therefore benefiting from robust, low ripple, stable, more dynamic power to the CPU. Also high quality VRMs overclock better, generate much less heat etc. This is entirely measurable and all proven via benchmarks. In fact the Aorus master is considered one of the best MB for the AMD Ryzen in the PC world. FYI - Intel fans might wanna take a look at this Z590 baby https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z590 OC Formula/Specification.asp#Specification Quote - 16 Phase CPU Power design + 2 Phase Memory Power design - High Density Glass Fabric PCB - 12 Layer PCB - 2oz Copper PCB It didn't look like a fanless motherboard, though https://wccftech.com/asrock-unleashes-z590-oc-formula-motherboard-aimed-at-overclockers/ Quote The CPUs are powered by dual 8-pin connectors & fed by a monstrous 16 Phase SPS power delivery that makes use of 90A power stages and a high-grade (50A Dr.MOS) MOSFET implementation. The motherboard features a 12-layer server-grade and low-loss PCB. And then each 8-pin EPS could very well be fed by this fairly affordable GaN-based PSU (up to DC 12V / 10A a piece so having a pair of them could deliver 240W to the CPU) https://www.banggood.com/ToolkitRC-P200-Mini-30V-AC100W-DC200W-10A-GaN-Adjustable-Mini-Desktop-Power-Supply-USB-Output-p-1825686.html https://www.toolkitrc.com/P200 NanoSword, Topk and Exocer 3 Link to comment
Popular Post seeteeyou Posted April 18, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 18, 2021 Regarding those "flagship" AMD motherboards, they're meant for extreme overclocking and therefore almost all of them would come with active cooling by default https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/btkx56/currently_gigabyte_aorus_extreme_is_the_only_x570/ Recently they managed to produce a fanless flavor as follows AMD Reportedly Launching New X570S Chipset with Passive Cooling https://www.thefpsreview.com/2021/04/06/amd-reportedly-launching-new-x570s-chipset-with-passive-cooling/ And then Intel's Z590 might seem to be the opposite of AMD's X570, passive cooling should be the norm while some outliers might require quite a few fans for starter https://www.tomshardware.com/features/intel-z590-motherboard-and-chipset-overview-45-rocket-lake-boards-detailed Quote But we’ll see the continued use of formidable VRMs and large heatsinks to keep these power-hungry CPUs in check. Some Halo products may include active cooling on the VRMs or even integrate water blocks to cool the VRMs and CPU. Fanless or not, ultimately maybe it's more like a balancing act? https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/83/?tab=comments#comment-1122925 On 4/3/2021 at 7:04 PM, guiltyboxswapper said: Simply put, running hardware comfortably within its specification thermally rather than letting it run to its limits can in some cases outweigh the vibrations from the fan itself. This will vary from hardware to hardware. And then the OS / software player etc. would also play an important role, some of them could actually reap the benefits by scaling right up to the performance provided by a (much) higher clock speed. In the end it's just a matter of the interaction between the hardware side and the software side, for instance the whole point of a dual-socket motherboard should be pinning HQP to Xeon Silver #1 and NAA to Xeon Silver #2 with the right CPU affinity. ASRMichael, vhs and Exocer 3 Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 FYI - for those of us who aren't interested in running both HQP and NAA on the same dual-socket Xeon Scalable motherboard, we could find specific single-socket ones (i.e. Skylake-SP and Cascade Lake-SP) with Sub-NUMA Clustering that's supported by relevant BIOS options https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/616/?tab=comments#comment-1014096 On 12/16/2019 at 7:37 AM, romaz said: "Well RAM is a topic on its own, to start with, the 2 cpu’s are split into domains (NUMA / SNC), so you really have 2 x 6 dimms, 6 for each CPU, they are not shared. Music services have their own cpu/dimms and the OS has its own cpu/dims. So its sort of a core and endpoint into a single machine going beyond just core allocations for individual processes. https://software.intel.com/content/www/us/en/develop/articles/intel-xeon-processor-scalable-family-technical-overview.html Quote SNC mode has to be enabled by BIOS to expose two SNC domains per socket and set up resource affinity and latency parameters for use with NUMA primitives. I just DAFS on Google and only found motherboards from maybe a dozen vendors with such BIOS options Cisco Dell EVGA Fujitsu H3C HPE Huawei Intel Lenovo NEC Oracle Supermicro The vast majority of them could only be purchased as a complete server system (usually the form factor itself ain't even close to SSI-EEB / E-ATX / ATX) instead of a standalone motherboard, therefore I just narrowed them down to these guys EVGA SR-3 Dark Supermicro X11SPL-F Supermicro X11SPD-F Supermicro X11SPA-T Supermicro X11SPA-TF Supermicro X11SPG-TF Supermicro X11SPi-TF Supermicro X11SPW-TF Supermicro X11SPW-CTF Supermicro X11SPH-NCTF Supermicro X11SPH-NCTPF IMHO it would be quite interesting to try SNC with a single 20-core Xeon Gold 6138 (125W TDP might not need any fans if we weren't upsampling with HQP?) and see if that were getting anywhere close to a pair of 10-core Xeon Silver https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/120476/intel-xeon-gold-6138-processor-27-5m-cache-2-00-ghz.html https://www.ebay.com/itm/Xeon-Scalable-Gold-6138-SkyLake-20-Core-2-0-GHz-3-7-GHz-Turbo-LGA-3647-SR3B5-b/254921475866 I have no idea if this seller in China were legit or otherwise, though 20-core Xeon Gold 6222V @ 115W TDP could be found below for 4,300 RMB / 660 bucks https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=641024936013 https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/193962/intel-xeon-gold-6222v-processor-27-5m-cache-1-80-ghz.html Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Part 1 is BIOS setup as shown on page 80 of the Supermicro X11SPL-F manual https://www.supermicro.com/manuals/motherboard/C620/MNL-1950.pdf#page=80 Quote Chipset Configuration → North Bridge → UPI Configuration → SNC → Enable Part 2 is the OS setup and Windows 10 should look like this https://www.windowsdigitals.com/how-to-set-process-cpu-affinity-priority-permanently-in-windows-10/ Process Lasso and dAffinity could also handle something like that but not all features seemed to be free, though the freebies could already cover the basics https://bitsum.com/howfree/ https://www.d7xtech.com/daffinity/ However, we're talking about 2 clusters on the same 10-core Xeon Silver 4210 processor and therefore I dunno if the primary one were occupying CPU 0 through CPU 4 and secondary one were occupying CPU 5 through CPU 9 respectively. It doesn't hurt to try different combos and compare the results, though. atxkyle 1 Link to comment
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