Snakeoil Forums

(28-Aug-2022, 08:51 AM)Snoopy8 Wrote: [ -> ]

(27-Aug-2022, 07:54 PM)agent_kith Wrote: [ -> ]To each his own I guess.. Like myself, I prefer Squeezelite over MPD.. MPD doesn't do well with low dynamic range songs (which is around 95% of the music I own).

You have always preferred LMS/Squeezelite, but what about LMS/Upmpdcli?

For me, it has been Mpd for a long time, started with the SOtM SMS-200. It is now even more so since I added an Innuos Phoenix USB Reclocker (not cheap!). Mpd with USB can be very clinical and some people feel that USB has a digital edge compared with AES/EBU. All that went away and vocals, in particular, are gorgeous. I can no longer listen to my setup without the Phoenix. 

Maybe another way to describe the Phoenix is like having the warmth of LMS/Squeezelite and all the details of Mpd?

Suggest you get Qobuz. Sound quality is very good, better than Tidal, and likely to be better than your compressed music.
 

(28-Aug-2022, 07:48 AM)mkysimes Wrote: [ -> ]The problem is, I pay for Roon and a Tidal subscription and with those two things Roon is an incredible experience. The ability to just get lost in the user interface and find gobs of new music based on just about any variable is truly worth the money. 

And then, when the mood strikes, I'll switch over to MPD again and get a whole different experience with new found music that Roon allowed me to find. I absolutely love it. Wish I had more time.....lol.

Friends of mine say the same about Roon and Tidal.  Roon is well integrated with Tidal and makes it easy to use. And they love the exploration of music, finding new music, and continue to use Roon even though they know SQ is not as good.

However, I do not do much music exploration and thus Roon did not appeal to me. I do use Qobuz to listen to occasional new albums, but in the main, used Mpd to play my music on a NAS.

I agree with you.  Adding a DDC (esp a quality one), SO in PC is really a game changer.  The effect is 1+1 >> 2.  DDC is a very powerful and critical tools in CAS. 

In my case, without the DDC, SO in PC is less than half of the performance with DDC.
S = Stock streamer
D = DDC
PC = PC

PC + D >>> S + D > S > PC

(28-Aug-2022, 08:51 AM)Snoopy8 Wrote: [ -> ]You have always preferred LMS/Squeezelite, but what about LMS/Upmpdcli?

Yet to try anything else other than LMS/Squeezelite and MPD. Trying to keep my setup as simple and as minimal where possible. Hence why the other players are failing on install, as I honestly don't use them much.

(28-Aug-2022, 04:47 PM)hkphantomgtr Wrote: [ -> ]Adding a DDC (esp a quality one), SO in PC is really a game changer.  The effect is 1+1 >> 1.  DDC is a very powerful and critical tools in CAS. 

In my case, without the DDC, SO in PC is less than half of the performance with DDC.
S = Stock streamer
D = DDC
PC = PC

PC + D >>> S + D > S > PC

A DDC coverts a digital signal, usually USB to something else e.g. i2S. DDC may have better clocks than their source and clocks at music frequency e.g. 44.1 kHz. 48 kHz.  A USB reclocker improves the (hardware) clocking (24 MHz) of USB itself, but not the clocking of the music itself.
 
So, 2 different approaches to improving SQ but they are not inter changeable, driven by what inputs the DAC has.  i2S is generally considered the best interface and if a DAC has i2S, then a DDC is a logical buy because most streamers do not have i2S. A DDC may be better if it has a better clock and power supply than a streamer for AES/EBU, optical, coax digital?  Also, some people prefer AES/EBU to USB (less digital edge), hence will use a DDC.

But a USB Reclocker like the Innuos Phoenix is used in a pure USB setup.  It improves the SQ of a USB link.

I have read that a Phoenix USB Reclocker is better than a Denafrips Gaia DDC.  But that of course assumes you are comparing apples to apples with equivalent quality cables and equivalent quality inputs on DACs (vendors sometimes favour one!).  At the end of the day, it does depend on individual  setups and what a user wants in the sound...

(28-Aug-2022, 05:58 PM)Snoopy8 Wrote: [ -> ]

(28-Aug-2022, 04:47 PM)hkphantomgtr Wrote: [ -> ]Adding a DDC (esp a quality one), SO in PC is really a game changer.  The effect is 1+1 >> 1.  DDC is a very powerful and critical tools in CAS. 

