Building a DIY Music Server

[Nenon]

2 hours ago, Dev said:

You mean not power the +12v rail from the ATX, right ?

Correct.

 

2 hours ago, Dev said:

In that case, do you know if any PCIe card without external power supply will work properly ? 

Not a problem. The 12V from the CPU would feed everything that needs 12V, including the PCIe. 

 

2 hours ago, Dev said:

@Nenon are you still using the Asus C621e build ?

Yes, and enjoying it a lot! 

 

2 hours ago, Dev said:

Have you found a better chassis in terms of CPU temp

The homemade passive cooling I did (and described earlier in this thread) works really good while using both HDPLEX H5 heatsinks. Here is how it looks:

 

 

I would call that pretty good. It has been running pretty much non-stop for 8 months. 

 

2 hours ago, Dev said:

and to fit the hdplex 800w inside ?

No, I wasn't able to fit the Hdplex 800W inside. I mounted it outside on the heatsink, using the heatsink holes and long brass standoffs.

 

The ATX cable is going through the hole for the computer power button, which I don't really need. I had to run the wires through the hole and then snap into the 24-pin Molex. That cable is permanently embedded in the case currently :). 

 

The bottom chassis is my power supply in another Hdplex H5 chassis. You can notice that the 6-pin Molex that powers the Hdplex 800W also goes through the power button hole. Everything is maximized for the shortest possible cable length. It sounds better and costs less because that Mundorf silver/gold wire I use everywhere is expensive. 

 

A lot of DIY!

I am hoping a manufacturer would come up with passive cooling for this soon... something that's professionally made, not my ugly bended pipes and thermal epoxied glued coolers that I kept in the kitchen oven for 24 hours :))

[Dev]

17 minutes ago, Nenon said:

The homemade passive cooling I did (and described earlier in this thread) works really good while using both HDPLEX H5 heatsinks. Here is how it looks:

 

 

I would call that pretty good. It has been running pretty much non-stop for 8 months.

 

That looks cool. Mine hovers in the mid 40's but the Xeon E's CPU core freq is higher than the Xeon Silver. 

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, Nenon said:

No, I wasn't able to fit the Hdplex 800W inside. I mounted it outside on the heatsink, using the heatsink holes and long brass standoffs.

 

The ATX cable is going through the hole for the computer power button, which I don't really need. I had to run the wires through the hole and then snap into the 24-pin Molex. That cable is permanently embedded in the case currently :). 

 

The bottom chassis is my power supply in another Hdplex H5 chassis. You can notice that the 6-pin Molex that powers the Hdplex 800W also goes through the power button hole. Everything is maximized for the shortest possible cable length. It sounds better and costs less because that Mundorf silver/gold wire I use everywhere is expensive. 

 

A lot of DIY!

 

Indeed! Taiko seems to be thinking of contributing something in the DIY arena. Not sure what.

 

If I go with the Asus C621 Sage in H5 case, I would probably go the LPS route with the ATX rails. In that way I can skip the DC-ATX converter completely. Now this have me thinking - since the ATX will not use the 12V, I can do away with just two rails - 3.3V and 5V. Currently my server is powered from 4xDC-3 rails, so I need to see if I can repurpose some of the existing rails. While I am at it, I might think of upgrading the 12v EPS and 5V JCAT USB to DC-4 as well.

 

All the above are doable but my biggest worry is what s/w to run. As you have already figured out, Windows is the only option but then I am left with the need to tweak the hell out of it - the possibilities are endless :-) By any chance are you using AO or Fidelizer to optimize the Windows ? I have used AO a while back with Windows server 2016 when I had Jplay and it did very an excellent job but not sure what is the current state of affairs. 

 

 

38 minutes ago, Nenon said:

I am hoping a manufacturer would come up with passive cooling for this soon... something that's professionally made, not my ugly bended pipes and thermal epoxied glued coolers that I kept in the kitchen oven for 24 hours :))

 

Yes, that would really be nice. I think there is not lot of interest/business in this area for the manufacturers.

