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Euphony Audio Transport ─ Euphony OS ─ Embedded, Headless OS For Music Servers


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Euphony ─ a new embedded, headless OS for music servers.
 

    I saw Matrix Audio is working on a music server and it will be running an OS called Euphony. Then I found out a German company just released a server called the Zenion and it also is running Euphony. After a little research I found out Euphony is also sold pre-installed on an SSD drive for DIY builders. So I got one and put it in a little Intel NUC computer to try it out. It required no installation or configuration at all. I just booted the computer and then was able to access the interface with my phone. You have full control of everything using just a web browser from any computer or mobile device on your network.

 

    You can go to their site if you want to see all the features and options. The main thing I wanted to share was how surprised I was that it sounds so much better then my windows 10 computer and corresponding playback software(s). I can't explain why, but it absolutely sounds much better ─ at least to me it does. I can guess all day, but that does nobody any good. Hah. Some of it is likely due to having less background processes while the other obvious one would be less components (especially fans) between my two systems ─ a gaming PC and an intel NUC.

 

    Some aspects of the sound really stand out to me between playback from Euphony and Windows 10 (using ASIO in my playback software of choice). Right away, the background is more black. I wouldn't say that I had an issue with the noise floor before either as my system is dead silent without humm, buzz, or hiss. The spatial image is noticeably wider, deeper, and taller ─ covering all three of the X,Y, and Z axis ─ which is likely what/why I'm hearing instruments and sounds coming from the darkest depths of the abyss compared to windows which is reproducing a smaller spatial image to work with in direct comparison. Having more space to work with, I find it easier to hear microdetail that can easily be overlooked or missed in manic musical tracks. I don't have to actively listen for the details either as they're simply there even when I'm having a passive listening session whilst multitasking or kind of tired from a long day. I've done a lot of A/B testing and honestly can't go back to windows audio after having heard Euphony ─ at least not for listening to music. "What has been heard cannot be unheard."

 

    I've had Euphony on a NUC for a few months now and couldn't recommend it more. I've not tried any competing operating systems or music servers, so take that for what it is. Some other users may have more insight to provide than I can in the coming posts of this thread. Oh ─ before I forget ─ I did most of my A/B comparisons with a PS Audio Dectet Power Conditioner, AudioQuest NRG-X3 AC Power Cables, AudioQuest Carbon USB A─B Cable, Violectric DAC V850, Violectric HPA V280, Audeze LCD-4 (200 Ohm), and ZMF Eikon (Padauk). My source files were primarily redbook 16/44.1 lossless CD rips with a couple of exceptions ─ those being a 24/96 remastered albums and/or TIDAL HiFi streaming (which is now native in Euphony at this present time).


TNT Audio Review | HiFi Advice Review

 

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38 minutes ago, tedwoods said:

Have you tried it with HQPlayer?

    Personally, I have not. I've only used the standard MPD player option at this point in time. Sorry to not be of more help.

 

    However, John Grandberg (aka project86 on a different forum), a reviewer across multiple publications, has previously posted an extensive amount of impressions about Euphony OS and the Matrix X-Server Prototype (which runs Euphony). I'd link to it directly, but I have a feeling that's probably against the rules here. You can search ("New Matrix Audio X-Server info") to find it though. It includes some swapping between the different playback options. It's a bit dated as well, but should be a good representation nonetheless.

 

    The Euphony engineers/developers are very active with crushing bugs and adding new features in a very routine manner. They even offer a dev/beta update option to test the most recent version of their OS which always includes their latest features and functionality ─ I'd have to double check if I'm allowed to let that be known. As an early adopter, I've been lucky enough to assist in squashing a few bugs myself by pointing them out to the engineering/developer team. They work rather quickly ─ I was pleasantly surprised. The OS itself has received quite a number of updates since I initially received my Euphony Drive. I am of the opinion that the SQ has improved over time as well. Whatever they're tweaking, it's not been a negative experience thus far.

