![]() ![]() That's a mode which sort of "tricks" Roon into "seeing" the Summus as an HQPlayer network endpoint, allowing it to work with the device in Ramroot mode. While I tend to use Stylus mode on a regular basis, I also appreciate having Stylus EndPoint available. This is of course a highly personal thing, so I'd never argue with someone for having a different preference than mine. ![]() It all works quite seamlessly and I'd rank it just a few steps behind Roon overall, but definitely above JRiver, Foobar, and the other common choices as far as I'm concerned. It can manage the local library or connect to network storage (an Asustor NAS in my case) along with Tidal, Qobuz, and an option for internet radio (which I haven't messed with but intend to at some point). Still, Stylus is definitely attractive, intuitive, and full featured. The standard Stylus mode is a full-fledged playback interface which rivals Roon in effectiveness if not quite overall polish - as a long-time Roon fan, Stylus is one of the few systems I don't mind using, but Roon just hits the spot for me. There's also an AirPlay mode which I've never tried. That can be combined with HQPlayer if that's something you might use. Switching to a Roon mode lets the system show up in Roon as any other Roon-ready device would. From there, we can play files directly or switch to one of several different modes - Roon Core, Roon Bridge, HQPlayer Embedded, Squeezelite, and various combinations of those options. Clicking the button on that page will show any Euphony-based devices on your network, and choosing one will launch their Stylus interface. Simply plug in power, Ethernet, and connect USB output to your DAC of choice, boot the system up, and (after giving it a moment to complete startup) point any browser to this location. These, plus various other behind the scenes optimizations, add up to an ideal platform for audio playback.įrom a usage perspective, Summus is totally straight forward. Then there's the "Ramroot" feature which has the system kernel boot entirely into RAM to avoid all disk interactions. Highlights involve severely throttling down the powerful CPU during playback to control noise, and evenly distributing playback tasks across all cores for even lower utilization. The Euphony team has incorporated various tweaks specific to this hardware platform. Note the stock supply is 19V/5A so any replacement will need to be fairly stout - my Keces P8 is 12V/8A so more than capable of doing the job. Stock power is the standard switch-mode brick but aftermarket supplies from 12v-19v are supported. The system lives in a fanless passively cooled case which is completely silent. ![]() Summus includes a powerful i7 CPU with a generous amount of RAM, plus anywhere from 1TB to 8TB of onboard Solid State storage. They do still sell the OS for DIY folks, but the version included with Summus has some further optimization which you won't get using your own hardware. They call it Euphony Summus and it starts at $2599 for the standard configuration with a 1TB SSD (more storage available for an upcharge). But now the group has decided to launch their own purpose-built hardware device, customized to work in conjunction with their operating system. All this time I've been building my own music-server/streamer devices with special USB outputs, SATA filters, and other audiophile-oriented parts, yet I've been missing out on significant performance gains by running Windows or my favorite Linux builds rather than a purpose built OS like Euphony.Īs good as it is, the PTS was technically not an "official" Euphony product - the North American distributor had it specially made, and it worked quite well, but the Euphony team was not really involved in its creation. Particularly when combined with a quality PSU such as the Keces P8. They also sell the OS separately which can be installed to the hardware of your choice, and my experiments have shown it even brings a benefit to the most basic general-purpose PC. I won't go into the technical bits here, but I'm convinced of its efficacy based on what I hear. The secret sauce to the PTS is the Euphony OS, which is a dedicated audiophile platform based on Linux. ![]() To get the most out of it, I pair it with a Keces Audio P8 linear power supply, and the resulting performance holds its own with far more costly devices I've owned or auditioned. It's a simple, compact, silent source which does everything I could ask from a device like this. I've been using the Euphony PTS music server for a few years now. ![]()
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