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audiophile optimizer?

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skypickle

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I have no issue listening to music on a modern pc (4th gen cpu intel i5 - 4570s) with 16 gig ram, OS (win10 pro) loaded onto ssd(samsung 850 evo). No clicks pops, stutters or any issues . I used to have issues on win7 pro all the time. So naturally I wonder what audiophile optimizer does? Really, has anyone tried this?

https://www.highend-audiopc.com/ao-order

When I read reviews that use the words '3 dimensional sound, holographic, more space, etc' I get wary.
I suppose I could buy it, try it and then post my impression, but I would rather see a more quantified approach - which I am not qualified to do. jitter measurements, noise measurements, etc.

I wonder if this optimizer really optimizes the audiophile's mental filter rather than doing anything with the data stream/sound?

Here is the 94 page thread of subjectivity on CA
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f...2012-server-or-windows-8-a-17897/index93.html
 

tr1ple6

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You could also try Fidelizer which might to be similar. There is a free version that you can try first. I'm not sure it makes any difference to sound quality but here you go http://www.fidelizer-audio.com/
 

watchnerd

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You could also try Fidelizer which might to be similar. There is a free version that you can try first. I'm not sure it makes any difference to sound quality but here you go http://www.fidelizer-audio.com/

There was a thread on head-fi where the creator of Fidelizer tries to explain why it would even work, and to prove it does anything, and fails.
 

watchnerd

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I have no issue listening to music on a modern pc (4th gen cpu intel i5 - 4570s) with 16 gig ram, OS (win10 pro) loaded onto ssd(samsung 850 evo). No clicks pops, stutters or any issues . I used to have issues on win7 pro all the time. So naturally I wonder what audiophile optimizer does? Really, has anyone tried this?

https://www.highend-audiopc.com/ao-order

When I read reviews that use the words '3 dimensional sound, holographic, more space, etc' I get wary.

Here is what it does:

"A Windows Server 2012 R2 system in core mode, fully optimized with the AudiophileOptimizer, runs only 5 to 7 services and about 15 to 20 processes. Almost 150 unnecessary drivers and services are disabled, resulting in the optimal platform for ultra high-end audio reproduction."

a) This will make your machine unusable as a desktop.
b) I don't know how much of the firewall & security stack he's killing, but I'd be concerned

Most importantly:

If you don't have drop outs (pops, clicks, stutters) or high jitter, you don't need this.

If you do have high jitter, there are better, simpler, cheaper ways to deal with it than extreme measures of trying to turn Windows Server into a stripped-down OS.
 

amirm

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I have done limited testing of impact of computer traffic on outboard DAC. With a lousy DAC (Shiit) it impacted its output and you could hear it. The results were in this thread: http://www.audiosciencereview.com/f...fferences-between-software-audio-players.668/

Outside of that with higher quality DACs, I have not been able to measure the impact of computer traffic on any of them.

The issue here is that there is so much going on in a modern operating system. Disabling the things they disable is a drop in the bucket when you are dealing with a high-performance CPU and operating system. There are countless switchmode power supplies, timer events, code executing out of band, disk/SSD access, graphics activity, etc. What they are doing is polishing the surface of a car tire hoping it will ride better on gravel. :)

I will do more testing in the future but for now I say this is another one of those cases where a little bit of technical knowledge is a dangerous thing. What they do "seems" to be plausible and the combined with confirmation bias of removing a process and 'hearing' a change and the rest is what we have here. Love for the suppliers of these tweaks to provide some measurable data to prove me wrong.

And oh, I thought this software was free. Didn't realize now it costs $129.
 

watchnerd

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I have done limited testing of impact of computer traffic on outboard DAC. With a lousy DAC (Shiit) it impacted its output and you could hear it. The results were in this thread: http://www.audiosciencereview.com/f...fferences-between-software-audio-players.668/

Outside of that with higher quality DACs, I have not been able to measure the impact of computer traffic on any of them.

The issue here is that there is so much going on in a modern operating system. Disabling the things they disable is a drop in the bucket when you are dealing with a high-performance CPU and operating system. There are countless switchmode power supplies, timer events, code executing out of band, disk/SSD access, graphics activity, etc. What they are doing is polishing the surface of a car tire hoping it will ride better on gravel. :)

I will do more testing in the future but for now I say this is another one of those cases where a little bit of technical knowledge is a dangerous thing. What they do "seems" to be plausible and the combined with confirmation bias of removing a process and 'hearing' a change and the rest is what we have here. Love for the suppliers of these tweaks to provide some measurable data to prove me wrong.

And oh, I thought this software was free. Didn't realize now it costs $129.

Also, it's becoming moot.

The need to directly connect DACs to computers is going away.
 

watchnerd

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You say but but the tweakers are still pursuing these even in networked environment!

*sigh*....

I'm sort of sympathetic to analog tweakery because analog is so finnicky, especially electromechanical devices.

