Well, I've got a new amp coming to adjust to.
www.moscode.com
So I say wait until I get a handle on it hehe.  Maybe other things to work on?  I had just started moving the Q1 around a bit more.  I was going to do more testing, but I still think 18 beat out -2 invert (YMMV) when I tried it before my amp blew...

OK  It's a problem with my amp/tube... I think I have to send my amp back to CAT for repair... I keep stressing one particular tube and this will be the third one I've replaced :/ This is going to be a long time with out music.  Anyway, no computer on.  One of the mono amps gave 4 loud cracks/pops before I could get to it to shut it down.  Saw sparks smelled burnt dammit.  but it's not XXHE fault on my end
oh well,
have an old Eagle 2C amp I can put in there for awhile... but it ain't very pretty on top.

Well, it's only happened once, yesterday, and I still don't know really where it came from.  It happened while a song was playing, not while pushing buttons.  I haven't heard it since.  I've been stressing the player today a bit too by changing Q1 settings and everything is very stable. (I still like my Q1 18 setting over the -2 invert i heard today... hope people don't underestimate playing with the Q1 to match their system... and no we are assured it's not equalization...don't ban me for saying that word heh.

edit
hey too, maybe it happened after i was doing some "Dac Test"s...then listening to music... i think?

I just tried .9U-2 at -2 and it works!  A couple or 4 hehe versions back this setting would lock up... have to listen around this area more.  Still like 18 though.  I don't know if I could do this with .9T or .9U-1,,, haven't tried them.

Hi
Yesterday I heard a loud crack also.  I have my vol. set to 0.  I thought maybe it was some weird electrical problem?  I do know it happened to me after playing/stopping/clearing/ many albums kinda fast for me in a row.... after the crack, i rebooted, I don't think it's happened again, but I've also been far out of the room with stuff going on.  Hmm I was thinking maybe it was my tubes. Nothing in eng3 changed from .9U1 to .9U2? What about the players influences before it disappears?

I pretty much listen exclusively using Unattended playback

Can I understand something:

If you have a 24bit/96 wav file, but your dac doesn't support 24... that you can set XXHE to 32 bit dac and it plays the file... yea?

also

I went to the Linn site and they have a lot of flac files at 24/88 would a dac that does 24/96 play these? no, right?  I mean if it did the files are being changed and not played back at the native rate...

Here's my goal... I wouldn't mind trying upsampling doubling twisting bits & pieces with XXHE ... but first and formost I want it and the dac to play back files perfectly in their native format... what ever XXHE (transport) sends to the dac I want the dac to play that without manipulation...just trying to find an audiophillic well made dac that  accepts ... well..how about these for starters (or the most important ones):

Start Audio Device Analysis Exclusive Mode support
040FFD38

   Supported : 2|16|44100|176400|4
Not supported : 2|24|44100|264600|6
Not supported : 2|32|44100|352800|8
   Supported : 2|16|48000|192000|4
Not supported : 2|24|48000|288000|6
Not supported : 2|32|48000|384000|8
Not supported : 2|16|88200|352800|4
Not supported : 2|24|88200|529200|6
Not supported : 2|32|88200|705600|8
Not supported : 2|16|96000|384000|4
Not supported : 2|24|96000|576000|6
Not supported : 2|32|96000|768000|8
Not supported : 2|16|176400|705600|4
Not supported : 2|24|176400|1058400|6
Not supported : 2|32|176400|1411200|8
Not supported : 2|16|192000|768000|4
Not supported : 2|24|192000|1152000|6
Not supported : 2|32|192000|1536000|8

Seems to me that within the immediate futures we're at least going to have some decent choices of hirez files...


Should I just get a Fireface (they should come out with an I2S output ???) I have one firewire into my lapto for the HDDs.  If I get a card with another firewire input ... would these two things get along and not collide?

Hi Pedal,
I think whether we are missing any SQ when playing back 16/44.1 wav files is up in the air.  If I remember correctly, Peter doesn't care for upsampling/doubling of 16/44.1 files ... digital volume,,,???, I think he feels you don't miss anything if not used aggressively, (mines set at 0 though; I use my analog vol). ***edit - see Peter's words above***
I'm guessing the usb on our units can only take in 16/44.1 & 16/48.  Other people talk about how they like the upsampling/doubling, there units can take that signal in, ours can't...idk.
But,
Coax input should accept more rates for April products?  I think that's what I understand?
So...
What about using something like Empirical Audio's Offramp I2S (doesn't the eximus have I2S input?; Empirical adds this input to benchmark,,, I wonder if he could do it for the Stello....), or the Offramp Turbo 2 (for spdif out) http://www.empiricalaudio.com/ These units take in usb and output I2S or spdif respectively.
This from his site too, "All will pass 16/44.1kHz, 24/96kHz, MP3 and iTunes unmodified files"... I wonder if it will pass more than that now?(site could be old?)
or
UD-10 USB Audio Converter http://www.trendsaudio.com/EN/Product/USB_Audio_desc.htm
Perhaps if we use the coax inputs, our dacs will do more.  Maybe just need to find a usb to coax (I2S?) converter that passes hirez signals...untouched hehe
I'm not so interested in upsampling/doubling as I am playing back hirez files when they become available.

This is what is on the product page of my Stello usb dac

"As a professional D/A converter, the DA100 can handle any input data up to 96 kHz/ 24 Bit as well as the normal CD standard 44.1 kHz/ 16 Bit." ... "True 24Bit Delta-Sigma DAC"  Would have been nice if they had mentioned that the usb input was incapable of that....

i was bored
I made some test rips using some familiar music
I like that it takes XXHE a few seconds to start loading in the whole single wav file, I'm sitting right before the music starts.  When the songs are multi file rips of an album they load up and play almost as soon as I press play.