 

    Their projected outlook for the product (Euphony OS) appears to be continued support whether it be firmware, software, drivers, features, functionality, compatibility, and so on for at least a few years if not longer than that. I was informed that any major updates may cost an additional fee which isn't much different than say upgrading Adobe Creative Suite 3 to 4 to 5 and so on for instance.

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Thanks, for me and many others I suspect, a no fuss Linux distro with basic library functions that outputs HQPlayer to an NAA endpoint (like my sms-200) and can be controlled via a web interface is a dream come true...

...well that and Amanero native dsd support...

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I sent a message to the folks at Euphony via their website but they didn't respond.  Are they selling this product yet?  

If they are serious about promoting this product, they really need to have a representative on this forum to field questions from potential customers.  

 

 

HD-PLEX LPS > SLK (Chinese) DC Power Cable > Mac Mini 2012 (Uptone MMK / SnakeOil OS) > LPS-1 > UpTone ISO Regen > USPCB > Chord Mojo > WireWorld Nano-Silver Eclipse > AudioEngine A2+

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Hmmm.  I wonder if they've done anything differently from Snakeoil-OS, which is a free minimal Linux install with MPD, Squeezelite and NAA--apart from sticking it on a hard drive and charging $400 for it.  Perhaps they've done some further system optimizations, I don't know.  Don't mean to sound so skeptical, but it does raise questions.  I'd be curious to compare it to Snakeoil.

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2 hours ago, No Disc said:

I sent a message to the folks at Euphony via their website but they didn't respond.  Are they selling this product yet?  

They may be out of the office as it's Easter weekend. Don't quote me on that though. Lol. Similar issues occur when Chinese New Year starts and a company is based in China.

 

2 hours ago, No Disc said:

If they are serious about promoting this product, they really need to have a representative on this forum to field questions from potential customers.

I relayed your suggestion to the USA rep that I've been dealing with. I suppose that would've been helpful to have in the OP... slipped my mind.

The Euphony Audio USA URL IS HERE

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I'm actually in China, it's Tomb Sweeping Holiday now.   Do you have access to the Chinese contact information or is their website already setup for that?

HD-PLEX LPS > SLK (Chinese) DC Power Cable > Mac Mini 2012 (Uptone MMK / SnakeOil OS) > LPS-1 > UpTone ISO Regen > USPCB > Chord Mojo > WireWorld Nano-Silver Eclipse > AudioEngine A2+

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11 hours ago, zackthedog said:

Hmmm.  I wonder if they've done anything differently from Snakeoil-OS, which is a free minimal Linux install with MPD, Squeezelite and NAA--apart from sticking it on a hard drive and charging $400 for it.  Perhaps they've done some further system optimizations, I don't know.  Don't mean to sound so skeptical, but it does raise questions.  I'd be curious to compare it to Snakeoil.

 

If what I read it accurate regarding Euphony, it supports running on a Mac hardware, however Snakeoil has not been tested with it and as far as I can see, no one is running it on apple hardware.  I have two apples, so unless I want to get new hardware, Euphony would be something to consider. I'm running Windows 2016 Server with JPLAY now so I'm curious if Euphony would be any better. 

HD-PLEX LPS > SLK (Chinese) DC Power Cable > Mac Mini 2012 (Uptone MMK / SnakeOil OS) > LPS-1 > UpTone ISO Regen > USPCB > Chord Mojo > WireWorld Nano-Silver Eclipse > AudioEngine A2+

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16 minutes ago, No Disc said:

 

If what I read it accurate regarding Euphony, it supports running on a Mac hardware, however Snakeoil has not been tested with it and as far as I can see, no one is running it on apple hardware.  I have two apples, so unless I want to get new hardware, Euphony would be something to consider. I'm running Windows 2016 Server with JPLAY now so I'm curious if Euphony would be any better. 

