XXHighEnd - The Ultra HighEnd Audio Player
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331  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your questions about the PC -> DAC route / Re: Fanless powerful PC on: March 10, 2010, 06:04:05 pm
Hello Telstar
Now I'm really intrigued, why do you underpower the cpu?
Thanks
Jack

I dont underpower the cpu, meaning that the frequency is always at 2.6ghz and that the drawn power varies with the usage. I suggest you to get Everest ultimate and monitor cpu vcore, cpu W and cpu current (A).

I want to undervolt it of 0.1-0.2V (from 1.1v to 0.9v) to reduce the temperature (should lower at least 10°C this way). Just that.
I prefer to be in control and this board let me do it.

I haven't had the time to do it. I suggest OCCT, in particular the PSU test to stress the cpu which uses linpak (in <10min you can go to 80°C if you are fanless).
I have two 5V and 3V curves to post, one with the mATX psu that came with my case and the second with the Winmate, but I plan to redo the test after I undervolt.
332  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your questions about the PC -> DAC route / Re: Best pci/pci-e sound card for spdif out... on: March 10, 2010, 05:02:34 pm
If it has to be spdif, the best you can achieve is AES or BNC output and to slave the card to an external DAC with a clock of undoubt quality.
the best card is the RME AES32 (available also pci-express) and for dac, i leave that to you, but it must have wordclock out.
333  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your questions about the PC -> DAC route / Re: Fanless powerful PC on: March 10, 2010, 04:59:35 pm
Hello Mani
I'm intrigued as to why you have gone for such a 'complicated' mobo.

As Roy and Mani replied, I also have chosen this motherboard for several reasons:

1) possibility to undervolt the cpu
2) m-ATX size
3) stable, more than similar boards from ASUS for instance
4) integrated videocard that RUNS PRETTY COOL. Almost all other m-atx boards that i have looked at had much higher temps.
5) TI firewire chipset onboard. Save space and money to buy one if a firewire dac is to be used
6) 2oz copper tracks
7) well regulated PSU rails
8 ) lots of features can be disabled in bios

Lastly, the intel videocard is powerful enough that i can play a video or even blue-ray if i wished. This leaves open a HT option, even i'm not using it.
334  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your questions about the PC -> DAC route / Re: Fanless powerful PC on: March 10, 2010, 04:54:05 pm
But I hadn't actually intended to underclock - it seemed the bios did this by default. In any event, there is no issue. Thanks for pointing this out.

Incidentally, underclocking the CPU (in my case by 20%) seemed to have little effect on how XXHE performs. The soundcard/interface/DAC drivers seem to have a bigger impact...

Mani.

This happens when EIST is active (default) in bios. I have disabled it so it stays at full speed (I needed this to test for stability and decided to keep it). At first i thought that this could cause latency.

From realtemp screen, the cpu is both undermultiplied (6x instead of 8x) and underclocked (2 ghz instead of 3 ghz). The vcore is likely also reduced.
This explains your excellent temps (I still dont know which heatsink you use). Happy

Intel did a very good job of energy saving. I wonder if and how this impact in audio performance - I think that in a highlevel system as yours you MAY perceive some differences if you disable the energy saving features of your cpu. You  may then decide to underclock in a fixed way (easier is by reducing the multiplier, IF is allowed, reducing the bandwith otherwise, but this will reduce the memory frequency which is not generally desirable)

There are two entries in the gigabyte bios for these:
C1E and EIST. IIRC I have disabled both. But i plan to reduce the vcore manually.

