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Post by leonski on Apr 22, 2024 1:00:59 GMT -5
A couple weeks ago I posted a 'quiz' of 1 question.....'Who is the ugliest person ever in a movie'.....or whatever I wrote. I got ONE answer which was incorrect.... For all you Trivia Fans out there? Correct answer is Rondo Hatton....by far......He was The Creeper in a Sherlock Holmes movie (Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce) He also creeped people out in many other films...... www.imdb.com/name/nm0369061/
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 22, 2024 7:07:06 GMT -5
I've ordered two refurbished 6-TB enterprise Seagate Barracuda drives for the Synology box. "Enterprise" drives are ruggedized for continuous operation. Using RAID-1 configuration, all data from one drive will be mirrored on the second. This way, either drive can fail without data loss. Just unplug the failed drive, hot-swap in a fresh one (of either the same or larger capacity) and the Synology box rebuilds the data on the new drive.
As I understand it, the enterprise drives also support continuous monitoring for drive health including metrics such as bad sector count, drive capacity as a percentage, and estimated mean time until failure.
Whenever either drive fails, I can replace the 6-TB drive with one of 8, 10, or 12-TB capacity, one at a time. Also, being attached to my network by Ethernet, the RAID will be available to any device on my network at all times.
The Synology box cost me $119, and the drives, $75 for the pair. Businesses and data farms don't normally run drives to failure. Instead, they replace drives on a "preventative maintenance" schedule to avoid simultaneous drive failures. This practice ensures a constant supply of large-capacity, refurbished drives on eBay at discount prices.
With data redundancy, I feel comfortable with refurbished drives.
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Post by marcl on Apr 22, 2024 7:21:15 GMT -5
I've ordered two refurbished 6-TB enterprise Seagate Barracuda drives for the Synology box. "Enterprise" drives are ruggedized for continuous operation. Using RAID-1 configuration, all data from one drive will be mirrored on the second. This way, either drive can fail without data loss. Just unplug the failed drive, hot-swap in a fresh one (of either the same or larger capacity) and the Synology box rebuilds the data on the new drive. As I understand it, the enterprise drives also support continuous monitoring for drive health including metrics such as bad sector count, drive capacity as a percentage, and estimated mean time until failure. Whenever either drive fails, I can replace the 6-TB drive with one of 8, 10, or 12-TB capacity, one at a time. Also, being attached to my network by Ethernet, the RAID will be available to any device on my network at all times. The Synology box cost me $119, and the drives, $75 for the pair. Businesses and data farms don't normally run drives to failure. Instead, they replace drives on a "preventative maintenance" schedule to avoid simultaneous drive failures. This practice ensures a constant supply of large-capacity, refurbished drives on eBay at discount prices. With data redundancy, I feel comfortable with refurbished drives. Wow great deal on those drives! And yes, all those things you said make it a very secure choice. I like seeing health checks happening and status when I open the Synology app. And you can schedule data scrubbing.
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 22, 2024 9:39:19 GMT -5
As a part of data analytics, I'm all in for deleting corrupted data, incomplete rips, and fixing file hierarchies. But experience has taught me (the hard way), that purging duplicates can roll off into the weeds in a BIG hurry. In the past, I've found that my drive may contain, for example:
An original studio album (mono version) A revision of that album in stereo Two live versions of the songs A remastered version of the stereo release Two versions of the album ripped to different formats (and possibly at different bit-depths & sample-rates) Etc.
Many would demand to see the measurements of each file as an indicator of file "goodness," but the measurements alone may not tell the story.
Also, often the headers don't distinguish between the variations, leading to the possibility of inadvertent data loss...
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KeithL
Administrator
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Post by KeithL on Apr 22, 2024 10:20:08 GMT -5
You've just pointed out an excellent reason for actually including complete labels with your files. I don't consider any of those to be "duplicates"... And I don't necessarily consider one better than the other... Although I may prefer listening to different ones on different days... But I absolutely need to be able to tell which is which... And I need to be able to choose which one to play (or tell which one is in a play list). That's why, for example, I have separate folders for: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (original CD) Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (MOFI CD) Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (24/96 stereo from immersion set) Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (24/96 5.1 from immersion set) Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (EMI 2003 remaster CD) Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (CP gold CD) Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (surround from SACD) As a part of data analytics, I'm all in for deleting corrupted data, incomplete rips, and fixing file hierarchies. But experience has taught me (the hard way), that purging duplicates can roll off into the weeds in a BIG hurry. In the past, I've found that my drive may contain, for example: An original studio album (mono version) A revision of that album in stereo Two live versions of the songs A remastered version of the stereo release Two versions of the album ripped to different formats (and possibly at different bit-depths & sample-rates) Etc. Many would demand to see the measurements of each file as an indicator of file "goodness," but the measurements alone may not tell the story. Also, often the headers don't distinguish between the variations, leading to the possibility of inadvertent data loss...
