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Audiophile sound on Linux

28K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  jriver 
#1 · (Edited)
Thread dedicated to maximizing audio quality on Linux, particularly 2 channel music, but also sound quality issues in general, stereo or multichannel.

To get started here are some useful and relevant links-

Recommended players:

Audacious http://audacious-media-player.org/
Music Player Daemon (mpd) https://launchpad.net/~gmpc-trunk/+archive/mpd-trunk?field.series_filter=raring
Gnome Music Player (GMPC) (GUI for mpd) https://launchpad.net/~gmpc-trunk/+archive/gmpc-stable
mplayer2 http://www.mplayer2.org/
DeaDBeef http://deadbeef.sourceforge.net/
Gmusicbrowser https://launchpad.net/~shimmerproject/+archive/ppa
Guayadeque http://sourceforge.net/projects/guayadeque/
Quod Libet https://code.google.com/p/quodlibet/
J River for Linux http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=44.0

Recommended players for audiophile use must at minimum support bit perfect audio playback/output from the Linux PC, plus support gapless playback.

GMPC Installation/review
http://www.webupd8.org/2009/11/gnome-music-player-client-gmpc-mpd-just.html

MPD installation/review
http://www.webupd8.org/2009/10/mpd-sonata-powerful-audio-player-for.html

Lots more front ends/GUI's/remote clients and remote control apps for MPD
http://mpd.wikia.com/wiki/Clients

Linux music player apps and settings to achieve bit perfect output discussion
http://www.head-fi.org/t/561961/bit-perfect-audio-from-linux

Other computer audio related sites:
Well Tempered Computer
http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/

Computer Audiophile
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/

http://www.head-fi.org/f/46/computer-audio
 
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#4 ·
Great resource!


I have 2 questions, should I create a new post?


I've been looking at using Linux for audio to my Audiolab through USB and I was wondering about 2 things before diving in.

1) What are the min computer hardware requirements

2) My library is mostly ALAC, which is no longer a proprietary format. Can I play these back?


I was considering, http://www.ap-linux.com but according to some on computeraudiophile.com, they appear to suggest linux doesn't have the under-the-hood nots and bolts for audiophile sound.
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by a santos  /t/1476780/audiophile-sound-on-linux#post_23719248


I was considering, http://www.ap-linux.com but according to some on computeraudiophile.com, they appear to suggest linux doesn't have the under-the-hood nots and bolts for audiophile sound.
That's total B.S.. Once a player sends bit perfect audio to the DAC it can't possibly get any better or worse.


Linux players are able to do this without any tweaking, so anyone who says that Linux audio sounds worse doesn't know what he is saying.


Enviado de meu Nexus 4 usando Tapatalk 4
 
#6 · (Edited)
Quote:Originally Posted by a santos 

Great resource!



I was considering, http://www.ap-linux.com but according to some on computeraudiophile.com, they appear to suggest linux doesn't have the under-the-hood nots and bolts for audiophile sound.


Thanks for the complement, but...

Ridiculous assertion.

http://bryston.com/products/digital_audio/BDP-2.html
Quote:Employing a modified Linux OS optimized to provide the highest quality audio performance,


No, the fact Bryston uses a "modified" Linux doesn't mean an off the shelf distro like Xubuntu or Ubuntu Studio wouldn't/couldn't produce the exact same bitstream and jitter magnitude from it's SPDIF, HDMI, or USB outputs.

The volume of illogic and snake oilsmanship in the audiophile hobby is staggering, second only to finance/investment types.

As the prior post responded, once the claim is made and demonstrated (use a DTS encoded red book CD or WAV file) that bit perfect output is achieved (again, through an SPDIF or USB output from any device, PC or custom), by definition there is NO difference in the datastream (i.e. bytes at receivng device). There *may* be differences in jitter magnitude on the output, which may or may not matter depending on the receiving device (DAC, processor, etc):

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/85283-s-pdif-jitter-myth-reality.html

http://www.tek.com/application/jitt...pplications_-_NA&utm_content=cov134p123136g-c

http://www.audiocraftersguild.com/AandE/npt.on.jitter2.htm

http://ethanwiner.com/audibility.html

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=87802
Quote:there have been properly conducted listening tests to determine the audibility of jitter. Two obvious examples are:

Benjamin & Gannon.
Theoretical and audible effects of jitter on digital audio quality.
105th AES Convention, 1998
Jitter added to digital signal between transport and DAC with a hardware device.
Conclusions: uncorrelated jitter inaudible below 10nS rms on pure tones;
uncorrelated jitter inaudible below 20nS rms on music signal

Ashihara, Kiryu et al.
Detection threshold for distortions due to jitter on digital audio.
Acoust. Sci. & Tech. 26, 1 (2005)
Jitter simulated in the digital domain.
Conclusions: uncorrelated jitter inaudible below 250nS on music signal.

"Notice how *massive* are the levels of jitter that proved to be inaudible, and compare that to jitter levels in modern systems (typically below 1nS, good ones below 100pS). Jitter simply isn't the bogeyman it's made out to be."


So what- get a better *receiving* device or use the USB out from your linux PC to an async USB DAC.

Another rebuttal is the fact that commercial OS's like OSX (Mac) and Windows must apply DRM schemes to audio and video paths, tainting the audio stream. By definition, FOSS OS's don't, so you can be guaranteed of an untainted audio bitstream *Only* from FOSS OS's.

Yes, we all know about Windows kernel streaming and ASIO and third party add ons for Mac OSX iTunes that claim to leave the audio datastream unmolested & "bit perfect". But why do you want to use third party *proprietary* (i.e. non free-speech) workarounds and hacks to give you back what you have rights to in the FIRST PLACE!? Plus, audiophiles are OCD by definition, and you would *never* know if a commercial OS (Win/Mac) is tainting the audio stream for sure, third party plug-ins/add-ons/drivers or not. With common FOSS OS's (Ubuntu and compatible derivatives, Fedora and derivatives, Arch and derivatives, etc), you *know* the audio bits are untainted.
 
#9 ·
What is the best player for FLAC with hi-end headphones in 2018 year?


I`ve tried Audacious and Clementine.
I very like Clementine but Audacious is my winner.
I cought some plugins effects Audacious, that they have improved my Sennheiser PC 363D to perfect clear sound
Plugins are:
- Bauer Stereophonic-to-Binaural (BS2B)
- additional stereo
- crystallisation


I did not find a way for 5.1 playback.
Is on Linux surround not supported?
 
#12 ·
I know this is a very old thread but I use Strawberry Music Player. In its set up tools it has a backend tab where you can configure to output ALSA and works perfectly. My bedroom HTPC uses a GTX-980Ti via HDMI to a Denon AVR. My 5.1 and 7.1 channel FLAC files play perfectly and all sample rates I tried (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 KHz) all are bit-perfect as well.

There is also a Windows version that can use WASAPI. FWIW, my bedroom HTPC is dual booting Windows 10 and Zorin OS. I have Strawberry on both operating systems but still prefer foobar2000 on Windows.
 
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