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Hi !
i have a boxed barebone Nuc 54250 WYK at hand.
I already read about the fan noise issue even if it is marketed as a HTPC (what they are doing this people ?).
However i wonder if anyone has a direct experience of the NUC to understand if it has any potential to be used as an AV streamer.
Thanks a lot for any kind information/advice.
Kind regards,
bg
Follow Ups:
You can put your NUC in a fanless enclosure, and call it a day. Check Akasa for example. If you go that road, make sure the enclosure you get is compatible with your NUC as port locations have changed between nuc versions.
Since your already have a NUC, that's cheaper than getting a zotac.
Hi and thanks a lot indeed for the kind suggestion.
I have already checked and not found a compatible model in the Akasa catalogue ... but i will check again for sure.
I am quite confident that something will appear in the market quite soon like less noisy replacement fans ... or a new FW addressing the issue.
It should not be that difficult.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
Akasa Tesla H should be compatible with the NUC 54250
Here you should be able to find something right for your NUC. Go through the site. They have reviewed many NUC cases.
Hi and thanks a lot for the very helpful advice.
I will read and check for any option for my version of NUC.
What sounds strange to me is the fact that is marketed as HTPC where noise is an issue of course during quietest passages.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
That has a fan, but honestly, I never hear it.....
I use it as a media streamer with Linux mint for the past two years and it runs silent, and hasn't had a single issue. You can set the fan in the bios, I never felt the need to do so.
I also loaded it up with 8 gigs of ram and a nice 2.5" SSD I had laying around. It has the i3 proc in it, I wasn't looking for a killer cpu!
Not a bad little device for the price I paid, ( barebones = cheap!) I think I have around $300 total in it...
Hi and thanks a lot.
I guess that your version should run colder.
Anyway on the basis of your experience i think i will buy the missing parts then. Mine is still barebone.
I see in the web that there is a lot of interest around this issue of the fan noise.
I am quite sure some silent and compatible fan will pop up.
Or maybe a new version of the bios with a better fan speed management.
Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 06/30/15
You're welcome....
Sorry if my post wasn't fully fleshed out, but I basically have not heard my NUC in the two years I have had it plugged in. It runs on 24/7, and never really feels warm. It is just a very light weight running computer that I use for general computer duties and the regular audio and video streaming. It is hot rodded or modded in any way.
Good luck in your progress!
Hi and thanks a lot again for the very valuable advice.
I am learning and not educated in computer things.
But this is main and only hobby now ... apart barbecue.
Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards,
bg
I've been looking at a fanless mini pc called Quantum Byte on Amazon. It comes with Windows 8.1 so you could add a 12" touch screen to it. I don't want a 22" monitor dominating the stereo system.
I get not wanting a fan to inject electrical noise. What I would like to know is how to feed it. Spinner hard drive, usb thumb drive, Samsung one terabyte SSD external hard drive?
Personally, the slight whirring of a typical hard drive does not bother me.
------------------------------------------------------
Big speakers and little amps blew my mind!
This seems to be an 'upmarket' PIPO X7. It's better if one can avoid the 32G HDD and 2G Ram and run x64. A spare Sata or eSata port is also better for large music files.
Curious,
Have you tried running lover voltage into the Zotac? Say maybe 15V?
Thanks for the tips fmak.
------------------------------------
Big speakers and little amps blew my mind!
Hi and thanks a lot for the helpful advice.
I think that internal pc noise can be really an issue with PCI cards with an spdif out, that set the clock.
When power isolated usb transmission is used i do not know.
Maybe the pc ps noise is not so impacting on performance.
OS instead is another issue and i think that not all OS are equally good.
For instance, i have already got many opinions about 8.1 being better than 7.My main concern is the " acoustic noise " from the NUC fan (i have not experienced it yet but i am reading many people complaining about it)
I think that because it is very small it must rotate at a very high speed and this causes the loud noise.
A slower speed will reduce its efficiency but also the noise and in many normal use conditions could be the solution.
I have a nice programm that monitors the T of the cpu cores ... a very nice program indeed.
I will check with the pc as stock and then i will try to slow down this bloody fan ... i wonder if any quieter replacement is available.
Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 06/29/15 06/29/15 06/29/15 06/29/15 06/29/15
Yes the NUC can be used as a Music Streamer. And the fan can be turned off in the BIOS.
Edits: 06/29/15
Hi and thanks a lot for the very valuable advice.