But digital voodoo still blows my mind.
 

tr1ple6

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There was a thread on head-fi where the creator of Fidelizer tries to explain why it would even work, and to prove it does anything, and fails.
This thread? http://www.head-fi.org/t/795259/fidelizer-pro-real-or-snake-oil
Which leads to this http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=pcaudio&m=150062
and some measurements here http://archimago.blogspot.com/2015/08/measurements-audiophile-sound-and.html

The guys at audioasylum claim that the measurements show some difference but the graphs were too poorly stacked on each other for me to see anything conclusive either way. Perhaps Amir can interpret it
 

watchnerd

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This thread? http://www.head-fi.org/t/795259/fidelizer-pro-real-or-snake-oil
Which leads to this http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=pcaudio&m=150062
and some measurements here http://archimago.blogspot.com/2015/08/measurements-audiophile-sound-and.html

The guys at audioasylum claim that the measurements show some difference but the graphs were too poorly stacked on each other for me to see anything conclusive either way. Perhaps Amir can interpret it

Archimago tested Fidelizer, as well. No measurable effect:

Fidelizer_Summary.png
 

amirm

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This thread? http://www.head-fi.org/t/795259/fidelizer-pro-real-or-snake-oil
Which leads to this http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=pcaudio&m=150062
and some measurements here http://archimago.blogspot.com/2015/08/measurements-audiophile-sound-and.html

The guys at audioasylum claim that the measurements show some difference but the graphs were too poorly stacked on each other for me to see anything conclusive either way. Perhaps Amir can interpret it
I looked at every graph and there is no evidence of what he is saying. He is confusing run to run differences with actual differences. Archmiago notes this but likely he didn't read that. And to be fair, Archmiago should have shown the run to run variations on the same setup to demonstrate that.

I will do more testing but the data here shows nothing whatsoever to back subjective differences reported. If these things make such night-and-day difference that any audiophile can hear it, surely some trace of it shows up in measurements but it does not.
 

watchnerd

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I will do more testing but the data here shows nothing whatsoever to back subjective differences reported. If these things make such night-and-day difference that any audiophile can hear it, surely some trace of it shows up in measurements but it does not.

I wouldn't bother with more testing.

In the absence of an alternative hypothesis on why this would make any sort of difference on a modern computer that is not IO or process starved, I would apply Occam's Razor at this point and conclude the software has no effect that is audible or measures within the realm of audibility.
 

Fitzcaraldo215

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Also, it's becoming moot.

The need to directly connect DACs to computers is going away.

How so? And, in favor of what topology/architecture? I am trying to understand non-"direct" connection of the DAC to the PC so that data transmission can occur. Are you just talking about wireless vs. wired? Ethernet vs. USB/Spdif/etc.?
 

watchnerd

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How so? And, in favor of what topology/architecture? I am trying to understand non-"direct" connection of the DAC to the PC so that data transmission can occur. Are you just talking about wireless vs. wired? Ethernet vs. USB/Spdif/etc.?

Networked streaming.

General purpose PC / server is in a completely different room from the audio system. That's how we do it in my house.
 

fas42

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I wouldn't bother with more testing.

In the absence of an alternative hypothesis on why this would make any sort of difference on a modern computer that is not IO or process starved, I would apply Occam's Razor at this point and conclude the software has no effect that is audible or measures within the realm of audibility.
It's all pretty simple really. The audio playback chain is normally very fragile in terms of being resistant to interference effects degrading the sound - we're not talking pops and clicks and obvious zzzting noises coming through, this is general grunge, grubbiness in the sound - PA sound has it magnified n times over, and almost every hifi rig has it to some degree. Usually, the only way people realise that it was there is by removing the audio dirt virtually completely - this produces the "magic", "fabulous synergy", "convincing" playback, that many people spend a lifetime chasing.

Digital processes create electrical noise. So, move those processes further away, reduce their severity, improve shielding - whatever works. If one learns to become sensitive to the audible impact, then you hear it happening, all the time - bit like always hearing MP3 artifacts, :p.
 

watchnerd

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It's all pretty simple really. The audio playback chain is normally very fragile in terms of being resistant to interference effects degrading the sound - we're not talking pops and clicks and obvious zzzting noises coming through,

We're talking just about the digital bits, prior to conversion.
 

astr0b0y

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That seems pretty much all waffle to me. Then again, my assumption is the opposite based on just as much evidence as you provide. Audio is protected by computational error correction so unlikely to be degraded by its operation.
Also by the same reasoning of "digital processes create electrical noise" the very process of playing a file would create noise so you could never escape to nirvana.
 

Thomas savage

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If the integrity of the digital signal has been maintained, the computer away from the DAC.. The noise is irrelevant.

It's what happens in your dac and what gets through to the analogue side.. So unless your computer is infesting your dac it's all bollocks.

Watchnerd can walk you through the science of bollocks , I'm watching the semifinals of the world darts championship :D
 

astr0b0y

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Don't get me wrong, I have experienced many time the quality of playback affected enormously by other processes - always in the form of complete playback stoppage either as stuttering or crashing altogether. Almost always caused by myself too :)
 
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