 

 

[BCRich]

Hi all,

Starting to acquire parts for a custom build. I have been using a Euphony Summus Server and have been happy overall however it is not up to snuff with regards to HQPlayer. I have been following both Nenon and StreamFidelity’s threads and am excited to see how this turns out.
One thing I almost forgot is my NAA is a Sonore Signature Rendu SE.....

Here is my parts list so far:

HD Plex H5 Case-Custom PC Parts List:

• HD Plex H5 Case
• HD Plex 800 watt DC to ATX Convertor
• Gigabyte Designare Z390 Motherboard
• Intel 9900k CPU
• Intel Optane Drive 64g M.2
• Apacer 32g Memory
• Firewire 800 PCIE Card for External Hard Drives

Everything above I have purchased and have on hand. The last three in the list I do not have and am undecided which path’s I will travel down. 

• Power Supply ( Keces 19V x 2 ..not fully decided)
• JCAT Net Card XE or Fiber NIC w/ EtherRegen 
• Ghent ATX Cables or Custom Made Cables

Notes:

1. I would love to do a higher end Power Supply but I don’t have an endless budget and figure the Keces would be a good middle ground choice, I already have one on the Summus Server, I have a YFS 12V Linear Power Supply that I was using on my MacMini, that can move to the Summus (Roon Duties) and I will only need to purchase one Keces.

2. Appreciate some input on the JCAT Net XE vs Fiber Nic to Uptone EtherRegen.

 

3. As far as Ghent vs Custom, not sure I have the patience to go the custom route and again my budget comes into play.

 

I have not started to assemble things as of yet, right now the Net Card is a huge road block as it is almost $1K. With the Sonore in play I am not sure if there is a benefit. Do I do the Femto one instead?

 

I have built Windows PC’s in the past and am leaning towards Euphony on this one with HQPe as well. Especially if I keep the Summus.

 

Thanks for reading.....

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

[StreamFidelity]

2 hours ago, BCRich said:

Power Supply ( Keces 19V x 2 ..not fully decided)

 

Do you mean Keces 19V x 2 single output?

 

1 x single 19V and 1 x single 12V would be correct. The separate 12V supply of the CPU increases the SQ gigantically. 😉

 

Alternatively 1 x dual 9V / 12V + 18V / 19V. The temperature development could become a problem.

[BCRich]

Just now, StreamFidelity said:

 

Do you mean Keces 19V x 2 single output?

 

1 x single 19V and 1 x single 12V would be correct. The separate 12V supply of the CPU increases the SQ gigantically. 😉

 

Alternatively 1 x dual 9V / 12V + 18V / 19V. The temperature development could become a problem.

Hi @StreamFidelity

It would be two Separate 19v Keces LPS’s powering both inputs of the 800w HDPlex.

I guess I should be Powering the CPU directly, would a Farad work in that scenario or would I need more current? Maybe a Dual Output Keces makes sense.

Thanks for chiming in.

Mike

[StreamFidelity]

30 minutes ago, BCRich said:

It would be two Separate 19v Keces LPS’s powering both inputs of the 800w HDPlex.

 

I had that and it worked fine.

 

31 minutes ago, BCRich said:

I guess I should be Powering the CPU directly

 

Yes! 👍 This is the better option for me. In my system I already had short current peaks of 12V / 7A. So be careful! An i9-9900K wants power, especially if the BIOS has not yet been optimized.

[seeteeyou]

On 11/28/2020 at 3:06 PM, Dev said:

All the above are doable but my biggest worry is what s/w to run. As you have already figured out, Windows is the only option but then I am left with the need to tweak the hell out of it - the possibilities are endless :-) By any chance are you using AO or Fidelizer to optimize the Windows ? I have used AO a while back with Windows server 2016 when I had Jplay and it did very an excellent job but not sure what is the current state of affairs. 

