dingdingdingdingdingdingdingding
I think we may have a winner here.
 

Ever since I loaded up W5 I haven't felt a need to go back and forth with V7... I've played it exclusively.  I will go back and forth eventually, but ... well, dang, maybe not.  Things are sounding really good today.  Also using basically the same settings as I used in V7.
unattended
Q1 = 0
prios player normal thread realtime
scheme 1 and scheme 3 (depending on recording, but leaning toward 1 today ... want to try 4 later)

changing qualities with scheme, Q1, thread prio
I can hear changes pretty clearly when playing with any of these.  This player is very very revealing.

PS
I may go back and listen to W3 too... something is nagging me about that.  The fact that Peter had such good luck with it and I may have been to "busy/stress" right before holidays to evaluate correctly.  yea home vacation this year... v7 vs w3 vs w5 shootout.

My machine is still running strong/smoothly and, I think, sounding great...
Course,
I don't beat my machine up like Peter does.
(I did just update windows because of the IE hole that was found and also allowed some security patches to be installed ... that's always scarey to let MS do that.  Hope SQ didn't change)

Merry Christmas all.  I'm on holiday break right now, so time to listen to the new W5.

I'm reading with interest, if not real understanding, through this thread.  But, I thought I'd chime in on the usb.  Perhaps usb standards will change and whatnot... but, the thing that threw me off usb (usb out of computer into my Stello-usb dac) is that everything I tried seem to make a difference under usb.  On the usb outs from the computer, (both laptop and the "super" computer I built heh) I could always find one that sounded better.  Having any other usb device on with the dac-usb made a difference.  Shutting off all but the one usb port feeding the stello made a difference.  Every cheap usb cable I tried sounded differently (I still hold onto my favorite one in case there's a reason to go from the FW I use now back to USB ... it is a no name silver braid type that is much better than all the other decent cables I tried) ... and don't even try cables with ferrite beads, all three I tried sounded worse than my silver braid.  I even tried optical usb with a battery supply; it did not sound very good compared to my cheap silver braid 2m one...
point is
so much variation with usb makes me feel it is fragile  ... firewire has seemed more robust.

I thought the important part was taht the OS and XXHE were on the SSD, not that the wav needed to be loaded from the SSD... in any case, you all saw my review of having the OS and XXHE on a SSD vs a fast HDD ... it was a pretty significant difference in the end, but all those files were loaded from an external firewire HDD.  So even better if I load my wavs from the SSD too?

anyway, maybe tomorrow night for W4 ... still no time to listen yet except for background... V7 playing Nutcracker Suite.

I've got some vacation time starting this weekend...and put my ears to it.  W3 is what I have felt was uneven/distortion? or it was just too good for my system hehe, but could be.  I find myself going back to V7 for a more relaxing listen/feeling.  I'll listen to W4 this weekend... could be darker would be better for me than W3.

Still kinda in a quandary about this.  I've stayed with W3 for a couple days now and went back and forth between V7 and W3 today.  Wasn't I just saying how unveiled V7 was, yet W3 seems more so.  But, have I reached the limits of my system? I feel like I hear more SSSSSSSSSibilance on things, distortion even? When I move back to V7 it sounds like I've turned down the volume, it sounds more relaxed, but veiled compared to W3. I relax more with V7... but on the other hand, W3 sounds exciting, maybe even more a window into the recording, but also a bit uneven, stuff jumping out in the upper mids? I've gone back and forth on dynamics; I don't think V7 is less dynamic, but maybe?  Lyric intelligibility is outstanding for both, but better? for W3 ... but I can play V7 louder, sometimes I think W3 hurts my ear and not of the right phase.... Q1 question?  I've stayed on 11 for W3, (0 for V7).... but there are a lot more numbers I guess I should explore...
I feel like I'm just throwing stuff out here... it's hard for me to evaluate right now for some reason. V7 more organic, greater depth of soundstage.  W3 even more see through, greater extension of upper mid highs (cymbals), but flatter soundstage... but get the feeling like my tweeters can't handle some things? or W3 not right for me. sigh... should take more time, but V7 is so comfortable and good to listen to with the music I listen to.  It has helped staying with W3 exclusively for the last few days, and I'll give it some more time, like I just need to find right Q1/scheme for it, like I feel I have for V7.
...
I really think I need to have Peter's DAC in order to evaluate this properly hehe

