Al, I think a quick read of the Jplay and AO manuals would help. Remember in AO the X settings mean standard windows, no AO filters are used.
The discussion of which Jplay and AO settings we like best in our own systems (with the DS) is very interesting to me, and I hope others will add their experiences here. But I suspect no-one will be able to give a perfect answer of which settings are best for you, because it’s so system dependent and also personal. So many variables: motherboard, cpu, PSU, USB cards, RAM type and speed, ssd, etc. Then there’s the question of what type of sound we like, what music we play, formats, production and so on.
I’d like to think we can establish some general rules with practice, like the effect the computer spec has on the sound: probably low spec (power, cpu, ram) will not be pleasing with JP settings for high CPU and memory usage and large buffer (Xtreamsize).
I tried extreme settings (high and low cpu, buffer) to get a feel for how it sounds on my system and then backed off a bit to get the sweet spot. But some tracks just sound better with different settings. Although I usually use Ultrastream, some recordings sound much nicer on Classic. Or was it just the mood I was in?
It’s great to hear you already find some benefit with Jplay. You have fun times head.
Thanjs up front for the reply always nice when people take there time to post for overs benefit. And inwillnrwsd the Manuel s. Soon hahaha. So much of this is just listening. I also need to read up at cap forums as well plenty of info there. I do agree the settings are for each of us as individuals
but I also like to read others views this speeds up the Learning curve as well.
Sometime ago JRive stopped allowing JPlay to work with it as a sound engine!
I don’t know which version you have but some people over at JPlay forum found ways to get the latest JPlay 6 working with JRiver 20x.
And also JPlay offers two different versions during installation, you may also prefer the Alternative versioın, if you haven’t already you should try it, JPlay Alt (I think this version is optimised for Pentium)! More experimenting and possibly more fun!
I have the newest build of jriver 20. I’ll,try the link I have read about it. The other jplay is also interesting . I think digital audio is just beginning to be a focus for us audio piles. Just four years ago very few had any clue what to do or what mattered. I bought my audiophileo AP1SE/PP AND MY OFFRAMP 5 . This was my first attemp to improver the sound of my systems. Since then I have learned so much and have come understand how little most of us know . I always tell,others of hiw a server of some kind is important and how much it matters.
One of my setups was a hdvd800 and a pair of hd800 headphones. The dac in the hdvd800 is cheap and a bit thin. But if I used the ap1se/pp with just a laptop the sound was improved greatly. I brought it to a headfi meet to demo it. The looks onpeples faces was priceless. Where most new the dac stunk but not anymore. Even the pwdmkii greatly improved with the offramp 5. Now jplay does seem to have that type of improvement . It does what the offramp did for the pwd . But keep in mind this is with a reference server of about 6k
it’s full atx mobo witha modded clock from Paul,pang and his ram , his modded hardrive for OS , his cables .
two bookoo batteries one for USB PCI ver 2 and one for hardrives. And one red wine dual battery supply for the mobo alone .
a Xeon 3.5 CPU fanless setup. All ssdrives.
Win server and AO beta and now jplay. And the jplay is better or what I perceive to be is better.
Thanks for posting all,of you this was a worthwhile try at an improvement that works for sure.
The last 2 major changes to my system were both software based and even better they were free. One of my good friends was over just after I installed PP and he really liked it. Just after I upgraded from JPLAY 5 to JPLAY 6 he came over for an extended listening session. He was amazed again equating the improvement in SQ to the purchase of a new piece of equipment. I have been in this hobby for a very long time and to think that you can get sound improvements of this quality from downloads is simply amazing!
Damn guys. This jplay is good really good. It most definitely raises the bar on this dac. It’s really DSd as in what I like to call DSd now.
Pcm is really good too. So now that I have more settings to write down. My next question why the hell is Paul playing his stuff at shows ona Mac mini lol. Has he or ted or Arnie ever heard it like this. Playing Elvis stereo 57 is amazing. It has so much texture to ot now. It’s full and yet has enough details to be palaplble for me. Still a it shy of perfection , I am sure there is setting here somewhere that will be.
For me being a detail junky pike hit the right cords for me. But it lacked the weight that made real for me. The new beta AO got me there. Now jplay has got me to place I did not know existed in this dac period.
Ted especially you do you owna server ? And of so what and how is it setup. ?
Thnaks here and else where for the constant try it. I will pass this baton on to all as well. There are some oddities sometimes , but being this close to the recording this happens. It’s just there .
I cannot wait for this to be played on the big system .
My system is pretty good, but programs like JPlay have historically made development systems unstable which I can’t have. (There’s a reason for each of the drivers and programs running on my PC.) I’ve been doing audio with computers since about '76 (not full time obviously) and I avoid most of the evils of computer audio.
Perhaps as a rationalization, I want to be using something more like the average user uses - the better the DS is with an average system the better it is for everybody, optimizing the DS to work with one player configuration wouldn’t be a service to the other customers. I want each software upgrade to make a bigger difference than doing gobs of tweaks.
