In my experience there is no perceptible differences among VGA or DVI cables, never tested however the HDMI. I don´t find differences either among to have the VGA/DVI plugged or unplugged (I use a VGA cable with a DVI adpater) nor with the monitor on or off. BUT, just in case, and following the rule that less devices connected should be better I took the habit to turn off the monitor when the music starts to sound.

Juan

I see you have connected the subwoofers again, haha!. Would you say that this great bass is in Windows 8.1 even stronger than in W8?

Juan

Alain, can´t you do this?: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/add-language-keyboard

Juan

Ah! I see your EDIT, you wrote it while I was writing 

Juan

Great Alain!, now we are waiting for your opinions about SQ in W8.1.

If I understood you well you had a plain vanilla W8, so it means that it is possible to install W8.1 without previous updates. Is that correct?

Juan

 

Yes, it looks that to sign with an email account is needed for W8 and W8.1 but not necessarily it has to be a Microsoft Account. I don´t see a problem doing it with a Local Account, other different thing is doing it with a Microsoft Account...Please take a look to this article, it has interesting opinions about it and other aspects of W8.1:

http://www.tweakguides.com/Windows81_3.html

Juan

Sorry Alain, I can´t help, I don´t have 8.1 installed in my Music PC, maybe Peter...

Juan

Hi Alain,

Go to "Configuration" in the right side of the screen in the bottom, once it is open go to the bottom again where it says "Change the configuration of your PC" (this is a literal translation because I´m using it in Spanish), when you are there look for  "Accounts" and go to "Your Account" and there you have the option to sign for a Microsoft account or for a local account,  take this one. That´s it. It is not very easy to find it out how to do it and I guess that Microsoft wants everybody using their account to sell more apps, etc. that is also the sense of W8 that is to sync your computers and mobiles.
If you find a difficulty let me know.

Regards,
Juan

Gerard and Alain, it is not mandatory to have the live account activated to run W8.1 (nor W8), if you have it activated all your computers share the apps, pictures, etc but you can avoid to log in with your live account password when windows starts. Also if you have the live account activated and want to sync computers you have to be connected to internet, which is not good for SQ.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/microsoft-account-tutorial

Regards,
Juan

I see, thanks Alain

Juan

Thanks Diede, we agree that W8 sounds better with the W7 shell but, would it be the same with W8.1?, maybe not. It seems that to install W8.1 it is mandatory to install previously other updates, at least the most important ones as can be read in the Windows 8 site:
"There are some updates you might need before you can install Windows 8.1. In most cases, the latest updates will be installed automatically using Windows Update."... (Prepare your PC - Get the critical and important updates: http://windows.microsoft.com/is-is/windows-8/update-from-windows-8-tutorial)

If it would not be mandatory I´d try W8.1 in the music pc even without the W7 shell to see how it sounds, but if I have to install the other updates I don´t feel secure doing it because then perhaps I might not be able to uninstall them. However, I remember reading from someone else (Alain?) that W8 sounds better, (or it was just different?), if it has the updates installed.

Juan

You are right Alain, and this will happen every time Windows launches a new OS or an important update. That is the weakest and unstable part of a computer-based system. Well, let´s face it with optimism.


Joachim, I'm sorry, I think I haven´t expressed myself correctly, I have not installed any updates on my music pc, I've installed W8.1 only on my work pc and in a laptop that I don´t use either for music. Mines were observations based only on a pc while working and as I say it looks to run faster than with W8.

Regards,
Juan

Thanks Joachim, yes I am using too the W7 shell, the problem I see is whether we need to install the updates previously to install W8.1 or not and if the updates would affect the SQ.
I think W8.1 has more to do with Internet and apps than with Windows internal changes, excepting perhaps that the Start is now on the desktop. On the other hand, with W8.1 the Desktop Pc that I use for work seems to run faster in general, the same as a laptop in which I also installed W8.1, perhaps there are also some other changes in the OS.

Juan

Windows 8.1 is here. I updated the PC that I use for work and it looks not only nicer but also faster. I personally don´t have any update in my Music PC and it seems that to install W8.1 the other updates are needed. I wonder if anyone has tested it already in the Music PC with XXHighEnd.

Juan