This is probably the wrong thread for this post, but what the hell...

I've been having fun and games with these 88.2/24 AIFF files from BSO:

On loading the files from the library I get errors 1 and 2 below (the file names are typically 'BSO_01_01_daphnis_chloe_01', etc).
If the 'Allow Format Change' box is unchecked, I get errors 3 and 4 appearing between tracks, even though all tracks are of the same format!

And to top it all off, my DAC thinks these 88.2/24 AIFF files are HDCD-encoded!

Craaaazzzyyyy.

Mani.

For those of you with a Plextor drive, I highly recommend trying the '-usefua' command. This will essentially by-pass your drive's cache and speed things up massively.
 
With this, I get rip speeds of up to 40x on perfect CDs... and full error correction on less-than-perfect ones.

Simply add -usefua to the end of 'Target' in your shortcut and uncheck the 'Drive caches audio date' box.

IMPORTANT:

Even with a Plextor drive, there is no guarantee that this will work correctly, so check to see if EAC is still performing error correction on scratched CDs.
This may work with non-Plextor drives also (it works with my Yamaha)... but don't get fooled into thinking that it is when it isn't.

Mani.

I've just looked up the European Patent Office's registry (http://www.epo.org/) and unfortunately Mr A F Day already has a patent for this technology... 

Mani.

With internal sc enabled:

This looks like it's all working now... for the FF800 at least.

Should we start using this Engine#3 now? Will the logs automatically write over each other?

Mani.

Peter,

Here's my Test01.log file (with my internal SC disabled).

Mani.

If I set the DAC to 24/192 I get the 'INVALIDARG' message.

But 32/192 works fine.

You may recall from my rantings last year that for 16/44.1 files, I preferred setting the DAC to 16/44.1. Once I get the AFI1, I'll reassess everything.

Mani.

No, nothing to do with HDCD - I'm using just the FF800 as the DAC in my system 1).

My system 2) will use the Weiss AFI1 when I get it next week and feed my HDCD-enabled DAC via dual-wire AES/EBU.

I'm using pretty recent drivers from RME (v2.91 from 31/10/08) and my Vista is bang up to date. I'll try the latest RME drivers (v2.95) over the weekend, but I can't see that they will make a difference.

Mani.

I've downloaded some of their 24/352.8 files and they play fine on XXHE...

... provided the Mem box is checked and the DAC is set to 32/192.

But you knew that, right Peter?

Interestingly, Digicheck believes these are 176.4 files. Is XXHE downconverting?

Mani.

Sorry, last image is wrong - this was the result after enabling the SigmaTel, but before rebooting.

After enabling and rebooting, this is the result. Again, the RME is still selected in XXHE settings.

Mani.

OK, so here are some images:

1) my devices
2) my XXHE settings
3) DAC Test with internal sound card DISABLED
4) DAC Test with internal sound card ENABLED (note: I have NOT changed the settings in XXHE - I still have the RME chosen)

With the internal sound card enabled, XXHE stops recognizing the RME (but it is still set as the default in Vista). If I play a track, it comes through my internal speakers.

Weird, no?

Mani.

Andrew, have you tried disabling your internal SC? Before I did this, I couldn't get my FF800 to work properly with XXHE 0.9x-5b.

Peter, as I mentioned before, there is something weird going on here. Without disabling the internal SC, even when 'Speakers RME Fireface800' is selected, the signal is passed to the internal SC. Selecting any of the other RME outputs work fine, just not 'Speakers RME Fireface800'.

Mani.

Just glanced over http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=642.0.

Glad you found the PCM1704-UK chip. My Esoteric D70 uses 4 of these as well... but it's an OS DAC, of course! My previous CD player used the PCM63-K chip - also very good.

I agree with Telstar though - I believe the clock should sit as close to the DAC chips as possible. All sources should be slaved to this clock. I would therefore insist on a wordclock output rather than an input. People who don't have the means to try this really do not know what they're missing.

Back on topic - the 32/192 file transfer failed. I'm trying again now...

Mani.

Yes, but 2L don't offer the 'raw' 24/352.8 files - they convert to 24/192 or lower-res PCM and to DSD.

All I would like are 24/88.2 or 24/176.4 'raw' files that have not been 'mastered' or converted in any way, shape or form...

Mani.

PS. The 750MB 32/192 is on its way to you.

Peter,

Thanks for your prompt reply.

I'd be happy to send you a 32/192 file. They're big, of course - the shortest track I have is 750MB. Leave this with me...

Meanwhile, you can go to http://www.unipheyemusic.com/filetest.cfm and download a 30 sec 32/192 file for testing. According to them, the 32/192 files sound better than the 24/192 files; both having been converted from the same 1bit DSD source. (Why not just record in PCM in the first place???)

Yes, your 24/192 Phasure NOS1 DAC sounds intriguing. Where can I find more information about it?

Mani.

Hi Peter,

Yes, it’s been too long..

The house move was more protracted than I had hoped. But the real reason for my absence was my real disappointment in learning that my two sound cards (the FF800 and MOTU896HD) both have a detrimental effect on the sound when used to pass an spdif stream from my PC to my DAC – they can’t pass an HDCD-encoded wav file unaltered, unless their mixers are manipulated.

I really lost my interest in using a computer-based system and reverted to using my Esoteric P70 for most of my listening. It's actually a very good transport...

But my interest has been resurrected now that I’ve ordered a ‘real’ interface (the Weiss AFI1) and also with the availability of high-res downloads. And hence the purpose of this post...

I’ve recently received a copy of Unipheye Music’s ‘The Karp Segall Experiment’. This is a 32Bit Floating Point / 192KHz recording. Interesting music, but not really my ‘cup of tea’. And I really dislike the fact that the these files have been converted from original DSD files (I was an early adopter of SACD and really hated it... still do...). No, I’m not going to paste any Digicheck images, but if I were to, you’d see -50dB noise at 81KHz. That’s DSD for you!

Right now, I can only play these files on Foobar, using WASAPI. XXHE refuses to play these files with the crack detect enabled. If I disable crack detect, and set the DAC to 24Bit/192, I get a God-awful noise coming through the speakers.

As you’ve probably gathered, I’m not that bothered if I can get XXHE to play these files or not... but it might be useful in the future.

Any ideas?

Mani.