The interesting thing is that if this apply to quad cores, it should for dual cores too (and eventually to all cpus with hyper-threading).
I have an E6600 onto my gaming PC and I could switch with it in case of problems on the HTPC, but I am almost sure that I wont have audio problems due to that.

I was checking firewire soundcards cheaper than the RME to use as spdif transport and found a m-audio in the 200€ range. I also found an even cheaper berhinger but it has no spdif out.

I have the same bug. But restarting keeps the playlist.
Nevermind i see version s-1 that fixed this

FW800 is good, but... eSATA

Yes I have. The HTPC will be used 60% for movies and 40% for music. Quad cores are tremendously faster in applying video filters.

How this could cause issues with audio? "Switching processes" teoretically shouldnt happen when a dedicated PC is used for media playback. There wont be antivirus, defrag and other resident stuff running on. While i'm pretty new to audiophile computer audio, i know one thing or two about hardware and windows.

Speaking of which, does XX supports virtualization? That should fix it. Anyway, on the test pc that had problems with terratec drivers I have a dual xeon with HT, which means 4 "cores" for programs like yours (i guess, unless u check for cpus instead of cores).
Vista support virtualization as well as E6x and Qx intel core duos. I have been using Vista since RC1.

I managed to have the 5.51 drivers working (i didnt install the control panel), but they are far from optimal. With rca (line out) output to my active monitors I dont have exclusive mode and it seems that by default it upsample to 48khz.

It is very difficult to hear differences from WMP or foobar this way.

I installed the latest version of XX on a test machine (since my HTPC is not ready), where the soundcard is an old Terratec DMX6 fire (which has a much better SQ than any newer TT cards) and I had the exact same errors as the above poster.

I'm trying to put the latest (beta) drivers for vista and the control panel but they seems buggy. I would like to evaluate XX on this computer that I currently use for music listening while working in my studio.

Well, at least you did try the Fireface (as DAC) vs. an audiophile DAC, unlike most people that posts at audioasylum.

I spent all afternoon looking for alternatives in the sub-1000$ range (while checking out also more expensive gear like the Wavelenght Brick and Cosecant (sp) ), so I extend my list with:

-Apogee Mini-DAC (with firewire option)~ $1000
-Promitheus DAC (NOS, considered better than Benchmark and Lavry DA10) ~$400 ($700 tube version)
-Stello DA100 (US/OS) ~$700
-MHDT Paradisea (with tube buffer) ~$550
-Wavelenght Cosecant ~$2500

I dont have a personal opinion about tubes nor about upsampling and oversampling (through software or hardware), I need to try and judge for myself. If i get an os/us DAC i want the option to do it or not
So far what I "like" best in this list are the Bel Canto, because it is an integrated solution (= less money and less hassle) and the two tubed DACs Promitheus and Paradisea (funny names btw).

I own a T.A. 10.1 and one day i may just buy something in this pricerange to see how it sounds compared to whatever i'll get in 2 months (when i finish building my htpc and the new quad cores are out). Considering the €/$ current rate buying from the US has never been more convenient.

I'm in a mud pool because I do not like USB. I havent heard the pleasure to listen to most high-end implementations but I know that gaps are possible and that they ruin the listening experience by a factor of 9 out of 10.

A setup like Peter would be preferrable in my humble opinion, at least until some high-end manifacturer release a firewire DAC (with or without tubes, and with or without OS ).

Hi Peter, thanks for the welcome. I was playing with foobar and SRC when i found about XX on audioasylum.

Then why is not shown in the product specs? I think they didnt update them for awhile. In the downloads there are vista drivers, even for x64 (that would be just silly to use for a HTPC).

Any other good firewire dacs available?

Also, I'm interested in your opinion because you considered the TwinDAC+ MUCH superior to the FF400(800). The twindac (new) is quite out of my budget, though.

The FF 400 should have better SQ since they optimized the superclock, or so the website says.

There are so many external DACs with pc input (usb, firewire and others), that choosing a good-sounding and non-bugged one is getting terribly difficult.

These are the options that I can see viable for my situation (HTPC that i'm building, which will run Vista x32)

-RME FF 400 (pros: firewire is superior to usb, reputable brand; cons: no Vista drivers so far, bad aestethics)
-Aqvox mkII (pros: good aestethics; comments: a friend of mine has the mkI hooked to a mac and sounds good)
-PS Audio D III (pros: reputable brand, cons: usb input section seems bugged)
-Benchmark DAC1 (latest version, pros: praised by many; cons: availability in europe is scarce)
-Bel Canto S300iu (pros: reputable brand, only one device, i.e. less interconnects; cons: older burr/brown DAC chip (not confirmed - I have enquired BC); comments: the DAC3 is not listed because off budget, but the integrated solution covers all my needs)

Other ideas?

My budget is about 2000€ to be split between DAC and amplifier (power or integrated, depending if the DAC can act as preamp). My preference is to os-DACs and to firewire devices.

I always liked RME products... so if Leo doesn't buy your FF400, I'm very much interested