Snakeoil-OS runs just fine on my 2014 Mac Mini, via USB stick.  I haven't tried installing it.  There may be driver issues with some Mac models, I don't know.  It's just a minimized Ubuntu install.  Euphony may be better sounding.  Again, I don't know, though if it's a Linux OS with MPD and Squeezelite via ALSA, I'm not sure how much more you could optimize it.  You could install Snakeoil-OS on an SSD and possibly get the same thing for under $100.  I'm not knocking the product, since I haven't heard it, but again I have to wonder if it's really worth the extra cost. 

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20 hours ago, zackthedog said:

Snakeoil-OS runs just fine on my 2014 Mac Mini, via USB stick.  I haven't tried installing it.  There may be driver issues with some Mac models, I don't know.  It's just a minimized Ubuntu install.  Euphony may be better sounding.  Again, I don't know, though if it's a Linux OS with MPD and Squeezelite via ALSA, I'm not sure how much more you could optimize it.  You could install Snakeoil-OS on an SSD and possibly get the same thing for under $100.  I'm not knocking the product, since I haven't heard it, but again I have to wonder if it's really worth the extra cost. 

 

Thanks for the reply.  I'm confused by it however. You say its running fine, but you also say you have not installed it?  

 

Here was the reply from the creator of Snake-oil when I asked him if he knows if it runs on Macs. 

 

https://www.snakeoil-os.net/forums/Thread-Run-Snakeoil-from-usb-stick-on-mac-Anyone-succeeded?page=2

HD-PLEX LPS > SLK (Chinese) DC Power Cable > Mac Mini 2012 (Uptone MMK / SnakeOil OS) > LPS-1 > UpTone ISO Regen > USPCB > Chord Mojo > WireWorld Nano-Silver Eclipse > AudioEngine A2+

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3 hours ago, No Disc said:

 

Thanks for the reply.  I'm confused by it however. You say its running fine, but you also say you have not installed it?  

 

Here was the reply from the creator of Snake-oil when I asked him if he knows if it runs on Macs. 

 

https://www.snakeoil-os.net/forums/Thread-Run-Snakeoil-from-usb-stick-on-mac-Anyone-succeeded?page=2

You can run Snakeoil "live" from a USB stick or install it.  I've installed it on a fanless mini-PC and it works just fine.  It ran on my 2014 Mac Mini from the USB stick and had no trouble connecting to my network.  Like I said, it probably depends on the ethernet chipset involved.  Why don't you try it?  It's free.  Load it to a USB stick, restart your Mac holding the Option key and see if it shows up as a boot option.  (It will be a orange drive icon labelled "Windows").  It'll take a while to boot, then you see a choice of "Try Ubuntu" or "Install Ubuntu".  Choose the "try" option and see if it connects to your network.

 

Again, I'm not knocking Euphony, but I'm having trouble seeing what you're paying for when Snakeoil offers the exact same player options for nothing, unless they're doing something very differently.  And I'm certainly a little skeptical of paying $1700 for 4 TB of storage.  I mean, a SOtM sms-200 offers the same player options for $450, and you get optimized hardware in the bargain.

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10 minutes ago, chauphuong said:

A noob question. Does Snake oil offer the possibility to control via a web interface?

Yes, it does.  You point your browser to the Snakeoil computer (the IP address works best), select your player under the "Software" tab, and then click the link to the web interface.  You can also use any MPD or LMS client, depending on which player you choose.

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Hello — my name is Arthur Power  — I'm from Euphony Audio USA. I was told that there were some questions on this forum about our operating system. 

 

Euphony is a finely tuned headless OS based on Arch Linux to create an imbedded music server. This commercial product has been in development for a couple years. The goal has always been to achieve the best sound quality possible. Both the Linux kernel and MPD have been highly optimized to minimize latency and reduce the number of services that need to run. Other players and features were then added and also fine tuned.

 

The target market for this operating system is manufacturers of music servers and also the DIY market. Unlike open source projects, Euphony comes with a support team and regular updates to fix any bugs that our users discover. We are also always open to suggestions on how to make this product better.

 

Rather than trying to sell you on how good Euphony sounds or how easy it is to use, a downloadable lite trial version that can be run from a USB flash drive will be available soon. This allows you, the consumer, to decide for yourself if you feel it's worth the asking price.