I see that you own one so i would like to ask you something more
I have to decide if to buy the missing pieces (RAM and SSD) and I am worry mainly by the fan noise issue (see link).I have to questions:
1) have you checked the cpu T with the fan turned off ? (i am using for this purpose " CPUID HWMonitor " and it is great)
2) which OS are you using ?Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 06/29/15 06/29/15 06/29/15
NO, I never checked the temp with fan in Passive mode.
OS - Win2012R2 Essentials using Roon.
But you can buy the NUC "KIT" which is just the board and it can be installed in another case for "improved" or "different" cooling schemes.
Hi and thanks a lot for the very helpful advice.
I did not know of the "kit" version ... that would be very interesting.
I admire the quality of the execution of the board.
Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards,
bg
... instead of it being an optional feature.
Of course, chances are that even in a hot room, playing 192/24, it will be fine with passive cooling only.
I have a fanless Intel NUC (1 core Atom processor, Haswell technology). I am presently using it for a server (not an audio application). It is a small package and has a 2.5" SSD. It runs Linux. I won't be purchasing any more computers that have moving parts (fans or spinners) unless they are machines that can go into a closet. There is no need anymore, since powerful processors with the latest chip technology don't use very much power.
Unfortunately, I have a new UPS that has a fan that runs all the time. I thought it wouldn't, because it was the same make and model of my older one that died. Unfortunately, the new unit has different firmware (not field upgradable) and it runs the fan on slow mode 24/7. I can't move the UPS into a closet because if the power goes off it will generate too much heat. I am trying to figure out how to move the UPS into another room and still get the power to my computers. (We have too many drunk drivers crashing into light poles, ice storms and lightening strikes to have safe computer operation without a strong UPS.)
Apparently, one has to dig deep before buying equipment that one thinks is fanless, otherwise one will be disappointed. :-(
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
My (linux) server is a Cubitruck @$85. (GB ethernet and Sata)
The server serves audio,pictures,data over NFS,UPNP,Samba/Cifs,LMS to all computers (Windows and Linux and Android) in the house.
Beside that it also acts as streaming client.The server runs @2W, the SSD runs @ <1W both @5V.
My "UPS" is a 12000mAh EasyAcc battery for the Cubitruck and SSD @ $25.
That gives me roughly 24h backup.Guaranteed no fans . ;)
IMO the best and greenest server I ever had.
Edits: 07/03/15
My Mytek DAC requires a device driver. While there is a device driver for Linux it has been compiled for the Intel platform only. Since there is no publicly available source code, ARM based platforms are a no go, at least the last time I checked.
Too bad, because the ARM architecture is less baroque than Intel's, which accounts for the lower power consumption.
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
Just sell the Mytek.
The Mytek sounds fine in my system the way it is set up. I do not care about the difference between 6 watts and 2 watts. This amounts to $4.00 per year in electricity costs.
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
Hi and yes i should have looked for a fanless solution.
But i have now it.
But i did not know of the issue before reading on the net.
I wonder if another part less noisy can be found.
Thanks a lot.
Kind regards,
bg
If you decide to run the unit fanless, you may be able to reduce temperature by drilling a hole or holes where the cpu needs ventilating.
I used to do this with 15 to 35 W cpus. Now my music PC is 4W and can play continuously with no worry.
Now my music PC is 4W and can play continuously with no worry.
Is that the PC for which you purchased the 100-Watt HDPlex LPS power supply? What will you use the HDPlex for?
... Mr F has yet to purchase?
The HDPles looks impressive but it is not for use with pissy little matchbox PCs.
Smile
Sox
Correct; general purpose use instead of a no of units.
Need to confirm that its is quite as some have problems.
Hi and thanks a lot for the valuable suggestion.
Given that this unit is quite popular i am expecting some silent fans appearing pretty soon ... it should not be a big problem.
Unfortunately i bought it without even think to look for reviews.
For an HTPC noise can be an issue.
I am not looking for zero noise ... just low and bearable.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
you can get it on amazon.
Hi Mr. Fmak and thanks a lot again indeed for the valuable suggestion.
Still i have a straight question: do you think it is possible to get good sound (not high end sound, just very decent) from a pc with fan ?
In general i mean.
My answer would be yes. I think that the power issues and noise can be overcome using isolated usb transfer.
My main concern is about a fan that can be too loud during the quietest passages.I have a full size pc with fan and i can live with its noise quite easily (i can barely hear it and the "tone" is very bearable).