 

FYI - someone just shared a mighty interesting version of Windows 10 Version 20H2 (LTSC style)

 

https://pastebin.com/raw/G0J2UVCw

Quote

19042.662_EnterpriseG_LTSC_STYLE_amd64_en-US_8D606496E8D99995BC6B5D2A79381C940A6DC6E9_install.esd

 

More about Enterprise G

 

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3200375/for-real-windows-10-privacy-you-need-the-china-government-edition.html

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/05/23/announcing-windows-10-china-government-edition-new-surface-pro

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/Lync/en-US/0497bfb4-d56b-45a7-97ab-16ca36381772/features-of-the-enterprise-g-edition-of-windows-10-v1709

 

Charlie Brown's pet dog should be gone from that particular "reconstructed" version of Windows 10, and then we could give a MC77 a try

 

https://ftp.vector.co.jp/73/45/3565/bughead_12_39_x64.zip

https://ftp.vector.co.jp/73/45/3579/Rewrite_data_3_84_x64.zip

https://www.aktives-hoeren.de/viewtopic.php?p=190574#p190574

https://www.forum-hifi.fr/thread-10541-post-427572.html#pid427572

http://jplay.eu/forum/index.php?/topic/3063-pink-hq-minorityclean/page-40#entry53153

Quote

MC75<MC76<MC74

 

MC77: Wow. MC77 is SUPER exciting and addictive. When I switch from 77 to any other MC, it feels almost like the stereo image collapses. MC77 have INCREDIBLE stereo imaging. It is incredibly detailed. It is more present and have more highs than previous releases. The sound is fuller and feels "more intensive". I can hear reverb tails I never knew they are in the recording. Everythig is so beautifully lifelike and organic. I feel like I could touch the sounds. 77 is HUGE step up in many ways and another of the releases you definitely should not miss

 

http://jplay.eu/forum/index.php?/topic/3063-pink-hq-minorityclean/page-41#entry53166

Quote

I agree with everyone that 77 is the best yet!

 

---

 

Optimize-Offline Guide - Windows Debloating Tool, Windows 1803, 1903, 19H2, 1909, 20H1 and LTSC 2019

https://forums.mydigitallife.net/posts/1539341

https://github.com/DrEmpiricism/Optimize-Offline/releases

 

Win10 Tweaking Scripts

https://forums.mydigitallife.net/posts/1619858

https://www.upload.ee/files/12349633/Win10LTSC-Debloater.cmd.html

https://mega.nz/file/JgNHzKyI#8z9GZ2TM2OtYlG4xcCmrz6aPnVeUKt_so__3h2WVwk0

[Exocer]

Thanks @seeteeyou,I am looking forward trying Windows eventually.

 

For those who have tried both Linux and Windows, is there an opinion on which one sounds better with streaming? Or is this too general of a question, given the multitude of configurations/flavors possible with both?

 

Cheers,

 

[Dev]

14 minutes ago, Exocer said:

Thanks @seeteeyou,I am looking forward trying Windows eventually.

 

For those who have tried both Linux and Windows, is there an opinion on which one sounds better with streaming? Or is this too general of a question, given the multitude of configurations/flavors possible with both?

 

Cheers,

 

 

I used to use Windows Server 2016 with AO/Jplay a while back and found Daphile (Linux based) to sound better. It was as if looking into a window that has been wiped real clean. I eventually moved AudiolInux and later Euphony which is what I use till date. But that was on a 4th Gen low power (S model) Intel proc (with motherboard clock upgraded to TCXO) and h/w along with power supply that was much inferior to what I have today. There has been a lot of advancements on the Windows front since I used and actually plan to revisit it again but its also a slippery slope with endless tweaks possible.

[Nenon]

3 hours ago, Exocer said:

For those who have tried both Linux and Windows, is there an opinion on which one sounds better with streaming? Or is this too general of a question, given the multitude of configurations/flavors possible with both?

