Hi there,
I am diying PC-audio since several years and began with Windows XP and Tact 2.0, followed by Bidule from ploque and DRC on OSX.
The latest version was Winows7 64bit on an overclocked Intel dual core system. The crossovers were built with Sonoris Mastering EQ and I used still DRC on SIR2 as convolver. I was really satisfied with the sound quality. Especially when I changed the soundcard from an ESI ESP1010e to the wonderful X-Meridian 2G from Auzentech with a change of the OPAmps.
Then I read about the qualities of Acourate and tried it out with a stereo correction file in this constellation. I was flashed from the effect on the sound and could not listen to music without this room correction anymore.
But I wanted to use the phase linear crossovers of acourate as a try and wanted to work with a Linux system.
After some days of trying and with "a little help from my friends", I got to the GNU/Parsix 64bit system, which ist more comfortable than the text-based distributions without having a big overload of unnessecary stuff like Ubuntu and others.
Now I am running the Acourate crossovers with integrated room and measuring-microfone correction in brutefir, which is giving the signal via jack to the soundcard. The player is aqualung, which is the only one I found to be able to play uncompressed wav-files.
I am overwhelmed by the sound, Never thought, that this could be possible.
I am diying PC-audio since several years and began with Windows XP and Tact 2.0, followed by Bidule from ploque and DRC on OSX.
The latest version was Winows7 64bit on an overclocked Intel dual core system. The crossovers were built with Sonoris Mastering EQ and I used still DRC on SIR2 as convolver. I was really satisfied with the sound quality. Especially when I changed the soundcard from an ESI ESP1010e to the wonderful X-Meridian 2G from Auzentech with a change of the OPAmps.
Then I read about the qualities of Acourate and tried it out with a stereo correction file in this constellation. I was flashed from the effect on the sound and could not listen to music without this room correction anymore.
But I wanted to use the phase linear crossovers of acourate as a try and wanted to work with a Linux system.
After some days of trying and with "a little help from my friends", I got to the GNU/Parsix 64bit system, which ist more comfortable than the text-based distributions without having a big overload of unnessecary stuff like Ubuntu and others.
Now I am running the Acourate crossovers with integrated room and measuring-microfone correction in brutefir, which is giving the signal via jack to the soundcard. The player is aqualung, which is the only one I found to be able to play uncompressed wav-files.
I am overwhelmed by the sound, Never thought, that this could be possible.
The title of thread is pretty misleading. I'd say it is nonsene.
Acourate won't work under Linux!!!! It's not a pair at all.
You need a Windows based system doing the measurements.
Let's hope that Windows performs better on the recording side
then it does on the playback side.
Unfortunatelly Uli Brueggemann never managed to supply Linux
binaries for his tool. (There is other commercial software available for Linux)
And that's a pity. People usually need to have two systems running.
Because from what I read most people use Ulis USB-Linux iso packages incl. brutefir as convolution engine.
To me a "perfect pair" would be: Acourate and brutefir on Linux
with an automatic setup/measurement option of brutefir. ( At least for the convolution part of course)
I'd like to push a button ( once I got the basic setup done) and 1 minute later I'd like to listen at "whatever" samplerate to my actively filtered system.
The main problem with Linux is soundcard support on the other hand. Drivers are not up2date if existing at all.
So, even if Acourate would be adapted to Linux, you got a pretty limited outlook on interfaces and up2date drivers, which even if they're up2date lack usually quite some features.
Anyhow. Many people are happy with such a setup. I'm not. Due to the lack
of support for real good audio interfaces under Linux ( even RME audio EQ is a pain to get going) and Uli's Windows only software I still havn't tried his software. (I tried DRC though).
I had only bad experience with convolution. I never managed to achieve satifactory results with it. On the first glance it sound impressive. However.
I always thought something gets lost when doing the filtering. That's why I ended up optimising my stereo chain and room first.
Perhaps if I see a "perfect pair" one day, I'll give it a try.
BTW: I know Uli since quite some time.
Acourate won't work under Linux!!!! It's not a pair at all.
You need a Windows based system doing the measurements.
Let's hope that Windows performs better on the recording side
then it does on the playback side.
Unfortunatelly Uli Brueggemann never managed to supply Linux
binaries for his tool. (There is other commercial software available for Linux)
And that's a pity. People usually need to have two systems running.
Because from what I read most people use Ulis USB-Linux iso packages incl. brutefir as convolution engine.
To me a "perfect pair" would be: Acourate and brutefir on Linux
with an automatic setup/measurement option of brutefir. ( At least for the convolution part of course)
I'd like to push a button ( once I got the basic setup done) and 1 minute later I'd like to listen at "whatever" samplerate to my actively filtered system.
The main problem with Linux is soundcard support on the other hand. Drivers are not up2date if existing at all.
So, even if Acourate would be adapted to Linux, you got a pretty limited outlook on interfaces and up2date drivers, which even if they're up2date lack usually quite some features.
Anyhow. Many people are happy with such a setup. I'm not. Due to the lack
of support for real good audio interfaces under Linux ( even RME audio EQ is a pain to get going) and Uli's Windows only software I still havn't tried his software. (I tried DRC though).
I had only bad experience with convolution. I never managed to achieve satifactory results with it. On the first glance it sound impressive. However.
I always thought something gets lost when doing the filtering. That's why I ended up optimising my stereo chain and room first.
Perhaps if I see a "perfect pair" one day, I'll give it a try.
BTW: I know Uli since quite some time.