Anyway, hardware optimization for music playback is completely different as doing it to overclock and bench Happy))
335  Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: y6 in special mode awfully slow on: March 09, 2010, 11:04:38 pm
Solved in y8 for me Happy

wasapi works as responsive as the old versions.
Will check KS tomorrow.
336  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your questions about the PC -> DAC route / Re: Fanless powerful PC on: March 09, 2010, 10:51:39 pm
I also noticed that with the new PSU the system *sounds better*.
337  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your questions about the PC -> DAC route / Re: Fanless powerful PC on: March 09, 2010, 10:48:57 pm
I've just bought a few Zalman TNN 300 cases. I've only put one together so far with the following components:

- Gigabyte EG45M-UD2H (almost impossible to find)

Hi Mani,
I have the same mainboard, VEEERY good one Happy
Which PSU?

Can you post the temps of the E8600 (everest or realtemp)?
338  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your questions about the PC -> DAC route / Re: Fanless powerful PC on: March 09, 2010, 10:45:37 pm
Quote
Ambient temp is here min 23°C.

You are listening to music, outside, at the top of Italy's highest mountain, right ?
Are you wearing headphones ?

Happy

LOL today you are in a silly mood Peter.
I meant minimum 23°C, not minus Happy
339  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your questions about the PC -> DAC route / Fanless powerful PC on: March 09, 2010, 03:26:45 pm
Yes, it can be done Happy

CPU: Intel E5300
Heatsink: Scythe Ninja Mini (if you have a taller case the Thermalright HR-01 is the best for fanless operation)
PSU: Winmate DC-DC psu with Gateway 150W wall wart*

I'll post tomorrow some benchmark of temperature and voltage stability.
Average temps at closed case are around 51°C for both cores at default speed (2,6ghz) and voltage (1.1V). They can be improved once I undervolt the cpu and I plan to do that, especially close to summer. Ambient temp is here min 23°C.

The Winmate psu is a wonder, no issues at all unlike the famous pico-psu, it works powering just the VFD (which i did to test both parts prior to mounting).
The guy who makes it, is still selling and supporting it, and looking for the best wall AC adapter.

*see:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=55153
and
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=55353&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=90
340  Ultimate Audio Playback / Your thoughts about the Sound Quality / Re: 0.9y-7 on: March 09, 2010, 03:06:27 pm
IMHHHO you have one of the best DACs around ... I probably would have chosen that, weren't it that, well, today they oversample (a little only).

Peter, note that the Gold link is NOT the DAC III Platinum, which I finally heard a few months ago and it sounds REALLY good indeed.
341  Ultimate Audio Playback / Chatter and forum related stuff / Re: XXHighEnd on the C.A.S.H. List on: March 09, 2010, 02:50:29 pm
I think most XXHE users would agree that it deserves to be there...

Agreed.
342  Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: y6 in special mode awfully slow on: March 07, 2010, 01:47:02 am
Quote
I did more tests and found out that it is NOT the KS/special mode that causes the player to respond so slow. It's just the new version (from y6).

Quote
OK, exact same settings. y5-6 is fast and responsive, while y7 is terribly slow

You can't make up your mind, can you ?
scratching

uh? those two sentences means about the same thing.
I'll make the cpu screenshots.

Tonight i verified that the cpu is stable fanless under load. And, more important for you, irTRANS works in w7 x64 (yup i got it this morning yeah!).
343  Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: y6 in special mode awfully slow on: March 06, 2010, 08:04:06 pm
OK, exact same settings. y5-6 is fast and responsive, while y7 is terribly slow, and library goes in loop after 7-8 albums.

Settings showed.
344  Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: y6 in special mode awfully slow on: March 06, 2010, 01:56:01 pm
The fact that you haven't tempered with that doesn't imply it's correct ...

Right, so i'll check it Happy
345  Ultimate Audio Playback / XXHighEnd Support / Re: y6 in special mode awfully slow on: March 06, 2010, 01:53:41 pm
Telstar, can't your problem be in this area : Re: How I tweaked my Vista virtually dead (also for W7) ? (also look at my post following that one).

Compare the two PCs and you will know ...

Peter

I havent tampered with that. I'm pretty sure it is due to the videocard/DX.
Didnt have the time to do an exact comparison of y5-6 and y7 as you asked, yet sorry.
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