 

It's the sum of all parts after all. There are countless number of tweaks one can do in a music server. 

 

On all my previous builds I prefered Linux. I am quite familiar with Linux and have no problems compiling custom kernels tweaking the OS, etc. But it was a never ending story. I wanted to spend my time better. This is when I switched to AudioLinux which made the unlimited number of options somewhat more limited. But eventually I switched to Euphony and never felt the need to go back to hardcore OS tweaking. That was on my AMD and intel i9 builds.

 

With my dual Xeon server, I prefer a stripped-down version of Windows LTSC and process Lasso to configure process affinities. This sounds better than Euphony on that particular server. Also an advantage of Windows is the ASIO driver that you can install and configure. 

[Exocer]

53 minutes ago, Nenon said:

 

With my dual Xeon server, I prefer a stripped-down version of Windows LTSC and process Lasso to configure process affinities. This sounds better than Euphony on that particular server. Also an advantage of Windows is the ASIO driver that you can install and configure

 

Interesting. Is it fair to say that the process lasso benefits would likely not translate to a single CPU server?

 

Process Lasso seems useful for both single CPU servers and dual CPU servers on paper.

 

Wondering how close one of your amazing single CPU systems could get to your dual Xeon, using the same Windows OS/affinity control.

 

 

[Exocer]

1 hour ago, Exocer said:

 

Interesting. Is it fair to say that the process lasso benefits would likely not translate to a single CPU server?

 

Process Lasso seems useful for both single CPU servers and dual CPU servers on paper.

 

Wondering how close one of your amazing single CPU systems could get to your dual Xeon, using the same Windows OS/affinity control.

 

 

I will try on my own and report back my findings in due time 😎.

 

No dual CPU rig to compare with though..... It will be a Linux/Windows comparison.

[Nenon]

I did experiment with Windows on my previous builds and just like @Dev ended up using Euphony. 

[lmitche]

4 hours ago, Nenon said:

 

It's the sum of all parts after all. There are countless number of tweaks one can do in a music server. 

 

On all my previous builds I prefered Linux. I am quite familiar with Linux and have no problems compiling custom kernels tweaking the OS, etc. But it was a never ending story. I wanted to spend my time better. This is when I switched to AudioLinux which made the unlimited number of options somewhat more limited. But eventually I switched to Euphony and never felt the need to go back to hardcore OS tweaking. That was on my AMD and intel i9 builds.

 

With my dual Xeon server, I prefer a stripped-down version of Windows LTSC and process Lasso to configure process affinities. This sounds better than Euphony on that particular server. Also an advantage of Windows is the ASIO driver that you can install and configure. 

 

It takes a lot of tuning to get the best SQ out of Windows or Linux. After working on Windows for years, I gave up trying to turn an operating system designed for office automation into a real-time OS for music playback. This experience makes me reluctant to follow Emile and Taiko Audio, and recently Nenon into the Windows IOT platform. Windows DRM is another gnarly issue as well.

 

Euphony is locked up, so there is no way to add value. In my experience it sounds OK, but I have done better by tuning Audiolinux. Several of my customers have tried Euphony as well, and have validated this conclusion.

 

Today dozens of changes to Audiolinux and the Roon environment, along with complimentary BIOS changes, yields a combination that sounds spectacular. The resulting OS image works equally well on both Intel NUC and AMD platforms. The past few months has brought some of the most significant contributions to SQ discovered to date, all from software configuration changes. It is hard to say where future enhancements will be found.

 

Nenon is right, this a game of the sum of the parts. Based on recent experience, I'd put software at over 50% of the contribution to SQ with hardware/cabling and power supplies at 25% each.

 

SQ = .5(SW) + .25(HW/Cabling) + .25(LPS)

 

What do others think about this formula?

