XXHighEnd

Ultimate Audio Playback => Download Area and Release Notes => Topic started by: PeterSt on October 29, 2017, 01:25:33 pm



Title: XXHighEnd Model 2.09 - Solves bugs in 2.08 & more MQA functionality
Post by: PeterSt on October 29, 2017, 01:25:33 pm
The Full Download (2.09) is at the bottom.
UpgradePatch on to 2.04 and beyond is below the Full Download.

For those without Paypal - other means of payment and Activation are possible. Contact sales (at) phasure (dot) com for that.


Because 2.09 is largely about bug solving for 2.08 and 2.08 was only recently uploaded,
look here for the Release Notes of 2.08 : XXHighEnd Model 2.08 - Easier Install, More Tidal, MQA Testing, SQ improved (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3887.0).

For the Release Notes of 2.00, look here : XXHighEnd Model 2.00 - New Filters & Extended Remote Control (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3184.0).

Install any new full version in its own folder (your 2.00 Activation could be violated otherwise).
Install the UpgradePatch only over version 2.04 or any newer version (up to 2.08d). Thus, the UpgradePatch209.rar file does not go into a separate folder but is to be pasted over the XX folder you are currently using (and don't forget to unzip it)

XXHighEnd runs fully fletched on Windows Vista, Windows 7 (advised SP1), 8, and 10 , advised Builds 10074, 10565 (both formally expired now), 10586.0 and 14393.0. Please notice that for Windows 10 it is best to use the advised Builds (see the four mentioned) because each Windows Build changes and when not anticipated, it is usually not for the better regarding Sound Quality.

Release Notes 2.09

  • When working without the Coverart Wallpaper, XXHighEnd's Volume did not want to change. VolUp quit playback and VolDown just did not do anything. This is now solved by being able to apply the old means of (slow) Volume Change. In order to let this old method work, rename the VolumeForNoWallpaper.tss file to VolumeForNoWallpaper.tst (in your XX folder).

  • MQA Albums can now show their native sampling rate like this :

    (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/HiResAudio01.png)
    Notice once more that XXHighEnd can not "unfold" beyond 96KHz but that you may still find the 192KHz sounding different from the 96KHz. Or, that generally 192KHz albums sound different from 96KHz albums.

  • Because by now you may have MQA Albums in your Library listings which lack the "Hires-Audio Logo" like you see in the picture above, you may want to "re-render" this, hence re-apply the embedded MQA and Hires-Audio Logo. This can be done with RightClick on the (selected) Library Item(s) of concern, choose this :

    (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/HiResAudio02.png)
    and answering Yes to the question popping up :

    (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/HiResAudio03.png)
    which causes all the Coverart to be re-generated. This is also distributed to your Galleries, might you have them.
    Notice that the same counts for the MQA Logo itself, might you not have that in an MQA Album for some reason.

  • When an MQA Album was searched for, Prepared and the data was moved to the Streams data folder, the MQA Album did now show in there when you right after that switched to the Streams data environment (Srch Tidal instead of Srch TT). Now this works.

  • Anomalies have been solved with switching "envorinment" (change of the Search button's caption) vs. selecting your own "Source" in the field at the very bottom. This could become inconsistent, you not finding (by Search) anything any more.

  • Similarly, things may go odd with your denotation of the Intermediate Files folder and also Streams Files' Data Folder regarding the "Tidal\" part in there. This part is NOT to be in there, BUT it is auto added by XXHighEnd to the Source field at the very bottom (Library Area active). This see these both screenshots, which are consistent with each other :

    (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/TidalData01.png)
    (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/TidalData02.png)
    ... but which is not the most intuitive. Also notice the Streaming Files Gallery which sure is allowed to contain anything you like.
    Watch out : It may have happened that because of applying the unknown rules wrongly, you will now find your streams data in other places in the structure than you were used to. Actually this can only happen when you had the "Tidal\ part in the data fields (see first screenshot of the two above), which now is not allowed any more. However, when you have it in there at this moment, nothing is going to take that out for you. Only when you enter the (both) field(s) then it is taken out, accompanied by a message telling you so.

  • Similarly, things went odd or beyond comprehension when you removed a last Album in metadata fashion (or Prepared and moved away) from the Intermediate Files folder - in the Tidal structure. This removed the Tidal\ part as well, and it was not added again. Now it is and this alone may make you by now see a list of Artists in the root (denoted by the Data field for Intermedeiate Files Folder) and at the same level a Tidal sub folder. This is all not the idea of it, and all "Tidal Intermediate files" should be subfolder of the Tidal subfolder.

    (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/TidalSubFolder01.png)
  • A Cancel button has been added to the (first) question about whether you want to search Tidal or Locally. Cancel as such just aborts the Search process.