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 22, 2024 10:55:43 GMT -5
Great idea, KeithL - I don’t consider them “duplicates” either, but I’ve encountered scrubbing software that DID - even when the tracks were in different folders! One has to be VERY cautious with “find duplicates” software - it can cost you a LOT of data if you allow it to.
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KeithL
Administrator
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Post by KeithL on Apr 22, 2024 11:37:04 GMT -5
I agree... and that's why I would never trust software to delete duplicates. If anything I'll allow software to search for duplicates - as long as it's going to ask me about each one. But I would NEVER trust software to delete data that I care about on its own. As I might have mentioned before I tend to organize my files on disc PHYSICALLY. So, for my example, my file structure looks like this: D:\Pink_Floyd\Dark Side of the Moon (original CD)\ D:\Pink_Floyd\Dark Side of the Moon (MOFI CD)\ D:\Pink_Floyd\Dark Side of the Moon (EMI 2003)\ D:\Pink_Floyd\Dark Side of the Moon (CP Gold CD)\ And each song inside each folder is named by name and number... 01 - Speak to Me (Breathe) 02 - Run This way I can actually look at them in an ordinary file manager and see exactly what they are. (And I put the numbers, with those leading zeros, so they list in the right order when sorted alphabetically.) I haven't done a big RIP project in a while (and I'm overdue to do so). HOWEVER I use dBPowerAmp... which can be programmed to sort and name the files like that for me. It also verifies that each RIP is perfect with AccurateRIP (and, yes, I verify each one by hand since, on VERY rare occasions, names can still be wrong). I also have (or had) a cool little program (Tag & Rename) which could do things like "put tags in files based on their file name and location". So dBPowerAmp could RIP that CD and put the songs in the proper folders... Then Tag & Rename could read those files and automatically set GROUP to "Pink Floyd", ALBUM to "Dark Side of the Moon (original CD)", and song to "02 - Run" in that file. (I think dBPowerAmp can do that too these days.) I ALWAYS prioritize being able to find and identify my content manually from a file manager. That way I can always just look at all my music outside of the player program. This makes it easy to, for example, copy one or two songs, or copy a bunch of songs, for use somewhere else. And whatever player program I'm using can always "scan the library" and "ingest the contents"... to build its index. But I can always easily move my entire library to a different player program... Or try a different player program without changing my library itself at all. I can also easily make a backup copy of my library... and occasionally verify any single song, or the entire library, using a standard checksum utility... I have an EXTREMELY solid background in computers... So I am always most comfortable thinking of my music library as a collection of important files... Great idea, KeithL - I don’t consider them “duplicates” either, but I’ve encountered scrubbing software that DID - even when the tracks were in different folders! One has to be VERY cautious with “find duplicates” software - it can cost you a LOT of data if you allow it to.
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 22, 2024 12:01:32 GMT -5
Thanks, Keith - as usual, I’ve learned something from your posts! If you’re EVER in this (Louisiana) area, I’d love to introduce you to my audio amigo who is getting the different results from his various audio files. He’s virtually ignorant about computers, but his ears are surprisingly good. His audio experience is from analog “tweaking.” I find that his results can be startling even when his efforts at explaining WHY don’t seem logical. His audio system (pretty much always in flux) is the highest-resolution that I’ve ever heard. Over time, some of the Lounge members have visited his listening room, and all have agreed with this assessment.
Thanks again - Glenn
Postscriptum - I’ve encouraged audio amigo to write a book on his audio experiences, and have even offered to edit it for him. He’s considering it…
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 22, 2024 13:47:07 GMT -5
Another trick I'm going to try out - We have a LOT of various-sized oven baking screen grids that we've accumulated over the years. It occurs to me that if I were to select a conveniently-sized one and screw it to the back of my audio rack in the living room, I'd have a ready-made way to zip-tie various power supplies & devices to the back of the rolling stand.