 

Larry

[dminches]

21 minutes ago, lmitche said:

SQ = .5(SW) + .25(HW/Cabling) + .25(LPS)

 

What do others think about this formula?

 

Larry

Based on my experience, I would give the power supply the largest rating and I think it is the limiting factor. 
 

Going to a Sean Jacobs DC4 was a game changer. Not only is it a great power supply but it allowed me to increase the max CPU frequency and turn on things like hyperthreading in the BIOS. Before this I had to limit things. 
 

Also, software needs to have multiple factors. There are operating system choices and music playback options. And then you have Lasso and Audiophile Optimizer, among other add-ons.

 

[Exocer]

16 minutes ago, dminches said:

Based on my experience, I would give the power supply the largest rating and I think it is the limiting factor. 
 

Going to a Sean Jacobs DC4 was a game changer. Not only is it a great power supply but it allowed me to increase the max CPU frequency and turn on things like hyperthreading in the BIOS. Before this I had to limit things. 
 

Also, software needs to have multiple factors. There are operating system choices and music playback options. And then you have Lasso and Audiophile Optimizer, among other add-ons.

 

Most definitely. Upgrading to the PH SR7T provided the biggest improvement to date in my system. It exceeded my expectations and continues to improve just several weeks in. 

[gererick]

However, Larry, I was a.customer who found Euphony superior to your AudioLinux, as did my friend Bob when we listened together on a more powerful computer (Nenon’s), in my system.  The decision between the two was easy.  It was also superior on the endpoint of your low power computer. So the software is easy, just choose Euphony in a single CPU server (it sounds spectacular).  Euphony provides updates from time to time; there is no need to wrestle with an OS or find that perfect formula in AudioLinux  That leaves one to focus on the other things, which simplifies matters.

[gererick]

Clarification, on the server Nenon built for me, Euphony was superior to Roon (without having to fuss with the OS). That same server, using Euphony, was materially better than a low-power audiophile arrangement with tweaked AudioLinux and Roon.  Nenon’s server had better wire and better power supplies, so there were other factors besides just software.

[Dev]

In terms of tweaking, Linux is a bigger rabbit hole than Windows if you are proficient not only in terms of OS customization but also you could modify at the source code level which is not possible with Windows.

 

when I moved from Windows to Daphile, I started liking what I heard but that slowly turned into a desire of wanting to do something more myself and that lead me to Audiolinux as Daphile is closed door. With Audiolinux, you would tweak something and then listen to compare even if I was happy prior to tweaking. It’s just the desire of wanting something more which slowly turned into an obsession. This went for a while, until I realized that I was no longer enjoying music as I used to but enjoyed tweaking on almost everyday basic. Nothing wrong tweaking, but this is not what I wanted and I am glad that there is Euphony to rescue. Not only Euphony sounds better than Audiolinux in “my” system, it also takes the headache of tweaking out of the equation by completely closing its doors (well only a very limited set which is very much manageable). 
 

it’s possible that Audiolinux hasn’t been tweaked to the extent it needs to be to compete with Euphony but I have no time nor desire to do this endlessly. This is why I am also reluctant to experiment with Windows. It’s my poison so far ☠️ But who knows I might change my mind later 😉
 

 

@lmitche you haven’t mentioned what those tweaks are which makes Audiolinux better than Euphony. Maybe it’s a trade secret or something you are selling ? Is there a tweaked version of Audiolinux that can be paid/bought ? I am not looking into NUC and low power stuff - that road has met a dead-end a while back and have no desire to go back. If you are selling something packaged (s/w only) similar to Euphony, please post some details as I am interested (and so are many here I guess), otherwise it really doesn’t help much for those of us who have no desire to tweak Audiolinux.

 

 

on SQ and how much does OS, cabling and h/w, power supply helps - IMO, they are all equally important and I would put equal weights on each of them. To get the best SQ out of a particular system, they all have equal role to play and has a cumulative effect to the overall sound.

