I'll see whether I can't shrink the OSX partition a bit (there's quite a bit of unused room there, but I'd like to leave plenty of spare, which is why I asked the 10GB question) and install a new NTFS partition in the spare space.  Otherwise may use exFAT, though I could also experiment with making it another OSX partition - I've got a proggy installed from Paragon that allows Win7 RW access to OSX volumes, and perhaps it would allow XXHE to see an OSX partition as a viable playback drive?


USB hub for better sound with USB2?  B/c my impression at least was the 2009 MBP has no ports that will do USB3 on a hardware level.  Or did you mean something else?

I've been playing with XXHE running on Boot Camped Win7 on a MacBook Pro laptop in my main system.  Though I have a RAMdisk as Playback Drive in my desktop system, the laptop is limited to 8GB RAM, so I don't think a RAMdisk is a viable alternative. 

The music is on an external drive.  I use it as a Firewire Drive in OSX, but unfortunately Win7 refuses to recognize it over that connection, so it's hooked up as USB2.  (Though Boot Camp will run Win8, this particular mid-2009 MBP is limited to Win7.  And from experience with the desktop system, I doubt Win8 would do any better with Firewire anyway.  USB3 is out because - you guessed it - the MBP is limited to USB2.)

I am wondering whether setting up a partition on the MBP's internal SSD as a Playback Drive would make things better or worse?  If they might be better, is 10GB a reasonable size, or is there any reason it may need to be larger?

Thanks,

Jud

Just to close the loop on this one -

Looked through everyone else's CM6631a drivers, including the ones Crystal Media offered on its own site.  They were exactly the same as those from Schiit.  I just didn't feel up to taking the time to try to persuade CM and/or Thesycon to change the drivers, so the Dragonfly is back.

Not confusing, actually it gives me the chance to explain one of my previous comments: It appeared to me (whether correctly or not) from the Wikipedia article and other references that AVstream was the name for an improved MS kernel streaming driver in XP and later.

So getting back a little on topic:

Any chance of the Thesycon drivers from another company working (Emotiva and one other were mentioned in that snippet I quoted above)  or best not to take the risk?

And if not that, then I can try the diacritical mark checkbox; failing that, it's probably back to the Dragonfly while I or someone else contacts Schiit/Thesycon, I suppose.

Likely a result of my reading stuff like this too quickly in an attempt to gain a rudimentary understanding of what "kernel streaming" is on Win 7:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_legacy_audio_components  (see the Kernel Streaming section)

So when (if?) XXHE is using something other than WASAPI in Win7, what is it using, if that's something you want to talk about?

Never mind re ASIO.  "Direct kernel streaming" or more recently avstream, it appears.

A snippet from the Web that may help:

Hi Peter,

Thanks!  I can't really claim that it is "homebrew," I just soldered a couple of connections to a transformer and an IEC inlet.  The rest is PCBs made by someone else with the usual plastic "push and click" connectors to run the wires between boards.  The nice thing is it will accept 352.8/384 sample rates through async USB, which is the same rate at which the D/A conversion is done, so no in-DAC sample rate conversion necessary.  (Guess where I got that idea.)  I plan to replace the point-to-point wiring with better stuff and get two wooden chassis for the boards eventually.  Looking forward to making some room to install Boot Camp on my MacBook Pro and running it with XXHE.  Maybe not the ideal environment for XXHE, but still it will be interesting to be able to hear Arc Prediction without a DAC chip's SRC layered on top of it.

Now the Bifrost - From what I read last night, it does seem to me that the behavior I got is what's expected from the Thesycon driver for the CM6631a.  There are multiple other reports on the Web that these drivers don't allow kernel streaming, just WASAPI push/Event style.  I'm as certain as I can be (i.e., one can never be absolutely sure, but if I had to bet...) that the driver installed as it was supposed to.  I also have Win8 on the same computer, and everything about the driver installation and result is identical there - the Bifrost identification in Win sound properties includes "Speakers," and there's no other entry available for the device.

Forgive my ignorance but does ASIO roughly or exactly equal kernel streaming in Windows?  'Cause I've read that ASIO4All works with the CM6631a chip.  On the other hand, what I've read about ASIO4All leaves me thinking that may not be the solution I'm looking for.

Playing with a new DAC (just PCBs on a bit of plywood for now) in my main system, so moved my Bifrost (CM6631a output chip) upstairs to the desktop system with XXHE.  Win7 will only run WASAPI push (Event style) with the Thesycon driver, so XXHE only sees the DAC if the Win audio driver is running.  No minimized OS, no Ultimate XTweaks, etc.

Any suggested workaround, or should I put the Audioquest Dragonfly back in the system?

Another useful case mod:

http://boingboing.net/2002/12/08/coffeemaking-pc-case.html

OK, what would be?  (Please don't say "magic feet."  )

To paraphrase a wise man: "All looks mighty good to me regarding this aspect (seen through the A+ driver)."

The only way I've heard XXHE on Win8 is through USB, so I thought in case something in the Win8 USB driver was responsible for the change in the sound of Win8 vs. Win7....

Thank you, that actually is very helpful.  I will look at how many USB devices I have and decide whether shutting off mobo USB is desirable.  Though it's occasionally nice to use the mobo-connected USB ports on the front of the computer case for convenience.

As for the separately earthed mains ring (or as we say, separately grounded circuit), I will tell you one little story about our electrical contractor:  When we had a new front door put in a little over a year ago, there was a 4-switch wall plate next to the door that had to have the circuit breakers switched off so the workers would be safe.  3 of the switches were on the same circuit breaker as the closest lights and switches - so, logical.  But the 4th switch behind the same wall plate was on a circuit breaker that took us forever to find, because everything else it controlled was in a back bedroom on the second floor, as far away from the front door as it was possible to get.  So perhaps the receptacle I have the external drive SMPS plugged into is on a completely different circuit than the computer, but then for all I know the computer may be on the same circuit as the septic tank pump and whenever anyone flushes, there goes my sound!