Hi Anthony,

I´m using a special software created by Alain (AlainGr) and as he is now on vacation would be better if we wait until he returns to ask him about it. This software permits to create two ramdisks at the same time, it places XXHE in one ramdisk and the Playback Drive in the other one. It works beautifully well, so my advise is to wait for Alain.

On the other hand to get the usual Ramdisk, (when I used it it was only for Playback Drive) you can do it this way:

Go to DRDataram and download the free software http://memory.dataram.com/products-and-services/software/ramdisk 

To install it you have to bring back PC from minimized into normal mode. Previously you have to install Microsoft .NET 4 platform. If your PC is not connected to internet you can download an 'offline' installation found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24872

Follow this steps:

- Change minimized mode to normal mode

- Install .NET 4

- Install RamDisk and choose either FAT16 or FAT32.

- Windows should report and list new HDD. Rightclick mouse format HDD to NTFS and 512b clusters (smallest)

- Try new HDD in XXHE (choose it for 'playback drive')

- Engage 'minimize OS' again

Best regards,
Juan

Following Peter´s settings I´ve discovered a dramatic difference depending on the clock resolution value.

With this settings, which like others I´ve also found to be the best ones:

Q1=14, Q2,Q3,Q4=0, Q5=5, xQ1=10

SFS:120 (max 120)

XTweaks: Balanced Load: 45/ Nervous Rate: 100/ Cool when Idle:1/ Provide Stable Power: 1/ Utilize Cores always: 1

(See the complete settings in my signature)

If I use Clock Resolution at 0.5ms the sound is much more defined and 3D than if I use 1.0ms. With 0.5ms the background is blacker, the bass is more defined and vibrant and still the sound is silky smooth.

This is my best sound so far but it is reached also in combination with the other important settings like the use of XXHE and Playback Drive in Ramdisk.


Juan

Hey Anthony, I see you are very close to the best NOS1 sound (at least as close as anyone else). I imagine the feeling of being a pioneer in that huge country letting your fellows amazed with the wonderful sound.. 

Best regards,
Juan

Hi Bill

Thanks for the nice review. If you are seeing all these qualities in the NOS1 wait when you have a PC configured specifically for XXHE/NOS1 with the best settings for your sound system in the software. Then you will hear the NOS1 at its best, perhaps then you will be convinced that it sounds better without a preamplifier. I look forward to your other test.

Best regards,
Juan

"Output to the Phasure NOS1 DAC was via an active USB cable provided by Synergistic Research."

Mmmmmm...

Juan

Hi Nick,

I only can go that low with this Q settings:

Q1:10, Q2,Q3,Q4:0, Q5:2 and xQ1:1

This is the reason why I asked you what was your xQ1 (Q1 Factor) setting. With Q1:10 and xQ1:10 for me was impossible to go lower than SFS:14Mb

Now, with the new settings I can go as low as SFS:1,4Mb

Would you please check again your xQ1 setting?, I thing that must be a misunderstanding about it.

Tomorrow I´ll play music at normal volume level to see the SQ with this settings, now is too late here.

Best regards,
Juan

Thanks Nick, I understand that you have both Q1 and xQ1=10. With your Q settings the minimum SFS I can get is 14Mb.

Following your changes in the BIOS I found these as my best settings:

CPU Frequency: 1995MHz
DRAM Frequency: 1066MHz

Best regards,
Juan

From the Seasonic Owner´s Manual:

"For Platinum-400 /460 /520 Fanless: The power supply unit must be mounted into the computer case with the ventilation top cover facing UP. Extra mounting screw holes, on the back of the power supply, are provided for reverse mounting, if necessary, to ensure the ventilation top cover is facing the proper direction"

(The bold is mine)