 

[ted_b]

18 minutes ago, Dev said:

I am not looking into NUC and low power stuff - that road has met a dead-end a while back and have no desire to go back.

Do you mean as a server, or as an endpoint/NAA? 

[Dev]

11 minutes ago, ted_b said:

Do you mean as a server, or as an endpoint/NAA? 

 

Its a server and connects straight to DAC via USB. No physical endpoint but when I run Roon, I use SytlusEP as a Roon endpoint which mimics NAA. So the same physical server runs both a Roon Core and a Roon endpoint. This is something especial to Euphony.

 

There is another player in Euphony called Sylus which sounds better than Roon but their UI/interface is not as sleek as Roon. So for serious listening, I switch to Stylus and I think many Euphony users does that as well. 

[Exocer]

1 hour ago, Dev said:

In terms of tweaking, Linux is a bigger rabbit hole than Windows if you are proficient not only in terms of OS customization but also you could modify at the source code level which is not possible with Windows.

 

when I moved from Windows to Daphile, I started liking what I heard but that slowly turned into a desire of wanting to do something more myself and that lead me to Audiolinux as Daphile is closed door. With Audiolinux, you would tweak something and then listen to compare even if I was happy prior to tweaking. It’s just the desire of wanting something more which slowly turned into an obsession. This went for a while, until I realized that I was no longer enjoying music as I used to but enjoyed tweaking on almost everyday basic. Nothing wrong tweaking, but this is not what I wanted and I am glad that there is Euphony to rescue. Not only Euphony sounds better than Audiolinux in “my” system, it also takes the headache of tweaking out of the equation by completely closing its doors (well only a very limited set which is very much manageable). 
 

it’s possible that Audiolinux hasn’t been tweaked to the extent it needs to be to compete with Euphony but I have no time nor desire to do this endlessly. This is why I am also reluctant to experiment with Windows. It’s my poison so far ☠️ But who knows I might change my mind later 😉
 

 

@lmitche you haven’t mentioned what those tweaks are which makes Audiolinux better than Euphony. Maybe it’s a trade secret or something you are selling ? Is there a tweaked version of Audiolinux that can be paid/bought ? I am not looking into NUC and low power stuff - that road has met a dead-end a while back and have no desire to go back. If you are selling something packaged (s/w only) similar to Euphony, please post some details as I am interested (and so are many here I guess), otherwise it really doesn’t help much for those of us who have no desire to tweak Audiolinux.

 

 

on SQ and how much does OS, cabling and h/w, power supply helps - IMO, they are all equally important and I would put equal weights on each of them. To get the best SQ out of a particular system, they all have equal role to play and has a cumulative effect to the overall sound.

 

 

You have encouraged me to try Euphony Stylus this evening and I am smiling from ear to ear with what I am hearing. The only downside is I was going to purchase an HQPE license just for the ability to use convolution filters (I have created some in REW recently and was very happy with them in combination with HQPE). I see no way to import these filters into Euphony based HQPE...so I need to read up on how to do that or reach out to support.

 

I will purchase a Euphony license because it sounds A LOT better than what i'm used to (in my system).

 

CPU is running 4 degrees cooler, the UI and mobile app are working well and i'm hearing major improvements in the PRAT department with zero CPU isolation or tweaks. All i've done is set tracks to buffer 100% before playing and enable Ram Root.

 

Looking forward to a longer listening session tomorrow.

[Dev]

24 minutes ago, Exocer said:

 

You have encouraged me to try Euphony Stylus this evening and I am smiling from ear to ear with what I am hearing. The only downside is I was going to purchase an HQPE license just for the capability to use convolution filters (I have created some in REW recently and was very happy with them in combination with HQPE). I see no way to import these filters into Euphony based HQPE...so I need to read up on how to do that or reach out to support.