...besides, I'm not going to repeat myself on such a ridiculous claim.

because they give me time to put the shakti stone back on top of the laptop and get to the listening area before the music starts...

...song titles length doesn't matter; info coming from cue file...







...and i think they may sound better overall... maybe smoother (less stop and go rips?)... or it could just be severed's shriveled old mind

So, you'll have some "hot keys" for important functions?  Will they work with play unattended?  I thought you couldn't do that because Play Unattended means only the xxhe eng is working... if hot keys work, won't you have to have player playing ... or some program playing in the background?  (imagine reading my post with a nervous facial tick happening)

I've been listening to both 9T-7 & 9U-1 on lots of different stuff and the sub bass on 9U-1 is just much better.  The sub bass 9u1 hits differently and places the waves in very distinct places/waves rather than the more laid back homogeneous/mushier to be crude 9T-7.  More live sounding now that I've been thinking and playing different stuff in the neither regions.  Much more forceful comes to mind.. in a good way.  Very precise poundings.  Really enjoying listening....but,,, but ,,,, what if I had a new "dac" along side XXHE "transport".... i wonder



k shoot me now...

Well I did jump back and forth this evening between 9T-7 and 9U-1.  I don't know how you do it... cause I thought 9T-7 was incredible... but now it sounds too laid back, not as taut, or clear not as live, as 9U-1.  I may play with the phase on my subs to see if I can move the wave back a bit to my seat... but I may not really have to.  The bass sounds so tight,, maybe not as full as 9t-7, but I still think I may be talking out of my as*.  The bass sounds incredible with 9U-1, don't get me wrong.  But if I have a question about the two players it remains there... from the upper bass on up to the highs, there is no question about 9U-1, a new standard for my lowwwlllllyy 16/44.1 nosamplingnothing playback.

As I've mentioned, I've been interested in picking up a new dac.  I have been looking at Empirical Audio offerings.  I sent him the email below.

"
Audio Asylum Email from Dave Robinson:

Hi
I have a question about your Spoiler usb-dac (or any of your other dacs).

I've only been listening to my 16/44.1 wav files.  But I'm curious about 24
or 32/96 files and how that is handled by vista > usb out > usb-dac.

You may have read that I'm enamored with XXHighend, and he has a built in test
that checks what rates are supported by the dac and which aren't.  At the
moment my Stello DA100 usb-dac only supports the following USING USB...(it
supports higher using coax input).

Start Audio Device Analysis Exclusive Mode support
040FFD38

   Supported : 2|16|44100|176400|4
Not supported : 2|24|44100|264600|6
Not supported : 2|32|44100|352800|8
   Supported : 2|16|48000|192000|4
Not supported : 2|24|48000|288000|6
Not supported : 2|32|48000|384000|8
Not supported : 2|16|88200|352800|4
Not supported : 2|24|88200|529200|6
Not supported : 2|32|88200|705600|8
Not supported : 2|16|96000|384000|4
Not supported : 2|24|96000|576000|6
Not supported : 2|32|96000|768000|8
Not supported : 2|16|176400|705600|4
Not supported : 2|24|176400|1058400|6
Not supported : 2|32|176400|1411200|8
Not supported : 2|16|192000|768000|4
Not supported : 2|24|192000|1152000|6
Not supported : 2|32|192000|1536000|8

What would your Spoiler Dac support through your USB input?
Does this require special drivers or do you use the standard MS drivers?
Are the drivers built into the dac? hehe am I making any sense?  At the
moment all my rips/collection is 16/44.1, but I am curious about the future
(Linn stuff and others).
"
Empirical Audio sent back


"
24/96 files are handled correctly by Vista providing you set 96kHz in the audio options and have a 96kHz native file or
one that is upsampled by Foobar and SRC to 96kHz.  All of my USB converters do only 24-bit.  Even native CD's are
changed to 24/44.1, making them bit-perfect with Vista.

24/96 using foobar 0.8.3 and SRC is definitely superior to 44.1 when using my USB converters.

Steve N.
http://www.empiricalaudio.com/
"

Somehow I don't think this is what I want to hear.  Dang... all I want to know is if I have a 24/96 file (or other hirez file) that it won't be resampled upsampled nothing-sampled... just played back... I mean if the dac can accept that bit/sample rate by a usb port then it doesn't matter if it's sent by foobar or XXHE... if they insist foobar does it I have a feeling it's all about the change/resample.   have to go to bed... but tomorrow, should I look into how to change "set 96kHz in the audio options" and run the test again on XXHE?(no no, i know it won't work with the stello)  I was hoping to pick up his Spoiler...but maybe I'll have to try his loan program first and see how it handles the XXHE test.

bump
Has Pedal or Terje come back in and posted Audio Device Analysis Exclusive Mode support Test:

I haven't contacted my dealer yet, but I have to wonder if Foobar is really sending HiRez data or is Win just down sampling for the dac to accept... going through the mixer?... I highly doubt this is XXHE fault.  I just think my Stello doesn't accept HiRez files through the usb port.... then again, I'd like to see Pedal or Terje do the Audio Device Analysis Exclusive Mode support test.

I'm about ready to get a big tax return and I'm thinking new DAC... but I need to really have the ducks lined up in a row.

Probably get faster as computers get faster... how longs it take for you?  Usually just a couple seconds for me.  My gallery is at about 2200 discs so far...