Archphile - An Archlinux Based Audiophile Distribution for Raspberry Pi and Udoo Quad

I tried RPi4 version on wired connection and usually I can't find RPi on network. Sometimes can boot up but when it reboots that's it, I can't see it on router so no ssh...
Similar thing happens with RPi4 CollybiaOS 1.2 where I can't access web page after reboot but ssh works ...
 
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enthusiastic feedback

I am a noob. Not a total noob, but probably the next step up from one at best. Thank goodness for the manual and a 19 year old son into linux.

I installed this in a Rpi3B+ with a pi2design 502DAC HAT. I run mpd on the pi and also enabled librespot for spotify. Changed mpd.conf to allow software volume control (mixer_tÿpe "software") sacrificing the loss of bit perfect SQ that to be honest I can't detect, for convenience. I use MALP on my google pixel. The pi and HAT are used as an AES transport, not a DAC, into minidsp devices.

Old 3.5 inch HDD with my music collection on one of the pi's ports.

LPS for the HAT (which powers the pi) and battery for the HDD.

Glorious sound. I think its easier to hear the acoustic in which the recording is made. My test for this has always been Kenny Rankin's "Round Midnight". The only time I heard the bass behind Kenny R was in a system fronted with Dunlavy VI with Rowland gear in some boutique shop in LA maybe 20 years ago, and my humble lxmini with archphile has come closest to that memory in my journey thus far.

I am a happy camper and big thanks and kudos to Mike!
 
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I am a long years mpd user, sofar happy woth mpdpup and alix1d board and sotm usb card running into soekris dam1941 dac.

Tried volumio, but found that it is not consistent in sound, some weird stuff sometime seems to happen loke a phase chamge or something...other reported it sounds like an eq is in between.

Ok. Tried Archpile now with rp4 and Ians fifopi...first of all compliments to the excellent manual. never seen something like this before...setup is a breeze.

first thing I see is that the fifopi does not give any longer the light show when get started with volumio, so not sure it works correctly. as neither my fifopi nor my soekris dac is in config.txt an option, i simply chose rpi-dac as it sounded the most generic one and had noparameters...but no idea what this does actually in the backround.

The initial impression was: Lots of detail, but as well a bit thin and technical sounding to be honest. volumio is fuller tone.

I than changed from standard setting to mpd-minimized...ok, now this becomes serious stuff which needs further listening and experiments. Tone still no as full as i would like it to be, but very, very good dynmics and very transparent and as well a bit warmer, much more fluent and direct.

Any advise on the i2s dac setting on further optimization ? Do i need i2c on ?
 
I am a long years mpd user, sofar happy woth mpdpup and alix1d board and sotm usb card running into soekris dam1941 dac.

Tried volumio, but found that it is not consistent in sound, some weird stuff sometime seems to happen loke a phase chamge or something...other reported it sounds like an eq is in between.

Ok. Tried Archpile now with rp4 and Ians fifopi...first of all compliments to the excellent manual. never seen something like this before...setup is a breeze.

first thing I see is that the fifopi does not give any longer the light show when get started with volumio, so not sure it works correctly. as neither my fifopi nor my soekris dac is in config.txt an option, i simply chose rpi-dac as it sounded the most generic one and had noparameters...but no idea what this does actually in the backround.

The initial impression was: Lots of detail, but as well a bit thin and technical sounding to be honest. volumio is fuller tone.

I than changed from standard setting to mpd-minimized...ok, now this becomes serious stuff which needs further listening and experiments. Tone still no as full as i would like it to be, but very, very good dynmics and very transparent and as well a bit warmer, much more fluent and direct.

Any advise on the i2s dac setting on further optimization ? Do i need i2c on ?

Add this to the archphile-optimized file and reboot.


#Reduce Audio thread latency
chrt -f -p 54 $(pgrep ksoftirqd/0)
chrt -f -p 54 $(pgrep ksoftirqd/1)
chrt -f -p 54 $(pgrep ksoftirqd/2)
chrt -f -p 54 $(pgrep ksoftirqd/3)

Everything should be dialed in nicely, clearer vocals and midrange, even handed and open throughout.
 
Add this to the archphile-optimized file and reboot.


#Reduce Audio thread latency
chrt -f -p 54 $(pgrep ksoftirqd/0)
chrt -f -p 54 $(pgrep ksoftirqd/1)
chrt -f -p 54 $(pgrep ksoftirqd/2)
chrt -f -p 54 $(pgrep ksoftirqd/3)

Everything should be dialed in nicely, clearer vocals and midrange, even handed and open throughout.

Thanks Dynobot. I've included this and it doesn't seem to have harmed the sound. I read your post on other rpi tweaks BTW, but noob here so found all that over my head.

On a separate note I added radio stations easily just using the manual.

I tried to get off the ethernet connection and use wifi instead but end up losing connection all together, so I have parked that for the moment.

My son tried to get spotifyd (on my urging) to work, and it did but did not seem to offer much difference. I've just gone back to the standard spotify client set up which is very solid. If anyone can help here that would be great but in the meantime I am just leaving it connected via ethernet.

