solid state drive vs HD for audio

[kp93300]

Hi
I have a atom based computer based on Intel Atom D 510 chip. I use the usb out to the wave io ,a xmos based board .

I am using Linux Mint 10 --64 bit version and looking at the possibility of a solid state drive such as this

SSD upgrades from Crucial.com

I am interested to hear from experience of members here who have tried the rotating Hd and a solid state drive .
Is there a difference in sound with similiar OS?


Thanks

kp93300

[planet10]

I'll let you know, my SSD is in the mail.

dave

[KP11520]

I wonder......

I bet not, but that's just conjecture.

I am assuming the SSD is being compared to a WD VelociRaptor 10K rpm HDD.

Yes the SSD will zoom past the WD HDD performance wise BUT the MB, processor and all the other hardware combined with the OS and DAW or playback App will be amply fed by either, many times over. So I doubt you will hear a difference in sound. Unless you are referring to the overall noise of the running computer. The SSD unit will be quieter. LOL

The other thing to consider is price. In the US, a 1 TB VelociRaptor is $300. For 1 TB in SSDs, it will cost quite a bit and take a lot of HD Bays. For the near future anyway!

I'd even bet a 7200 rpm HD will not change the sound quality during playback.

I look forward to Dave's first hand experience though My logic isn't always as true as I hoped. LOL

BTW, I use ProTools and Reaper and a WD Raptor in PT and a 7200 rpm HD in Reaper. When I go back and forth with audio files, they sound the same.

[zanlation]

I doubt any improvements in sound quality over traditional drives, but SSD's are much cooler and quieter. I could remove a fan or two from my HTPC when I replaced the primary drive with an SSD.

[i2k92]

Originally Posted by kp93300

Hi
I have a atom based computer based on Intel Atom D 510 chip. I use the usb out to the wave io ,a xmos based board .

I am using Linux Mint 10 --64 bit version and looking at the possibility of a solid state drive such as this

SSD upgrades from Crucial.com

I am interested to hear from experience of members here who have tried the rotating Hd and a solid state drive .
Is there a difference in sound with similiar OS?


Thanks

kp93300

For what purpose ? As OS / boot disk or as music storage ?

For OS, if you use linux, I think using CF with CF-SATA adapter is lot more economical & consume less power (some believes that less power = better SQ). I use this solution with 256MB CF card on my mpdpup based music server, I don't know the comparison with rotating HDD as I never use it on this machine. Or, if the OS permits, just use USB flash disk for boot (a cheap 4 GB USB flash (5$ approx) should be more than enough for linux music server)

I also found on eBay some cheap miniature SSD which plugs directly into SATA connector on the motherboard. This could be another simple & cheap solution.

For music storage, SSD in my opinion is next to useless due to their capacity (unless if you're ready to invest $$$ on it). It's better to build a NAS server with cheap Atom board and bunch of rotating HDD.

[mill23bay]

I have tried the thumb and sd and there was no noticeable sound loss from what I can tell. I was thinking the same thing about speed of transfer. Bit rate was the same at flac or wave file type.
PeterC.

[wwenze]

Loading speed of music files on SSD is epic, enough a reason to put my often-listened tracks on the SSD.

A 120/128GB SSD can be had for $99 during promos, complement that with a 5400RPM HDD.

[stratus46]

I have 2 machines with small SSDs for OS and apps. They fail - far more than spinning discs. In 2 years I've had 3 failures and when they fail they 'disappear' from the machine and don't show up in the BIOS. These are running Win XP Pro SP3 and the drive manufacturers (OCZ and Corsair) state no special requirements. Make sure you use imaging software to restore if/when it fails. I keep a spare on hand and it takes less than a half hour to change the drive and restore the image.

I cannot imagine how there could be a difference in sound. SSDs and spinning discs can supply data far faster than it's required so you're just keeping a buffer loaded. I frequently process audio while the machine is recording HD video from the internal tuner with no issues for the TV or the audio.

G²

[theAnonymous1]

Any sound difference for me would come from the fact I always think I can hear the head moving on a spinning drive. Makes me crazy.

[theAnonymous1]

Originally Posted by stratus46

I have 2 machines with small SSDs for OS and apps. They fail - far more than spinning discs. In 2 years I've had 3 failures.....

Next time try an Intel SSD with a SandForce controller; they are among the most reliable drives on the market. I've had my 300GB Intel SSD for about 19 months with not a single issue.