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[Zachik]

I have been using MC24 on Windows 10 for a year+ and bought the upgrade license to MC26 when it became available, but did not upgrade yet.
Now, I am debating between upgrading to MC26 on my Windows 10 and installing Linux and use it instead (with MC26).
I could not find any comparisons between the Windows and Linux versions, and as importantly - comparisons between Windows and Linux on same PC hardware for music server applications.
Some audiophiles claim that Linux is much better, since it has less threads running in the background that are totally not relevant for music playback. I did see some people discuss migrating from Windows to Linux (of the MC library)...

My questions are:
1. Can someone here share personal opinions as to whether Linux sounded better than Windows ON SAME HARDWARE? I am using Intel NUC 7th gen, BTW.
2. IF moving to Linux - which distro is best for MC26? My NUC is dedicated music server, and used ONLY for running MC.

Thanks!

[Awesome Donkey]

It sounds the same on both (and Mac) to me, which is exactly what I'd expect with bit-perfect playback (with no DSP used). If using Linux, make sure you're using the hw: or front: audio outputs in MC, as those will bypass the system mixer and are bit-perfect as long as you're not using any sort of DSP.

As for a distro recommendation, JRiver only officially supports Debian, but it works fine (unofficially) on Ubuntu too. So I'd suggest the latest Ubuntu 19.10 and not something else like Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or Linux Mint 19, because soon MC26 won't run on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or Linux Mint 19 anymore because of dependency changes (older Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and Linux Mint 19 have older dependencies, and MC26 will require newer ones which can't be updated in those older LTS-based distros). So Ubuntu 19.10 or Debian Buster would be my recommendations.

There is of course a Ubuntu and Debian tutorial here: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,123664.0.html

[Zachik]

Thanks Awesome Donkey for the very quick response!
Let me clarify my original question:
I did not expect Linux to sound better due to better implementation of MC for Linux.
Some audiophiles claim linux (in general) sounds better because less "stuff" runs in the background, so the OS itself and MC in particular never stutter due to CPU cores being busy running irrelevant processes during music playback.

I guess a related question would be:
If I decide to stay with Win10 - is there a good list of "things to do to optimize your Win10 for music playback"?
Again, my NUC PC is ONLY used for MC playback. I do not use it as a generic PC, so I can optimize it for music (and MC) playback!

Thanks,
Zachi.

[RemyJ]

There are a few things that still down't work in the Linux versions, like drag and drop and decent portable support so if you need those, stick to Windows.  Also if you move to Linux, your media paths will probably all need to be changed.  Just some things to think about.

[Zachik]

Got it. Guess I will just stay with windows!

[edstiles]

In my opinion, Linux sounds better, specifically Ubuntu Studio, a low latency version of Linux. Part of that will depend on your sound system and the sound card, DAC, etc that use. All I know is that I keep a PC with Ubuntu Studio just for playback of my digital files. I use SPIDF out and a very good DAC into an excellent sound system. USB out to the DAC also sounds very good on some systems, sometimes better than SPIDF.

Your mileage may vary.....

[Zachik]

In my opinion, Linux sounds better, specifically Ubuntu Studio, a low latency version of Linux. Part of that will depend on your sound system and the sound card, DAC, etc that use. All I know is that I keep a PC with Ubuntu Studio just for playback of my digital files. I use SPIDF out and a very good DAC into an excellent sound system. USB out to the DAC also sounds very good on some systems, sometimes better than SPIDF.

Your mileage may vary.....

Thanks!

[HS12]

Have you considered the JRiver Id for your music and leave your noisy computer to do noisy computing stuff?

[Zachik]

My computer is a NUC. very much like the one JRiver is selling, so not noisy at all

[mrpro]

Thanks!

I run a dual boot system: Ubuntu Studio 19.10 / Windows 10 1909, and I find significant differences in sound between Linux and Windows on the same hardware. The differences I hear are similar to the differences I hear between Windows asio and wasapi.

To me, asio offers the most definition of detail, especially in the high frequencies, but it sometimes can sound a bit bigger than life. I also get a bit of listening fatigue during lengthy listening sessions.

Windows wasapi, on the other hand sounds generally more natural, but with less detail than asio, and the sound seems to change with different updates of windows. Some versions have been unstable.

Linux, to some degree, offers the best of both worlds. While not quite as detailed as asio on Windows 10, it does come close, especially in the mid-range and bass; and it is easily the most natural sounding of the three, with no listening fatigue whatsoever. I listen to a lot of live music, and that is always my reference.

I also never hear a single pop, tick, or other hardware noise with Linux. I use the Linux ALSA driver directly, by-passing pulse audio, which I feel sounds cleaner. Be aware that the Linux version of MC 26 does not have all the features as the Windows version (no TV or CD ripping), but there is no compromise in sound quality.

My current configuration is: AMD 3.5 GHz, eight core cpu, 32 GB RAM; 480GB ssd drive for Linux, 250GB ssd drive for Windows, 12TB storage, using the standard Linux Grub boot manager. (Just install Windows first; when you install Linux it will find your Windows drive and add it to the boot menu.)

[stricko]

A quick additional question. Is Theatre View fully supported on the Linux version?

[mrpro]

As far as I am aware, for audio, Theater view is fully supported. At least I don't notice any performance or appearance differences between the two.

I also use the same storage database for each. Most of my music resides on a single 6TB NTFS formatted hard drive. I use NTFS instead of Linux native ext-4 because Linux can access NTFS drives fine, but Windows cannot access Linux ext-4 formatted drives.This way, tag changes and cover art changes,etc made by Linux are fully readable by Windows and vice-versa. If you only use Linux I would advise using ext-4 to format all your hard drives.

My backup database resides on a networked Linux samba server, and both Windows and Linux are easily able to access and use it fine.

If you still can't decide which to use, perhaps a dual boot system (like I use), would help you decide. If you already have a Windows 10 license, install it on its own dedicated hard drive, and then install Linux on its own separate drive.

A little tip, during Linux install be sure you install the Linux boot loader on the same hard drive you install the Linux OS on, and set your system BIOS to boot from this drive instead of the Windows drive. (Windows will have already installed its own boot loader on its dedicated hard drive.) That way, if you decide to remove the Windows drive, you can easily do so, without affecting the Linux boot process. Linux grub will update its boot loader to remove the windows entry the next time it is updated.
Likewise, if you wish to remove the Linux drive, just remove it and set your bios to boot from the windows drive.