Below is Peter's post on the possible page file issue from the Not Enough gain thread:

 Re: Not enough gain
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2013, 09:04:56 am » Quote 

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Quote from: Jud on February 24, 2013, 09:20:47 pm
Don't know whether this has anything to do with anything: My amp kept tripping its safety shutdown a day or two ago when the DragonFly was set to 50% volume.  40% was OK.  I don't recall whether I'd tried the DragonFly at that volume before.  It's the first time the amp has tripped that I can recall.

Jud, looking at this again and after listening last night to a best rendered Who I ever heard before (I very regularly play Who's Next because it has always been very good for SQ) ... your problem is that of a PC/Driver combination which more people suffer from and I recall a topic from Arvind at least. But what I also recall is that he solved it, without real knowledge of how (ehm, at my side). I can't help to solve the problem, but at least I have some new information from lately ...

So, this is about "something" happening in the PC and the most logical would be something like needing to write to the page file. I saw this happening myself (your 20-30 seconds) and it looks to be related to needing more memory at a second load of a track part (per SFS boundary) and although this doesn't imply a "swap out" (it doesn't work like that from off Vista) it implies a "more memory needed" and let's say this always involves the page file. Why my focus to the page file ? well, because it receives the very highest priority of all, and it may stall everything else (when a bit in trouble so to speak).

Long story short : disable your page file just for trials.
Notice : even when disabled it will be there for a smaller portion but that is normal behavior and okay for this test.

Also, and similar to what I wrote two days or so ago, since this doesn't formally stop the stream hence I don't notice a thing of it, again this is about this real stall where all stops. It has to be, or otherwise I'd notice it. This again leads to this highest priority thing and the really only thing I know of which incurs for that *and* may take somewhat longer (and too long) is the page file I/O.

Don't try this with an SFS-Max (notice the Max) of around 400 and 8GB of internal memory only; this will choke your system sooner or not so much later.


And then about this PC/Driver combination ...
I have this PC which *needs* the "After SFS Rounds" to be set, or otherwise a crack will happen shortly after playback started. So, After SFS Rounds solves that, but it is a backdoor solution to something I don't know the cause of (better English perhaps : I have no clue what happens). Now :
This very same PC with the very same drivers and everything does NOT exhibit this with Windows 8.  It hasn't a single time, just like my normal Audio PC never exhibited it under Windows 7.

This is quite important to know, already because of, say, half of all people suffer from this (necessity to use After SFS Rounds). But obviously it is OS related, or a combination with drivers which are different for W8 somewhere under the hood (yes, I said same drivers, but for that I merely refer to mobo / video card etc. drivers). Still, this too seems to be related to some high prio stuff, because I can't find the real relation to the happening in time (after the start) and it feels like a write cache which as some stage *has* to be flushed (to disk). This will not be at the precise same time, but at some stage the OS thinks "NOW there's some free time to do it !".

I know this is in the middle of a topic about something else, so people may not read it, but *if* someone reads this, for this too he might try to shut off the Paging and see whether it helps this issue (so, switch off Paging (Virtual Memory), set After SFS Rounds to 0 and see whether the crack at a few seconds into the track now stays away).

If someone needs help on how to switch off the Paging (Virtual Memory) just let it know.

Peter
 

Hey Nick, I have experienced times where SQ significantly improved after defragging. So I have always assumed that files being moved around on the disk do make a difference.

Thanks Peter.

Hey guys what's the proper fuse value for the NOS1? I'm traveling so I can't "pop the lid" and look at the fuse. Thanks.

Geeze, can't wait to get a chance to hear the balanced load setting @ 43.

Thanks Nick. I already have all usb ports, except renesis, turned off in Device manager. Will give the "Priorities" tweak a listen when I get a chance. Am wondering though if you've formed any opinions on 9Z8-2 versus other 9Z8 versions (as used in W7)?

My first impression of 9Z8-2 is very similar to Joachim's. Everything sounded really wonderful except the "highs" which seem to lack the sense of "real presence:" the feeling that Eva, Joni, or The Wailing Jenny's, are actually in the room. It occurred to me when I was A-Bing that the magic of 9Z8-d or e is also its downfall. There is a depth to the high end that provides a kind of tonal richness that very much mimics "reality." However, if the volume is the least bit too loud or the singer moves too close to the mike that tonal richness breaks down and literally sounds ragged, sharp or hard edged.

Unfortunately my listening session was only an hour long so I need to do more listening, which may not happen for a while cause things at work are crazy busy. 

Glad to hear this Nick cause that's how I've been running my rig from the beginning and I've often wondered about the drivers on the disc. The sound has been so good that I haven't wanted to go through the trouble of A-B'ing the drivers. I think I once even posted a picture of my device manager with all the "uninstalled devices".

I haven't played with the "backround Prioities" setting. Will give it a try.

Hey Paul, what kind of a difference, if any, do you hear with female vocals?

Joachim, thanks for the links. I've been pouring over them and they are mostly great reading. In terms of Peter's thoughts on room accoustics/treatments all I can say is I very much appreciate his pioneering spirit and willingness to go against traditional thinking. Out of that spirit came the NOS1 which, I hope we all agree,  sounds so incredible.

On the other hand, my very modest system was taken into another league entirely when I began experimenting with my home-made accoustic panels (3 and 6 lb per square inch, rigid fiberglass, 2 x 4' panels) Last weekend I had a member of the Philadelphia Area Audio Group over, he's a very big "progressive rock" guy. I played "Heart of the Sunrise" from Yes's Fragile album. The guy went banannas. Said he never heard the track sound so good with either vinyl or cd anywhere before. He particularly liked the vocals which emerge out of the music several minutes into the track (W7 OS of course).  My version was an early 90's red book cd ripped to the hard drive. This is a guy who has spent his "audio career" listening to systems that cost 10 to 20 times more than my system. I know he would not have thought so highly of the sound without the accoustic panels in the room!

This is in W8 and I mean to say that the sound is very, very good.

Will give a more detailed response, but for now let me just say that whatever is behind the "Wow!" factor of W8 is front and center on the Hellborg track. Geeze it sounds alive and tonaly/harmonically rich with each and every instrument. A good track for experiencing the opposite and hearing the "Wow!" factor in W7 is Wonderful World, Eva Cassidy, from the "Wonderful World" album. It's not recorded well, you can hear a piece of equipment buzzing during the recording (might be a live recording).

It almost sounds like a decision was made to swap the tonal/harminc richness from vocals to instruments from one OS to the other. Just a very uneducated but informed by ears guess.......

Am I too late for filemail?  If not I'd be happy to give it a listen. Having dodged the snow storm and having worked all day yesterday "tracking down witnesses" I have some time today to give it a listen. Thanks!

Thanks Coen. I think your description very well describes what I'm hearing too.

Hey Peter, am really puzzled why W7 sounds so much better here than W8. One thing I realized is that in W7 I never updated XXhighend past 9Z8d and in W8 I'm using 9Z 8-1a. Might this have something to do with it? The only other thing which might explain it is that I have spent months building and carefully installing, through trial and error, bass traps/absorption panels at reflection points (walls and ceiling--floor has heavy wall to wall carpet) and diffusors in my man-cave listening room on the 3rd floor. I mean the room has literally been tuned to my W7 version of 9Z-8d; seriously I'd put the sound I'm getting up against anything W8 puts out and W7 wins hands down. Will post some pics in the appropriate spot when I get a chance. I'd sure hate to have to start all over again on my room treatment project, but, of course, I will if it's for the better!