Juan

I have the fanless Seasonic SS-400FL2 installed for one week now in my music pc. The first impression was of a more detailed sound, but after that first moments I realized that the differences, in my system, are minor if any. It is true that I´m making  at the same time changes in the bios with Nick´s settings, that could condition my opinion but I also made those changes with the Corsair AX750 with no appreciable differences among both ps. At the end what´s my opinion about these two ps?, well, if I´d have to buy a new ps I´ll buy the Seasonic, but if I´d have a Corsair AX-750 and it was working well (as was my case) I´ll keep the Corsair. Now that I have both ps I´ll keep using the Seasonic for two reasons, it is not worse than the Corsair in any case and I´m lazy to change the ps again. On the other hand the Corsair is enough powerful to don´t use the fan, in fact when I removed the Corsair from the case after more than two years of continue use the fan was absolutely clean, no dust at all, it means that the fan wasn´t used at all or seldom used. So if for some reason you want to have a more powerful ps than the fanless Seasonic I think the Corsair is still a good choice.

I respect other´s opinion but this is my experience. I hope it helps other Corsair owners.

Best regards,
Juan

Hi Nick, the xQ1 value I was asking for is the one in XXHighEnd, I don´t see it in your signature.

Regards,
Juan

Hi pedal, 

Juan

Hi Nick,

In my X58 Sabertooth the Load-Line Calibration has three settings: Auto, Disabled (Follow Intel Spec.) and Enabled (Improve VDroop directly). You set it to Regular (0%), is this the same as Disabled?

What´s your xQ1 value?

Regards,
Juan

Hi Mani, thanks so much for your help.

This is the extract of a mail that a friend of mine send me trying to lend a hand in this matter:

"If I understood well, XXHighEnd is not able to play directly SACD ISO image, mainly because it is not able to stream DSD files, but only PCM; this is a pity because I think that DSD is really superior to PCM.
As you may know a SACD ISO image is the product of the extraction of the SACD layer of a SACD disc, using a Sony PS3 (only some models) and the program sacd_ripper; the ISO is not a real .iso file but can be burned to an empty DVD-5 and played as a normal SACD disc using some SACD player (only some models); if you burn the ISO this way, you will have a SACD (not hybrid) that should be the exact copy of the SACD layer of the original disc; the ISO contains the DSD data that can be extracted, using the program sacd_extract, to the more common DSD format .dsdiff or .dff.
A software player that is able to stream DSD usually handles those formats as well; JRiver does this and it handles also the ISO image.
If you have a DSD capable soundcard or external dac/receiver, with JRiver (and other players) you can stream the DSD directly, thus obtaining a better sound than the one you can obtain with the same setup but letting the player converting the DSD to PCM first.
More, if you don't have a DSD capable converter (and this is my current setup), you can configure your DSD capable player to convert to PCM on the fly at the higher frequency supported by your converter.
Before knowing of this feature of JRiver, I was converting the SACD ISO image to PCM (FLAC compressed) at a frequency of 88.2kHz; now I can stream the ISO image with JRiver converting it on the fly to PCM at 176.4 kHz (the higher frequency supported by my dac) and I can assure you that the result is really better ! Imagine if one have a dac supporting 352.8 kHz !!
Since I read, on the XXHighEnd forum, that they are committed to enhance the program in every way that can lead to a better Sound Quality, I strongly recommend you to ask them to support DSD streaming (at least of .dsdiff and/or .dff files).
In the meantime, I suggest you to keep the ISO in some place, and to convert them to PCM only for temporary listening; you can do this with the program foobar2000, together with the plug-in foo_input_sacd and the flac library"

Of course my friend never listened XXHE nor the NOS1 so his opinions have this deficiency. The dilemma if with XXHE the PCM files sound better or worse than DSD is open but I post it here just in case it could help in this issue.


Best regards,
Juan

Hi Jud-I posted a question a few days ago about SACD and you know how many responses I received?. Please take a look http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=2658.msg27408#msg27408

Best regards,
Juan

PS. Of course nobody knew how to play it, nobody but one person and I guess he wanted to keep the secret until the CAS ;-)

I´m very sorry, Peter

Juan