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I am using jPlay with J River and have set the software settings as noted in the setup. The setup calls for the output to be set Null. When I do that I completely lose the sound. When I set it back to Direct it works. Which is the correct setting for jPlay?/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-confused.gif

Hi everyone,    I've been searching for a good USB/Firewire DAC (or DAC+USB-to-S/PDIF combo) for few years now. Ideally I would like to have one-box solution with support for all sample rates up to 192kHz over USB/FW. Headphone amp, balanced outs are not required. Right now I see few candidates. I would appreciate your feedback - if anyone had a chance to audition one of those with jplay - please share your comments (how does it sound, what bitstream size and minimum buffer size). Or recommend other units, that I'm not aware of   - Antelope Zodiac Gold + Voltikus - it has everything I'd ever want from a DAC. A bit pricey, but at least I know what I'm paying for.  - Lampizator DAC with USB (async, 32/384) - I had one in my system for a while, but without USB connection. I fed it with RME AES-32 card. The sound was terrific, the best I've heard.  - Anedio D1 - waiting for upgraded version with hi-rez support over USB. - Calyx 24/192 DAC - good USB implementation, ess sabre like anedio, nice looks - Hegel HD20 - nice jitter reduction, found an opinion that it bests Ayre QB9, relatively cheap  - Burson Audio 160D - 24/96 only, great headphone amp, which I don't need (STAX fanboy) - W4S DAC2 - this one uses m2tech drivers so low buffer is possible, but I've seen comments/reviews which indicated it's not that good - db Audio Labs Tranquility - it tempts me the most to try it although it doesn't support hi-rez, it's USB only and NOS - haven't heard one before!   Of course it would be great if I could listen to all of these DACs in my system, but it's impossible, so eventually I'd have to get one in blind. The good thing is that USB-capable converters are getting very popular and there will be a lot of new models soon, hopefully better   Cheers,  Marcin

Thought it would nice to share our test tracks. 

Stop me if we have a topic elsewhere & let me know where thanks.

 

Here is my current list:

 

I have had a computer audio installation as a part of my system for the past nine years. I started with a very simple single PC/JRMC/JRemote installation and over the years have progressed to dual PC/JPLAY Femto/AO 3.30 Beta/Process Lasso Server/Fidelizer Pro/BubbleUPnP. In the time that I have used computer audio, I have used Windows 10/2012 Server (GUI and Core)/2016 Server/2019 Server. I have always used my Naim Audio DAC, powered by a Naim Audio XPS power supply. I recently changed my S/PDIF converter from M2Tech HiFace Evo to Singxer SU-1. The sound that I am able to achieve now is without doubt, superior to the sound quality achieveable with my original Windows 10/JRMC/JRemote setup. Had JRiver not prevented the use of JPLAY with their software, I might still be there. Although JRiver referred to JPLAY as 'a hoax', my experience was that it did indeed significantly improve sound quality. My current setup is good. It is largely stable and reliable and it enables me to enjoy music although I have always felt that something just isn't right.

 

On Saturday, I went to my local vinyl store for the first time in years. It was Record Store Day and I wanted one of this year's available RSD releases. When I brought the record home and played it, I realised what was wrong. ith digital audio, both CD and DAC based, the sound seems recessed and flat. With vinyl the sound comes into the listening room with the listener, offering an almost holographic presentation of the music. I tried a few more digital vs analogue comparisons and found that my initial experience was consistent. Playing a vinyl album offers a quality of sound that is vastly superior to either of my digital sources.

 

I am aware that my computer audio equipment is long in the tooth. I have never heard a really good high end computer audio setup. It would I'm sure, make for an interesting comparison. I can't afford to get myself a high end computer audio setup. Having retired from work, my upgrading days are gone. I wonder though if it is the case that digital sound cannot rival its analogue counterpart. There are many who will tell you that this is the case.

 

As previously mentioned, I would be really interest to hear a comparative listening test between a high end computer audio setup and a high end vinyl setup.

Each has its relative advantages. CD is low maintenance, computer audio is mostly low maintenance and vinyl, by comparison, is relatively high maintenance. The listener is required to turn or change the record every twenty minutes or so, styli need to be treated with utmost care and kept clean. It can be a hassle.

