DIY Audio or OCD to the next level

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PSU is done, next challenge is to get the fiber from the switch to the system....

(loads of stuff can be 'cooked' on a worktop while waiting for the slab for the backsplash)


I put the set together and connected it to a vintage Philips broadband unit, so there is music....


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jeezzz that vintage Philips broadband speaker is good! edit; ridiculously good!

and so is this linear PSU (based on Sean Jacobs DC 3 regulators and a common mode rejection CLCCCC topology using active rectifiers and that is while there is a whole lot of burning in still waiting to happen!
 
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I just replaced the slightly short fiberoptic cable for a 3m longer version with closer specced ceramic connectors, and I'll be D^%$#@d if it doesn't sound better...0.25dB insertion loss vs 0,1, I have no clue how that can make a difference on a 15meter run @10Gb
 
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made another UPOCC power cable, this time for the femto SSD drive and added a few copper heatsinks to the mem chip and controller chip.
 
currently trying to make a decision to either start a project using two CPU's on a server Mb versus a 16 core CPU on a high spec gaming Mb...

so two Intel Xeons on the Asus Sage platform, versus AMD R9 5750x on an Asus ROG VIII Extreme....thoughts?
 
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MarcelNL said:
currently trying to make a decision to either start a project using two CPU's on a server Mb versus a 16 core CPU on a high spec gaming Mb...

so two Intel Xeons on the Asus Sage platform, versus AMD R9 5750x on an Asus ROG VIII Extreme....thoughts?
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That of course depends on what you want to accomplish... but if all those parallell processes needs to interact with each other, the on-chip IPC communication could be quicker on a single ship.

If you just want parallell throughput then stuff like IO channels, memory bandwidth etc would perhaps make a bigger difference, possibly with an advantage for the server class hardware.

What is your bottleneck when running the software on your exisiting hardware?
 
there is no bottleneck , the current 12 core CPU is capable of running the few processes that are required for Daphile on one core...it's just that somehow more cores sounds better, don't ask why...
Somehow sound quality benefits from horsepower that is not being used, an dlower CPU loads sound better.

so it's either going to be a 16 core AMD, or go double whammy with 2*10 cores. Price of the MB and CPU(s) is pretty much the same, all other paraphernalia are the same and in place.
 
Why do you think you need that much horsepower just to run some audio? Don't think more cores would necessarily better; at some point latency between cores (or core clusters) can get worse...though I still don't really see that impacting simple audio playback.
Going towards server hardware also isn't necessarily better for consumer usecases, especially the CPUs.

Either way I'd lean towards the single-CPU solution. Going multicpu introduces all kinds of inter-CPU latencies into the equation. Still think it's overkill; simply having any PC that doesn't have any other loads on it is probably enough. You'd probably be better off spending the money saved just about anywhere else. Maybe lubricate those special gold digital cables with some extra snake oil. ;)
 
the weird thing is that keeping everything else the same upgrading from a quad core Ryzen 3 to a 6 core, 8 core, 10 core and now 12 core improved audio quality. It's overkill at 4 cores already, since I do not use PGGB , DSD or upsampling, no DSP stuff etc, so mostly red book FLAC and WAV material at the highest in high res. The current CPU can get things done with 11 of the 12 cores doing other stuff.
Similar to upgrading the Motherboard to the high end gaming versions, same chipset yet I suspect the on board CPU power supply design is the underlying reason for sound quality increases.

I'll save a few bucks for the snake oil jar, mine is running low ;-)
 
Were you upgrading within the same generation or also going to newer gens? The earlier Ryzens had some teething issues and latency was also an issue.
If you also upgraded motherboard at the same time, then yes, upgraded VRMs might have some marginal impact on performance but honestly you'd expect none of this to really impact performance on digital audio. You're not using the onboard audio anyway so how much is the CPU really doing...
 
I made all changes so that I could evaluate the effect of CPU cores, within the same generation, and not in combination with changing motherboards or anything else. Number of cores, amount of power available to it makes quite a difference.
I know it's hard to believe yet it's real, have a look at what Taiko uses in their extreme server...2 intel Xeon silver CPUs on Asus Sage MB
 
Actually the most remarkable thing about their setup is that it looks like a completely fanless design. Which I guess makes absolute sense for audiophiles...but it does mean that the CPUs can't stretch their legs in any way shape or form when passive cooling is all they have.
 
