15436
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Music Storage and convenient playback / Where to get your CoverArt
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on: July 01, 2007, 02:03:42 pm
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I thought to create this topic to share our mutual experiences for the best places to get coverart (album pictures). Please take into account that a 300x300 picture can be used rather well, but that larger pictures really are better, *and* will be explicitly used in future XXHighEnd versions. Obviously the pictures should be of the best quality. Their filesize is irrelevant, since lossless audio files are so much bigger anyway (say 700MB for a CD and 200KB for a good picture). I myself come up with these : amazon : Generally good pictures of good size. Search is a bit awkward, and it relatively takes much time to get to the large size picture. Discogs : A good escape for dutch titles, often not found on Amazon. Good pictures of good size and quality which can be found fast. Searching itself is something to learn here, with paying attention to the indications that *you* searched wrongly (miss one character and you get a list of unwanted results). Slothradio : Never really used this yet, but it may be the fastest *if* you immediately find the picture of the size you like. It's obvious that this doesn't find them all. Start with this one, and have the other on-line as well, might be a good option.
Note : Be careful to save the pictures in the best quality, which would be "100%" and "1:1" once in the JPEG save program. Do note that these both are not the default, and saving with these settings make the filesize grow. However, do not go like this, and the picture will be (significantly) worse. Remember, the filesize of the pictures are really irrelevant.
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15437
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: Message "XXHighEnd Demo" - then nothing !
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on: July 01, 2007, 11:53:57 am
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Ok ok, I read it. Well, the only thing I can say is : You mention the exact same phenomena everbody comes up with (including myself), so you don't need to be afraid it will be gone when you wake up later. You will discover more too. As for the volume you mention (and you should put those things really overhere), there's no volume control in XXHighEnd, and any "louder" perceivement is due to higher dynamics. Just watch for that, and whether that could be right ... When you're ready for it, compare it with Engine#3/Double ... Btw, we're going here. My own fault.
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15439
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: Message "XXHighEnd Demo" - then nothing !
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on: July 01, 2007, 11:22:30 am
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Just make a screen copy, or when that inconvenient, start with typing the first two lines only (that usually is enough).
Even if you have it going by means of smaller files, I'd still like to know the error so it can be solved. Do note that your RAM is too few for the requirements (to stay out of all trouble you'll need 2GB for Engine#1 and #2 and then you'd be able to run tracks as long as one CD).
Edit : I think you used Engine#1 and tried to load a virtual track of 64MB. It can't have that on XP. (it's in the Help.htm). On Vista it can. You'd be having an Out of memory error then.
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15440
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Playback Tweaks and Source related subjects / Re: Getting ready to go
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on: July 01, 2007, 06:14:01 am
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Would any of you please point me to further info on the rationale for using the Fireface 400 as opposed to using the (for example) SPDIF out of the computer to a DAC? BTW, my soundcard is "Microsoft High Definition Audio Device"- whatever that is. This is on a a1730n HP running Vista Home Premium. Hi Rupe, The only thing I could say is that it's a decent connection, it (the Fireface) reclocking the data (eliminating jitter) at the other end of the SPDIF cable. Besides that it's a very convenient device (soundcard) for making audio connections (or recordings). I don't think you should put more attention to this than that it's "approved", with which I only want to say that other soundcards might be as good. I'd sure have an external one though. Be careful with the internal High Definition Audio Device, because this would be (to my guess) a sound device controlled by a Class Driver (which is a general driver supporting many general things for sound, but not the specific for dedicated sound devices), and the only one I bumped into on a laptop wouldn't work for Exclusive Mode which is what Engine#3 uses. I know, a confusing phrase, but since the general advise is not to use internal soundcards at all, you could just scr*p the phrase. If you're not bothered by the price of the Fireface, just get it and you're good. If you are not bothered by the price *at all*, get the Fireface800.
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15441
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Download Area and Release Notes / XXHighEnd Model 0.9d (solves "Demo" and quit)
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on: July 01, 2007, 05:56:56 am
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This version should solve the problem (for those running Vista Business (other ?)), that XXHighEnd starts, gives the "Demo" message, and then immediately quits.
Do not register the DLLs included. Just put the lot in the XXHighEnd current directory and give it a go (XXHighEnd.exe).
