Anyone here tried "audiophile-optimizer"?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Anyone here tried "audiophile-optimizer"?

timbosan

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#177681 11-Aug-2015 14:40

Hey all,

I am a fan of home theater, and also 2-channel audio, and was looking around and found this:

http://www.highend-audiopc.com/audiophile-optimizer

Basically its a set of recommendations and scripts that turns a PC into an audiophile system. Interestingly its all based on Server 2012, and even goes into using Core mode to optimize the system as much as possible. It all sounds interesting, and much cheaper than some of the high-end dedicated boxes. It reviews well too:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f10-music-servers/whos-used-audiophile-optimizer-windows-2012-server-or-windows-8-a-17897/index3.html

I have a NUC I was thinking of trying this on, but don't have a USB DAC (yet).

Note - its NOT a player, you still need something like FooBar2000 or JRiver etc. In fact you can make these apps the 'shell' in a Core system.

So has anyone tried this? Any thoughts or recommendations?

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Vocus

#1362877 11-Aug-2015 15:01

Smells suspiciously like snake oil to me

timbosan

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#1362880 11-Aug-2015 15:04

That was my first thought, but it works around the idea of optimizing the system by reducing un-needed processes, setting the system to favour foreground processes, mucks around with USB drivers, etc. Its basiclaly a bunch (I think it said 300) of tweaks to make the system perform better. Which has some valid logic. After all, what are the expensive players and streamers but dedicated computers?

muppet

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#1362893 11-Aug-2015 15:08

I think you'd be much, much better off installing StereoTool: http://www.stereocool.com/

It's a great bit of software I bought ages ago, worth it for the declipper alone. Listening to overdriven albums isn't a horrible experience anymore.

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

gbwelly

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#1362895 11-Aug-2015 15:08

I'm such a audio heathen I shouldn't really post.

What are you planning to play back? I'd be surprised if all that jiggery pokery would improve the experience over a client OS. Most of the audio quality would be determined by the quality of the USB DAC and the decoder algorithms being employed by the playback application. Most people expend their effort on getting bit streaming working to the receiver. That way the PC is cut out of the equation and the focus is on the receiver and amplifier.

Batman

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#1362952 11-Aug-2015 16:03

what a weird thing to do to improve sound.

wasabi2k

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#1362957 11-Aug-2015 16:10

Sounds like a load of bollocks to me.

Spend the time and effort on decent audio hardware rather than dicking around customizing server core installations of windows.

Batman

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#1363009 11-Aug-2015 17:22

timbosan: That was my first thought, but it works around the idea of optimizing the system by reducing un-needed processes, setting the system to favour foreground processes, mucks around with USB drivers, etc. Its basiclaly a bunch (I think it said 300) of tweaks to make the system perform better. Which has some valid logic. After all, what are the expensive players and streamers but dedicated computers?

You are one true audiophile my friend. Go buy it

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timbosan

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#1363034 11-Aug-2015 17:46

joker97:
timbosan: That was my first thought, but it works around the idea of optimizing the system by reducing un-needed processes, setting the system to favour foreground processes, mucks around with USB drivers, etc. Its basiclaly a bunch (I think it said 300) of tweaks to make the system perform better. Which has some valid logic. After all, what are the expensive players and streamers but dedicated computers?

You are one true audiophile my friend. Go buy it

I am not sure if that's a compliment or an insult, lol!

Actually I am not bothered either way, and I don't even know the price. I am quite keen though to try using Server 2012R2 (which I have) and running JRiver on it. Getting rid of all the Windows fluff cannot be a bad thing ;-)

So has anyone actually used this?

Actually, just looked at the price, 119 EURO!! OMG! That's nearly half the price of my amp's power cord! (*That's an audiophile joke - I don't use anything but the factory supplied power cables).

I did find some references to free software that does a similar thing - disables page file, etc. But overall it looks like I can do most of these changes myself.

Next on the list - Foobar + WASAPI or ASIO.

Or here is a FREE "optimisation" script http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/windows-8-audio-optimization-script-16353/

Fun and games in the audio world!

Batman

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#1363036 11-Aug-2015 17:48

Better start saving for this too http://arstechnica.com/staff/2015/02/to-the-audiophile-this-10000-ethernet-cable-apparently-makes-sense/

timbosan

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#1363044 11-Aug-2015 17:55

joker97: Better start saving for this too http://arstechnica.com/staff/2015/02/to-the-audiophile-this-10000-ethernet-cable-apparently-makes-sense/

just WOW! That is one of the best marketing schemes I have seen, actually getting people to buy that stuff. I love this part of their marketing:

All insulation slows down the signal on the conductor inside. When insulation is unbiased, it slows down parts of the signal differently, a big problem for very time-sensitive multi-octave audio. AudioQuest’s DBS creates a strong, stable electrostatic field which saturates and polarizes (organizes) the molecules of the insulation. This minimizes both energy storage in the insulation and the multiple nonlinear time-delays that occur.

And the articles response:

With that, we have officially left reality and normal space-time behind and entered the audiophile Twilight Zone

Just magic!

I am more than happy with my system, and spending that kind of $$$ is just mad. My home theater runs of 2 four-way power boards, connected via a 10m extension cord, that comes from another 4-way power power board. I think I need to resolve that first before looking at Ethernet cables.

Thanks for the link Joker!

Batman

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#1363055 11-Aug-2015 18:16

Where the audio enthusiast listen to music, the audiophile listens with his wallet and to his gear.

Batman

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#1363060 11-Aug-2015 18:21

But that product you posted at the start ... Doesn't even make any technical sense in improving sound. But buy it if it makes you happy

Batman

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#1363061 11-Aug-2015 18:23

To make your paper plane fly further do this:

Poison all the butterflies otherwise they create interference in their flapping of wings
Stop the fish from swimming otherwise they waves they make jiggle the air molecules
Let no one open the fridge lest the air gets denser
And so on ...

mcraenz

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#1363119 11-Aug-2015 19:30

Imho a pc should only output digital audio, DAC should be external, whether it be a receiver or a standalone DAC.

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driller2000

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#1363135 11-Aug-2015 19:50

yeah i'm gonna call bs

i like me music and ht - but would never call myself an audiophile - mainly as much of what they "believe" is a mix of pseudoscience and snake oil and doesn't stand up to any objective or scientific assessment

recommend - avoid

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