Jovidah said:
Actually the most remarkable thing about their setup is that it looks like a completely fanless design. Which I guess makes absolute sense for audiophiles...but it does mean that the CPUs can't stretch their legs in any way shape or form when passive cooling is all they have.
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That is not a serious issue, I'm running a passively cooled 12 core CPU on max speed 24/7 and so can the extreme, using heatpipes and a seriously large heatsink (300W)
 
I'd pick the server mobo if you have a legit need for ECC RAM. Otherwise keep it simple with the consumer mobo. But check reviews if there's any high DPC latency with the mobo you're looking at.
 
Already using ECC RAM, industrial Apacer stuff, not because of the ECC but since it's somehow less 'noisy'.

It's either going to be the ASUS ROG VIII Crosshair Extreme (because of the number if VRMs)
or the Gigabyte X570 Extreme (a good deal cheaper but short a few VRMs when compared to the Asus

and for server Asus Sage 621

System is running Daphile, which is an Arch Linux based dedicated audio platform with LMS (Logitech Media Server) integrated, it takes care of many things you need to tweak manually in windows.

(usecase with onboard WIFI/Audio/USB/SATA/NIC etc switched off in BIOS)
 
so it's gonna be the 16 Core Ryzen as next step, right after experimenting with a second Taiko ATX module so I can separate power to the MB and EPS completely (will require a second linear PSU so the dimensions of the beast will explode)

cable is ready, I'll wait for some daylight to connect everything so it can break in a bit before listening tomorrow evening
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The two Taiko ATX is probably not going to work since the Mb has a common ground between CPU power connectors and the ATX power connectors...WHY!

meanwhile a 16 core CPU appeared today...TBC
 
Over at the budget end, planning out a basic 5.1.2 setup shoehorned into the bedroom, I’m looking forward to trying the new https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/flex-ht. Might grab a couple of Emotiva BasX 5-channel amps to drive the speakers. Yes, I know it’s nowhere near audiophilia, but what do you expect from someone who’s self-professedly happy with his entry-level Sakai Kikumori and Tojiro DPs? In the living room I have a Denon for HT but honestly I miss the control I used to have with my MiniDSP NanoAVR running active DSP into LXmini. Why Dirac when you can REW?
 
I just replaced the corning fiber with grade A LCLC UPC connectors for an identical cable with APC connector, cleaner sound with better flow and dynamics
 
After some faffing around with the network topology I dare say that how the parts connect matters, I finally added an Access Point to get WIFI chatter out of the router and connected the IPTV and wired internet via a cheap switch. The difference is quite real, and once again hard to explain the why.

Meanwhile there is an unexplained ( ;) ) influx of Mono records ...time to kick off the RCA70A restauration now that I have some more detailed info on how it's put together (much more elaborate than what I initially thought)
 
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I just finished installing the 16 Core Ryzen, and as much as I had hoped it would bring nothing the result is that the difference is not trivial at all...totally bonkers, still it's here.

Recently we did a night long (a long night at that) of the Miyaima Zero and Infinity Mono cartridges and this difference reminds me of that session....

nice side effect is that the CPU core temperatures are running a great deal lower (35'C-ish, versus 53'C-ish) ...not sure why that is; either I made a (much) better thermal connection this time, or the CPU has a better internal thermal pathway, or both ( I'm guessing that is the most likely scenario).
 
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MarcelNL said:
while listening to music I'm reading up on Vinyl, as all my records are at least 60 years old cleaning will be an issue to take care of. I plan to clean all records prior to playing them.
I found an IMO pretty solid book on LP cleaning by an ex-Navy tech buff;
Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition - The Vinyl Press
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There are also several people on YouTube that seem to know what they are talking about. All of my vinyl that I purchased new back in the 70’s I played once and put into special sleeves. These were all only played once because I recorded them onto cassette and then put them away. Someday I’ll get my original Marantz turntable running properly again and play these records again on my current equipment. Let me know what you think of the cleaning process once you’ve given it a go. I do have many other records that I’ve picked up used along the way and who knows what they’re like.
 
Will do, so far the amount of solvents and gadgets required is dazzling me ;-)
Looks like I'm embarking on yet another science lab....
 
MarcelNL said:
Will do, so far the amount of solvents and gadgets required is dazzling me ;-)
Looks like I'm embarking on yet another science lab....
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Marcel,
While not DIY, I highly recommend a combination of SpinClean using their recommended solution concentration in distilled water to pre clean/scrub LPs, followed by a Degritter ultrasonic using 1/2 their recommended solution in distilled water to rinse and dry.
Evan
 
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