AMSv4 Software Preview - Updated With Guides

[MarkCole]

AMSv4 Preview

Overview

AMSv4 will be released in October 2022, and introduces a new interface to manage your Antipodes. AMSv4 will be available to all Antipodes Music Server/Players, by way of the usual update process (see Update Process at the end of this announcement), and will only take a few minutes to install.

With AMSv4 installed, go to the Antipodes website and navigate to the MyAntipodes page. Antipodes with AMSv4 will have a single ‘Open’ button, rather than the separate ‘Player Dashboard’ and ‘Server Dashboard’ buttons.

Clicking on the ‘Open’ button will open the new Solution Dashboard.

The Solution Dashboard has three panels.

Preset. The Preset panel gives you access to ready-made playback presets that will meet the needs of 90%+ of users. Simply select the preset playback solution that meets your needs, with a single click. For a new user simply wanting to use, say Roon, the user just needs to select the Roon (Auto) preset, and the playback setup is done. You can also create new user presets or delete user presets in this panel.

Player Settings. The Player Settings panel lets you select the Server Source you wish to play from, as well as to access settings for the Player App, Output and DSD Handling.

Server Settings. The Server Settings panel manages the Server that has been selected as the Source Server for the Player (in the Player Settings panel). This enables you to create a single device or a dual device or a two device solution from a single dashboard. The Server Settings panel allows you to change the server app, enable or disable other server apps for network distributed audio, manage storage disks and manage your library.

The menu at the top of the screen links you to a Player Dashboard and a Server Dashboard. The Server Dashboard that this links to is the Server Dashboard for the Source that is selected in the Player Settings – again, making it easier for you to manage a solution in one place.

Player Dashboard. The Player Dashboard allows you to perform additional management tasks as well as to monitor resource usage and CPU temperature.

Server Dashboard. The Server Dashboard provides similar functionality, for the selected Source Server.

A Closer Look At The Solution Dashboard

Click on the Preset dropdown to select the Preset playback solution you want to use. This will automatically enable the relevant Player app and Server App(s) required for the solution. If there is a USB DAC connected, the Output will be automatically set to the USB DAC. If there is no USB DAC connected then the Output will be set to any other available output (eg. Digital Outputs for a K50 or Oladra, Analog Output for an S30).

You can change the Source Server device and the Server settings for the preset will be applied to the new Source Server, and there is no need to re-select your solution preset.

You can change the DSD Handling setting to suit the capabilities of your DAC.

The Source setting and DSD setting will remain the same even if you change to a different preset.

But if you try to change the Server app or Player app, you will be asked to create a user preset, since it entails a change to the playback solution.

You can create as many user presets as you like and delete them, but you cannot change or delete the Auto presets that the Antipodes ships with.

As an example, you might wish to connect a USB DAC to an Oladra, and use the Roon (Auto) preset, then create a user preset based on Roon (Auto), but with the Digital Outputs selected. This will enable you to listen for sound quality differences between USB and Digital Outputs by simply switching between the Auto preset and the user preset.

To have complete freedom to create your solution, click the ‘New’ button in the presets panel and give the new user preset a suitable name. You can then choose between all Player apps, and whichever Output you require.

Once you have selected a Player app, a compatible Server app will be selected for you. The list of Server apps available for selection will be limited to the Server apps that are compatible with the Player app. This makes sure you can only make playback solutions that will work. In the example below, Squeeze player can only work with Squeeze server or Roon server, so the list is confined to these two options.

You can enable as many other Server apps as you choose, to enable you to distribute audio over your network (such as enabling SONOS Server).

If you have a Server-Only device, like a K40 or K41, then the Solution Dashboard only provides Server functionality control.

The Server Settings panel also allows access to manage disks, rip CDs, Upload Files and to Include Files on your network in your library.

Update Process

Starting at AMSv3.1, feature-set enhancements are automatically enabled overnight. The overnight updates are timed for around 3am to 4am each night, to not interrupt your listening. Therefore you should ensure that your device has been set to the correct time-zone in the Dashboards. Each night at this time, your Antipodes Music Server will check if there is a later version of any of its software. If there is a newer package then it will be automatically downloaded for you to install next time you open a Dashboard.

Beginning with AMSv3.1.1, all forms of system cache (not your applications cache) are refreshed regularly, so that there is no need for you to reboot your Antipodes Music Server to keep it running optimally. You can therefore safely leave your Antipodes Music Server on for long periods.

If you have turned off your Antipodes Music Server, then you will not miss out on updates. Any updates will be available the next time you leave it running over-night.