The problem I have now is that we have a Samsung TV. The TV doesn't let you plug HDMI cables directly into the TV panel itself. Instead, it has a single cord that goes to a Samsung connection box. You have to plug all your HDMI cables (and I curse to the lower depths of Hell the "engineer" who designed the HDMI connection) into the connection box, and then there's a single proprietary connection that goes to the TV panel.
Every single time that I have to move the rolling audio rack to grant rear access, one or more of the #$%^&* HDMI cables comes loose from the connection box. Sometimes, the connections come loose even when I **DON'T** move the rack. Then I hear my wife - "Glenn? Glenn! The TV's stopped working again!!!" I have to drop what I'm doing and bend over the equipment rack (in the dark) to try & find out which cursed HDMI connection has come loose this time.
If I can secure the Samsung connection box to the baking screen on the back of the audio rack via twist ties or plastic zip ties, the opportunity for HDMI cables to come loose will be greatly reduced. At least, that's my hope, anyway... If it works, I can also secure the Ethernet switch, the USB hub, various wall-warts, and the power cords in the same way. I'll send you photos if the plan succeeds!
Glenn
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Post by leonski on Apr 22, 2024 15:51:50 GMT -5
Another trick I'm going to try out - We have a LOT of various-sized oven baking screen grids that we've accumulated over the years. It occurs to me that if I were to select a conveniently-sized one and screw it to the back of my audio rack in the living room, I'd have a ready-made way to zip-tie various power supplies & devices to the back of the rolling stand. The problem I have now is that we have a Samsung TV. The TV doesn't let you plug HDMI cables directly into the TV panel itself. Instead, it has a single cord that goes to a Samsung connection box. You have to plug all your HDMI cables (and I curse to the lower depths of Hell the "engineer" who designed the HDMI connection) into the connection box, and then there's a single proprietary connection that goes to the TV panel. Every single time that I have to move the rolling audio rack to grant rear access, one or more of the #$%^&* HDMI cables comes loose from the connection box. Sometimes, the connections come loose even when I **DON'T** move the rack. Then I hear my wife - "Glenn? Glenn! The TV's stopped working again!!!" I have to drop what I'm doing and bend over the equipment rack (in the dark) to try & find out which cursed HDMI connection has come loose this time. If I can secure the Samsung connection box to the baking screen on the back of the audio rack via twist ties or plastic zip ties, the opportunity for HDMI cables to come loose will be greatly reduced. At least, that's my hope, anyway... If it works, I can also secure the Ethernet switch, the USB hub, various wall-warts, and the power cords in the same way. I'll send you photos if the plan succeeds! Glenn I keep a flashlight....(LED Rechargeable and a spare 18650 battery) AND a mirror (small, from wifes makeup kit) handy for JUST such reasons..... Working blind in the dark is No Fun....
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 22, 2024 18:54:22 GMT -5
I got the screen attached to the rear of my equipment rack this evening & mounted the Samsung breakout box off the floor. So far, so good - everything works & I'm not running over cables or disconnecting HDMI plugs when the rack moves! I'll try populating the screen some more tomorrow (Ethernet switch / USB hub / + whatever else doesn't need line-of-sight out the front of the rack). I've also found that if I attach the speaker wires to the bottom rack of the shelf, the shelf wheels don't roll over them any more either!
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Post by leonski on Apr 22, 2024 22:50:40 GMT -5
My power conditioner has an XLR socket for an extension light which came with the unit......
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 23, 2024 2:13:50 GMT -5
My power conditioner has an XLR socket for an extension light which came with the unit...... Good design! My EGO electric chainsaw has a headlight.
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 23, 2024 9:57:12 GMT -5
This morning, I decided to mount an Ethernet switch. The wired socket from the computer room's router/modem will need to go to:
Smart Samsung TV (updates) Arcam 300 AVR (updates) Yamaha disc player (updates) Cox cable box (updates) Roku (programming) Apple TV (programming)
And, of course, I can't find a switch! I KNOW I have one and set it aside somewhere (to keep it from getting lost), but now, it's vanished into the Ether so there's no net until the replacement I ordered from Amazon arrives (hopefully tomorrow).