In my case, without the DDC, SO in PC is less than half of the performance with DDC.
S = Stock streamer
D = DDC
PC = PC

PC + D >>> S + D > S > PC

A DDC coverts a digital signal, usually USB to something else e.g. i2S. DDC may have better clocks than their source and clocks at music frequency e.g. 44.1 kHz. 48 kHz.  A USB reclocker improves the (hardware) clocking (24 MHz) of USB itself, but not the clocking of the music itself.
 
So, 2 different approaches to improving SQ but they are not inter changeable, driven by what inputs the DAC has.  i2S is generally considered the best interface and if a DAC has i2S, then a DDC is a logical buy because most streamers do not have i2S. A DDC may be better if it has a better clock and power supply than a streamer for AES/EBU, optical, coax digital?  Also, some people prefer AES/EBU to USB (less digital edge), hence will use a DDC.

But a USB Reclocker like the Innuos Phoenix is used in a pure USB setup.  It improves the SQ of a USB link.

I have read that a Phoenix USB Reclocker is better than a Denafrips Gaia DDC.  But that of course assumes you are comparing apples to apples with equivalent quality cables and equivalent quality inputs on DACs (vendors sometimes favour one!).  At the end of the day, it does depend on individual  setups and what a user wants in the sound...

I'm using exactly the Denafrips GAIA reclocker and its i2s output to my Rockna DAC.

(27-Aug-2022, 09:52 AM)Snoopy8 Wrote: [ -> ]

(27-Aug-2022, 07:37 AM)mkysimes Wrote: [ -> ]By the way, I've been using Roon mostly lately. Went back to MPD/upnp tonight for a listen and all I can say is WOW. Hairs on my neck standing as I type this!

I tried Roon a while ago, but the SQ was not as good. I have listened to other Roon setups and again, Roon loses out to native apps, LMS, Mpd.  But Roon diehards got very upset when I posted this in another forum.

I concur

I just found that CPUset doesn't work.  It can't save.  Everytime I pressed save, then it unticks itself. (becomes false)

(29-Aug-2022, 12:26 PM)hkphantomgtr Wrote: [ -> ]I just found that CPUset doesn't work.  It can't save.  Everytime I pressed save, then it unticks itself. (becomes false)

Eek.. I'll look into that later tonight.

(29-Aug-2022, 12:27 PM)agent_kith Wrote: [ -> ]

(29-Aug-2022, 12:26 PM)hkphantomgtr Wrote: [ -> ]I just found that CPUset doesn't work.  It can't save.  Everytime I pressed save, then it unticks itself. (becomes false)

Eek.. I'll look into that later tonight.

Thanks a lot!

As being inspired by a pal's complaint, few days ago I digged a new way to install.  So that ubuntu studio leaves least footprint in storage, so to the system, and saves all the hassle between UbuntuStudio and the USB drive.  Before installing with SO installer, UbuntuStudio can boot faster, run more responsively, and almost with no bundled software to remove.  For the latency value in cyclic test, the only significant difference is the MAX value.  Now Max is very close to the Act and Avg values.  And for the sound, "seems" it's better to my ear...... haha.......

 

Look, the way to install is:
1) installing the ordinary Ubuntu 22.04.1 (NOT the UbuntuStudio), choosing "Minimum installation";
2) after installation and rebooted to the Ubuntu 22.04.1 desktop, just skipping all the setting and update;
3) pressing alt-ctrl-T to bring up the Terminal;
4) "sudo su", and then "apt -y install ubuntustudio-installer"; https://ubuntustudio.org/ubuntu-studio-installer/
5) double clicking the colourful icon of "UbuntuStudio Installer" in the app drawer (app drawer is a icons of dots sitting at the lower left hand corner of the screen);
6) after a few seconds a window will pop up and ONLY choosing "linux-lowlatency", and then clicking the "Install selected package" button at the lower right hand corner, and letting it run;

7) after the windows popped out saying it's finished, then click ok/close, and then rebooting the system;
8) after rebooted to the desktop, bringing out the Terminal again, and entering "uname -a" to check the kernel versoin, you'll see "lowlatency" "PREEMP" bla bla bla wording, then it's successfully using UbuntuStudio kernel onward;
9) "sudo su", "apt -y remove ubuntustudio-installer", "apt -y autoremove"
10) the rest is the same as normal SnakeOil Installer working procedure

Enjoy and Have Fun!

(31-Aug-2022, 12:35 AM)hkphantomgtr Wrote: [ -> ]For the latency value in cyclic test, the only significant difference is the MAX value.  Now Max is very close to the Act and Avg values.  And for the sound, "seems" it's better to my ear...... haha.......

Well done.  I think you have found the way to install only the low latency kernel in Ubuntu Studio. 

So,  which improvement was better?  Upgrade from 20.04 to 22.04, or use low latency kernel in 22.04?