Some Antipodes Music Servers from around 2011-2014 use motherboards that can only handle 32 bit operating systems. These cannot be updated with our latest software, which uses a 64 bit operating system. These Music Servers need to continue to use Vortexbox software, or you should contact Antipodes for a hardware upgrade.

If you are having a problem receiving updates please get in touch with us.

AMSv4 Preview - Antipodes

[ICUToo]

Congrats- this looks great. Well done on lots of hard work, Marks and all.
I look forward to being able to see temps so I can be sure my Roon/HQPlayer combo isn’t overworking the device.
Should we expect any changes in sound quality?
While I’m here- Is there an option to rip a CD to an Antipodes SSD without the Antipodes using the Internet to change ripped data?

[MarkCole]

Hi @ICUToo , yes indeed, it has been a lot of work to get this far, our aim is to make things easier for new user’s, which ironically will be a learning curve for experienced user’s
The update is purely GUI, so no sound quality change, and the update install is quick.
Actually, one change to how HQPlayer is run, “Roon Player Special Option” is no longer, most experienced users were running HQPlayer on the server, we have made this change, by simply selecting the HQPlayer+Roon pre-set, this should see HQPlayer improvements for users that previously used that option.
All other apps and their operation remain unchanged at this point.
Your feedback on the Ripper is noted.

[kennyb123]

@MarkCole

Actually, one change to how HQPlayer is run, “Roon Player Special Option” is no longer, most experienced users were running HQPlayer on the server, we have made this change, by simply selecting the HQPlayer+Roon pre-set, this should see HQPlayer improvements for users that previously used that option.

All very exciting stuff!

As far as the change to HQPlayer, if a user had configured this to run on their player, will the new UI swap it to running on their server? If so, they’ll need to have Jussi provide a replacement license.

[NickBacon]

Mark, yes agreed with others, you are doing good stuff. Thanks also for clarifying that the preset for Roon + HQP will have the HQP running on the server which is how I have been using it for the last 10 days or so (sounds pretty good).

@kennyb123 yes indeed, if a user had been running HQP on their player then they will need a new/revised license from Jussi for the new preset with HQP on the server with Roon.

[MarkCole]

Indeed, we recently moved to the HQPlayer USB key in our testing environment, which removes the need for licence swaps, enabling your licence to be used on multiple devices, I believe that this should be the way all users should go, just for ease of use.
https://www.signalyst.com/webshop.html

[kennyb123]

@MarkCole

I believe that this should be the way all users should go, just for ease of use.
https://www.signalyst.com/webshop.html

Pricey but I’m glad Antipodes supports this.

Before updating to AMS 4, those who have HQPlayer running on their player might want to back up their HQPlayer config. This can be restored afterwards so the settings align with previous settings.

[antipodes]

For all the ‘goodness’ HQPlayer can add, there is a downside to having the extra computation happening on a device that is trying to create a low noise stream. So there are two reasons to be running your HQPlayer Server app on your chosen Server device.

1. The Server device has considerably more computational resource to be able to handle the extra load, and therefore reducing the negative impact on the stream.
2. The Player gets to regenerate the stream in a lower noise environment if HQPlayer is not running on it.

Designing a Server device is about weighing up the trade-off between the need for high power and low noise, but high-bandwidth is in this mix too. Historically we have chosen to optimise for native playback of files, rather than for any upsampling, multi-tap filters etc, with only some expansion of this envelope since 2016 for Roon upsampling/transcoding.

While it is still only a small percentage of our users that use HQPlayer, we are beginning to look at ways that our designs can perform over a wider range of computation intensity. Naturally this is very much focused on recent model dedicated Server devices - not on dedicated Player devices.

Designing a Player device is about weighing up the trade-off between high bandwidth and low noise and, at least for us, assumes that we only need a moderate level of power headroom. Running HQPlayer Server on the Player device is therefore likely to be operating it outside our design envelope.

Our ‘Design’ webpage might make this point clearer.

Don’t take my comments above as implying any imminent change in line-up. With all of our Server hardware, we are running the processors and resources well below their potential. I have covered elsewhere how we manipulate settings of chips to tune out noise nodes, to dramatically reduce noise levels compared to running the hardware as standard. Equally, we can increase the computational performance of our hardware (particularly more recent models) with only a minor noise penalty. Exactly how much penalty depends on what ‘magic’ we can find in re-visiting the tuning, and this is also a function of how much time we take experimenting with different tunings. The permutations are endless.