Instead the fan used in the NUC is reported as extremely loud even with the cpu cold (????).
With a different bios setting the fan kicks in only when the cpu reaches some 65 C.
However i like the NUC form factor a lot ... it is a very cute piece of electronics.
How such excellent piece of electronics can have a fan this loud i really do not understand, given that it is even marketed for HT duties !
Silent PCs is a big market indeed because the flexibility of a pc is just too addicting ... i love the pc solution a lot.I am sure some kind of special fans will appear on the market.
And maybe also a new FW with a better control of the fan speed. It should not be that difficult to do.
I have read something about bios setting in the NUC forum. I think that with a different settings is possible to make the fan kicking in only when T reaches 65 C or something in the range.
65 C is now the T max i reach in my Pipo X7 after adding some thermal pads below and above the pcb.
My bigger PC stays always below 50 C.I guess 65 C of woking T could be acceptable.
Clearly the lower the better.
Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 06/30/15
That's what I'm using as my "regular" (not audio) PC. I haven't tried it in my audio system but I'm sure it would be excellent. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying silent, power-sipping computing.
It's not fast enough for me as regular PC. Smooth but not like my 65 and 95 watters!
I only use it for e-mail, Internet, spreadsheets, and word processing. More than enough headroom for that stuff.
What server/playback software are you running on that? thanks, stephanie
Foobar minimal KS and DSD
thanks
Fans come in standardized sizes (diameter and mounting holes and depth) and standardized wiring and voltages. It may be possible to reduce the noise of a system by substituting a different fan, but the result may cause the equipment to run (slightly) hotter.
I had a very noisy NAS. A few years ago the noisy fan failed and I replaced it (an easy repair, unbolt and solder). The new fan had a higher quality bearing and was slightly slower, so it made less noise and provided less cooling. As a result, the disk drives ran about 2 degrees C warmer, something I deemed insignificant in terms of product lifetime. (It wasn't possible to run the NAS fanless as it had a loud alarm when the fan failed and the disk drives were getting excessively hot, although not as hot as the drives in my PC.)
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
Hi and thanks for the very interesting information.
Actually it is what i am thinking maybe with some different settings in the bios but it is clear that the stock part is a little noisy.
I am finding CPUID HWMonitor an extremely valuable tool to check the cpu T
Great SW.
However i do not know what would be an acceptable T for the cpu
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
... of something with fan inside. Would be a non-starter for me personally, and not just because of fan noise. Other, sound quality related, repercussions were extensively discussed here and elsewhere.
Especially considering that fanless options are available - for instance, 5 of them at the link below, and I'm sure there are more.
Hi and thanks for the helpful advice.
However i guess that many Inmates here get nice sound from pc with fans.
My point is that there is fan and fan
I have here small fans that rotate very silently.
Instead the Nuc fan must sound like an helicopter taking off ...
Some noise is acceptable to me.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
It is not just the noise of the fan but the electrical noise the fan controller makes in the system. At least in a standard size system if you must use a fan you can add a filter. In a small NUC etc you cannot.
... is so difficult to comprehend - just look at the response below.Of course, when one's system is NOT designed for audio playback, there's incentive to mitigate the negative impact (best case) - or to find excuses and come up with BS why it's harmless (worst).
I fully expect a "properly designed", a.k.a "perfect", DAC to enter the picture next, and it will of course be immune to all transport-induced vagaries, including electrical noise from fan controller.
Funny thing is, skilled listeners report that, for instance, Ayre DAC is also susceptible (which makes sense, because it's a resolving machine) - while the unskilled ones bathe in spotless sonic nirvana.
Edits: 06/30/15
Have you considered using variable linear DC power for your fans which would minimize the need for such a filter in the first place? Most PC fans are pulse width modulated which varies the voltage duty-cycle to control fan speed. The control pulses are the real source of electrical noise in this situation, not so much the fan itself.
"Have you considered using variable linear DC power for your fans"
I have not since I am not using any fans.
"The control pulses are the real source of electrical noise in this situation, not so much the fan itself."
Yes they are and even for the MAC John Swenson designed a fan controller. Along with the Regen IMO necessary MAC upgrades.
I might order a Regen just for grins but I believe much of it's potential benefit is already achieved within the Ayre DAC. I could try it with a couple of my DACs to see if it benefits one more so than the others.