OK, the title of the thread is a little bit misleading. What I meant, was not a one button solution of the software, but the enormous gain of sound quality. That is the only thing, that counts for me.
What I meant, is the perfect cooperation of Linux and Brutefir with the crossovers files with integrated roomcorection from Acourate.
How I get these files is a secondary problem to me and, yes, it was a stony way to get the outcome, I have got now! Nothing for Linux newbees without help from experienced Linux users.
The modern Linux distributions are working very good with some good soundcards like the XonarD2X from ASUS or the X-Meridian 2G from Auzentech, which is really fantastic in sound quality, especially with better OPamps. Unfortunately these cards are very problematic to measure with. So I do the measuring in Windows with the ESP1010e, after soldering all the in- and outputs. I do not have any plugs in my stereo chain.
I am using Parsix with an updated kernel to use the X-Meridain 2G in Linux.
This sound quality is really not to compare with DRC or any other hand made equalisation, I tried. I left DRC because it lays some kind of cloth over the sound.
Of course, first came the optimisation of the hardware and the room acoustics.
The next step is to try three or four USB-DACs, which is only possible in Linux to get rid of some problems, which internal soundcards have got.
Hopefully I do not get other problems with this configuration. ;-)
You are living nearby and if you are interested, you can come to me and hear my installation, which is in a "perpetual change" and has the look more like a laboratory system, than a normal stereo equipment.
It is also intersting to me, to get the meaning of an experienced music friend about my installation and especially the sound. Sometimes you loose your way and get routine-blinded. (or -deaf)
What I meant, is the perfect cooperation of Linux and Brutefir with the crossovers files with integrated roomcorection from Acourate.
How I get these files is a secondary problem to me and, yes, it was a stony way to get the outcome, I have got now! Nothing for Linux newbees without help from experienced Linux users.
The modern Linux distributions are working very good with some good soundcards like the XonarD2X from ASUS or the X-Meridian 2G from Auzentech, which is really fantastic in sound quality, especially with better OPamps. Unfortunately these cards are very problematic to measure with. So I do the measuring in Windows with the ESP1010e, after soldering all the in- and outputs. I do not have any plugs in my stereo chain.
I am using Parsix with an updated kernel to use the X-Meridain 2G in Linux.
This sound quality is really not to compare with DRC or any other hand made equalisation, I tried. I left DRC because it lays some kind of cloth over the sound.
Of course, first came the optimisation of the hardware and the room acoustics.
The next step is to try three or four USB-DACs, which is only possible in Linux to get rid of some problems, which internal soundcards have got.
Hopefully I do not get other problems with this configuration. ;-)
You are living nearby and if you are interested, you can come to me and hear my installation, which is in a "perpetual change" and has the look more like a laboratory system, than a normal stereo equipment.
It is also intersting to me, to get the meaning of an experienced music friend about my installation and especially the sound. Sometimes you loose your way and get routine-blinded. (or -deaf)
BTW.
Uli just released a new feature (85€) to reduce those nasty pre-ringing effects associated to fir filters (many people, even the ones raving about those fir filtered setups, obviously could live with those nasty artifacts until know
).
Let's assume that this pre-ringing reduction feature works ( the early adaptors seem to be quite happy), there are just the recording associated flaws and the signal-attenuation (6-8db - even on 16bit material!!) done prior to filtering left. These do impact the overal results. You shouldn't forget that the filter associated attenuation is put on top of that 8db base attenuation - prior to your own applied volume control!
Ok. Assuming you invested in a best in class microphone (600$) and highest quality ADC you can at least lower some of those side effects.
Not everyone will do that of course.
As I said. I'd love to try the whole stuff again. However.
To achieve the quality of my current stereo setup I'd need to heavily invest into a multichannel setup ( no - I wouldn't go for stuff like beforementioned soundcards, or my own 6 channel RME 2496 card), a measurement setup and Ulis SW first, without knowing where all this will end up.
Honestly the risk is to high for me, to end up with just a "little" better sound,
after putting in serious money and efforts.
There is IMO no question that the filter effects do have more impact on lower quality systems and poor room setups. At that point you might end up
with a better compromise running those filters. IMO the better the system and room gets the less effect you'll see with those filters.
Enjoy.
Uli just released a new feature (85€) to reduce those nasty pre-ringing effects associated to fir filters (many people, even the ones raving about those fir filtered setups, obviously could live with those nasty artifacts until know
).Let's assume that this pre-ringing reduction feature works ( the early adaptors seem to be quite happy), there are just the recording associated flaws and the signal-attenuation (6-8db - even on 16bit material!!) done prior to filtering left. These do impact the overal results. You shouldn't forget that the filter associated attenuation is put on top of that 8db base attenuation - prior to your own applied volume control!
Ok. Assuming you invested in a best in class microphone (600$) and highest quality ADC you can at least lower some of those side effects.
Not everyone will do that of course.
As I said. I'd love to try the whole stuff again. However.
To achieve the quality of my current stereo setup I'd need to heavily invest into a multichannel setup ( no - I wouldn't go for stuff like beforementioned soundcards, or my own 6 channel RME 2496 card), a measurement setup and Ulis SW first, without knowing where all this will end up.
Honestly the risk is to high for me, to end up with just a "little" better sound,
after putting in serious money and efforts.
There is IMO no question that the filter effects do have more impact on lower quality systems and poor room setups. At that point you might end up
with a better compromise running those filters. IMO the better the system and room gets the less effect you'll see with those filters.
Enjoy.
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