Meet LISA: My take on a CAPS music server

On the Computer Audiophile forum you will often hear about CAPS which stands for computer audiophile pocket server.  There have been several versions but the main thing is that it's a dedicated audio pc made out of readily available parts that is fanless and contains as few moving parts as possible.

My version is called LISA named for my wife who puts up with my obsession over minute details.  LISA stands for Light Installation Serving Audio.  LISA is based on the CAPS Topanga but has a few mods.  For starters she has a dedicated USB 3.0 card that can be powered separately from the motherboard.  She is also battery powered by a LiFePo4 battery.  More details will follow as LISA grows into the plan that I have laid out.  For now she is running Windows 8.1 which has been tweaked to reduce latency, along with Fidelizer 4.0 and J River Media Center and is controlled via JRemote on my Ipad Mini.

The staring list of components:
Intel DN2800MTE Marshalltown Fanless Motherboard
http://www.logicsupply.com/dn2800mte/

LGX MC500 Compact Mini-ITX Case
http://www.logicsupply.com/mc500/

PCI Express x1 Low-Profile Riser Card - Faces Over Motherboard
http://www.logicsupply.com/pciex1-lpr/

Replacement LCD Monitor Ac Adapter 12v 5a Power Supply with Cord
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0023Y9EQC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Syba USB 3.0 2 port PCI-Express x1 Card with SATA Power Connector (SY-PEX20124)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008AJMNKI/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4 GB Laptop Memory 991644
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TSTDNU/ref=oh_details_o00_s02_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Premier Pro SP310 SATA 6Gb/s mSATA Solid State Drive ASP310S3-32GM-C
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ELQZD10/ref=oh_details_o00_s02_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rega or VPI? Traveler vs P3-24

Recently I put my Rega P3-24 with TTPSU and Groovetracer Reference Subplatter up against a stock VPI Traveler.

 The Rega P3-24 is a fine table and is many folks first step into the audiophile vinyl playback world.  In its stock form I had issues with it's timing.  I can't quite explain it but it just didn't sound right.  I added the white belt upgrade and it helped but did not "fix" it.

I added the TTPSU as it was supposed to make a huge difference.  This box lowered the noise floor considerable and the table sounded better than ever but something still wasn't right.



I considered selling the table as I just wasn't happy with it's sound and specifically it's PRAT which is what Regas are known for.  PRAT stands for patience, rhythm and timing.  A forum post about selling it suggested that I first try the Groovetracer.  I have no idea just how out of spec my stock sub-platter was but I would never go back.  This seemed to fix everything that was wrong.  In fact, had I not already bought the TT-PSU, I doubt I would.

After several months of enjoying the Rega I started to get the upgrade bug and decided to consider laying down a sizable investment for something that was significantly better.  I was looking at a VPI Classic or a Michell Gyro with Audiomods arm.  So how did I end up with the Traveler?  Well, the internet was all abuzz with it so I started asking questions.  Those questions led me to befriending a forum member who had upgraded from a Traveler to a Classic.  He offered me an opportunity to review his traveler in my home and decide if I liked it.  Thus the head to head shootout in this post.

The Traveler arrived safe and sound and was quickly put together for use.  From the first needledrop I knew I was listening to a high end table.  The PRAT that Regas are so known for was there.  The low noise floor was there.  I will also say that these two tables are somewhat similar and yet somewhat different.  For all intensive purposes they are considered budget tables but both cost about $2k when equipped with a modest cartridge and phono stage.

The test:  Both tables were ran thru the same front end.  The Rega Fono (full size) feeding a Class D integrated amp and my DIY Fostex full range speakers.  They were also evaluated with my Schiit Lyr driving a pair of AKG 701s and AKG K550s.  I used a Creative HD USB to capture the output of both tables with the same cartridge, a Sumiko Evo III with about 150 hours on it.  I used Audacity to capture the output in 24/96.  This method allowed me to easily do back to back comparisons.  I will say that the two tables sound more alike than different.  For me though, the differences are where it matters.  This is what drives high end audio.  To a certain extent all $500 components can provide good sound but a $1500 component will reveal a small percentage more.  A $5k component will reveal an even smaller percent over the $1500 one.  When you talk about spending the same money though, the goal is to get the best sound possible.  IMHO the Traveler does just that.  It reveals an extra 5% for less cost than a slightly modified Rega.  Now I should state that the P3-24 is not the current gen of Rega.  Today they make the RP3 which is basically the same table but with bracing to make the plinth more robust and a arguably better tonearm.  This is interesting because Rega has for years prided itself on these simple lightweight (cheap) designs.  The next model up is the RP6 takes this a step farther and ultimately the RP8 has an even more radical robust plinth.  The VPI on the other hand has a solid heavy plinth made out of cheap wood and a steel plate to reinforce it.  It is then covered in a paint similar to truck bed liner that I'm sure deadens the plinth even further.  Nothing about this budget VPI feels cheap while everything about the Rega does.  Please note this is Rega's design, it's not actually a cheapened product.

