[paulchiu]

  I found an ideal solution! (For me, at least.)
 
All I had to do was create RAM drives with the help of SoftPerfect RAM Disk. Now, with the way I'm doing things, everything (music players, audio files, etc.) is stored in memory, and no matter what I do, there is no stuttering whatsoever! Even with the processor-intensive HQPlayer.
 
Believe it or not, this also gives me much better sound quality than before. I'm freaking out at how much better all my music sounds now! There's a lot of info across the Internet about RAM disks sounding better, for those who care to research it without erroneously assuming it couldn't sound any different.
 
Update: Turns out it was only HQPlayer making the difference in sound. But I'm still gonna use the RAM drives to prevent stuttering and have much better playback of videos.

 
@Music Alchemist
 
Is there a RAM disk software for MAC?
Also, JRiver Media Center has a feature to load tracks onto memory, is this sort of the same?
 
Thanks
 
paul 

 

[Music Alchemist]

Is there a RAM disk software for MAC? Also, JRiver Media Center has a feature to load tracks onto memory, is this sort of the same?

 
https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/how-to-create-a-4gbs-ram-disk-in-mac-os-x/
 
Even when I buffered tracks into memory with various players, it did not eliminate stuttering 100% of the time, with the exception of JPLAY, which loads into RAM by default, and apparently in a different way.
 
I'd imagine that with many/most computers, you wouldn't have any stuttering in the first place.
 
Since you have such an impressive assortment of ultra-high-end audio equipment, you may want to consider looking into a music server and network player such as the ones described in this post.

 

[paulchiu]

   
https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/how-to-create-a-4gbs-ram-disk-in-mac-os-x/
 
Even when I buffered tracks into memory with various players, it did not eliminate stuttering 100% of the time, with the exception of JPLAY, which loads into RAM by default, and apparently in a different way.
 
I'd imagine that with many/most computers, you wouldn't have any stuttering in the first place.
 
Since you have such an impressive assortment of ultra-high-end audio equipment, you may want to consider looking into a music server and network player such as the ones described in this post.

 
Thanks.  I have used a few Aurenders in the past but since June tried to make the microRendu work with my setup.  Mostly MACs with i7 CPUs and one DELL XPS.  None current year models but all had plenty of RAM and all uses SSDs throughout.
Even with this, I cannot get microRendu to work perfectly without drops when playing DSD tracks.  PCM play is not an issue.
The beautiful music from the microRendu when paired with the Chord DAVE is superior to anything paired with an Aurender W20.  Just stunning.
I have tried pretty much everything with my computers.  Factory re install with just music apps like Roon and JRiver and the microRendu still drops during DSD play.
 
Gonna give RAM disk a try.
 
paul

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Thanks.  I have used a few Aurenders in the past but since June tried to make the microRendu work with my setup.  Mostly MACs with i7 CPUs and one DELL XPS.  None current year models but all had plenty of RAM and all uses SSDs throughout.
Even with this, I cannot get microRendu to work perfectly without drops when playing DSD tracks.  PCM play is not an issue.
The beautiful music from the microRendu when paired with the Chord DAVE is superior to anything paired with an Aurender W20.  Just stunning.
I have tried pretty much everything with my computers.  Factory re install with just music apps like Roon and JRiver and the microRendu still drops during DSD play.
 
Gonna give RAM disk a try.
 
paul

 
I see! I'm not surprised you had already tried it. Your gear list boggles my mind. haha. Good luck!
 
You may want to also try the sonicTransporter with the microRendu.

 

[paulchiu]

   
I see! I'm not surprised you had already tried it. Your gear list boggles my mind. haha. Good luck!
 
You may want to also try the sonicTransporter with the microRendu.

 
have you tried the sonicTransporter?  I cannot decide on which one, the original or the version allowing for external HD expansion.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  have you tried the sonicTransporter?  I cannot decide on which one, the original or the version allowing for external HD expansion.

 
Not yet. I don't plan on buying it until after I have high-end STAX. (Only owned some of their entry-level systems so far.)
 
There are three versions, all of which are compatible with external expansion.
 
https://microjukebox.com/collections/audio-server/products/sonictransporter
https://microjukebox.com/collections/audio-server/products/sonictransporter-i5
https://microjukebox.com/collections/audio-server/products/sonictransporter-ap-8tb-roon-server
 
The i5 appeals to me because it has the option of 4 TB SSD internal storage.

 

[paulchiu]

   
Not yet. I don't plan on buying it until after I have high-end STAX. (Only owned some of their entry-level systems so far.)
 
There are three versions, all of which are compatible with external expansion.
 
https://microjukebox.com/collections/audio-server/products/sonictransporter
https://microjukebox.com/collections/audio-server/products/sonictransporter-i5
https://microjukebox.com/collections/audio-server/products/sonictransporter-ap-8tb-roon-server
 
The i5 appeals to me because it has the option of 4 TB SSD internal storage.

 
Thanks,  I will look into the i5.
 
paul

 

[r0dd3r5]

Hi Paul

I've been following this thread amongst others aim looking for a TOTL DAC solution. TORQ in the 'Life after Yggdrasil' thread has written a very detailed analysis of the DAVE including an issuewith playback of DSD - see http://www.head-fi.org/t/804153/life-after-yggdrasil/315#post_12706590. The relevant paragraph is about ¾ of the way down.

Best regards

Rod

 

[paulchiu]

Hi Paul

I've been following this thread amongst others aim looking for a TOTL DAC solution. TORQ in the 'Life after Yggdrasil' thread has written a very detailed analysis of the DAVE including an issuewith playback of DSD - see http://www.head-fi.org/t/804153/life-after-yggdrasil/315#post_12706590. The relevant paragraph is about ¾ of the way down.

Best regards

Rod

 
Welcome to head-Fi Rod and thanks!
I too have given up on trying to makr DSD work with DAVE and just enjoy DSD tracks with the Nagra HD DAC.  Hoping for a firmware update in the future from Chord regarding DSD play,
 
paul

 

[Music Alchemist]

I have tried pretty much everything with my computers.  Factory re install with just music apps like Roon and JRiver and the microRendu still drops during DSD play.  
Gonna give RAM disk a try.

 
So did the RAM drives fix things for you?

 

[Music Alchemist]

Oh boy, here we go again. Even with the audio files and player in RAM drives, Firefox can still make things glitch up. When I load pages in my browser, sometimes it makes this crazy crackling sound. It actually didn't do that until today. I know it's the software and not my headphones because when I close Firefox, it immediately stops. I could always put the browser in a RAM drive too...but that would seem a little silly.