 

I have a friend who is a devotee of analogue sound. For many years, he has built his own turntables and has frequently attempted to explain to me in technical terms why digital recording and replay can never equal analogue. He does not have and has never had, a digital source component in his system. I wonder if he is right and that a reference sound can never be achieve with digital components. The lack of general availability of vinyl will of course, influence equipment choice. I am most certainly glad that I have retained my vinyl collection of around 3500 albums, mostly purchased in the 1960s and 1970s.

 

Wonder where the audiophile market will go from here.

HungryBear's TrustedClean v1.44
TrustedClean is installer for OryA's jitter-eliminating software. It aims to make the installation as simple as possible, while giving you the best sound possible, automating most of the tasks necessary to properly launch ES/MC/LE.

Features:

• Brand new affinity management with proper core isolation. TC 1.44 use new method of launching that is basically a combination of PL-style core isolation with Asynchronous Live startup method. For each CPU core, TC will automatically launch single instance of ES/MC/LE isolated to that core, and each instance will be launched with 12s time delay to the previous.
• Each instance can be launched with High IO Priority. This give an improvement on par with RAMdisk, assuming that you are using good NVME drive, making RAMdisk unnecessary in some cases.
• Full compatibility with ExerciseStabilizer
• AllCoresExeLauncher updated to rev2
• Portable version for ultimate purists
• Launcher was rewritten to further tighten the timing of Asynchronous mode, launching each instance with even more accurate time delay
• Setup will alwalys ask for destinaion path - good for moving to or from RAMdisk
• TrustedClean do not rely on filenames for terminating instances and setting priorities anymore, to guarantee compatibility with any software that might be released in the future
• TrustedClean can be used to automatically set High IO priority to ES/ME/LE and any other application you choose
• Many other improvements for better compatibility and reliability

• Installation is as simple as it can be. Just place ES/MC/LE files in TrustedClean folder. That's it. ES updated? Just replace the files. Done. Filenames doesn't matter.
• AudiophileOptimizer and other similar tools are breaking TrustedInstaller. TrustedClean will automatically check and repair TrustedInstaller service and its components.
• Works on extremely modified and headless OSes - does not rely on user logon for startup.
• ES/MC/LE startup routine begins 2 minutes after the computer startup. During first minutes after the boot, OS is busy doing housekeeping and this might cause micro-stutter and latency, which ruins the timing and makes the sound worse.
• Process Lasso Optimizer will automatically exclude ES/MC/LE, your media player and ASIO drivers from ProBalance, IdleSaver, SmartTrim and Foreground Boost (optional)

Please turn off Process Lasso core assignment and/or any other affinity management software to get the benefits of TrustedClean.

AllCoresExeLauncher rev2 is integrated with kind permission of OryA.






Download links:

http://jplay.eu/foru...-196#entry61458

 

Hello friends. I created this topic to share with you the photos of the new case I built for dedicated computers (the software is the same as always - Windows Server 2019 Datacenter Core Mode and JPLAY FEMTO). With more time, I will insert in the descriptions about the reasons that led me to adopt this new layout, as well as the sound that I have obtained with the last changes.

 

Since there are so many photos, I created a shared folder to access and view.

 

https://fioedu-my.sh...atMyBQ?e=XYiOaX

 

HungryBear's TrustedClean v1.3

What is HungryBear's TrustedClean?
TrustedClean allows you to run unlimited number of MC/LE instances with NTAuthority or TrustedInstaller privileges. Automatically, on system startup. No user input needed, whatsoever. Not even when updating MC/LE versions.

What's new?

• Asynchronous mode of execution - Each instance of MC/LE will be started with slight time delay to the previous. This significantly improved the sound in all systems we tested (optional)
• No external software used in NTAuthority mode. Just pure batch script.
• MC/LE startup routine begins half minute after the computer startup. During first seconds after the boot, OS is busy doing some housekeeping and it might cause some micro-stutter and unwanted delays, which ruins the timing and make the sound worse. This delay fixes it.
• Realtime, High and Above Normal CPU priorities added
• Fixed a bug that caused some instances to be occasionally left out

