AudioLinux NUC

[CongoFather]

Bob, from audiophilestyle.com, seems to have done a great job and changed his previous system from NUC7i7DBNE running AudioLinux to Xeon server (Xeon E-2124G)
running on Euphony OS(on a hdplex 2nd generation h5 case, with 32GB Optane M.2 SSD and hd plex 400 power supply).
Maybe using the power supply externally instead of putting it directly into the case would be better. He uses roon on both setups.

The link to his latest audio server setup details is given below. What do you think about using xeon server setup instead of nucs and Euphony OS instead of AudioLinux?

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic...in-2-days/

[Antoine]

IMO there have always been two schools of thought for best SQ from computers. Fast and high power hardware(like SGM, Pink Faun, JCAT and XXHighend) versus lower powered ‘lean and mean’ hardware (like an Innuos). Common in both is trying to provide the best clean power. This past spring things started to shift a bit with some on Audiophilestyle back to fast hardware as people found out (e.g. Romaz and Austinpop) that the hardware they initally purposed as fast servers actually sounded really well as endpoints or single system setup where they previously had a NUC7i7DN’xx’ as an endpoint. Bob experimented with this as well and found the same with the added benefit of simplyfying ones system.

More people are experimenting in this style now, e.g. Nenon. So deploying machines using either server or gaming motherboards and fast AMD Ryzen or Intel i7/i9 or Xenon CPU’s with 8 or more cores, ECC memory and the best PSU’s they can afford or get their hands on. I myself am thinking about making the same move/experiment (To a gaming motherboard with a beefy VRM and a CPU like the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X) but high power CPU’s need a lot of current so there’s a risk my SR7 can’t provide enough current.

This past sprimg some people also starting switching over to Euphony from AudioLinux saying it sounds better, less thin and edgy. I’d like to try Euphony one day as well. Personally I think I’ll wait for the etherReGEN to arrive here first.

So as always, things/insights are changing fast. What’s hot today may not be tomorrow.

[Sailor4W]

I hope someone still follows this thread!

About a week ago, I got a 30 day trial for Euphony Stylus and, in short, it sounds GREAT!

I was following Euphony mostly on Audiophile Style but I never tried it as installation seemed to be be a bit complicated for me. On the other hand, I got really tired of Roon's thin and edgy sound. Just about a week ago, took the leap and downloaded Daphile (https://www.daphile.com) onto a USB flash drive. Installation on my vintage MacBook Air was really simple and I was up and running in no time (except loading the library takes some time). Naturally, the GUI is not to be compared to Roon's, but it is not bad at all and it has good Qobuz implementation. But most of all, listening to Daphile was a real surprise: so much more pleasant than Roon, though the bass was a bit muddled. Nevertheless, WAY better sound than Roon. I was pleasantly surprised from a software that costs absolutely nothing!

So I wondered if I shouldn't take the leap to try out Euphony Stylus. Again, I downloaded a trial version, made a USB flash drive carrying Euphony and ran it on my MacBook Air. The software to me wasn't quite so straight forward than Daphile, I struggled with a number of problems, but patiently, I took step by step and managed to get this thing going. The sound was just wonderful I heard from this player. Detailed, but not over-detailed, lacking any traces of sharpness/shrillness, an extremely pleasant experience. And this from a small USB flash drive loading my Mac's memory with the player software. And most of all, despite Roon's gobbledegook of core and endpoints, I was going from the Mac's USB port straight into my Devialet Expert 120. It can't be simpler than this! And nowhere any expensive linear power supplies for network switches or computer!

It really can't be any simpler. So if anyone oogles Euphony, by all means, try it out!

[Sailor4W]

Finally, after much swearing and sighing, I managed to have Euphony Stylus fully integrated with Roon. It really sounds GREAT, avoids that hellish glare of Roon, but integrates Roon‘s ingenious GUI. Great stuff! The only downer is that I can‘t use my Sonic Transporter (yet). Just running Euphony off a vintage MacBook Air, USB-connected straight to my Devialet Expert 120. Never mind, I‘ll get my Sonic Transporter to work, possibly with a Microrendu.

[daniel.avasilichioaei]

How did you integrate Euphony Stylus with Roon?

[Sailor4W]

How did you integrate Euphony Stylus with Roon?

You simply activate Roon on the main page and hit the start button. That‘s all!

Roon must not run on another PC, or else you have to deactivate it.

Getting there, though, wasn‘t trivial, at least not for me. But it was fun!

Audiophile Style has quite an active and in-depth discussion about Euphony Stylus.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic...es-thread/