XXHighEnd

Ultimate Audio Playback => Your thoughts about the Sound Quality => Topic started by: Bigear on April 01, 2016, 01:39:10 pm



Title: Does using Windows Server 2012 R2 make sense?
Post by: Bigear on April 01, 2016, 01:39:10 pm
Hi Peter,

looking for a way to optimize the Qobuz streaming sound, I was triggered by an article http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2014/06/improving-the-sound-quality-of-qobuz-spotify-and-pandora/ (http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2014/06/improving-the-sound-quality-of-qobuz-spotify-and-pandora/)on Hobi's Audiophile Optimiser http://www.highend-audiopc.com/audiophile-optimizer (http://www.highend-audiopc.com/audiophile-optimizer) which works only on the Windows Server 2012 R2 edition.
Many users claim that the Server edition sounds better then the consumer versions of Windows already without any optimizations and after using the optimiser the gap becomes even larger.
Do you know / expect any difference when using xxHighEnd on the server 2012 R2 edition vs Windows 10?

Cheers,
Quint


Title: Re: Does using Windows Server 2012 R2 make sense?
Post by: PeterSt on April 01, 2016, 03:30:26 pm
Hi Quint,

Yes, I think I know ...
Windows 8.1 was the most lousy sounding OS of all ages and we skipped that, which in the end is the base of 2012 R2.

There remains nothing in any XXHighEnd Minimized OS that would be less in any Server version. So that is moot as well.
From another angle : there is not a single person that I know of who uses a server version with XXHighEnd (it could tell something).

When you want to improve in this area, I'd seriously advise the RAM OS Disk, which minimizes a couple of Windows 10 builds ( plus Windows 8 ) as you are used to, but now boot them from RAM.

Windows 10 sounds quite infinitely better than Windows 8 and each Windows 10 build sounds different (plus they sound different from disk vs from RAM).

No Qobuz should be sounding any good when streamed, because it is MP3 or I missed the news. Besides that you won't be able to use your NOS1 optimally because of now lacking filtering (Qobuz doesn't do that for you).
Instead use the "streaming" from Tidal which is fully supported by XXHighEnd and which is CD quality (16/44.1). No single element in such a setup is detrimental to sound (because I explictily took care of that).

Ask more if you like, while the above hopefully doesn't come across as not taking the real time to answer you adequately.

Best regards,
Peter

PS: Don't forget to upgrade your NOS1 from by now an angle of 4. haha. But of course I am teasing you now. :yes:


Title: Re: Does using Windows Server 2012 R2 make sense?
Post by: Bigear on April 01, 2016, 04:27:41 pm

Thanks for the confirmation that upgrading to Windows Server 2012 is not worthwhile when using xxHighEnd. Better to put my money in the NOS1 upgrade.. ;)

BTW, Qobuz does have 44.1/16 streaming of high quality, but good to know that xxHighend is supporting the streaming service Tidal.

Cheers, Q


Title: Re: Does using Windows Server 2012 R2 make sense?
Post by: PeterSt on April 01, 2016, 05:44:19 pm
Hi Quint,

Quote
BTW, Qobuz does have 44.1/16 streaming of high quality

Does Qobuz really have streaming of that now ? Downloads I know of, but ...

Regards,
Peter