• Installation is as simple as it can be. Just place MC/LE files in TrustedClean folder. That's it. MC updated? Just replace the files. Done. Filenames doesn't matter.
• You can run unlimited number of instances with no extra work. Want to run 33 instances? Just place 33 copies in the folder and TrustedClean will take care of the rest. Automatically, on each startup.
• You can easily switch between NTAuthority and TrustedInstaller privileges
• AudiophileOptimizer and other similar tools are breaking TrustedInstaller. TrustedClean will automatically check and repair TrustedInstaller service and its components.
• No additional processes or services. Just MC/LE.
• Works on extremely modified and headless OSes - does not rely on user logon for startup
• Process Lasso Optimizer feature will automatically exclude MC/LE, your media player and ASIO drivers from ProBalance, IdleSaver, SmartTrim and Foreground Boost (optional)

Many thanks to VonBrechts and Thuan who helped me tremendously with betatesting and determing the optimal values for Asynchronous mode - we went back and forth, testing various values for long hours. In fact, VonBrechts found the value for Asynchronous Live which ended up to be the favorite value for all betatesters.








Download link:
http://jplay.eu/foru...ean/#entry61458

Since I had the feeling that the real performance of a stereo system isn't achieved by a desktop blu-ray player, but with a completely dedicated computer, I spent a lot of time on the mission of extracting the best I can from a dedicated computer. For this, many and many hours of studying and listening have brought me to the current stage, with at least one computer that I think performs well. In this topic, my goal is to write some things that I consider for a computer assembly, things that I took into consideration, things that worked for me, and that's why they represent my personal opinion on the subject.

 

The first thing that I consider essential in a dedicated computer is a linear power supply. First, talking generically, what I have to say is: every low signal source that's part of the system (computer, pre-amp, DAC, e.g.) is extremely more sensible than high signal source (usually amplifiers and integrated amps). It happens because the SNR between them is very small, in direct comparison. For example, a noise of 0,5v represents much more for a circuit with a voltage of 1,5v, 4v or 5v (as in the USB connection, or between DAC and pre-amp, or between pre-amp and amplifier) ​​than for a circuit with 35v signal (amplified output). This makes a special care with noise necessary for our systems, especially high frequency noise. Many people say that electromagnetic shielding is enough, but it just physically isolates the circuit elements. I could, e.g., insulate a transformer with mu-metal, or a power supply, and probably the high-frequency irradiation will be controlled. However, there are other two big strands that are part of the equation: a) controlling EMI/RFI waves irradiation doesn't mean that they won't exist amymore, but just will remain closed. I mean, by enveloping a computer power supply, for example, all radiated noise will be confined within itself, reflecting indefinitely (there is a difference between absorbing and isolating); b ) even with a control of the phisycal incidence of electromagnetical waves, we cannot forget that noise also circulates over the conductors. And not just that. High-frequency noise has no "path", no definite direction. At the same time that it comes with the power cables (phase and neutral), it also returns through the same cables. In a few words, it means that the noise generated by a switched power supply propagates through internal components, spreads to the equipments through the USB cable, the coaxial cable, the RCA/XLR cables and reaches the speakers, but also returns by the electric cables to feed the other equipments directly by the transformer. This is, therefore, a double loss, since, with a switched power supply in the system, everything loses: DACs, preamplifiers, among others, and not just the equipment with a switched power supply. Not long ago I was highly contested in a Facebook group when making these notes, but no one was willing to prove me the opposite with the use of an oscilloscope. It's obvious that's there are linear PSU and linear PSU, switched PSU and switched PSU, and that an excellent switched power supply can be better than a bad linear power supply, but, in principle, working at 60Hz and with adequate filtering (and a few other things), a linear power supply, by its nature, can achieve a better level of performance.

 

Based on several assumptions, I developed and tested a dozen linear power supplies to arrive at the final form of what I have today. I believe that implementations are possible, but this isn't the focus of my dedication now. The fact is that after I completely removed any and all switched power supplies from my system, the performance level went up severely, and as I was implementing the computer and other items, I noticed that much of what I heard was due to the fact that the computer didn't has a switched power supply, and I was able to prevent it from inserting noise into the network or audio path. So, I consider that the first and one of the most important care of any audiophile that wants to build a digital stereo system is the non-use of switched power supplies and, of course, the adoption of good performance linear power supplies.