In the end I happily purchased the VPI for a stellar used price from my new forum friend.  I consider myself lucky to have found the VPI Traveler.  I shouldn't be so happy with this table for it's cost.  Eventually I will treat it to a new cartridge worthy of it's arm and a better phono stage to reveal it's shortcomings but for now.  I am one happy vinyl spinner.  Now back to the digital side......

Which Operating System Sounds Best?

The answer to that is simple.  I have no clue.  What I do know is that I am running on-going head to head comparisons and this will be a list of my thoughts.  My current top 3 are as follows:

1. AP-Linux also known as Audiophile Linux
2. Windows 7 64 bit with Fidelizer 4.0
3. Windows 8

Windows 7-32 bit is my got standard these days.  It's great for daily use and provides decent audio.  There are also many choices for playback software. I've tried WinAmp, Music Bee, JRMC, Foobar, Jangle, Itunes and more than a dozen others.  I personally think this is all a matter of choice.  Many folks claim that Foobar is best, I cannot hear it as better than JRMC and JRMC is just plain easier for me to use and enjoy.  Jremote for my iphone is the best remote control app I've used.  From here on out if I am in Windows then I am using JRMC.

Windows 7-64bit should not sound different than 32 bit but for some reason I hear it as better.

While not operating systems both Jplay and Fidelizer are pieces of software which change the OS into a more audio focused setup.  I personally tried Jplay and didn't like it at all plus it's not cheap.  Fidelizer on the other hand is free and is easy to use, removes itself on reboot and I like the changes it makes.  Basically it stops non-audio processes.  Since it's free and easy to use, if you are running Windows then you should try it.

Windows 8 is hard to use for those of us used to XP or 7.  I won't go into my hatred of the changes here.  Does it sound better than Windows 7?  I was unable to hear a difference myself.

AP-Linux is a free distribution of Linux Mint that is supposedly tweaked for music.  I have not tried a regular version of Linux Mint to compare.  I will also state that I did not install AP-Linux, my review is strictly based on the Live version run from a USB stick.  While I'm a little confused as there are several choices included for music playback so I'm not sure which one is recommended.  I will say that I was unable to get Deadbeef or Audacious to work with my DAC.  Out of the other choices, VLC sounded the best and easily bested my Windows 7 & 8 trials.  I have no doubt that with a proper installation and one of these more hi-fi focused players, this solution is quite nice.  

Jaguar Audio Design or Jaguar as I call it is a free Linux based OS that is advertised as being better than all other Linux setups.  I have no idea because no amount of tweaking could get sound out of my DAC from it's live DVD.

Ubuntu is probably the most well known Linux based operating system.  It's easy to use and if marketed properly would give Windows and OSX a real threat.  Some argue that even a non-audio tweaked OS such as this will beat Windows.  It may but it does not beat Windows running Fidelizer.  Please note that I was using a Live USB stick and not a full installation but the same was done with APLinux and it sounds much better.

Lubuntu is a stripped down version of Ubuntu and some argue that it sounds even better than Ubuntu.  I was unable to reproduce this claim on my own system.  Again this was via USB Live.

Windows Server 2012 is next on my list to try.

Music Player Daemon aka MPD

I realize there are alot of folks who believe that all that is necessary for proper digital playback is 1s & 0s.  Use any old CD/DVD player with a digital out, send it to a good DAC and you're done.   Look,  I can't explain why or how but it certainly does matter.  When I still used CDs I had discovered that a mid-90s Harman Kardon player yielded better sound when driving my budget DAC than when driving it with any other player I owned.  Nowadays my digital music is 100% computer based.  I used an old IBM/Lenovo PC that I bought off Craigslist for $65 and with the use of the free Vortexbox software and a 3TB drive, turned it into a music server/NAS.  After several failed attemps at getting good sound out of a PC, I had decided that a server driving something else was the clear way to get high-end audio from a PC.  That something ended up being the now defunct, Squeezebox.  This setup worked and worked well but of course like everything in audio, that led to another path of upgrades.  When the Squeezeboxes were no longer available, their value increased on eBay and eventually I sold both of my Touches for twice what I paid for them.  Since then I've been searching for the next solution.  