In case this is too cryptic, and getting more swiftly to the point, we may be able to improve performance for HQPlayer users without anything more than a software update. If it is a no-brainer improvement we may just push it out with a software update. If there is a bit of a trade-off involved then we may add a ‘hot-rod’ button for those wanting more computational resource (with a small noise penalty). We have made provision in our operating system, to be able to change firmware parameters from the AMS interface, so this is something we allowed for a long time ago. And we have done it in the past to push out a new tuning setup. It can even be done during playback, which is fun to do.

Not everything I work on ends up being implemented, but this one is being worked on for possible release in 2023.

[NickBacon]

@antipodes Many thanks for your thoughts and hints on possible future releases. It is much appreciated. I am constantly amazed that it is not just the hardware of the streamer/server that makes the difference to sound quality but also the way it is configured in the firmware. So it is hugely encouraging that you are expending so much time and energy in this direction.

[pardal]

Waiting For the 4.0 update

[pardal]

Anxiously waiting for the AMSv4 update

[RobH]

Mark,
Sorry if this is addressed but when the update occurs are existing setting maintained? For example, I use Roon, will this be preserved after the upgrade, or do I reset everything?
Regards,
Rob

[MarkCole]

The update to AMS4 is purely GUI.
No apps will be touched, so apart from setting the Solution Dashboard, you should be good to go.
You should still maintain Roon and music backups as a matter of course.

[RobH]

Mark, thank you.
One more thing, do you ever sleep?
Rob

[jazzbirder]

I am still not sure about when this update will occur in October. I have a K-50 music server, and I am always nervous about updates. I cannot control the time and day of the update. When the update happens, I worry that I will not be able to access the new system ! I am not a computer geek !

[MarkCole]

We have not confirmed the date of update, this notification is a heads up as to what to expect.
We have outlined the process in the announcement.

The overnight updates are timed for around 3am to 4am each night, to not interrupt your listening. Therefore you should ensure that your device has been set to the correct time-zone in the Dashboards. Each night at this time, your Antipodes Music Server will check if there is a later version of any of its software. If there is a newer package then it will be automatically downloaded for you to install next time you open a Dashboard

If you have turned off your Antipodes Music Server, then you will not miss out on updates. Any updates will be available the next time you leave it running over-night.

If you are having a problem receiving updates please get in touch with us.

[andrewd]

Looks like a major change to the interface. I can see the benefits but I hope you don’t get into the habit of completely changing the interface at every release. I had only just got comfortable with the completely new interface from the last update.

Looking at the preview it seems like the Solution Dashboard only applies to the servers with two computers inside (eg K50, K30). For the example you show for the Ex it still looks similar to the old interface with Server dashboard and Player dashboard. Is this correct? I like that design, since it is very intuitive.

[antipodes]

AMSv4 is primarily a change to make it easier for a new user to get started. Antipodes offers a range of possible playback setups, but prior to AMSv4 you had to find those out for yourself. Plus, you had to manage your server setup separately from your player setup, and make sure they would work together.

For those of you with a lot of experience of an Antipodes, or settled in how you use it, AMSv4 may not add much for you, but you will find some worthwhile improvements.

A new user can open the Solution Dashboad, click on a Preset, and start playing music straight away. This is a big change.

An advanced user can work out what setups they like best, make user presets for them, and from there it is a single click to change to any one of them. This is also a big change.

And you no longer have to manage a Server device separately from a Player device. You manage both server and player at a single screen. This is also a big change.

The purpose of AMSv4 is to make it as simple to use as a device that has only one way to use it, with the flexibility to use it in every viable/reliable way we know. The logic that had to be written to cover all the ways users might click to complete the setup, and all of the permutations of playback solutions for single computer devices, dual computer devices and multiple devices is more complex than you might imagine.

In my view, AMSv4 goes about as far as we can to simplify the user setup on our current platform, while keeping the application suite as complete as we can to cover all bases.

While the developments in AMSv3 and AMSv4 were mainly about the user interface, the next step for Antipodes is to completely re-build everything behind the scenes. This means developing a ground-up new operating system with new tools. This will provide us with a platform to deliver some very cool features to you, including some fundamental changes to the user experience, and better sound.

Software developments take a long time, but our ambition with this is sky high, we began a couple of months ago, and you will begin to see some early fruits of this in 2023.

We do not plan to make any fundamental changes to AMSv4 until the new platform is rolled out. But given how big a change AMSv4 is compared to AMSv3, there may be some fine tuning.

[ICUToo]

I don’t care about anything else- I just want better sound with the rock-solid reliability I’ve come to expect from my K50, now my Oladra.
Roll on the NEXT update!!

@antipodes

some very cool features to you, including some fundamental changes to the user experience, and better sound.

[MarkCole]

@ICUToo whoop whoop OLADRA