I am not sure about this myself and I was surprised when Peter answered that it needed to be bigger... I ran some tests and my conclusion is that:
- if you only use WAV files
- if you turn "Copy to XX-drive by standard" OFF

Nothing will be copied on the XXHE ramdrive, so it does not need to be that big.

This "going thru" the XXHE drive seems to happen when the initial format is not from WAV files. If that is so for you, then yes, the ramdrive capacity needs to be higher. 

In fact, I could have mine a lot smaller than 512MB, since it only receives XXHE and XXDATA and all my files are already in WAV format.

(Peter will correct me if I am wrong).

Alain

I thought that this "filling" on the XXHE disk would happen if the "Copy to XX-drive by standard" was activated... 

?
This seems to imply that some processing is written during a session where XXHE resides... Is it related to the number of songs that are in the playlist ? Can you explain a little more ?

So if I use 2GB for XXHE (A: drive) and 2GB for playdrive (B: drive), this means a lot of RAM has to be dedicated. It would mean at least 12GB of RAM to be "on the safe side" ?

Alain

After having a noise problem (and still have, but...), I was wondering how to connect things on 2 separate circuits, but also which component needs to be on a Protective Earth (PE = ground) and what should not (Non PE).

I also wonder if Non PE and PE can be on the same circuit or not.

I know that normally the digital ring should be separated from the analog ring. But, apart from wall warts and PC power supply, what should be considered "digital", as opposed to analog ?

Knowing that I have:
A)  a 2 prong "wall wart" power supply (AC > DC, 120v > 5v) > iFi iUSB > external SSD 120GB (OS + XXHE) > Esata > PC

B)  a 3 prong cable for a linear power supply (AC > DC, 120v > 12v) > external spinning HDD 2TB (music) > Esata > PC

C) PC > USB > NOS1 dac > analog unbalanced interconnects > preamp > analog unbalanced interconnects > power amp. Each of these components have 3 prong connection.

D) 2 subs are connected to a pair of outputs from the preamp (unbalanced interconnects) (the preamp has 2 pairs of outputs, so 2 x left AND 2 x right channels) (2 prong connection, class D amp for each sub).

I have 2 different circuits. They are on the same house electrical panel. 120v AC means that there is a "hot" wire, a neutral wire (that goes to the same rail as the ground back at the electrical panel) AND of course (when it's a 3 prong connection), the ground.

How should I connect all of these, provided that I have 2 circuits (each having a powerbar), then once this is done, what to connect to PE (Protective Earth) and what to connect on a NON PE ?

Sorry if I describe too much, but at least once this is settled, I will be able to better identify what noises are still there...

Sorry also for the bad English (as usual)...

Thanks

Alain

It is about time I add the Bryston BDA-1 on this list !

Alain

Ha ! 

I was surprised, but maybe there is conspiration around 

After a few posts by Peter on CA, I was not sure he would prepare something like this

Alain

A Phasure DSD prototype ?

Hi Anthony,

I am quite sure that it will not ressemble anything we expect. It is always exciting ! Peter has a sense of drama that will surely "knock our socks off", technically and sonically

I am rotten at predictions, so I am sitting here with a lunch, a sleeping bag and a roll of toilet paper - to besiege the place

Alain

Ha ha ! I was joking... But I would love to watch a lake from the balcony, have a swim in hot days, or simply know that it is there...

Peter,

I am sorry...

Hum... Maybe an helicopter with blades that will fold just before landing ?

Hi Juan,

As far as I am concerned, I have considered the cooling necessity from fans as a "trade off". Up to now and even if I have a relative 20C in the room, from what I experienced, I can't eliminate the fans. I even had to increase the CPU fan speed a little to maintain a temperature at 40C maximum, even if I reduced the CPU speed at around 1MHZ.

It seems to me that there is the water cooled system way OR the 12V linear power supply for the fans. The LPSU way would require a fan controller (like the one that Peter has put in the XXHE PC). Being powered from "outside", it would at least not "pollute" the system.

Just a thought

Alain
PS: Maybe a linear PSU is not absolutely needed for this ? As long as the power supply is "external" (from the pc circuitry), if it is plugged on another ring than the one from the PC, it could be a cheap alternative ?

I did some listening yesterday evening and I fell that the SQ has increased since I made some adjustments to the DIGI+. More details, air between notes and a blacker background

I am even starting to hear some tones from the nature of the instruments.

Of course, I understand that I have subjectively expressing things, but it is going the right way

I know that you know this, but it is important to remind ourselves that a pc was made for speed and reliability, not silence...

It is fun

Thanks Nick for this input ! We are turning a noisy pc into a more quiet environment - like a hi-fi component should be !

Regards,

Alain