Audiophile Linux anyone tried it?

[Fran]

I got it running!!!

Thanks to help from some gurus at diyaudio.

I've done a few tests swapping back and forth between linux and W7+jplay. When both are just compared flat to each other, they are pretty much indistinguishable. But if you use hibernate with jplay it pulls ahead easily. I also installed jplay 5.0b and it is a clear gain again over 4.3.


So for now at least, the W7/jplay combo still rules for me anyway. Linux could easily catch up I think though if someone put in the time and effort to offer a truly optimised system. BTW, all the linux geeks are falling over themselves to rubbish ap-linux. Just so yis know.


Fran

[Ken Moreland]

Well done,Fran, your inquiring mind never fails. Windows 8 should extend the gap further.Did you get Jplay V5b working on 2PC setup?
KM

[Fran]

Nope, single pc set up so far..... That's for another night! I have a serious q lined up in front at the moment - starting with boxing up a stunning little dac (spdif input) that is just a joy to hear and it needs a box.


Fran

[Fran]

Can I bitch a little?

Jaysus the whole Linux setup - talk about tough. You think the bits are bits brigade are tough on new developments? Well they are down on this ap-Linux like a ton of bricks. They recommend not using it, reckoning the guy behind it has all based it on a false premise, offers nothing that others already do, and he has ads on his site for gawds sake!

They recommend lbuntu instead. Sometime I'll try that too.....

Fran

[tony]

They recommend lbuntu instead. Sometime I'll try that too.....

Fran[/quote]


For godsakes Fran move with the times. My son is 11 and will only use Ubuntu. Where have you been? Any programming issues just mail me and I will pass them on to my student. In our house it is a bit like the american guy who was caught playing games in work while paying a guy in china to do all his work.

Seriously if there is some dodgy task to be done just send it to me and I will get child labour on it straightaway, Of course I will have to charge you celtic tiger rates to cover my costs i.e his college educamation.

[Fran]

Ah, I had Ubuntu running here for a long time and it was grand. Apparently Lbuntu is a stripped down version - does it sound better? Dunno.

Jplay still king atm. One of the problems with Linux I think is because it's free, no one will pay for anything and as a result no premium stuff gets built for it. It's lots of stuff done by geeks for geeks (nobody think I have anything against geeks - I kinda am one!) so there's a lack of drive for user friendliness.

Other thing too:the pc I used for the comparison was an old P4 based one.


Fran

[Ken Moreland]

The old P4 based computer is perfect for streaming Jplay to your state-of-the-art MusicPC.

[Ciaran]

One of the problems with Linux I think is because it's free, no one will pay for anything and as a result no premium stuff gets built for it. It's lots of stuff done by geeks for geeks (nobody think I have anything against geeks - I kinda am one!) so there's a lack of drive for user friendliness.
Fran

I used to use Linux a lot until about 10 years ago. At the time it didn't usually have sound (never mind audiophile sound!): it took some nightmarish hacking (which I never succeeded in getting right) or a paid-for program (anathema in the Linux world) to get sound out of your computer. Eventually I gave up using Linux for two reasons:

1. I had found acceptable Windows ports of the Unix programs I needed and
2. I realised that I was spending an awful lot of my time in Linux fighting to make things work which just worked in Windows without my having to think about them!

[james]

I wonder has anyone tried http://vortexbox.org/content/134-About-VortexBox

which is a full linux music system ..

"...
VortexBox is a free, open source (GPL v3), quick-install ISO that turns your unused computer into an easy-to-use music server/jukebox. Once VortexBox has been loaded on an unused PC, it will automatically rip CDs to FLAC and MP3 files, ID3 tag the files , and download the cover art. Vortexbox will then serve the files to network media players such as Logitech Squeezebox, Sonos, or Linn. The music files can also be streamed to a Windows or Mac OSX system.
..."

I looked into installing it a while back but I gave up when I found it would not support dual boot with windows.

I assume the best way to use it as a stand-alone system is to install a good sound card in the pc

james

[james]

There is a review on tnt-audio this week ...

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/audio ... nux_e.html