  • An attempt has been made to allow for more PC's to deal with MQA Decoding. Notice that it hardly has been a subject in the forum, but PC's do exist which won't swallow the decoder program. This is related to the two .rar files which accompanied 2.08 but *if* they were needed because something not working out, they did not help in the first place. Currently two new files have been added to the Install and they sure can help, but situations exist that they still won't.
    How to recognize this : Well, there can be a plain error varying from "this program can not start" to something with a 007 error and it will already happen when the tracks metadata is obtained for an MQA Album from Tidal. Thus, press Load on one of them or Show/Compare Tracks on them (in 2.07 it only happened at Prepare).
    The solution ? -> find another PC. The problem is too stupid to even exist but it is dedicated to Windows Update failing (in the past). Something with W8(.1) PC's becoming W10.

  • It was found that the .XXSS files (daily backups of the .XXSI Settings Preset file) was not copied to Permanent Storage with RAM-OS Disk usage. Maybe for a normal RAMDisk this problem was the same, and maybe for there this is now solved just the same. Look in your XXData folder to see an .XXSS file per day you used XXHighEnd.
    Of course the copying of these files will only happen at the moments you choose to save to Permanent Storage.

  • Although the 2.07 Release Notes told that URL's for Tidal Tracks could be pasted in the Search form, this appeared not to be true at all. Now its is : Paste them in the Track Name field.
    Watch out : Doing this for more than one Track of the same Album implies a situation which was not really by design, but works; this enables you with ease to create structures with tracks only (the last part of the folder structure looks like "\- Track [Track Name] {Track ID} ...") which thus implies a dedicated folder per track you "apply" like this. Notice that this only happens when you answer "No" to the question whether the full album must be enumerated for the found track, or that one track only. Because you get to answer this question after the finding of the meta data (which happens when you give the Track ID to XXHighEnd per description above) and you (are thus allowed to) Prepare the track in a later stage, you are also allowed to create two of the same folder structures for one album ... which can't be. The erroneous situation has not been tested, but expect some.

  • Abusively it was not possible to copy the URL of a Tidal Playlist to the clipboard so it could be pasted elsewhere (like on a forum). Only for the internal Albums in that Playlist this copy was possible. Now there's a new option "Copy URL of Playlist to Clipboard" in the RightClick on the Coveart Pane in the left and all is fine.

  • (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/DecodeHDCDMQA01.png)
    What you see here is that the good old HDCD Decode button now is named "Decode HDCD + MQA". This means that when this button is set to not active (Blue), no MQA decoding will take place.
    This was done to allow for the comparison of Decoded MQA with Undecoded MQA and maybe also for the comparison of a normal CD with an MQA one but undecoded (some promise that this latter already sounds better than the former).
    Maybe interesting : When all is set to not decode MQA, any Spectrogram asked for, will also not decode MQA. This allows for easy comparison between decoded and undecoded MQA.

    (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/LZ01b.png)
    (MQA Undecoded 24/48 - MQA Decoded 24/96 - Normal Redbook 16/44.1)



Reminder for Windows 8 users : As an option, don't forget to install the Windows 7 Shell provided with XXHighEnd. See the Windows7_Shell folder in your XX folder and don't forget to read the readme's in there !
Notice that this Windows 7 Shell does not work for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 and instead it will render your OS Install useless (black screen) when you install it anyway.
New since XXHighEnd 2.03 the Windows 7 Shell is mentioned "as an option" because Windows 8 now just runs as well on the Metro Desktop *IF* you get the habit of selecting the Windows Desktop first from where you do all with XXHighEnd.


After copying / unzipping the install files, just start the XXHighEnd.exe file; no Install as such is needed. See below at the mouse arrow.

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd/XXHighEnd04.png)
However, when you are running Windows 8 or higher - have not used XXHighEnd before - and are not connected to the Internet, first read this : Windows 8 Tutorials - Install .Net 3.5 (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=2348.msg23844).

We urge you to read this : Windows 10 Tutorials - Wallpaper, Core Schemes, Q4,5 and more (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3228.0).

Please report as much as you run into but do so in a dedicated topic with a catching title.

Right below here you will find the full install of XXHighEnd.
Below that you will find the UpgradePatch install which can only be used on/over the previous XXHighEnd version, but only from of 2.04. Do *not* installl this UpgradePatch on its own in a new folder because nothing will work ! Only paste and unzip over the contents of the existing XX folder where 2.04 up to 2.08d (and beyond) is installed.

For the existing XXHighEnd user, in order to avoid anomalies which are difficult to comprehend, it is best to kill XXEngine3.exe and AutoHotkey.exe (via TaskManager) prior to the install.

Edit, Nov 18, 2017 : The XXEngine3-209-X3-AlwaysPasteAsLast.rar you see below is a patch for "Noise" which in rare occasions can emerge for some. Also see here. (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3900.msg42116#msg42116) Always unzip this patch over the either of of the other two (below).