 

 

Get in touch with Željko, the Euphony developer is very helpful. I should not post his email address publicly but PM me if you need it or use https://euphony-audio.com/contact/

 

 

24 minutes ago, Exocer said:

I will purchase a Euphony license because it sounds A LOT better than what i'm used to (in my system).

 

CPU is running 4 degrees cooler, the UI and mobile app are working well and i'm hearing major improvements in the PRAT department with zero CPU isolation or tweaks. All i've done is set tracks to buffer 100% before playing and enable Ram Root.

 

yeah, it can't get any simpler than this...couple of clicks and enjoy the music.

 

Btw, I should note that I have no affiliation with Euphony in any shape or form 😄

 

 

 

 

[lmitche]

8 hours ago, gererick said:

Clarification, on the server Nenon built for me, Euphony was superior to Roon (without having to fuss with the OS). That same server, using Euphony, was materially better than a low-power audiophile arrangement with tweaked AudioLinux and Roon.  Nenon’s server had better wire and better power supplies, so there were other factors besides just software.

Hi Rick,

 

Yes, well the current Audiolinux/Roon build shipped with systems today has SQ that is light years ahead of the version delivered to you over a year ago. Much has changed since.

 

Also I believe Nenon's custom build included a custom power supply built from Sean Jacobs regulators. As you say, that may have had an impact on SQ.

 

Just to be clear, are you still using Roon?

 

[lmitche]

8 hours ago, Dev said:

In terms of tweaking, Linux is a bigger rabbit hole than Windows if you are proficient not only in terms of OS customization but also you could modify at the source code level which is not possible with Windows.

 

when I moved from Windows to Daphile, I started liking what I heard but that slowly turned into a desire of wanting to do something more myself and that lead me to Audiolinux as Daphile is closed door. With Audiolinux, you would tweak something and then listen to compare even if I was happy prior to tweaking. It’s just the desire of wanting something more which slowly turned into an obsession. This went for a while, until I realized that I was no longer enjoying music as I used to but enjoyed tweaking on almost everyday basic. Nothing wrong tweaking, but this is not what I wanted and I am glad that there is Euphony to rescue. Not only Euphony sounds better than Audiolinux in “my” system, it also takes the headache of tweaking out of the equation by completely closing its doors (well only a very limited set which is very much manageable). 
 

it’s possible that Audiolinux hasn’t been tweaked to the extent it needs to be to compete with Euphony but I have no time nor desire to do this endlessly. This is why I am also reluctant to experiment with Windows. It’s my poison so far ☠️ But who knows I might change my mind later 😉
 

 

@lmitche you haven’t mentioned what those tweaks are which makes Audiolinux better than Euphony. Maybe it’s a trade secret or something you are selling ? Is there a tweaked version of Audiolinux that can be paid/bought ? I am not looking into NUC and low power stuff - that road has met a dead-end a while back and have no desire to go back. If you are selling something packaged (s/w only) similar to Euphony, please post some details as I am interested (and so are many here I guess), otherwise it really doesn’t help much for those of us who have no desire to tweak Audiolinux.

 

 

on SQ and how much does OS, cabling and h/w, power supply helps - IMO, they are all equally important and I would put equal weights on each of them. To get the best SQ out of a particular system, they all have equal role to play and has a cumulative effect to the overall sound.

 

Hi Dev,

 

It is indeed easy to buy and install Euphony, plus the results are good.  Clearly there is a market for that, and it is terrific that it works for you and so many others. I am happy to build solutions using Euphony and listen to it, as reference, on a regular basis.

 

Yes, I do ship most systems here with custom Audiolinux almost always running Roon.

 

Anyway, it seems this is mostly a hardware thread, so I will take this discussion elsewhere. I was just curious to learn the current state of thinking about OS/Music player tuning from Nenon and others interested in the impact of software. I am detecting a trend moving away from Roon led by Takio Audio, Grimm Audio and others, so the next few years will be interesting.

 

Personally I'd like to see Roon SQ improve, as I love the user interface as a music discovery tool.