Note : Currently it was NOT tested nor checked, whether this "install" might bring anomalies to those users not having problems before; This counts for Vista as well as XP. When you suddenly have problems, please post !
This version, for Engine#1 and Engine#2 is prone to sound different. The chance that this really is so, is small though.
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15442
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: Message "XXHighEnd Demo" - then nothing !
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on: July 01, 2007, 05:26:07 am
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Hi I'm running Winxp Well I installed XXHighend Demo on my test comp (winxp). It worked after installing Netframework 1.1 from MS update site. On the small speakers (definitely non-tweaked non audiophile computer) it sounded promising. Thank you for sharing ! Now on to another computer... my true front end for my audio room. I checked that my dedicated and tweaked for foobar Front End (Acer Aspire 9500 512 of ram winxp laptop bypassing kmixer by removing hardware in SoundAudioDevice and many processes shut off > Foobar/asio2k > Stello 100 usb Dac) had Netframework 1.1 already on it and installed by unzipping XXHighEnd-09b into it's own folder on the C: drive. I created a shortcut to XXHighEnd.exe on my desktop (just like my test computer) AND when I start it up I see the XXHighend Demo window, click ok, it disappears Then Nothing. no player There's a 0.9d version coming up in the next hours. It could be so that it helps your, but officially it shouldn't matter. But : In 0.9d there will be some sort of error message for sure. Please post that here. But before you do that, could you look in your Windows folder whether you have a DirectX for Managed Code folder hanging in there ? (below screencopy is from Vista, but that doesn't matter). ALSO Does this player only play WAV files? Or will it read my .cue files? I ripped my cds to a single wav file and let a cue file handle all the info... will this not work for your player?
For now, yes. In a future version at least the lossless formats will be supported, and your cue file is just a good idea (hence, why not). If you want to continue on this, please post it in a separate topic. Peter
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15443
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: Message "XXHighEnd Demo" - then nothing !
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on: July 01, 2007, 05:14:17 am
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Status update : As it turns out, at least Vista Business just does not contain the Framework DirectX features or Managed Code, but worse ... it also doesn't want to have it ... This means no DirectX update will get in the necessary stuff, and here we are once again in what's called the DLL Hell. Throughout the day I've been working offline with JohanZ to nail down what it all is what it (Business) wants to have, and after we worn out eachother a few hours ago Mercman came around so I could freshly start to wear out him while I was dead already. Right at this moment the last things are sorted out by Mercman, and a new version will come up soon, or maybe a couple of hours later because I have to sleep first. Anyway, both of you guys, thank you very much for your efforts, and Johan, I hope I didn't cause you a burnout by this ! Sometimes these things are just impossible to sort out on the developer location. Thanks !!
Maybe I should apologize for this stupidness, which was really unforseen. I'm still not sure how official it is that this DirectX stuff (for dotnet framework managed code applications) is not contained in Vista Business. Google just brings too much around this on Audigy and related things, so it's hard to find a proper page about this. Note : This most probably is not related to those who have similar issues (Demo - quit) with XP. The solution might be the same though. By this, do not draw the conclusion that XX is a DirectX player. It is not or at least partly not. It uses Device Enumerations and some more from it though.
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15445
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Download Area and Release Notes / XXHighEnd Model 0.9c (same, but with message due to "Demo" and quit)
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on: June 30, 2007, 01:22:24 pm
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By now a few people reported that right after the message "XXHighEnd Demo" the player quits. This can happen in XP as well as in Vista. Although I have an idea what this may be about, I have no clue on what's really going on at those systems having it; 0.9c will bring an error message on those systems where this occurs. Would you please : - Provide a screencopy of the error message; - Mention the exact OS and version you are using. I presume that you performed the steps as mentioned in Install notes and getting an Activation Key, no matter whether you think you already have that. Please note the importance of the latter, because it looks like (for several people) that the reinstall of the according does help. If you don't want to go through this trouble afterall, please post the screencopy anyway, but mention that you indeed did not exactly perform the steps implied. I'll at least know that then. I hope together we can bring this to an end soon. Edit : Removed the zip because it's nailed down (a new version is coming up later).
