Can't say that I know. When I first installed W8 I used the driver automatically chosen by windows, but then I remembered the website and installed the W8 version it provides. I don't know if there was a difference in SQ between the two. Bert, it would be interesting to see in device manager what version you are using.

Peter, when I try your W8 settings (SFS-430, Q1-30,xQ1-20) my test track (Adele -Someone Like You -from 21, good track for testing a too dynamic harshness) the song stops about half way through. If I lower the SFS to 410 and don't change Q1 and xQ1 all works well. Am wondering what is the best procedure to determine the appropriate settings for SFS, Q1 and xQ1? Should I necessarily lower Q1 and xQ1 as I lower SFS? Just wondering.

As for the sound? Very interesting. Gonna take a while to come to conclusions!

Juan, assuming you installed the W7 shell, when you click on the start button "Renesas Electronics" should appear in your program list. This is the same for W7 too. Did you install the firmware too? Also my BIOS settings and Device manager settings are the same as my W7 version.

Hi Juan, I've been using driver: 2.1.36.0 and firmware:4.0.1.5.0.2 with power management turned off in the Renesas "program". SQ has been quite awesome here, but I never really compared versions. I used these versions on Nick's advice some time ago. Today, I've used the more recent versions for my W8 install (Just got XX going five minutes ago) and am wondering if anyone used other drivers or did any comparing. The latest driver  is for W8 so I think it has to be used but am really not sure.

For those using W8 and the Renesas driver for USB3, are you using the latest driver and Firmware? Heres a link to the drivers: http://www.station-drivers.com/page/renesas.htm

Thanks Peter!

It would be great if you guys that have made the Win 8 switch and claim its "better" would update your signatures so slow old guys have a quick reference to copy. Though, I have my doubts that anything can sound better than what's plaYING IN MY ROOM RIGHT NOW! 

Well I don't know what Paul's excuse is, but for me, who has never had a problem with activaion, I would not have thought of requesting an activation key either. Per the latest release notes:


Getting a little older, I sometimes do forget the obvious.   

Hopefully I'll be sending a request for a new key Monday or Tuesday.

So vinyl is closer to the level of speed and scale (and other traits) provided by the XXhigend combo than cd's. Nice!

Can't wait!

The "studio" looks very impressive; hope the results exceed expectations.

Well PA+ distorts at the volume levels I've become accustomed to with PA-. PA- just sounds completely "correct" when music is played at around 86-92 SPL, measured from the sweetspot. However this "correctness", including punch and livelyness, of PA- isn't "there" until you reach a certain volume level. Until you reach that "spot", PA- sounds good but not as lively or present as PA+. So I guess I'm back to PA-. Mani, next time PA- sound a bit dull, up the volume one "click" and see what happens.

Geeze, I've been listening to PA+ since last night and it does sound more "alive". This afternoon I played Eva Cassidy exclusively. I thought she'd sound best with PA- but no, she sounded more present or in the room with PA+. One way of describing the difference is that PA+ sounds like its about 1.5 db louder but its really not! For the moment I'm very much liking the PA+ sound. Dunno how long that will last.....Thanks Mani.

Okay, I'll pay better attention next time it happens, though I'm pretty sure the last activity has something to do with three or four beers and a bowl of herbal remedy.   

Occasionally, when I stop a track that is in the middle of playing, clear the playlist and select tracks from a different file, it begins to play the first new track somewhere in the middle of it. Hitting stop and then play it then starts at the beginning of the track. Again, this doesn't happen very often.

Just came in from a long drive across Pennsylvania, fired up XXHighend, qued up Cat Stevens,and started reading this thread. Non of the Stevens tracks are more than 4 or 5 minutes long. While reading Peter's reply what Paul described happened here. Felt a little creepy! Anyway,  there was no issue with PA not engaging after restarting the track. With 9Z-7-5, I had the same thing happen maybe three or four times. It was so random and infrequent that I never posted about it.