Tonight I've spent time with W3 exclusively, and now that I've found some settings that I can work around I'm going to listen to it for awhile before going back to V7.  Very important for me was moving the Q1 up from -2 or 0 to 11 - 13 (for now).  I'm going back and forth between scheme 3 and scheme 4.  I think what also helped was moving from split file at 700 to split file at 425 (don't know how that would help the SQ, but I think it did for me) .... If I understand it right, that would keep the splitting of even a very large single album to just one split?  Anyway, after I get myself attached to this player, that's sounding very good tonight for me, I'll try going back to V7 in a few days.  Of course I leave unticked start eng 3 during conversion... are we not audiophools?  I never understood needing things to start that fast?  or is it just my fast computer...vroom vroom ... I already have to run back to the listening seat to get there before the music starts.  If you want slow start ups, I remember slow,,, that would be my SCD-1... XXHE starts quick enough.  What I'm trying to say is, I wouldn't even have the start eng 3 during conversion feature if it messes with the SQ.  Always play unattended too. ramblerambleramble

Does even the PS3 output sacd through even hdmi?   I thought there was no way to get that SACD digital signal... If I play my SACDs through my ps3 they get downsampled through the digital optical output, I know that ... in any case my SCD-1 and SACDs lie dormant as I've played with computer audio for low these many years.... wait, guess it hasn't been that long.  Man, so much has changed though, been very exciting this last year.

Three differences that I know of now.  Used to be just (1) album playing time length, (which varies), but features have been added and they are now also not part of the evaluation. (2) limited to 100 albums listed under Library Tab, and (3) you can't set the "Processor Scheme" under settings tab (how XXHE uses a core 2 duo or quad).

hehe I don't know about SQ; I've been paid up since version D ... way back ... I don't think that's officially made that way if it's true.

Since you haven't built the FW input yet, you must be still using the FireFace?  so to listen to hirez you still had to increase the the sample rate right?  Is that something you'll have to do always? or when you feed it directly with Firewire... how low can you go? and will it have to increase like with the FireFace?

I was off 4 days and only got to listen once this whole time :/  holiday stuff and building a computer for my daughter at her mom's place... and, out of all the computers I've put together, this is the first time something wacky happened and it didn't fire up right away... had to take it apart piece by piece to see what was up ... 2 days wasted to find out I think I either didn't seat the cpu correctly or some "arctic silver" paste spilled over when trying to place the heatsink fan ... :/ bleh  anyway, just got it going tonight yea, but wasted time... Casual listening I've been lazy and haven't gone back to W3, but you're still using it over V7... I must bring myself to give it another try with different settings.

You need to send this to me for, ah hmm, evaluation.
(ya, that's the ticket)

Well yes, I do have the 2.8.98.0 drivers saved,,, I save all my drivers I use to "make" the computer... doesn't everyone? heh
But,
even if I didn't,
there's a button
(Device Manager > Sound, video and games > right click on RME Fireface 800 > properties > Driver tab)
called "Roll Back Driver"
I don't think I've ever used it for anything, but I think it would allow you to roll back to the previous driver used, windows must save somewhere, without having the old one in a file saved like some nerd might do.

I just checked mine for the FF800; says 2.898.  If you do go up and don't like it, can't you just roll it back?

I've heard I2S is a good direct link.  As for usb, I found when using it that different ports on my laptop didn't sound the same and there was one that was better than the others... so try all your ports.  I read and was going to try a usb add on card, someone felt this was better... maybe? gl