First came the Pogoplug.  Or better stated the VAMP, which is a linux hacked Pogoplug.  You can find details of this on Vortexbox.org  This solution was dirt cheap and sounds just fine.  Of course us audiophiles are never happy with just fine.  So thus begins the quest for the best sound possible.  Until proven different, my Vortexbox from here on out referred to as NAS is staying in place.  So what should be on the other end?  Another little box like a Squeezebox or a full PC?  I'll cover a few of the things I've tried here.

Since my Pogoplug was already hacked with bootloader I decided to try another software solution on it.  Lately the forums are abuzz with glory for the BeagleBone Black (BBB) and the Raspberry Pi.  They are similar in cost as in both are under $50 for the bare board but the BBB has a faster processor and the Ethernet is separate from the USB controller so I believe it's the better solution.  Anyhow both of these devices are capable of running a program in Linux Debian Wheezy called MPD or Music Player Daemon.  A few quick internet searches revealed that my old Pogoplug is also capable of running this software.  While it is said that running this on a BBB is a piece of cake it was far from that on the Pogoplug (PP).  I was unable to just put Wheezy on the PP so I needed to put an older release on it and then upgrade it to Squeeze.  Then upgrade squeeze to Wheezy.  All of this is done thru a command line on another PC via a program called Putty.  After all of that came the actual installation of MPD.  From this point, I followed the instructions listed on Computer Audiophile for the BBB.  The only issue I had took me 3 days to figure out.  MPD is 100% command line based and getting it to "talk" to the NAS is not point and click.  It expects your music files to be in a certain directory but obviously you cannot copy terrabytes worth of data to the PP.  So you must mount the NAS to a location that MPD understands.  With the help of my wife and some folks at Computer Audiophile, we got it figured out.  So how does it sound?  Better than my desktop Lenovo Core i3 running Windows 7-64bit.  Better than my Netbook running Win7-32 that is purposefully streamlined with no extra process and running Fidelizer 4.0  While I'd still like to try the BBB because it has a much faster processor than the PP, most could be perfectly happy with the sound of the PP running MPD.  This is certainly a cheap solution that sounds fantastic and is much less fuss than getting Windows to sound as good.  The downside is that it requires a NAS and an Ipad/Ipod to control it.  MPD as a music playback software is not bad but not nearly IMHO as easy or pretty as Jremote for J River Music Player (JRMC).  In a perfect world, the PP or BBB could accept commands from Jremote and have the capabilities of JRMC when accessed from a PC.    So far the PP with MPD is the best sound I've produced to date, but I'm not giving up on using JRMC yet.

Requirements for Audio PC

Been doing some research lately on what it takes to build a truly silent motionless PC for audio playback.  For now this is just a collection of thoughts.

Requirements:

• 100% Silent
• Low TPD CPU
• Off-board USB
• Pico PSU so that transformer is away from case
• SSD for operating system
• JRMC 19
• Min 8gb memory

Notes:

1. JRMC can run in 64 bit mode so Win7/64 or greater OS.
2. 8gb is more than enough memory for JRMC 19
3. JRMC cannot use virtual cores so a Quad-core i5 is the max processor 
4. The lower the TPD the less chance of heat and distortion
5. A SATA 3.0 cable is a must as it separates cables within cable
6. Samsung 840PRO seems to be the fastest SSD available
7. The Paul Peng $300 USB card (Link) uses the NEC uPD720202 chip.  A similar board is avail thru Newegg for $20.  It appears as though you could build a Molex to battery pack to power it separately.(Link)
8. Any necessary connectors are avail from FrozenCPU.com (Link)
9. Portatech is a good resource for checking prices and relative processor speed.
10.  The quad-core haswell processors can run as low as 65w with all four cores running (Link)
11. L3 cache is the most important memory for real time audio playback.
12. Investigate using something like ERS cloth (Link) to absorb EMI inside the case.  Considering this is basically metal tape then I wonder if something like aluminum foil tape or furnace tape could do a similar job.  The only way to know for certain is with an EMI meter.