I need to root around behind the equipment to know if I need a USB switch or not. Ideally, I want to get the disc player's output into the AVR in DIGITAL form. If I let the disc player's DACs convert the audio signal to analog, the AVR will only convert it back to digital for signal processing, and then back to analog AGAIN for either the internal amps on the AVR or the external amps used for the L&R front channels. IF (and only if) my AVR has TWO HDMI sockets, I can use the disc player's HDMI outlet to feed one of the AVR's inputs. BUT, if the AVR has one and only one HDMI port, then I'll need that one hooked directly to the TV for ARC purposes. Alternately, I can buy an automatic HDMI switch... But I'd rather not.
And now a QUESTION, please, to the Lounge tech gurus: I have a 6TB hdd that was purchased as an external stand-alone USB-interface drive. Can I just pull the actual drive out of its factory casing and use the bare drive in my Synology NAS? I seem to remember that with another external drive, I tried to pull it loose of its factory enclosure and use it in a stand-alone box - didn't work. When and only when the drive's SATA IO card is attached to the drive will the drive initialize. I've been told that this is an issue with the drive jumpers on the drive itself. The drive is a WD model. What must I change on the drive to allow internal use with a RAID box?
Thanks - Boom
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Post by leonski on Apr 23, 2024 13:14:10 GMT -5
Most important rule about lost stuff?
It is always found in the LAST place you look......
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 23, 2024 14:59:02 GMT -5
The other rule of lost stuff is that when you give up on looking for it and go buy another one, THEN the item you were looking for always shows up!
But my lost item motto remains - "If I can't find it in 15 minutes of looking, it's cheaper to just go buy another - my time is worth more!"
On preparation for my Roon Nucleus One: The Synology box has arrived. My two 6TB Enterprise drives are supposed to be delivered this Saturday. I'm making backups of my music library drive now so that when the two bare drives are inserted in the Synology box, they'll be formatted and ready for the backup transfer onto the RAID.
If I want, I can string together as many loose drives as I have, and turn the whole lot of drives into a single virtual RAID using the Apple disc manager. I don't want the "software RAID" online at all times (as the Synology RAID will be), but having the extra backup(s) prevents me from having to use online backup for music files. I can throw the spare discs used for the software raid into my safety deposit box at the credit union, and then I'll have fulfilled both parts of the backup motto: Multiple copies in multiple locations.
For now, I'm going to finish securing speaker wire to the bottom shelf of my equipment rack so that the rack wheels don't run over (or try to) the speaker wires. I might (or might not) also strap the Emotiva Virtual Copper transmitter onto the rack screen. Should I choose not to place the eventual subwoofer in proximity to the equipment rack, having the wireless signal for the sub(s) will omit a lot of wire in the listening room. While cleaning out the closets, I also discovered a Fosi tube buffer that I had (and had forgotten that I had). Should I eventually buy myself the new Emotiva DAC, I could experiment with the tubes for music listening...
Boom
PS: I have at least four 2.5" SSD drives laying around - everything from 500GB up to 3TB. I hope the Roon Nucleus One has some guidance about what size SSD is needed for the Nucleus One.
PPS: I found another Seagate 6TB external hdd hiding in a drawer. Elusive little dickenses, aren’t they?
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 9,966
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Post by KeithL on Apr 23, 2024 15:09:32 GMT -5
The short answer is that you're going to have to pull out the drive and look it up by its model number. I would say that odds are it will just be a drop-in replacement... but I would check in case it isn't. This morning, I decided to mount an Ethernet switch. The wired socket from the computer room's router/modem will need to go to: Smart Samsung TV (updates) Arcam 300 AVR (updates) Yamaha disc player (updates) Cox cable box (updates) Roku (programming) Apple TV (programming) And, of course, I can't find a switch! I KNOW I have one and set it aside somewhere (to keep it from getting lost), but now, it's vanished into the Ether so there's no net until the replacement I ordered from Amazon arrives (hopefully tomorrow). I need to root around behind the equipment to know if I need a USB switch or not. Ideally, I want to get the disc player's output into the AVR in DIGITAL form. If I let the disc player's DACs convert the audio signal to analog, the AVR will only convert it back to digital for signal processing, and then back to analog AGAIN for either the internal amps on the AVR or the external amps used for the L&R front channels. IF (and only if) my AVR has TWO HDMI sockets, I can use the disc player's HDMI outlet to feed one of the AVR's inputs. BUT, if the AVR has one and only one HDMI port, then I'll need that one hooked directly to the TV for ARC purposes. Alternately, I can buy an automatic HDMI switch... But I'd rather not. And now a QUESTION, please, to the Lounge tech gurus: I have a 6TB hdd that was purchased as an external stand-alone USB-interface drive. Can I just pull the actual drive out of its factory casing and use the bare drive in my Synology NAS? I seem to remember that with another external drive, I tried to pull it loose of its factory enclosure and use it in a stand-alone box - didn't work. When and only when the drive's SATA IO card is attached to the drive will the drive initialize. I've been told that this is an issue with the drive jumpers on the drive itself. The drive is a WD model. What must I change on the drive to allow internal use with a RAID box? Thanks - Boom
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 23, 2024 18:47:44 GMT -5
My HDD gurus from the Baton Rouge Macintosh Users' Group (BRMUG) say (paraphrasing): Yes, it's possible to use a stand-alone external drive as an internal, but don't do it. Different drives are optimized for different functions. A drive for video editing, for example, would have high rotational speed, high (continuous) data transfer rates, and very fast drive head controllers to provide high definition video without shaking or dropouts. The controller board on such a drive (and even, to some extent, the drive itself) have probably been optimized for the intended use.
