With my Atom PC and the Hiface feeding an old Musical Fidelity X24 DAC (24/96 max), I've arrived at the following settings:

DAP
KS Adaptive (Special not tested)
buffer=1024
Q1=1

I'm getting no buffer errors (apart from a single one right at the beginning due, I suspect, to my integrated video driver trying to keep up with XXHE going into Unattended mode). This X24 DAC has been stored away for the best part of 10 years. I hated it when I bought it - way too bright and forward. However, it now sounds pretty listenable with XXHE and the Hiface.

Mani.

Guys,

I've had the Hiface working in my office system (with Atom PC) for over a week now. The DAC here is only up to 96KHz capable, but DAP in KS 'Adaptive mode' works perfectly. I can't remember (I'm working out of the country right now), but I think I have buffer=1024 and Q1=1. IIRC, buffer=128 and Q1=2 also works fine... I can check this when I'm back this weekend.

In any event, the Hiface definitely works fine with XXHE.

Mani.

I hope my name is down on your list of first buyers.

I can't wait to put the NOS1 up against a real DAC

Mani.

Here, here!

Mani.

There aren't too many mobo options when you're using a Zalman TNN 300 case (it's more than just a matter of finding a micro-ATX mobo - the layout also needs to accomodate all the copper piping in the case). Also, with no active cooling in the case, I was interested in the Gigabyte's extra copper to help with heat dissipation.

If I could have found a simpler mobo that fitted into the Zalman and had the extra copper, I would happily have gone for it. But as AUDIODIDAKT says, this mobo wasn't very expensive... bloody difficult to find though! Certainly, the extra cost of this mobo over the few other compatible ones is totally insignificant compared to the cost of the Zalman case, E8600 CPU and OCZ SSD.

Mani.

Yes, of course you're right.

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.

BTW, the PC had been on for 3-4 hours before I took these temp measurements. I think things remain cool enough in there.


I'm using the fanless PSU that is integrated into the Zalman case - here are the specs...

Mani.

Here you go...

What's really strange though is that according to Windows, I have two different core speeds! Anyone know what's going on here?

Mani.

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)
- E8600 3.33GHz
- 120GB OCZ Vertex Turbo
- 4GB RAM (will increase later once Peter releases XXHE 64-bit)
- RME AES-32

Totally fanless and totally silent!

Mani.

Congratulations Peter!

I think most XXHE users would agree that it deserves to be there...

Mani.

And you think you can leave it like that? That we'll all just say, "OK" and get on with our lives? Come on, you've got to give us more than this (as though XX wasn't enough already).

Mani.

Peter, I'm very happy with the sound that I'm getting with Q1=2@128 (Adaptive, of course).

BUT...

I can also get a stable sound (no errors in log file) with Q1=5@32. (Interestingly, setting the buffer to 64 samples in XXHE and soundcard doesn't work as well as 32 or 128.)

I will take a closer listen this evening to see which I prefer. But from a technical perspective, should there be much of a difference?

Mani.

It's feeling on top of the world!

I can't quite get total stability with Q1=1@128, irrespective of core appointment (this still makes a difference even though the Atom N270 processor is single core - it has two threads which seem to act it the same way as cores).

But with Q1=2@128, everything really is cool.

Mani.

That's interesting. Why would this be, do you think?

Mani

Peter, feel free to delete this thread if you think it will confuse and/or concern people.

But you're right, it didn't occur to me that for 99.99% of people there is simply nothing to be concerned about - the DAC's filtering will take care of things.

Mani.