 

In next post, I'll write about the hardware of a dedicated computer (motherboard, processors and others). Hope you enjoy.

 

PS.: for those interested, I can also talk and explain about the construction of my linear power supplies, already apologizing for my bad English.

NO COMPROMISE AUDIOPHILE-GRADE OCC WIRES & SHIELDING RESULT IN A REMARKABLE AUDIO EXPERIENCE

 

The JCAT DC cables extract true performance of a linear power supply that is masked by poor quality of generic DC cables included with a PSU. Replace those with JCAT and experience the sound on a completely new level.

 

SPECIFICATION:

No compromise audiophile-grade DC power cables that can be tailor made for your PSU and needs: motherboard CPU (world premiere), SATA drives, USB/NET Card etc. Pictured is a 4-pin ATX 5V to 2x SATA DC cable for use with the HD-PLEX 400W ATX PSU

Multistrand OCC wires made up of up to 221 ultra pure fine copper strands. OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) wires developed by Professor Ohno at the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan are used to eliminate impurities and grain boundaries which degrade conduction and consequent sound quality. Contrary to other copper wires, OCC copper is ultra (99.9999%) pure which allows the cleanest possible conduction

Advanced shielding prevents noise interference and guarantees a remarkable audio experience

Dramatic improvement of sound quality & image quality

More natural tone that is closer to analogue

The positive effect will improve up to one week from the installation

Once the DC cable is installed, the same directionality must be used to maintain the best sound quality

If the DC power cable for e.g. HD-PLEX PSU is ordered, it is designed to work exclusively with HD-PLEX PSU. Therefore the cable must not be used with other power supplies for safety reasons.

Motherboard DC power cable for CPU, a world premiere in computer audio, has the biggest impact on sound quality

Please specify the DC connectors and make/model of your power supply when placing the order. Available connectors and options included in the price are: motherboard 4-pin ATX (CPU), 2x DC jack 5,5/2,1mm, 2x SATA (pictured). The standard length is 1.4m

 

The cable is available now at the JCAT shop:  https://jcat.eu/prod...c-power-cables/

I'm pleased to announce another great product: JCAT USB Card FEMTO which replaces the original JCAT USB Card model.

It's available now and ready to ship. More info here: http://jplay.eu/ml_p...usb-card-femto/

 

Regards,

Marcin

Folks, a gentle reminder. The purpose of software threads such as this one is to provide information or opinions that will help/guide other forum participants as they evaluate the effects of the software or different software versions in their systems. Or at least help them decide whether to try the software.

 

So, if you have a positive or negative comment about MC/LE/ES please provide a justification/explanation for your comment. Merely to say that you do or don’t like it, or it’s good or not good, without providing the rationale behind your comment is not informative and benefits no one.

 

It’s also important to bear in mind that your comment is based specifically on your system, room, ears, etc. Given the multitude of system and environmental differences among the forum members, it’s clear that what may be beneficial with one forum participant’s setup may not be as beneficial, or beneficial at all, with another participant’s setup.

 

If you wish only to extol the benefits of your system, feel free to start another thread specifically devoted to that endpoint. Otherwise you run the risk of straying well off topic. And I only have so much patience.

 

I may be incorrect, but I believe that this thread has more posts than any other on the Forum (though I haven’t checked every thread back through the years). I’m sure that we all agree it has proved to be a very valuable resource. Let’s keep it that way by continuing to provide helpful observations and information that focus on the topic of the thread, and by treating each other, and each other’s systems, with respect.

HungryBear's TrustedClean v1.0

What is HungryBear's TrustedClean?
TrustedClean allows you to run unlimited number of MC/LE instances with TrustedInstaller or NTAuthority privileges. Automatically, at system startup. No user input needed, whatsoever. Not even when updating MC/LE versions.