An "enterprise" drive, on the other hand, might not be so "high strung," but rather optimized for heat dissipation, and longevity. Since enterprise drives are normally used in RAID service, data is likely striped between multiple drives and the performance requirements on each individual drive are less.
Ultimately, the recommendation I received was: Leave the external drives in the enclosures that they shipped in. If I want enterprise drives in my RAID, buy enterprise drives - don't try to adapt drives originally designed for other purposes.
Since enterprise drives are dirt cheap (particularly if you purchase refurbished ones), I've decided to heed their advice. Surprise!
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 24, 2024 9:18:07 GMT -5
Yet another Green Room question for youse tech guys, please: Wife and I have been on the local cable TV supplier for years and years. But, being retired, we're interested in reducing costs. We currently pay almost $2,500 / year for cable TV and the vast majority of the channels, we don't even watch. We're interested in experimenting with a combination of digital antenna and either Apple TV or Roku to see if they can provide the channels we want for less money.
Our "digital antenna" is an older RCA model. It is a flat panel about nine inches square that I've hung above the TV. Running the channel search on our Samsung, the digital antenna picks up 11 channels, some with obvious digital hash. I'd like to get a better antenna, but don't want the hassle of attic or outside mounting. I see that most antennas offered on Amazon are made for shelf placement. I also see that a large number of them offer signal amplifiers. Some of the antennas, rather than offering the coaxial connection, instead offer both HDMI and USB connections. Which of these features (amplifier / HDMI / USB) are worth paying for, and what does each offer that a standard coaxial connection doesn't?
Next, I can use my Apple TV or my Roku Ultra. From what I'm seeing, I think that more channels are available via Roku than Apple TV. Is this correct, or can either device connect to all the same available internet channels? I understand that I'll have to pay for channels (either by package on Apple or Ala-carte on Roku), but I still calculate that monthly expenses will be less than half the cost of Cox cable.
Suggestions? Thanks very kindly - Glenn
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geebo
Emo VIPs
"Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are driving taxicabs and cutting hair"
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Post by geebo on Apr 24, 2024 9:25:08 GMT -5
My HDD gurus from the Baton Rouge Macintosh Users' Group (BRMUG) say (paraphrasing): Yes, it's possible to use a stand-alone external drive as an internal, but don't do it. Different drives are optimized for different functions. A drive for video editing, for example, would have high rotational speed, high (continuous) data transfer rates, and very fast drive head controllers to provide high definition video without shaking or dropouts. The controller board on such a drive (and even, to some extent, the drive itself) have probably been optimized for the intended use. An "enterprise" drive, on the other hand, might not be so "high strung," but rather optimized for heat dissipation, and longevity. Since enterprise drives are normally used in RAID service, data is likely striped between multiple drives and the performance requirements on each individual drive are less. Ultimately, the recommendation I received was: Leave the external drives in the enclosures that they shipped in. If I want enterprise drives in my RAID, buy enterprise drives - don't try to adapt drives originally designed for other purposes. Since enterprise drives are dirt cheap (particularly if you purchase refurbished ones), I've decided to heed their advice. Surprise! Some external drives use something called sector translation which precludes just being able to remove the drive from its enclosure and plugging it into a computer. You can use a third party partition tool to fix it. I had to do this with a 4TB Seagate external drive that I wanted to use in a computer. I was successful but it was a PITA.
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