"believe much of it's potential benefit is already achieved within the Ayre DAC"
I believe you might be very wrong. You should read some of what people have been saying. The improvements are unrelated to what DAC you are using.
You should read some of the more in depth reviews of the Ayre QB-9 DSD DAC. Much of the USB isolation, noise reduction, 5v eliminating 'tweaks' out there are IN this DAC. But it's not exactly clear to me what the Regen attempts to do that some DACs may already accomplish within their chassis. Could be a fun little toy to tinker with considering it's reasonable price. On the other hand, one has to wonder if these inexpensive little devices are so effective why would a DAC maker not include similar capability and build them into their DACs. I think that's a reasonable question.
Edits: 06/30/15
"You should read some of the more in depth reviews of the Ayre QB-9 DSD DAC. Much of the USB isolation, noise reduction, 5v eliminating 'tweaks' out there are IN this DAC."
I have read the reviews and I'm very familiar with it.
" But it's not exactly clear to me what the Regen attempts to do that some DACs may already accomplish within their chassis. "
The REGEN cleans up the power and regenerates the signal right before it gets to the DAC. I think it would be good trick for a DAC to regenerate the signal before it gets to the DAC.
" On the other hand, one has to wonder if these inexpensive little devices are so effective why would a DAC maker not include similar capability and build them into their DACs. I think that's a reasonable question."
This is like saying how come doctors were not using penicillin before it was invented.
This is the first external device to do what the PPA studio card or Jplay card do for USB. All the people with Macs, laptops or other systems that cannot be expanded now are able to improve their USB output.
I think it would be good trick for a DAC to regenerate the signal before it gets to the DAC.
Not at all, the identical "regen" circuitry can be built right into the chassis and right at at the USB input. Why must it be in an external box?
This is like saying how come doctors were not using penicillin before it was invented.
Not at all like that. I'm sure that signal conditioning circuity does not have to reside in a box external to the DAC chassis.
If you read the CA forum you will learn that people hear further improvements when two Regens are daisy chained. JS provides an explanation for why this is so. Along these lines it is entirely plausible that the Regen will improve DACs that have excellent, albeit imperfect isolation from their digital input.One other thing to consider. It is common practice in RF devices that do filtering to isolate multiple sections of filters in separate boxes. This provides a perfectly good explanation for putting (some) stages of isolation outboard from the DAC itself. If this offends you, you can always get yourself a cardboard shoe box and put several components inside it and call it your "DAC". If you try this, I suggest punching some holes in the lid so your critter can breathe.
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
Edits: 07/01/15
"If this offends you, you can always get yourself a cardboard shoe box and put several components inside it and call it your "DAC". If you try this, I suggest punching some holes in the lid so your critter can breathe."
ROTFLMAO!!!
"Not at all, the identical "regen" circuitry can be built right into the chassis and right at at the USB input. Why must it be in an external box?"
Because it is...
No matter how counterintuitive something is, once you get a thought you latch on and do not let go. Do you own a pit bull?
Of course they could. They could also build different cables inside the box to switch in order to change the sound. They can actually build the computer inside the box too... Oh they have... It is a streamer...
You have not answered my perfectly legit question because the question is too simple and obvious. And we are all too aware that audiophiles are often too insane to comprehend the obvious.
It is difficult to tell if you are actually stupid or just acting stupid. My guess maybe the former.Of course any manufacturer could put anything in a box, did you ever think that maybe they haven't thought of it, this is something new in our field.
Just like prior to USB audio interfaces being built into DACs they were external and people connected them via SPDIF.
For some reason you think your stupid point that nobody has done this yet actually lessens credibility of the device, it doesn't. It is such a stupid question why does someone actually have to answer it for you?
Edits: 07/01/15
is when you call your opponent stupid multiple times.
You just seem so smart and superior when you do that.
"opponent"
This is not a game! Games or sports have "opponents"...
This is people trying to have an intelligent conversation.. Maybe you should try it sometimes.
lol
"This is not a game! Games or sports have "opponents"...
really, No_Tech? I don't know if I'll ever recover my former sense of dignity after this scathing bout of having been put in my place.
So your idea of having intelligent conversation is calling someone stupid over and over again like a broken record without ever actually discussing technical subjects?
Linked below.Looks awfully familiar - managed to antagonize at least 4 different people in the same thread with nasty, clueless, insidious BS, putting down a product he'd never heard, or even seen in flesh.
Makes you wonder why he is allowed to be - and do damage - here.
