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Moved music onto SSD

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Fatmangolf View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Moved music onto SSD
    Posted: 06 Aug 2016 at 9:35pm
My PC has Windows and other applications on a small SSD. I recently addressed a nearly full 2TB data hard disk by installing a large SSD which I moved my digital music onto. I was surprised to find the sound was slightly different (better IMO) despite the same Logitech Media Server software, Squeezebox Touch and the Majestic DAC. Maybe the faster read speed or different disk buffering has helped but I am curious, any thoughts on why?

Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Richardl60 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2016 at 7:09am
Few thoughts but:

1-are both installed rather than remote? Not sure from text but if one attached via cable rather than installed directly that could be a possibility?
2- does the quality of the ssd differ I.e. By nature do they sound different?
3-are there some form of read errors as you raise?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2016 at 8:13am
SSDs can claim low latency due to scaling but are in fact high latency at individual NAND level. Obviously hard discs are high latency too. Should that matter if the receiver (the SB) has control? Asynchronous is always best they say...

In tests I found isochronous USB trumped S/PDIF from a respected CDP (no asynchronous here..). How could something with high latency win?

The answer seems to be in the PLL (phase locked loop) with the adaptive isochronous USB chip having to do better at PLL (the only thing it has going for it?) than the ubiquitous Wolfson with all its reclocking.

So if one (SSD or HDD) has more (or fewer) errors, then the PLL does worse (or better).
That none should be able to buy or sell without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ServerBaboon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2016 at 10:08am
Are you playing remotely or on the PC, I can only guess the higher latencies of the spinning rust, also the SSD will generate less load on the PSU,  less noise?


Was you 2TB drive 2.5 or 3.5?


Steve

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chris Firth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2016 at 1:23pm
I'm bemused by this, Jon.
The music being played through the Squeezebox Touch is played from the local buffer (ie inside the Touch), so server differences shouldn't, in theory, make any difference.
Whatever mechanism is upstream of the player shouldn't make a difference.

Something I haven't gone shouting about from the rooftops is my experience of swapping out the patch cables in my home network.
My network has a Cat6 backbone, and all the data switches are 10/100/1000 devices.

My LMS server is on a NAS, and it's connected to my network by a Cat6 patch cable.
When I tried a Cat6 patch cable between my Touch player I first of all hooked up to the local switch and started playing music.
Then I pulled the Cat5e patch cable, and quickly plugged in the Cat6 patch cable - music played continually throughout, as the player was working from buffer.
I could hear a marginal firming up of the low end.
Switch back, and the low end lost its focus.
Several switches to and fro just repeated things - a definite but subtle change in sound, and in my opinion the change is an overall improvement.

I'm at a loss to explain what I heard.
The cable isn't carrying audio signal, the data being transferred is not time critical as the buffer sorts every last bit into the appropriate order, and the devices at each end are transformer coupled, so there's no actual physical connection between NAS and renderer.

The only thing I can think of is that the superior RF rejection capability of the Cat6 cabling and patch leads is having some effect, but seeing as the cable is not carrying music signal I struggle to see what's going on.
I can hear what happens, as can my son, but I'm damned if I can find a reason why data stream cabling should have any effect.

There's no reason I can think of why your SSDs should make any difference to sound quality.
I'm not going to doubt your experience either.
I just can't think of a mechanism by which it would make the slightest difference.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ServerBaboon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2016 at 7:39pm
Originally posted by Chris Firth Chris Firth wrote:

I'm bemused by this, Jon.


Something I haven't gone shouting about from the rooftops is my experience of swapping out the patch cables in my home network.
My network has a Cat6 backbone, and all the data switches are 10/100/1000 devices.

My LMS server is on a NAS, and it's connected to my network by a Cat6 patch cable.
When I tried a Cat6 patch cable between my Touch player I first of all hooked up to the local switch and started playing music.
Then I pulled the Cat5e patch cable, and quickly plugged in the Cat6 patch cable - music played continually throughout, as the player was working from buffer.
I could hear a marginal firming up of the low end.
Switch back, and the low end lost its focus.
Several switches to and fro just repeated things - a definite but subtle change in sound, and in my opinion the change is an overall improvement.

I'm at a loss to explain what I heard.
The cable isn't carrying audio signal, the data being transferred is not time critical as the buffer sorts every last bit into the appropriate order, and the devices at each end are transformer coupled, so there's no actual physical connection between NAS and renderer.

The only thing I can think of is that the superior RF rejection capability of the Cat6 cabling and patch leads is having some effect, but seeing as the cable is not carrying music signal I struggle to see what's going on.
I can hear what happens, as can my son, but I'm damned if I can find a reason why data stream cabling should have any effect.


I am wondering about RF with the cable acting as an Ariel, I have read of a few people using media converters to change the network links to fiber optic for all but a short link at either end. TP Link produce a couple of lo cost media converters. Its on my list of things to play with.

Originally posted by Chris Firth Chris Firth wrote:


There's no reason I can think of why your SSDs should make any difference to sound quality.
I'm not going to doubt your experience either.
I just can't think of a mechanism by which it would make the slightest difference.

Confused?
I am Confused

As a further uh? and an annoyance to the its all '1's and '0' crowd check out..


 for those with long memories and other past forums SandyK was preaching about the sound differences between FLAC and Wav's, I changed to compression free flacs some time ago.


Steve

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Various bits of GSP Kit ..well two so far, unless you count the cables that is.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suggs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Aug 2016 at 6:27am



Originally posted by Chris Firth Chris Firth wrote:

I am wondering about RF with the cable acting as an Ariel, I have read of a few people using media converters to change the network links to fiber optic for all but a short link at either end. TP Link produce a couple of lo cost media converters. Its on my list of things to play with.



I have a 30 metre run of Cat 6 linking my NAS to my server and have just ordered the TP Link convertors and a 30m fibre optic cable to replace this set up. Hopefully all should arrive within a week or so and I'll let you know if the changes are audible to me.

There is some thinking which says that there should be an improvement, but that it is caused by rejection of electrical noise generated from the NAS setup rather then the Cat cable acting as an aerial.



Edited by Suggs - 08 Aug 2016 at 6:28am
Derek
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