[ssrock64]

Hello, everyone. My apologies for unceremoniously resurrecting this thread once again.
 
It's been so long since I used my computer-based home setup that I've gone through an OS change (to Bodhi Linux) and bought a brand-new ODAC since I last fired up Gmusicbrowser. Unfortunately, despite configuring everything the way I've always done, I'm getting a lot of hiss through the Gmusicbrowser/ODAC/SX780 chain. I've isolated it to the USB audio side of the equation, since there's nowhere near that much noise in my CDP chain.
 
What could I have done wrong that's letting my ODAC act like the computer's hissy headphone out would?

 

[TwinQY]

I'm using an ODAC with no problems (mpd). I've just installed gmusicbrowser to simulate your experience, have set it all up, doesn't seem to be a problem on my end.
 
Perhaps go into more detail about the hiss, playback machine, how you've set it up, USB input stream, strace, pretty much any debug logs/info we could go on?

 

[ssrock64]

I should've clarified in my initial post: it's definitely not the player software that's the problem. The hiss begins as soon as the loading screen for the OS shows if I have the DAC plugged in on startup, or whenever I plug it in afterward. I don't have to be using Gmusicbrowser for it to be hissing.
 
It's definitely computer noise, since little upticks in pitch and intensity correspond to login actions, opening programs, and editing files. Like I said earlier, it's as if I've plugged in very sensitive headphones directly to the headphone out of the computer. Everything on my sound controls for any output is muted, and Gmusicbrowser is set up with the Alsa pipieline hw:1,0 or hw:2,0 depending on where the device mounts each time I plug it in.
 
Are there any commands I could run that might illuminate the issue?

 

[bcschmerker4]

  I should've clarified in my initial post: it's definitely not the player software that's the problem. The hiss begins as soon as the loading screen for the OS shows if I have the DAC plugged in on startup, or whenever I plug it in afterward. I don't have to be using Gmusicbrowser for it to be hissing.
 
It's definitely computer noise, since little upticks in pitch and intensity correspond to login actions, opening programs, and editing files. Like I said earlier, it's as if I've plugged in very sensitive headphones directly to the headphone out of the computer. Everything on my sound controls for any output is muted, and Gmusicbrowser is set up with the Alsa pipieline hw:1,0 or hw:2,0 depending on where the device mounts each time I plug it in.
 
Are there any commands I could run that might illuminate the issue?

What additional hardware is in your system?  I noticed a lesser version of your computer-noise problem on my own custom "Hot Rod gPC™" LinUX box, as its installed Creative Laboratories® SB0350 (which is nowhere near as well-shielded as the Asus® XONAR® Essence™ STX™ installed in my upgraded Asus® CM1630-06) picks up internal noise at the rear Mic In, especially with the +20dB mic boost active.  (On the same system, the SB0250 I/O Drive's Line2/Mic2 input is unusable due to a suspected circuit-board problem, as it performs erratically even when it does have an input signal.)

 

[ssrock64]

I did a lot of wire rearrangement behind my stereo equipment so that nothing was crossing paths, and unplugged my CD player. For now, it seems to have resolved the problem. Is it possible that the radio antenna of my SX780 could be picking up computer noise and transferring it to the DAC or something crazy like that?

 

[yay101]

http://www.daphile.com/
 
Genuinely fantastic little system.

 

[ssrock64]

  http://www.daphile.com/
 
Genuinely fantastic little system.

If this works as well as it claims to, this could solve my most prominent issue with Linux.
 
Every time I change any of my audio settings in Bodhi, I end up having to go back into alsamixer to make it work with my ODAC or DAC1 again.
 
EDIT: I'm installing it now; I'll report back on how well it works!

 

[yay101]

Its no desktop os, but it's a brilliantly simple standalone.

 

[ssrock64]

I've spent about half an hour with it so far, and all I can say is WOW. This is brilliant; this is going to be my default system from now on. Thanks so much!
 
I'll try to post some details later on tonight or tomorrow so more people know what makes it so great.

 

[yay101]

There's a post on here about the distro and one over on hydrogen audio where I have posted several feature requests and have gotten fast replys from the developer.

Enjoy!

 

[ssrock64]

Here's a couple of screenshots from the distance interface of the Daphile server, which I'm viewing across the room from the host computer on a MacBook. If I had a cord long enough, I could wander the entire house with my headphones if I wished while controlling my TOTL bedroom setup from any room. It recognizes my ODAC and DAC1 natively, and configures them for bitperfect playback without any effort from me. The same goes for my external hard drive, which it recognized as soon as I did a scan of devices. All the songs were automatically added to my library. I've been loving the shuffle mode, which works very cleanly and gives you a preview queue to edit if you wish (something you can't do easily with gmusicbrowser and friends). And you can't deny that the UI is really good-looking, too.
 

 

 
As far as Linux-based audiophile playback goes, this is a game-changer in my mind.
 
EDIT: I should mention, since one of the screenshots above shows me rocking out to the Abbey Road medley set, that gapless works flawlessly as well.

 

[shaya]

Hi,
 
I read through most of this long and very helpful thread, but in gmusicbrowser, when I set the "Alsa Device" to use the Xonar STX to "hw:3,0" (I use headphones) it does not work and gives the Error message: "Playing error: Configured audiosink alsa is not working. at /usr/bin/../share/gmusicbrowser/gmusicbrowser_gstream-0.10.pm line 135"
 
Here is "aplay -l":
 
card 0: MID [HDA Intel MID], device 0: ALC888 Analog [ALC888 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: MID [HDA Intel MID], device 1: ALC888 Digital [ALC888 Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: Generic [HD-Audio Generic], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: CODEC [USB Audio CODEC], device 0: USB Audio [USB Audio]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: STX [Xonar STX], device 0: Multichannel [Multichannel]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: STX [Xonar STX], device 1: Digital [Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
 
Many thanks in advance for any advice with this!
 

 

[ssrock64]

  Hi,
 
I read through most of this long and very helpful thread, but in gmusicbrowser, when I set the "Alsa Device" to use the Xonar STX to "hw:3,0" (I use headphones) it does not work and gives the Error message: "Playing error: Configured audiosink alsa is not working. at /usr/bin/../share/gmusicbrowser/gmusicbrowser_gstream-0.10.pm line 135"
 

Did you try 3,1?

 

[shaya]

yes, I tried 3,1. Same Error!?

 

[ssrock64]

  yes, I tried 3,1. Same Error!?

Sometimes I have to fiddle with what order I plug things in to get my DAC to be fully recognized, but that's not something you can do with a built-in DAC. Are you sure that everything is properly hooked up?