Edits: 07/01/15 07/01/15 07/01/15
That is funny as hell!!! LOl God only knows what he would say about Julius Futterman or Hiroyasu Kondo amplifiers...
I am glad we have an expert in out midst..
It is like kindergarten show and tell...
Or, best (worst?) case, the difference will be so insignificant, that it won't make sense to stress over, but instead "rather just listen to music".
Count on it.
I think part of the problem especially for people who keep DAC searching is that they don't realize that they can improve their front-end significantly, and this may and this search.
By just keep ignoring this that will never get anywhere and just keep buying a new DAC trying to find something better and still never get the sound they want. .
We have all done this to some degree, but honestly lately I'm listening to something pretty old actually. I'm not using my DSD DAC or my ESS saber minimax plus, instead it's an old Pacific Valve modified NOS DAC. It only goes up to 96 but with the newest Jplay 6.1 streamer and Audiophile Optimizer it sounds totally amazing.
At the end of the day some people will probably never really want to understand that all these things in the chain do matter. There is still no such thing as a perfect DAC that will take whatever you put into it and make it sound great.
Even if this perfect DAC ever does exist I still feel improving the front end will always have a significant effect on sound quality.
is going to lead to endless frustration.
After spending tons of money.
I think that it's a good idea to swap in a decent mid-high-end CDP or a decent turntable as a reference point. This is where Carcass, (and others), get a good perspective on things as their/our DACs are the same as our CDPs.
Besides there are far too many DACs on the market, it's digital file transports, sans DACs, that are rare.
"Asylums with doors open wide,
Where people had paid to see inside,
For entertainment they watch his body twist
Behind his eyes he says, 'I still exist.'"
If one throws into the equation different media types this can be helpful. But there may be pitfalls.
If one's speakers in one's room are too bright this may make some DACs sound hopeless. Switching to a vinyl rig that is itself rolled off may alleviate the problem and the conclusion might be that the problem was the DAC, whereas it might have been elsewhere. It might even have been that the system itself was OK, but the recordings used in the testing had problems.
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
Tony,
You can always come up with these type of issues but hopefully one uses varied music and is familiar with what they're listening to. Also you would hope that the individual understand their system and its shortcomings before they make drastic decisions. Not every vinyl system has to be rolled off, nor one speakers bright. I would hope that if someone lives with the system they have built one to their taste and can make intelligent choices when adding to it.
Indeed, hopefully one knows what one is doing. However, getting to this point requires a certain amount of listening, studying, and the experience of making mistakes.
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
"some people will probably never really want to understand that all these things in the chain do matter".
It's some kind of mental block, more than anything else. After they convince themselves that their source is "good enough", the only way they see to improve sound is to go on a merry-go-round of swapping DACs. Of course, without ever realizing that they have no chance of even coming close to a full potential of any of those DACs.
It's the same as with some people endlessly swapping speakers, while keeping their mass-market POS receivers, or some vanishing THD solid-state wonder-amps from 80's.
I think part of the problem especially for people who keep DAC searching is that they don't realize that they can improve their front-end significantly, and this may and this search.
By just keep ignoring this that will never get anywhere and just keep buying a new DAC trying to find something better and still never get the sound they want. .
Exactly the same can be said of those who tweak their source endlessly and never bother to try a variety of DACs. Some of us are perfectly happy with the way our systems sound but we enjoy trying different gear. For example, I have owned dozens of amps in the past 20 years or so and a handful of recent DACs.
While improving the front end may have a significant effect on sound quality especially if the source is pretty bad to begin with, it is my experience that a much bigger difference can be readily heard among various DACs. For example, the Luxman DA-06 and Wavelength Brick v3 are the polar opposites of the PS Audio NuWave and W4S DAC2. A couple tweeks do alter the sonics of my source but nothing like the different DACs.
Hi and thanks for the very helpful advice.
Maybe i am a dreamer but i think that noise inside the pc is not a big issue if i use the usb out providing isolation from the pc power.
My converter does this. It does not need usb power to work.
My main concern is annoying noise from a very noisy fan.
I really do not understand why they have not dedicated more attention to this issue for a pc that is marketed also as a HTPC.
Not very fit for the purpose.
Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards,
bg
"but i think that noise inside the pc is not a big issue if i use the usb out providing isolation from the pc power. "
In my opinion the noise inside the PC does matter even with good USB isolation. Every time I have improved my PC noise wise, with memory filters and better shielding etc. I have experienced incremental improvements. All of these improvements are a step to getting better sound. Often they are not gigantic earth shattering improvements but small incremental positive steps.
