Interest check | optimizing Win-10 for audio

[jls001]

Any link to download it?

Please PM Keith.

 

[rikhav]

Tried the latest version of Keith's application.
Apart from the earlier version did, this version can allocate cores of cpu dedicated to music software and rest of remaining cores to windows processes and services
Also you can set CPU , I/O and memory priority separately for one process or service

The idea is to isolate music software from rest of services and processes running on your windows OS

I was not prepared for it but it further reduced the noise floor and instruments and vocals sound even more real with this version of Windows tweaking application

As always thanks to Keith but it did make me realize two important things

The operating system does create a lot of noise which effects the final sound and the noise is so much that after doing the tweaks the drop in noise floor is very much similar to using a linear power supply instead of a switching supply on any of the components in the audio chain

Windows 10 is very good with audio and it breaks a myth for me that absolutely stripped down Linux will always sound better then windows
I agree that SBC powered devices like SOTM and sonore microrendu but that is for obvious reasons
But if it's a laptop or a desktop PC I will surely prefer windows 10 to Linux after I know what kind of sound is possible after tweaks

Nor sure where it stands against a MAC OS as never used a Mac computer for my audio setup

 

[rikhav]

Added few audio related items (Processes / services)
Gave it high CPU and I/O priority ad set it same cores where player is running

It's digging out details like no ones business and the sound is even more organic and focused.

I am still baffled with results,that tweaking OS can do so good to the sound .
It's now really getting into a serious category

It's no special PC with a high grade LPS or hardware
Average consumer grade laptop

 

[panditji]

Don't know about organic (not sure what it means) but I absolutely agree on the details being extracted... Has taken my laptop to a different level only... Fantastic...

 

[rikhav]

Don't know about organic (not sure what it means) but I absolutely agree on the details being extracted... Has taken my laptop to a different level only... Fantastic...

What I meant with organic was all instruments now have a very life like tonality
This is further improved by more optimization of Windows
Also vocals sound more like like
For example the sound of lip touching other lip when singer is singing is so clearly audible like the way it is when someone when you hear someone singing in real life.
It can never be exact same but is very close

 

[rikhav]

One more day, one more tweakfest

I disabled many windows services on the laptop which connects to DAC and also ran stereoid on the roon server pc

The jump in imporvments is not as huge as it was when used stereoid for first time but still a substantial improvement

It still does same , decreases noise floor but also improves tonality and instrument separation

Now its a reached a level where it feels like sound is being played in slow motion and I can hear difference in tone for even a small note of an instrument being completed

No note will be flat, it will have tonality changes from start to end

Now I am able to hear it more clearly, without concentrating very hard on the sound

So overall musical experience has reached at very satisfying level

Goes to show how important source is and if you know what you are doing how much good tweaks can do

 

[renjith lal]

I used the settings suggested and there is a good change and it become more musical. I am connecting laptop to
amp (Devialet) using Ethernet connection and there is an improvement, noise level is reduced. Thanks Keith and rikhav for your support.

 

[jls001]

I used the settings suggested and there is a good change and it become more musical. I am connecting laptop to
amp (Devialet) using Ethernet connection and there is an improvement, noise level is reduced. Thanks Keith and rikhav for your support.

Nice!

Hope you're using version 5 of Stereoids!

It has some really nifty new features like the ability to "reserve" memory for a process or service instead of depending on the dynamic allocation by the OS.

The number of tuning flavours have also gone up from 12 to 27. Plenty of choices. There are also additional/hidden tuning options in case one wants to try more.

 

[renjith lal]

I am not sure which version, need to check.
Thanks.

 

[renjith lal]

Nice!

Hope you're using version 5 of Stereoids!

It has some really nifty new features like the ability to "reserve" memory for a process or service instead of depending on the dynamic allocation by the OS.

The number of tuning flavours have also gone up from 12 to 27. Plenty of choices. There are also additional/hidden tuning options in case one wants to try more.

I just checked the folder but I am not sure how to know which version of Stereoids I am using?
Can you please let me know?

Thanks
Renjith

 

[rikhav]

I just checked the folder but I am not sure how to know which version of Stereoids I am using?
Can you please let me know?

Thanks
Renjith

It's not the latest version as I myself have to yet try it
Not getting ample time, will do it when have ganpati holidays in few days

 

[jls001]

The version number is mentioned on the header of the app window itself.

 

[jls001]

See attached pic:



This is version 4.

 

[jls001]

For along time now I have been using Keith's Steroid! Windows optimisation app. Recently Keith had been developing a bunch of player engines which we tested stadalone to determine which ones sounded good. These players were initially not optimised with the Stereoid! app. Later only one aspect of optimisation was enabled and retested to hear if it made a difference. After he narrowed down on the best sounding engine/player (out of nine versions), he has integrated it to foobar2000 player.

This is how it looks with a really cool looking foobar skin:



The sound:
It plays very cleanly and is definitely better sounding than the earlier combo of foobar2000 + Stereoid! optimisation. I haven't tested it with Stereoid! and will do so. It already has an amazingly low noise floor. Unconsciously I had turned up the volume much higher than my usual level and didn't feel fatigued. I turned it down to my usual level (which is comfortable for me) and I still hear lots of new nuances on familiar tracks. The player engine is built with lots of hardcore programming optimisation tricks in C++, including borrowed libraries which have been chosen for their optimised executions.

I will compare it to my Allo Sparky + USBridge combo running Volumio. This player is better sounding than my earlier foobar + Stereoid! combo in two important ways --- the USBridge really cleans up the USB output compared to a laptop USB port (hence lower noisefloor) and it throws a wider soundstage than the laptop ever did. It also sounds denser without being overbearing.

 

[keith_correa]

For those interested, the skin is the brilliant DarkOne by tedgo - check it out on Deviant Art.

 

[rikhav]

Kudos to Keith on his efforts

The laptop hardware has it's limitations but the improvement Keith's tweaks have brought is nothing short of GREAT

Thanks again

 

[panditji]

I am one of the beneficiaries of Keith's genius... He has taken my laptop to another level when it comes to detail extraction...

 

[keith_correa]

I am one of the beneficiaries of Keith's genius... He has taken my laptop to another level when it comes to detail extraction...

No genius involved here. I just lack something better to do!

 

[Naturelover]

No genius involved here. I just lack something better to do!

May you continue lacking that