What's new?
- Works on extremely modified and headless OSes - does not rely on user logon for startup
- Supports TrustedInstaller privileges
- Installation is as simple as it can be. Just place MC/LE files in TrustedClean folder. That's it. MC updated? Just replace the files. Done. Filenames doesn't matter.
- You can run unlimited number of instances with no extra work. Want to run 77 instances? Just place 77 copies in the folder and TrustedClean will take care of the rest. Automatically, on each startup.
- You can easily switch between NTAuthority and TrustedInstaller privileges
- You can force MC/LE to run with High CPU priority
- AudiophileOptimizer and other similar tools are breaking TrustedInstaller. TrustedClean will automatically check and repair TrustedInstaller service and its components.
- No additional processes or services. Just MC/LE.
- Process Lasso Optimizer feature will automatically exclude MC/LE, your media player and ASIO drivers from ProBalance, IdleSaver, SmartTrim and Foreground Boost (optional)






Download link:
http://jplay.eu/foru...-192#entry61308

HungryBears MC Installer v5
 
You can set up multiple system services with nssm. This is great for properly running multiple instances of MinorityClean.
 
1. Download and extract all three files
2. Run "HungryBears MC Installer v5.bat" as an administrator - (as always open notepad and check what the script does before running!)
3. Window pops up, select the first instance of MinorityClean, press enter
5. Choose whether you would like to use second instance of MC or not
6. Choose whether you would like to use third instance of MC or not
7. Done
 
When you want to update MinorityClean, you don't need to manually uninstall the old versions, my script will take care of that. Just run the script again and choose your new favorite versions.
 
You can also edit CPU priority and CPU affinity in the NSSM window, if you want to (not recommended)
 
Uninstaller also included in the package
 
The service starts as an NT Authority / SYSTEM service, just like with sexe
 
You can download your own nssm.exe here
 
Enjoy!

Hello (from France) to all of you,
 
This is my first post and I wanted to dedicate it to my newly acquired Music server, the entry level at Core Audio, which this Hungarian company calls "DAIDO Barebone Entry".  IMG_0563.JPG   570.71KB   10 downloads  IMG_0561.JPG   711.12KB   5 downloads
It is actually a linear ATX power supply (8 circle full analogue low noise power supply) powered by 2 toroidal transformers (160va and 100va), the whole installed in the popular Streacom FC-10 enclosure. After several more or less successful attempts to make my own ATX power supply, I finally chose this solution which suits my  needs with an "all-in-one" concept.  I also  wanted something  different from what can be commonly found on the market in terms of ATX power supply.
 
This solution (and this is not the least of its benefits) allows me to build my own music server and customize it according to my needs. it offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to the choice of architecture (mATX server board with Xeon or gaming board with i7 or i9T…) and devices, accessories (cards, wires… ).
It's pricey, yes, but I think it's worth every penny, especially considering the above observation, as well as the global quality of this cleverly designed PSU, not to mention that it makes it possible to do without the previously required power supplies, especially DC/ATX converters and other pico PSUs. I was able to get rid of a 12v psu for motherboard, another12v for cpu, a pico psu, two dc and power cables, an extra power strip needed to connect all that, etc. I made two exceptions, however (more by curiosity than because of need):  I kept my  Bakoon BPS-02 battery to power the OS SSD and for the FEMTO USB card I kept the Uptone LPS-1 power supply (more precisely the LPS-1 set to 7v followed by two LT3045 based MPAudio power supplies in series (respectively 6v and 5v) for an ultra clean, ultra low noise 5v). But honestly it was more by coquetry and because I can hide these tiny little boxes behind the Streacom case, I could easyly live with the 5v from the Core Audio power supply without feeling any loss in SQ .   
 
I finished the build two weeks ago (see attached pictures). I only made one modification to the rear of the FC-10. The  Streacom box is certainly aesthetically pleasing but it has the drawback of not having any vertical expansion slots (only 2 large horizontal slots, only one of which is actually usable in practice because they are too close together). As a result it requires the use of a riser cable, which I wanted to avoid as it seems to degrade the sound quality a bit. So I cut the back of the FC-10 as well as the back of an old FC-9 (a useless spare case that had uggly wear marks on the cover) and assembled the two parts in order to have 2 usable vertical slots.  Not so easy but nevertheless fully achievable with the help of simple but good tools, good eyesight and... a little patience! The result of this "organ transplantation" (with a high risk of rejection) was a kind of FC-9 XXL (or FC-11?). This allowed me to use two USB cards: one FEMTO JCAT and another (normal, not FEMTO). The latter is currently used to receive data from an external HDD housed in a Lacie case), but I could as well use this second slot for a FEMTO NET card for instance.
 