I think home theater is not as critical of an application. Audiophiles are definitely more serious. Any of these small PCs will work as a home theater PC as long as they have a good video output.
Hi and thanks a lot for the very helpful reply.
I would be interested to know some details about your current set-up.
I have to get an idea of what a very good source could be just to understand if i am moving in the right direction.
And yes actually i am interested in both audio and video streaming.
So i guess an HTPC is what is needed to perform the task.
Speaking of audio only, my music collection now on a NAS is almost 100% cd files (16/44.1).
Given that this format is intrinsically limited i am just looking for a pleasant and musical sound.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
I own a lot of different stuff and do switch around and try different things. What I've settled on currently and I think excellent is the following.
I am running an Intel ITX server motherboard with a 2.4 GHz 45 W Xeon processor, ECC memory and a PPA studio USB card. I also use a wide range pico supply powered by a 24V commercial linear supply. I've also run on lead acid batteries with a farad of capacitance. This motherboard CPU combo is what many people are doing over on the Jplay forum. The OS I am running is Server 2012 R2 in core mode, Audiophile Optimizer and the latest Jplay 6.1 streamer.
I am using this as a single PC just for simplicity, but also run dual sometimes as many people using Jplay do. Either way is excellent in my opinion. Server 2012 is a free 180 day evaluation so there is nothing to lose by trying it.
Phil has been receiving many requests for Audiophile Optimizer for Windows 10 and he is thinking about doing it. Windows 10 has gotten some very positive comments, so it is also worth looking into.
I would suggest you look at some of these options as you could try audiophile Optimizer and Jplay on your system currently, there are demos available. The new Jplay streamer would be perfect for you as you are already using a NAS for your file storage. You run the MinimServer on the NAS and stream files with Jplay using an android tablet, Apple tablet or even the PC as a controller. It's pretty flexible and actually does an excellent job of managing files and sounds great in my opinion.
Another great thing about the new Jplay is that it uses so little CPU that it can run on almost anything. Even the newest small Bay Trail systems like the ones that we have been discussing I think would be an excellent candidate. I have not gotten around to trying some of them but I intend to. Lower system power can also translate to lower noise, a good thing. Since the Regen does pretty much what the upgraded internal USB cards do I think these small systems are worth a try and might really sound very nice.
The rest of my system currently is pretty simple, I have a lot of different speakers and amps but lately I am running a Pacific valve NOS tube DAC, or a Aune S16 into a Lightspeed attenuator, Hypex amps driving Yamaha NS1000s. Amazing speakers IMO. I'm not a big headphone user but I also use vintage Stax electrostatics which are just about the most revealing transducers in the world. You can really listen into the music and pick out every fine detail and nuance.
Regards
Bob
http://www.highend-audiopc.com/
http://jplay.eu/
http://minimserver.com/
Hi and thanks a lot and ok .. you have a really great system indeed !
I have to read more about this JPlay player. Very interesting.
You say " Another great thing about the new Jplay is that it uses so little CPU that it can run on almost anything "
But the problem could be the OS requiring more HW resources.
I see mentioned Windows in the JPlay site ... but i have to read better.
You use Windows server ... is it more difficult than 7 ?
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
For what we are doing Windows server is no different than using regular Windows. It does have a lot more features but they are server related and not necessary for audio. You won't really see a difference.
It is similar to the Windows 8 or 8.1 platform in appearance. To use
Jplay you do need Windows 8 or higher. From what people are saying Windows 10 might be a good choice. I like server because when you switch to core mode you have essentially a DOS operating system, no GUI. If you are not familiar navigating DOS there are programs that are helpful such as Total Commander.
The OS does not really require more hardware resources for Jplay, you can run it on a pretty simple system. I mentioned the CPU factor because the older version did use more CPU power but this new version is a very light load and sounds exceptional.
Even these little all-in-one boxes that we have been discussing should sound very nice running Jplay on Windows 8 or Windows 10.
Thank you very much indeed and very very interesting.
I will look seriously into JPlay.
I have already a big interest for win 8 as well. I think it sounds very ok on a minimal pc i have at hand ... very very good.
But Win Server with this "Core" feature is even more interesting.
I really have to study more OS and SW.
Thanks a lot again.
Kind regards,
bg
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