The only thing with the archphile implementation of spotify is that it opens with 100% volume. I did not expect that and was blasted off my chair by someone Taking the bloody A Train!:eek::eek:

Learned my lesson. Select archphile on spotify, select quiet music just in case, then try and get the volume down before you press play.

I also disabled mympd and use MALP on my android phone instead. Far more convenient and I therefore have a built in remote control. So phone now controls archphile via MALP for USB files and webradio, and via the normal Spotify app - archphile appears as a separate device.

The manual is absolutely fantastic. As I said in an earlier post I am new to the Rpi world and to linux, but once I got going wtih SSH via CMD on the laptop, I was all set. I just discovered today you can right click on SSH to copy from windows :eek: , so that has made following the manual and tweaks via this thread so much easier.



Just as an aside, ncspot offers a far less convenient interface but a correspondingly better SQ than a full-on spotify client. I have this on another image just by itself and its a kludge to change the cards over on the pi, but for when I want to enjoy the most SQ out of spotify, and I can be bothered, I swap cards and use my ncspot card.
 
Well, i am glad to have Dynobot on board...he is really a Linux tuning master...i think I followed your ideas amd advise already when setting up my current reference setupwith is still the Alix1D with sotm usb card and mpdpup...

I have now setup my system to do real and fast a/b comparison between my reference and the RP4 with Ians Fifopi with Archphile. Both feel a Soekris, one over UsB, the other with i2s directly...Soekris does auto-switching, you simply have two remote with pause/play

So, currently the Alix/mpdpup has still the lead im terms of air and resolution with good tone. The rp4/fifopi/archpile in minimized mpd sonds like a little sister, very similar, but still not as life-like.

so, if there are more tuning tips, i am glad to follow your advise.

By the way: I have often problems after changing settings like mpd.conf or config.txt to get a clean reboot and lan connection. Sometimes I need to power on and off three, foir times or start all over with a new weitten sd card. What is the root cause ? rp4 and driver ? sdcard manufactirer, version or size ? Archphile ?
 
I am not willing to start that discussion, sorry. I am giving here my completely subjective view and impression here. This is not about perfect scientific priven results. Your impression and milage may vary and the opposite, no issue for me at all as i dont care.

From the old times i found dynabots findings spot on and reproducable in my system (and yoirs is for sure completly different, so no wonder that you might have different impressions potentiallyl.
 
Wifi Issues

For those trying to use Wifi instead of Ethernet.

I used the Archphile manual....however, its a bit out of order in the steps. You have to follow the steps in Section 12.2.2.1 -and- Section 2.0 before you reboot.


Section
12.2.2 Wireless, Bluetooth and HDMI

nano /boot/config.txt

comment out this
#dtoverlay=pi3-disable-wifi

<close nano>

nano /usr/bin/archphile-optimize

uncomment this line and put your country code....for me its US
#iw reg set GR

<close nano>

DO NOT REBOOT!!!!

Section 2.0 Network Configuration

nano /etc/netctl/archphile-network

If you are going from Ethernet to Wifi comment out this whole section at the top of the file as seen

#Description='A basic dhcp ethernet connection'
#Interface=eth0
#Connection=ethernet
#IP=dhcp
#ExecUpPost='/usr/bin/ntpd -gq || true'


Uncomment the section for wireless with WEP/WPA..exactly as seen below.


Description='A basic dhcp wireless connection with WEP/WPA security'
Interface=wlan0
Connection=wireless
Security=wpa
#Security=wep
Key=YOUR PASSWORD
ESSID=YOUR SSID
## Uncomment below if your ssid is hidden
#Hidden=yes
IP=dhcp
ExecUpPost='/usr/bin/ntpd -gq || true'


<close nano>

netctl reenable archphile-network

systemctl reboot
 
Dynobot, may I ask how you would describe Archphile's signature compared to your current favourite (RP/Dietpi/mpd i believe) ?

I have done the changes you suggested plus pit the fifopi on battery as suggested by Ian...well, not bad, but still less clarity and less dynamics (PrAD ?) than Alix1D/Sotm/mpdpup. Maybe its i2S vs. usb, many different reasons possiple...but currently Archphile/the rp combo sounds a bit soft and a tad veiled.
 
Dynobot, may I ask how you would describe Archphile's signature compared to your current favourite (RP/Dietpi/mpd i believe) ?

I have done the changes you suggested plus pit the fifopi on battery as suggested by Ian...well, not bad, but still less clarity and less dynamics (PrAD ?) than Alix1D/Sotm/mpdpup. Maybe its i2S vs. usb, many different reasons possiple...but currently Archphile/the rp combo sounds a bit soft and a tad veiled.

I have to agree with you, its not 100% yet, very close but things could get a bit clearer and a bit more dynamic.

Mike [Archphile] seems to like cpu affinity and some other settings in his archphile-optimize script. From my experience SBC's don't like to be pushed and need to be ever so slightly nudged with gentle settings. This is to say, the normal brute-force methods have a negative effect.

IMO, Arch Linux sounds better than Debian so these days I've actually been rolling my own Arch Linux. PiCore is pretty good but never seems to have the weight and body that I am looking for. Archphile gives me a pretty good base to work with, so I'm going to play around with the archphile-optimized settings and dig into it a bit more.

Software wise I have MPD, Squeeze and Roon to play with.