Member of the Trade: Power Holdings Inc

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1 hour ago, ArthurPower said:

Hello — my name is Arthur Power  — I'm from Euphony Audio USA. I was told that there were some questions on this forum about our operating system. 

 

Euphony is a finely tuned headless OS based on Arch Linux to create an imbedded music server. This commercial product has been in development for a couple years. The goal has always been to achieve the best sound quality possible. Both the Linux kernel and MPD have been highly optimized to minimize latency and reduce the number of services that need to run. Other players and features were then added and also fine tuned.

 

The target market for this operating system is manufacturers of music servers and also the DIY market. Unlike open source projects, Euphony comes with a support team and regular updates to fix any bugs that our users discover. We are also always open to suggestions on how to make this product better.

 

Rather than trying to sell you on how good Euphony sounds or how easy it is to use, a downloadable lite trial version that can be run from a USB flash drive will be available soon. This allows you, the consumer, to decide for yourself if you feel it's worth the asking price.

 

Thats great news. Please update us when the Trial is available.   What will be the process if the customer decides he wants to purchase the software?  

 

Thanks

HD-PLEX LPS > SLK (Chinese) DC Power Cable > Mac Mini 2012 (Uptone MMK / SnakeOil OS) > LPS-1 > UpTone ISO Regen > USPCB > Chord Mojo > WireWorld Nano-Silver Eclipse > AudioEngine A2+

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A downloadable trial version of Euphony is now available. You will have 30 days to evaluate it. At anytime you can purchase a licence. There will be two options, the full version and a lite version. I don't have all the details just yet regarding the features that will be included with the lite version or the pricing. Please check our site for updates.

 

Euphony Trial 

Member of the Trade: Power Holdings Inc

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On 4/17/2017 at 2:32 AM, zackthedog said:

You can run Snakeoil "live" from a USB stick or install it.  I've installed it on a fanless mini-PC and it works just fine.  It ran on my 2014 Mac Mini from the USB stick and had no trouble connecting to my network.  Like I said, it probably depends on the ethernet chipset involved.  Why don't you try it?  It's free.  Load it to a USB stick, restart your Mac holding the Option key and see if it shows up as a boot option.  (It will be a orange drive icon labelled "Windows").  It'll take a while to boot, then you see a choice of "Try Ubuntu" or "Install Ubuntu".  Choose the "try" option and see if it connects to your network.

 

Again, I'm not knocking Euphony, but I'm having trouble seeing what you're paying for when Snakeoil offers the exact same player options for nothing, unless they're doing something very differently.  And I'm certainly a little skeptical of paying $1700 for 4 TB of storage.  I mean, a SOtM sms-200 offers the same player options for $450, and you get optimized hardware in the bargain.

 

Support from Snakeoil is great.  We went back and forth confirming if installing on a Mac Mini would work, and when I finally got the go ahead installed it. Works great.  So far I like what I am hearing.  

HD-PLEX LPS > SLK (Chinese) DC Power Cable > Mac Mini 2012 (Uptone MMK / SnakeOil OS) > LPS-1 > UpTone ISO Regen > USPCB > Chord Mojo > WireWorld Nano-Silver Eclipse > AudioEngine A2+

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11 hours ago, No Disc said:

 

Support from Snakeoil is great.  We went back and forth confirming if installing on a Mac Mini would work, and when I finally got the go ahead installed it. Works great.  So far I like what I am hearing.  

 That's good news.  Are you listening to MPD or LMS?

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3 hours ago, zackthedog said:

 That's good news.  Are you listening to MPD or LMS?

MPD for now. 

HD-PLEX LPS > SLK (Chinese) DC Power Cable > Mac Mini 2012 (Uptone MMK / SnakeOil OS) > LPS-1 > UpTone ISO Regen > USPCB > Chord Mojo > WireWorld Nano-Silver Eclipse > AudioEngine A2+

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