Hi Paul,

I was wondering what would happen if you take the names that seem to be the culprit and rename some other songs (from another album, another artist, another genre) with these problematic names and play them like you usually do ? If it behaves the same with these songs, at least it would mean that the titles really are the culprit, presuming that the songs that you entitled with these names do not have the same behavior prior to this test ?

This test could also be applied to anyone that does not experience this. Say you send me only a list of the titles that are problematic, I could test them here...

Alain

Edit: Thinking about it, maybe you could point me to the album ? Titlle and all ? I will find it on the net and try this for myself and report back...

My "all purpose" PC had an Intel ICHR9 controller on an ASUS Maximus Formule motherboard (bought in 2007).

I do have an external drive connected through Esata, that is internally connected to one of the internal 6 sata connections (in fact I have 2 of these connections).

I remember having problems when I was leaving the external drive connected while OFF, as if the controller was always asking "Who is there" and sending a signal to that connection.

Now when I don't use this external drive, I disconnect the Esata cable from its enclosure.

This may not occur on all motherboards, but if you try, like Nick says, you could have a nice surprise

Alain

It has to do with DOS filenames longer than 8 I guess ?

Alain

Hi Ed,

From your sig, I don't seen anything strange... This backup thing and the message about virtual playback drive are new for me, but I wonder: have you tried without "Stop all services" ? I can't use it for the moment, since I need networking and remote desktop...

Hope you will tell us how it goes

Alain

Hi Ed,

About the backup - does this message pops from the taskbar (at the right) ? If so, this comes from Windows.

As for the Virtual disk... Do you have a playback drive defined in your settings ?

Alain

Hi Jud,

Peak Extension ON is my understanding

Alain

ah... Maybe I did not express myself correctly. You are right, LAN disconnects even if it is set to be kept ON in Normal OS mode. Only in Minimize OS will it stay (if ON)...

Alain

I guess that it takes a while to start the music when in Normal OS and doing unattended, depending on the selections you made with the settings, like "Stop all remaining services" and such ? It will start faster when in Minimize OS, since all those remaining services need to be stopped...

As for wi-fi, I can't tell if it will work, but I guess that if you leave "Keep Lan services" ON, it should ?

Alain

Hi Stefano,

Are you in Minimize OS ? This happens to me when I am in Normal OS mode...

As for the Wi-fi thing, I think that Peter mentionned it requires special hardware (that is not available at the moment), so this button is not intended for Wi-fi as we perceive it (so not working)...

Alain

EDIT: I should specify that this happens to me with a standard network cable (not wi-fi)...

Hi SeVeReD,

Thanks for noticing that my sig is not up to date. In fact, the version I use is W7 Pro x64 SP1 (the installation DVD). I am updating my sig.

Regards,

Alain

Well, finally after reinstalling W7 and without doing any updates (from Windows Update), all is back as it should. Almost all the cores are quiet and the DPC Latency Checker does not show anyhing odd anymore

Alain

I remember when I listened to W8 the first times. The sound was "sharp" and strangely I could hear the sound coming more from the speakers.

Then with time I discovered that certain songs seemed odd at certain passages. I can't put my finger on it, but sometimes percussions do not sound so natural. This is not consistent though. "inconsistency" is the word that comes to my mind.

When I come back to W7, it requires on my part a certain amount of time because I feel there is something a little more blurred, but there is also an harmony and a sense of "all playing together" that I don't feel is as present in W8. After a while, I don't hear that blurr and in fact I wonder if I am not confusing this with another effect that I can't describe. But since I can hear more details, my guess is that "blurr" is not what I should entitle to express this difference between the 2 OSes...

But there is definitely a difference between these 2 and to try to "merge" them seems (actually) to confuse more than to confirm something ?

Alain

Hi Arvind,

Thanks for the note I will look into it.

Like someone uses to say: "Everything matters"

Regards,

Alain

I would certainly be willing to get 2 of them also... I sure hope that someday, someone will come up with an explanation about the improvment felt with these devices ?

Alain

There is one thing I never talked before. I can't recall when it happened, but I never really got powerful bass with my System 15 (15" dual concentric transducers), thus I got subs to compensate, but even so I did not get much bass.

It happens sometimes though that I listen while the subs are inactive (and the supertweeters stay "covered", as I don't find it easy to adjust their position over the mains). I get the best phase and coherence then.

One day (a few months ago), I thought my subs were active, because I was feeling a lot of good bass vibrations (not as "Boom Boom", simply more present and refined). No change on my part, no nothing, but maybe a change of version in XXHE. I don't recall with what version it occured to me, but I heard this bass coming from the mains and I was quite surprised. I always heard it, but not with that depth.

I never cared for the acoustics of my rooms, I just took what was there. But for the moment, I am not really interested in changing that acoustic, because what I get is always for the better...

And I have to admit that if I was to attempt putting acoustic panels on the wall, I would be banned from my own home !

And there is something I still have to get rid of: this nasty habit of feeling that the HF should be more prominent... This is an heritage of bad speakers listening (and bad digital dacs)... Many centuries ago, when I was recording my LPs on a cassette deck, I used to record with the Dolby ON, but listen with it OFF... I did not care about the tape hiss, since I preferred to have more treble than less...

And this nasty habit got the best of me for decades...

Finally, since I like to hear agressive electric guitar, the edginess and "metallic" feel of digital seemed to suit me better... Because something was lacking in my mind compared to vinyl. Now I understand that it was not the same, because there was always a veil over the CD sound. Not anymore...

So yes, I come from afar...

Alain