Will try on Alpine this weekend 
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Iāve tried two builds, Raspberry Pi OS and Ubuntu Server 23.10 on my RPi5. They both sound the same, I canāt hear any difference which is good. There is a definite difference to my ears in the sound of Local and Qobuz, Local being better. I donāt have much experience with Linux and even getting the .deb from my pc to the pi was a struggle. I used an sd card to boot for the first few builds. I decided to use the Ubuntu Server on a 500GB SSD, where it boots and has my Local music. Transferring the music took a few hours. I have setup a samba share too, this was fairly painless and now I have access to the library on the pi. I think I am missing something with the Software Volume control, it is very tricky to adjust at a low volume.
For me the better SQ is with Gentooplayer on RPI5 with kernel 6.8.1 CTLO and kernel tweak incredibly better than Ubuntu Server 23ā¦
Antonello have done an incredible job !
So AudirvÄna installed on the Gentooplayer Linux system with tweaked kernel? I havenāt used Gentoo in many years (FreeBSD unfortunately lacked good hardware support, and Gentoo is probably as close as one gets in the Linux world), and may or may not choose to try it again, but how does one go about installing AudirvÄna there?
I use GP on RPI5 with an imageā¦
For x86 @the-dom is better to explainā¦
GP is a system linux configured by a web interfaceā¦
Perhaps a little original the first Timeā¦
I have a little bad english, but I should do an explain videoā¦
To be helped (There is also documentationā¦)
Itās on Gentooplayer topic of AS
You can get from Antonello a testing licence ā¦
There are many possibility of tweaking.
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For the DYI crowdā¦
An inexpensive hack to mitigate leakage currents coming from SMPS power suppliesā¦
SMPS and grounding
By JohnSwenson
September 20, 2017
Or for $17 US you can buy this one from UpTone that already has the ground shunt built in - but weāre starting to get off-topic from Linux.
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I think it is corollaryā¦
Iām presuming you are making your assessments of output sound-quality based on your playback component configuration which includes an LPSā¦ Yesā¦?
You are speaking about sound-quality and the synergy of a computer platform running Linux + Audirvana Core playerā¦The simple John Swenson (UpTone Audio) DYI hack should enhance many of these inexpensive component system configurations and any other SMPS utilized in the playback component chainā¦ A lowering of @40 dBm in radiated energy (in the case of the simple hack) is nothing to snivel about. 
Previously, I had posted the link to the UpTone SMPS but brought it down because I was concerned about over-voltage implicationsā¦ I believe it is specifically produced to compliment the now out-of-stock UltraCap LPS 1.2 power-supply.
Let us know when you have a sound quality impression of Audirvana running on a Linux distro, or especially comparative impressions of two or more. Thatās what the thread is about.
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Does it matter, what my impression will be? Itās all subjective because of the variety of potential playback system configurationsā¦ The simple SMPS hack will give those folks using an SMPS now, a means to potentially elevate the sound of their Linux + Audirvana Core configurationā¦ The sound-quality is intrinsic to the hardware/software synergiesā¦
Sure, everybody wants to see if there is an improvement over the system they now employ without Audirvana Core, and if that audition is using an inexpensive power-supply, this simple hack may take that experience to another level of appreciationā¦ After all. the title of your post is āSubjective Impressions of Sound Quality - Aurirvana Studio on Linuxā and you didnāt define the playback system(s) component amalgamation by which you made these determinations.
An interesting experiment is running AS in Linux on the same hardware / power supply when itās a small Windows PC or mac mini running AS, then play the same tracks on the same system to limit the subjectiveness to the intended topic of this thread.
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Yesā¦ and then if the system platform is using a generic SMPS applying the grounding hack, may improve the performance of the chosen software configurationā¦ After all, Audirvana is all about the sound-quality produced on any given platformā¦ This is the premise for using Audirvana. The quieter (less noise related jitter) on the computer platform, the betterā¦ I think you would agree on thisā¦
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Yes, thatās what Iāve been doing. So far I have tried Windows, Fedora, Xubuntu, ArcoLinux (Arch-based distro) desktop, Ubuntu Server, and Arch install without GUI (in ascending order of preference) on exactly the same hardware. Others have had different preferences or hear no difference.
This is of course to be expected, and itās interesting to hear from others about what OSs or tweaks of those OSs sound best to them. There are always good ideas to be had from such exchanges. 
From what Iāve observed here in the different threads, swapping these different OS applications is not exactly simpleā¦ The time it takes to set-up the comparison interferes with an accurate assessment, unless it is a dramatic, knock-your-socks-off experienceā¦ No?
Did you ever run it on Alpine, and what was the result? Or once you were able to install on GentooPlayer did you not bother with others?
I will but this WE I finally not be able to test it : was abroad !
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I have tried Audirvana Studio installed on Debian 12.5 with desktop and also, the latest version of Linux Mint. These were both run on a Lenovo M83 tiny PC with 8Gb RAM, a 1Tb Samsung SSD and an older Intel i5 processor. I had previously run Audirvana Studio on Win10 via the Lenovo as well, but found I much preferred the sound quality from my HP laptop and Win11.
Surprisingly, there are noticeable differences between the two flavours of Linux. I found that I much preferred AS via Mint. Far more natural in sound quality than that from Debian. Debian was equivalent in sound quality, to that obtained from the laptop; not better or worse, just different, in that Debian gave me a more open midrange but less spatial cues and a flatter sound stage, whereas the Win11 install had a darker tonality, with slightly recessed vocals on a big soundstage. The Win11 can sound really good but, occasionally, it could be difficult to follow individual musical threads when the music got busy. Debian was more open, but less involving and a touch more mechanical. In my system context, Mint somehow combines the virtues of both but with an even bigger soundstage in which the micro detailing has stepped up a notch as well so, for now, I will be sticking with that. For now!
As an extra note, I thought it might be of benefit to list the equipment used. I have the aforementioned Lenovo PC, a Rega DAC-R, a passive DIY pre amp, a pair of Temple Audio class D Monoblock power amps and KEF R500 loudspeakers.
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Looking forward to any further musings on this. 
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For this subjective assessment to have more relevance to anybody else, making available the names of the music tracks used in the evaluation is necessary, so that others can corroborate or not corroborate your perceptions or anybodyās perceptions (of any given platform) as best possible on their system amalgamationsā¦
Really here, this type of comparative approach is a āsnipe-huntā given the myriad of subjective system configurations and subjective listening conditions and electro-mechanical environment potentials, not to mention cognitive-biasesā¦ However being able to listen to the same tracks from which you made these observations, is better than nothing when making these subjective assessments of contextual sound-quality.
ArcoLinux has changed its isos and installation procedures a bit, so in order to get back to a minimal Arch install that plays well with my other OSs Iām going to have to either learn how to tweak the ArcoLinux install or go through the learning curve on how to install Arch manually (the archinstall script throws errors for me, and from my reading these particular types of errors are not uncommon).
But I like playing with this stuff, so stay tuned.
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