JRiver - playing from HD v playing from memory

Docfoster

CJ started this a couple of days ago.
Interesting...

My initial experiences are:
1. I probably can't hear a difference when compared with listening to FLAC audio files from an internal SSD (where I keep my toonz). If I can, it's a very slight difference at the top end.
2. I think I can hear a difference when compared with listening to Bluray TrueHD from an external HDD (where I keep my flics). Mainly sweeter top end, smoother and somehow a more chiselled sound. If so, I don't know if it's the higher res audio allowing a difference to be discernible, or whether there's more improvement to be made from an external HDD, or something else, or I'm deluding myself as I'm not even sure that playing from memory can apply to Bluray audio... :-/

cj66

Find some music in your Cd collection that is especially well recorded. Use either EAC or dBpoweramp to rip a nice .wav copy. Then try comparing memory playback against hdd direct.
Some changes are so subtle you really need best recordings to hear it.

Docfoster

Agreed.
How about the Bluray audio thing? Is JRiver somehow playing that from memory too?

cj66

Pass, no idea!

Maybe a question for the JRiver forum.

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php

Docfoster

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,108974.0.html

60 odd views.
Zero answers.
The mystery continues...
I'll try posting in the main forum when I get mo'...

cj66

Having read your BR question again I realise you stated the playing of such files from a HDD. (Had playing directly from a BR disc in my mind before.)

I reckon that would qualify for memory buffer replay, at least IMHO.

Docfoster

Thanks for the revisit.
Yes I rip my discs to an external 1TB HDD. Motivation is simply that the BR drive in my PC is noisey.
I feel the "Playing from memory option" makes an audible difference. And also that a hi-res TrueHD soundtrack makes a potentially good test source for such things. Dependant on original recording quality (music soundtrack and / or movie dialogue) of course! :-)
My nagging doubt was based on the fact that I'm not sure how the "play from memory option" actually operates. JRiver's overview information mentions "loading tracks to Ram memory" and playing them from there. If that "loading" happens in small(ish) sequential packets of data then I can see how that would work for any audio stream. But, I wondered if "load the track" meant the entire audio file in its entirety. Which might work for a red book based flac file, but not a whole movie soundtrack (if that is a single (and relatively vast audio data file. I don't know).
I am self-conscious of exposing a degree of ignorance here that is potentially embarrassing. ;-/
In any event CJ, I appreciate your input!

cj66

The RAM memory command can load a track or an entire album (e.g. if an album is ripped as a single track) when dealing with Flac, red book wav etc. In the case of larger files such as wav 24/192, DVDA, SACD etc you really want to make sure your rips are single track files within an album or you may run out of RAM space!
I'm speaking for Foobar here, the amount of RAM required can be adjusted in the settings. I can't remember what the default is but mine is set to a rather large 1GB. ( I have 32GB to cover all things though ) For most people 500MB is enough unless you use the larger files as stated above, in which case 800MB (800,000KB as shown in the programme) is desireable or just a straight 1GB like mine if you have plenty of RAM to go around.
Basically a balance is needed to be struck on a multi usage PC depending on its capabilities and user requirements.
I think it's pretty safe to assume the same settings are available in Jriver.

Docfoster

CJ, most importantly my ego feels reassured by that. :-)
That's kind of the thought I had.

Have just discovered this tit-bit on the JRiver form by head honcho Matt:
"Memory playback will use up to 1GB of memory for cache (capped at 80% of available system memory to avoid swap usage)."
So it looks like there aren't settings, but that the memory use is set at very manageable levels. ("32GB". What are you like....?)
And that the file is shunted on to the RAM memory in cached packages of that size...?

Reading Matt's post, and remembering what you've written in the past, I'm imagining you've already read (and understood) it! If not, please do so, and translate it for me word for word (I'll pay you 1p/word)...
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=81982.0

;-p

cj66

Which parts are not appearing through the mist? (just read the entire thread)

Docfoster

Thanks. I'll prioritise and get back to you.
For now I'm enjoying Matt's statement that the facility was introduced merely due to "popular demand". I have a mental picture of an army of plackarded geeks angrily marching on JRiver HQ to present their demands.

Docfoster

Having a spent a while playing with the "play from memory" option, I rather suspect it is making an audible difference.

For me, the difference is most notably to the bass (and especially deeper bass which is louder and more impactful (useful wit a Wonfor amp playing into 10 inch woofers), and possibly to the sound-staging.

As always, I easily delude and self-deceive myself (in all things), so take that with a pinch of salt.