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Had a very interesting change to the music server this week. Been using a Raspberry Pi with an Allo Kali reclocker and an Allo Piano 2.1 DAC for a few years. Even put a linear power supply on it. The Moode forum has all sorts of links to Linux audio tweaks and those tweaks seemed to take it up a level or two. Basically it's been a very good sounding, cheap music server. You just have to be willing to futz with all the computer stuff to make it all work. Just updated to the latest version of the Moode software from a version that was a few years old. This updated Moode, the underlying Raspian operating system, MPD music software and just about everything else that's in the mix. It's rather amazing how much change there has been to the presentation, mostly in midrange clarity and detail. Built the new software on a new card so it's easy to change back and forth between the old and new software. The old build is mellower and a bit more forgiving and the new software sounds clearer and more resolving. I'm not going to proclaim one better than the other but it's fun listening to the differences. I've heard differences in different audio programs over the years so having software make an audible change isn't surprising. But having the same mix of programs change dramatically with a software update is interesting. There's more going on there than just shoveling bits to the DAC.
That's cool, Barry, thanks for your input. I might have to try something like that. I've been using microcontrollers and microprocessors for a long, long time but have yet to set one up as a music server. I'm still mostly an analog guy for audio, but I do have several digital sources and have started collecting music on flash drives. I'll admit it's mostly for convenience, but I'll also admit that some of the content sounds quite good. So I may follow your trail here at some point in the near future. Thanks again for the heads-up and Happy New Years!