Kernel

Hello Audirvana lovers. I have a computer running Linux Mint. It’s my only PC used for many tasks and works very well. So I don’t want to switch to other distro optimized for audio. I use the generic kernel with high alsa optimization checked in AS. But I can change the kernel. Do you know a kernel that sounds better? Free? Paid? Link? I know it’s subjective and not recommended, just tell me based on your audio listening sessions. Thank you!

Many people recommend the low latency kernel for audio, including the developer of HQPlayer. Since he has done more critical listening than I will ever be able to and since he knows what to listen for better than I do, I just thought I would follow his recommendation.

Since I have always used the low latency kernel for my listening, I have never compared it to a different one.

My understanding is that at least Ubuntu now uses the low latency kernel as standard (since version 24.04). I don’t know whether Mint has done the same.

If not, I didn’t find installing a low latency kernel to be difficult. It’s much like installing an app. However, out of caution I would say you should do a backup beforehand in case anything goes wrong.

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