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15446
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: Glitches on my Dell
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on: June 30, 2007, 11:44:46 am
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This is just presumptions : In the "kernel" of any audio player, many many things can go wrong. In fact, it would be one of the major reasons why I started XX. Now, since it is not so difficult to prove that Vista makes a mess of things at upsampling ( Test track with distortion which isn't there... currently we do not know what goes wrong more ... Note that there are two kind of glitches as such (or as how we could address them) : the sound stopping for a very short while (actually a dropout) and the sound "sticking" for a while with the same sound (samples). The latter is very easy to incur for if the programmer did something wrong. Note though that you didn't listen through headphones yet, so you have been listening to the same as I do overhere. I didn't hear glitches through loudspeakers and Vista upsampling, so you did not either because of that (!!). If it's not clear, it's not important I think.
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15447
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Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: Glitches on my Dell
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on: June 30, 2007, 10:23:51 am
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[...] Then, if your internal speakers play glitch free (on the Dell, any version), I'd say you have to look in the direction of the Firewire stuff. Now, this is by itself a not so easy solveable thing, because there's nothing to solve; Explicit drivers from the brand you use for Firewire do not exist, so there's nothing to upgrade there. However, otoh hand it's virtually more easy, just because it should work (by the drivers MS provides). But ...
IMO this leads to (or may lead to anyway) the Firewire PC card not being okay. [...] Thank you Gerner. According to the above this shouldn't matter, but again all comes down to listening through the internal speakers or headphone; If there are the glitches just the same, the other Firewire card isn't going to help. So Chris ... > To trouble shoot you can listen to the FF400 via its headphone > jack. That will tell you if the problem is upstream or downstream > of the FF. I actually don't see you explicitly answer (or respond to) on this one. Do note : depending on your hearing capabilities, ind *if* you can hear slight glitches here too, you just might be listening to what Vista's "KMixer" makes form it. You *will* be listening through this KMixer this way, and we already know that for sound quality it isn't right. But personally I wasn't looking for glitches through headphones, so maybe they are just there. Watched through many glitches but cant see any discernible effect on the volume bars Which tells at least that somewhere further down the line things go wrong. Note though, that IMO the volume bars derive their data from the Fireface itself, although I must say that I don't know whether the Direct Asio Monitoring is needed for that (to be On this time). So maybe re-check that (so, with On). *If* I am right that the data comes from the Fireface, it would go wrong even *after* the Fireface. How ? ... towards your DAC ? For that matter, I think you should check whether Analogue Out from the Fireface gives you the glitches as well ... Parallel in waiting for another Fireware PCcard, it might be useful at this monent to get a bunch of those in the picture below. Note you'd need the Mono version (this *is* important). You can also buy a couple of leads doing the same. A pro audio shop (with pro synths and keyboards etc.) will most probably have them. It will prove wether things go wrong after the Fireface or not. Thus, if with analogue out there are no glitches, it's the Fireface communication with the TacT. Btw, those plugs are always very handy, just because you can do many things with the Fireface, but then you'd always need these.
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15450
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Ultimate Audio Playback / Chatter and forum related stuff / Re: An introduction and questions.
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on: June 30, 2007, 12:52:38 am
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Hi you audiophool ! Let me try to give some you some answers ... Most important I think : Does your player bypass the computer sound card? Yes, since any USB DAC would. For XP you'd have to use Engine #2 (not Doubled because the DDDac supports up to 48K sampling rate only). For Vista you can use any engine, but only #3 would be bit perfect. Note : For XP I really can't tell whether it would be bit perfect because you'd need a digital output on the DAC to measure it. Some say it is ... (from theories only). Your nos-DAC would be allright from the nos-principle, although it always will be you judging that. The fact that you chose it, says enough I think. I do not know by heart how many bits your 24 chip DAC supports, but IIRC any (dual) tower below 1 m may stop at 14 ... But maybe you can tell ? For your 8" screen I'd have to change something with the width of the shown titles (vs the shown album picture), but if you can wait a bit, that will be there. Best would be to have a dual boot system. Why ? because to me it is not 100% clear which of XP/Vista produces the best sound. They are very different anyway, and although Vista is more accurate, XP tends to be more natural (what to do with that ?). Do note, however, that Vista's Engine#3 has to be exploited yet. So best would really be to be able to choose. and that you don't have to be a software engineer to implement. For a few that still happens though, but I'll help till I drop. When all is settled a bit, everyone should be okay. If you've more questions ... I hope I can answer them. Peter
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