To answer your question I now have two copies of my music library - one on a NetGear ReadyNAS 516 (that does do DLNA, but I normally just use a share) and another on a set of portable USB drives. I access the NAS over a 1.4Gig wireless link and the USB drives are on the same USB hub as my DS NAS’es are typically very noisy boxes (both electrically and acoustically) and my system sounds much better with a wireless connection than a wired connection…
I do most all of my work (and demos) with foobar2000 on my development laptop and I run the Oppo, the PWT, JRiver MC , the bridge, etc. now and then. The system does get incrementally better when I simplify it, but if you just walked into the room you wouldn’t know if I was using a JCAT USB cable or a Radio Shack USB cable, and so forth with other changes that people often rave about.
The biggest difference is just sitting up straight so my ears are in line with the tweeters Having 8 dedicated AC outlets with very solid grounding and running all balanced makes a lot of the expensive audio cables make much less of a difference. (And, yes, I have tried many.)
I suspect Paul is using a Mac mini for the same reason I use my laptop and USB drives - it’s portable and non-ostentatious. The more tricked out the system is that you demo with the more questions/interest you get about the tweaking and the less interest about the system.
I sent a PM weeks ago suggesting to Ted to give JPLAY6 a try, Ted thanked me for the email. Though I suspect my recommendation would be treated very lightly as I’m one of many customers to PS Audio and Ted most likely get many such mails.
I said something like JPLAY6 software was a significant step improving SQ and musical play back. For me the improvement was like going from the PWD mk11 to the Directstream. I recommended to Ted to try the software please.
I hope Ted does as this could help in future discoveries in improving the future DS firmware loads. In saying that I am extremely happy with Pikes Peak SQ, you never now what new things Ted can pull out of the DS though.
It does seem JPLAY6 when used benefits average PC builds and dedicated high-end music servers so everyone benefits using JPLAY6
Ted I really do understand your point and I do completely agree. But I also figure at as closet setup just take a peak bro your beard will change color.
And maybe those shirts will get normal. Hahhaaha sorry ted I had to say that. Anyway your work Oln this dac is really good as it is now. Cheers to you and your accomplishments. And for all my bitching about dsd it’s now really good dsd for me. Great job and do understand the same for Paul. Does Arny use server lol. No answer required.
But some time check it out its off the hook. No need to do the external psu stuff as I thought
I forgot, the real thing I should do is take my system apart and clean every external connection (and a thorough dust cleaning inside and out wouldn’t hurt either.) Most of the connections haven’t been cleaned in more than a decade and some haven’t been unplugged/plugged in that long.
For what it’s worth maybe your work ethic in some ways is below par . Like your spring cleaning lol. But truth be told for the price point you have made a fantastic dac. Imagine if allowed to make one at twice its cost. Yes it would not twice as good but even 25 percent is still striking. Not knowing what it would be like . Either way it’s till something major you have done . Easily you put ps audio back on top in its price range and now that Paul is allowing more firmwares it can be better for many more people, .
Right now I am,listening to some classical it’s nice but just so fsr away from it all. Just not for me. Bernard H London orch no 4 adagio . It’s nice but not detailed enough maybe at ear splitting volumes it is. But I do not listen that loud .
For most classical there’s only one volume for each recording where everything is in proper balance. Below that volume it’s often lifeless. Unfortunately the volume is at times near live volumes and we just can’t listen to things that loud too long without doing long term damage to our ears. I try not to crank to those levels for more than a disc or so every couple of days. And less if I need to listen loud briefly for a test. But boy there are a lot of SACDs (and CDs too) that are glorious when played at the right volumes.
Love your honesty ted. See that’s an answer no one else will,say. Let’s count the Replys to this one lol. It’s nice but it must loud and too loud with headphones but with speakers big ones it’s intense . But yes the eras will be ringing later .
Ted is absolutely correct; a good number of classical recordings need to be played at lifelike volumes to sound their best. This is fine for small ensembles, but brutal for a full orchestra playing romantic and newer literature. (And at least as dangerous to our hearing on headphones, if not more, as we do not experience the physical cues of high volume with headphones; e.g., headphones do not exhibit slam.)
There is good reason most conductors have suffered significant hearing loss, as well as many orchestral musicians.
Thanks ted and elk. And yes I would not listen with headphones loud
also yes of its too loud I start to loose resolution and keys. It flatens out my perception. I call. It blown out.
Not could be why I do not like calssicsl that much. And I do listen to classical all the tine meaning it’s on my daps I force my sled to like it. But the names is ridicules to remember
I always have a sound level meter(SLM) on when I am doing a serious listening session. I try to keep the sound levels between 85-92 db on the A scale. Yes, I know some recordings will sound better at louder volume levels but I want to protect my ears as well as my equipment so that as I dodder further into old age I can still listen at an involved level.
I have no idea how loud I play my speakers. For me it’s about enjoyment and not having my ears ring after wards. If they do its loud. Lows do not seem hurt as highs or upper mids do. Headphones I play them loud at times louder than my ciems. But given ciems are a couple of hours min a day. Low is better. It’s much lower than the trains . I do use my iPhone to leval out settings worh various devices. Louder always seems better to me and I think most .
NAS’es are typically very noisy boxes (both electrically and acoustically) and my system sounds much better with a wireless connection than a wired connection…