Am I missing something?

[jhmvl]

Hi,

I am following all discussions on this forum around windows builds and sound quality with a lot of interest. However, there is something that I do not really get in these discussions (and my assumption already is that that is my own "fault", being a newbie here  ).

People hear a lot of difference between the various windows versions and builds. I do not doubt that people hear that, but I wonder why. In principle I would think that Peter's software delivers a bitperfect, no distortion, signal to the DAC via USB. If the xxHE software does this then what is the impact of the operating system? Apparently it introduces distortion somewhere, depending on the streaming mode I guess, but then there must be a bit of the signal path not controlled by xxHE. If that is the case then I wonder why xxHE bothers with windows at all (after all, why create the perfect player on an imperfect platform that messes up the signal anyway depending on its version). Another concept could be to create a dedicated operating system (or let xxHE be the operating system), but that is clearly not the chosen solution. Since everybody on this forum uses a dedicated audio pc anyway windows is not needed I would think.

Anyway, as said, I don't get it completely, and it is probably because I am a newbie but some explanation would be nice (maybe there is an old thread on this that I didn't discover yet). 

Hans

[PeterSt]

Hi Hans,

All is as bit perfect as can be and/but everything matters. All electrical processes and can't be avoided (so far).

A dedicated operating system ?
a. it wouldn't matter much;
b. please go ahead with that. Haha.

The forum is full with "noise" topics. Mainly in Chatter. Digest one and find your answers in there (or the confirmation ).
Mind you, by now and long it is a given fact that all this matters. So you won't find much in there any more, except for that "we" tweak our hardware and grounding for the better. Here's a more complicated example :

Hunting for noise which actually emerges in-DAC. This tells you how no OS is going to help WHILE similar things from the OS influence anyway. But way too difficult to explain in a small post.
Anyway, XXHighEnd influences your DAC by means of the variation in noise, which in itself influences in-DAC jitter. The link I just gave also implies noise that influences jitter, but in there there's mainly dealt with something which is a distortion in itself. The isolated NOS1a solves that, but still "we" can influence its jitter.
You should not even ask me why. Not yet. Try next year.

Best regards,
Peter

[jhmvl]

Hmmm.

No intention to build my own operating system here. I did that when I was young. No need to go there again .

I think I understand your answer but I am left with a conceptual issue. If the operating system really doesn't matter that much then why would it be important which build you use (which is what everybody seems to be excited about)? Might as well just stick to W7 with a bunch of good tweaks than, that is stable (sort of). However, people seem to be very attached to build 10074 of W10 because it is so much better. The conclusion that the operating system doesn't matter seems to contradict that.

Just trying to understand all the excitement around W10 .

Hans

[PeterSt]

Does not matter ?!?

OK, my bad :

a. it wouldn't matter much;

Would not HELP much.
It matters a whole world ... And whatever "we" would build ourselves, same story.
And in-DAC ? (just saying) ... even worse.



Peter

[PeterSt]

Hi again Hans,

With a little bit more time :

All what happens inside of a D/A converter is super sensitive to current changes. Not sure whether to talk in micro- or nano-amperes, but something like that. Thus for example, when one cycle of a (sample) conversion has to be performed, the (necessary) current draw because of that influences the "jitter" of the D/A converter.
Of course we all try our stinkin' best to make this as good (rejective) as possible, but because it is so super sensitive there is no way to avoid it (mind you, with oscillators ("clocks") which perform natively under 100fs (femto-second) to begin with. Breath on it, and you imply jitter).

In the PC - or any processing part for that matter - adding 1 to 1 also implies current draw. This travels via "noise influence" over the interface cable (these days mostly USB) or otherwise via the backdoor - through the mains.
So if you, for example, set the SFS lower, you imply a different noise pattern hence a different influence on jitter in-DAC.

Here you have an example of how the music itself implies jitter (and how isolation helps that - but thus not all, I tell you) :

Jitter.

Regards,
Peter

[jhmvl]

I am getting this, thanks for the reply! I also understand why the choice of operating system might not be so important (although audible).

I think actually that if one takes this elaboration one step further that you could easily arrive at the conclusion that the impact of the tweaking parameters is different at different times of day because noise patterns on the mains are different at different times of day.

I almost arrive at the conclusion that the pc and the sound system need to have their own seperated power supplies and thatbthe usb connection needs to be as much isolated as possible. One could even think if a optical connection between pc and dac wouldn't be better.

Anyway, just some thoughts, don't expect anything new there   

Hans

[PeterSt]

I also understand why the choice of operating system might not be so important (although audible).

Hans, it must be my English ... The choice of Operating System is

CRUCIAL

Ok ?

Peter

[jhmvl]

Ok.