Now, let's talk a little bit about the SQ:  ( I deliberately kept the best for the end !).
As I said earlier, I only recently finished my build and so I haven't been able to listen to much more than about 40 hours, yet we know that a music server, like most audio devices, requires a break-in time. A power supply such as the one installed in this music server is no exception to the rule, (all the more so since it has no less than 31 capacitors on board). Despite this, I had enough time to quickly glimpse the potential of this PSU. First impressions are very positive.
What immediately caught my attention is that this PSU is totally silent, the illumination of the white LED on the front of the Streacom and the green LEDs of the PSU are the only signs that it has been switched on. There is no noise, no parasitic vibrations, nothing.
It is probably a too soon to analyse the listening in detail. I could use expressions like "soundstage is very wide, 3D, airy, and so on" or "I could hear a lot of musical details previously hidden", the kind of words inevitably used in the reviews. Sure, they would be quite appropriate in this case, but perhaps  not credible enough given the short time spent listening. At this point, and  more importantly, I  would rather say that I really, really like what I hear. I found myself listening to all kinds of music (Jazz, instrumental and vocal, Classical, Folk, French songs...) until late at night with curiosity and a certain greed.  There are albums that I know by heart (or at least I thought I knew) and that I rediscover. It's real delight
The Core Audio power supply, whatever its qualities, is of course not the only one responsible for these results, the JCAT FEMTO USB card, the JCAT Reference SATA and JCAT Reference USB cables that I reinstalled are an important part of it. So I would like to take this opportunity  to congratulate and thank Marcin for his work and the quality of the products in the JCAT range.
 
As a last comment, I must point out that I get these listening results with  a rather modest motherboard and CPU. No Supermicro server board or fancy ITX gaming board here, no Xeon or last gen I7 or I9 CPU. I only have an old mATX Asus with Haswell (i7 4770T) CPU.  As you can see, it's not the latest in state-of-the-art technology!
I can hardly imagine the result I could get with one of these new motherboards/CPUs.
It is therefore not that difficult to guess what the next step in upgrading my Music server could be
Perhaps it will be another story...  For now I am very happy with my new toy.

What's happened to the topic about BHE ?

 

I've just learned to use Pink hq (wasapi ) and the japanese guy has stooped the developpement!

2019-08-16

 

But ...Minorityclean  is a big legacy...

 

Minorityclean: http://www.mics.ne.j.../MinorityClean/

 

Eur2

 

Hello guys. After I spent a lot of time trying to make my dedicated computer work with RAMdisk, I finally managed to succeed in this endeavor. As I tried many different paths, I wrote down everything so that I had some "extra" information when I finally got it, and also to have a guide in case I had to do it again. Well, I didn't have to do it again, hehe, but I hope the information I wrote down as "definitive" in terms of functioning is actually correct and helpful to colleagues in the forum. As I am Brazilian and I wrote the text originally in Portuguese, I spent some time transcribing it into English, so that it is possible to share with colleagues of this forum. I think it's valid, because it really was very difficult to get it for the first time.

For those who don't know, RAMdisk is one of the most high-performance methods for audiophiles in the world, and although I've never read anything about it in this forum and only have a personal friend who has tested before me, I've read a lot, a lot , much information in international scope, where it seems that the theme is more evolved. Reducing latency and high throughput is only a small part of the benefits. If that weren't enough, I've never heard any "original" setup, with SSD, SD card, M.2, or anything else, that delivers audio quality as good as RAMdisk. For me, it's the best, but what I don't know is if there are different RAM models that deliver different sonorities (Corsair vs. Kingston; Kingston vs. Crucial; Corsair vs. GSkill; e.g.).

To make it easier for me and my colleagues, I created a PDF file that can be downloaded, because the text is large and I also attached some images to make the complicated parts more enlightening.

Finally, I remind colleagues that although there are Windows software that makes RAMdisk easily, they only allow a very limited part of RAM to be defined as storage, and they don't allow the operating system itself to be installed or loaded on it. The guide I've tried to create effectively causes 100% of the operating system to go to RAM and run from it.

Here is a working video: