XXHighEnd

Ultimate Audio Playback => Your thoughts about the Sound Quality => Topic started by: LydMekk on September 18, 2009, 01:03:47 am



Title: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: LydMekk on September 18, 2009, 01:03:47 am
Anybody else compared XX to J Rivers playback software?

Actually thinks J River sounds very nice here in demoversion. A little probs getting it to shift and lock to 44Khz but else it sounds nice. Good perspective and a little more "alive" in the midbass than XX IMO.

Your thoughts?


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: Telstar on September 20, 2009, 03:13:22 pm
Jriver sounds more or less like Foobar or any other wasapi player under vista.
Moreover Jriver volume control doesnt work (because it stupidly change the windows volume which is disabled when u use wasapi/kernel mode).


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: summers_tim on November 04, 2009, 03:19:29 pm

Hi, I tried the J River for a while, but in my mind there is no comparison.  For starters, I couldn't stop the clicking and skipping, so it is ruled out.  (Admittedly I didn't try very hard - but I shouldn't have to, since other players don't ever suffer from this problem.)  Then, I agree with Telstar - nothing really distinguishing, sounds nice for a while but then I tend to wander off and do something else...  Doesn't stand out.

A shame as I like the concept and the front end is nicely thought through, but in the end if it doesn't cut it on the SQ, then what's the point?  I didn't extend after the demo version expired.

XX still sits on the throne.

Tim

HP Laptop / Vista, XX 0.9y-4, Empirical Audio Off-Ramp, Chord DAC64, Red Wine Audio Signature 30.2, Zu Druid 4, all cables by Zu.


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: LydMekk on November 04, 2009, 03:37:32 pm
Agree. This was before 9y-4 with ARC pred. That version rules supreme atm. concerning SQ.
I felt XX was on a wrong heading soundwize before Peter launched 9y-4 but no more.

XX again is king on the hill regd. SQ IMO.


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: HiFiTubes on December 29, 2009, 05:55:56 pm
Strange, I haven't any problems with audio output in MC14. While my 1616M is getting a mod I have been using the Peachtree Nova's USB and sound is stable.

I just tested out XXHighEnd as a player. I found this part in "Hey Lloyd I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" at 1:14 where I think the song peaks and clips with the singers voice. I honed in on that after a while as a reference.

Using J. River at 32/96 upsampling vs. XXHighend's proprietary Arc upsampling (double/engine3) at 32/96 I thought that XXHigend sound edgier and raw on that vocal, but it was very subtle. Eventually I just could not tell a difference, or at least enough to merit using the very low usability-factor XXHighend. I will do some more listening.

I used my AKG 702s and Raptor headamp fed by my crummy X-Fi at work as my new DAC is not here yet. No ReplayGain or volume leveling was employed on either player. J. River was set to play from memory and use ASIO4ALL output.

I'm getting my 1616M back today so I will try at home on the hifi with some native 24/96 material.

DC


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: AUDIODIDAKT on December 29, 2009, 06:11:05 pm
I'm getting my 1616M back today so I will try at home on the hifi with some native 24/96 material.



Try 16/44 material instead


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: HiFiTubes on December 29, 2009, 06:14:56 pm
I plan to try 16/44 upsampled but I also want to compare players playing back native 24/96 material.



Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: manisandher on December 29, 2009, 10:59:50 pm
IMHO, to hear the real benefits of Arc Prediction, you really need to use it in Quad mode... with a 176.4/192K-capable NOS filterless DAC...

Yes, not too many of those around, I know.

Mani.


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: PeterSt on December 30, 2009, 09:24:15 am
I found this part in "Hey Lloyd I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" at 1:14 where I think the song peaks and clips with the singers voice. I honed in on that after a while as a reference.
[...]
I thought that XXHigend sound edgier and raw on that vocal, but it was very subtle.

Hi,

Be very careful with clipping tracks and Arc Prediction ...
Obviously clipping isn't right in the first place, but Arc Prediction will pronounce hard clipping. Chances even exist it chokes on it (ticks) knowing how difficult it has been to work around hard clipping of which I found three versions, but maybe a fourth exists ...

In the next version (0.9y-5) it will be the other way around, and clipping (soft or hard) is utilized into "peak extension" (hey Mani, I could have made up another phenomenon for it, but extending peaks is just what it does, so I thought to call it the same (re HDCD)).

Thanks, Peter


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: manisandher on December 30, 2009, 10:55:38 am
... hey Mani, I could have made up another phenomenon for it, but extending peaks is just what it does, so I thought to call it the same (re HDCD)

Works for me.

Mani.


Title: Re: XX vs. J River sound quality?
Post by: HiFiTubes on December 30, 2009, 04:02:20 pm
I haven't looked at the waveform yet, just seems to peak there and there is some grit in the singer's voice.