XXHighEnd

May 25, 2016 (last edited June 9, 2016)

This first post has been rewritten so it is clear right from the start what this is all about. Regarding this aspect, please notice that the first responses only had for context the second picture below, and no text at all.

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(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd PC Mach2-02c.JPG) High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS 02 (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd PC Mach2-02b.JPG)

The Phasure Mach II Stealth LPS is an all passively cooled Audio PC with 10 core (20 core hyperthreaded) processor and which houses a Linear Power Supply. All in a case of only 10cm / 4" of height (that includes the footers). It is 43,5cm / 17.5" wide and 35cm / 14" deep.
24 core and 28 core is OK just the same, but the 24 core requires the (~16dBA) inaudibe CPU fan to run.

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach2 LPS 01a.JPG) High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS 01 (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach2 LPS 01.JPG)

Behind the nicely machined bracket for the power inlet (115/230V switchable) and power switch there's a transformer and Linear Power Supply, delicately tuned for the best Sound Quality possible today.
This new Mach II Stealth LPS should be able to set the audio standard for the upcoming years;

The LPS is the result of the on-going expertise and motivation of us all and say that I have been there to finish it off with now 10 years of quite explicit "audio building" experience. This resulted in something which is well beyond a "XXHighEnd PC" as all this expertise is now packed into one small box, previously thought to be impossible.
Besides that, and of course is has been the sheer objective, this "box" changes the sound so drastically that it is once again beyond belief how it can happen.

There are no large heat sinks part of the case - there is no forced air cooling, there is nothing getting hot and there is a 20 core processor.
Minimum !

Like the first edition of the XXHighEnd PC, this one can be heavily underclocked in combination with the XXHighEnd software. And, although it has not been explored for SQ, the Mach II LPS can run at a ridiculously low 120MHz, which is too low to operate really (all is not responsive enough). For that reason XXHighEnd 2.06+ contains a "boost" feature which kicks in when needed (like with volume change), while after the operation of concern the pre-set playback frequency is automatically re-engaged.
And oh, I am also very proud and thankful that I got ASRock as far as adjusting the BIOS especially for Phasure. :blush1:

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Specifications

Xeon processor, minimum 10 Core (minimum 20 Core Hyperthreaded) .

ASRock X99M Motherboard.

No running fans anywhere;
For unknown "emergency" situations a CPU Cooling fan can be switched on by means of an external switch (this just in case with the notice that we could not find such a situation) . This fan is completely silent (13dBA or so) and it will draw the heat from the case's internals as well.
When the fan is running, a led now will show so. We also added a thermal safety switch, which switches on the fan+led when the cpu cooler becomes 60C (140F); the fan then runs for maybe 60 seconds (this is estimated) and will have cooled all to 45C (113F) and then switches off again.
Side note : The real conditions could not be tested because there is no way to get the lot so warm that the fan kicks in. Of course all was tested, but in an oven.
The (white) led is assembled in the side of the case and is fairly bright. It is the idea that it will be visible when the fan is running because you can't hear it by any means. Still it could influence SQ so for this reason it is good to see it. Keep in mind though that the fan will never kick in in the first place. But what would we think when for safety it could be running while there would be no means to check it; we'd be restless. I thought that the extra 60 euros for this, is justified.

Without the emergency cooling fan running, the Internal case temperature is between 40C and 45C (104F and 113F), with the hottest component (outside the CPU) being 50C (122F). This is at an ambient temperature of ~24C (75F) and further normal operating conditions.
The heat generating components are rated at 170C (338F) at least, while the advised continuous max temperature of the CPU is 70C (158F).  In the Mach II environment, the CPU is ~59C (138F) max, during continuous playback of several hours (32 bit / 705.6 KHz, never interrupted).
When idle, the cpu is 54C (129F) or a bit less.

A hot-swap 2.5" drive bay is provided for the Operating System SSD, which is also provided (240GB) and pre-installed with the OS RAM Disk Operating Systems (for free for those who obtained the RAM OS Disk already - otherwise 200 euros extra).
Of course the SSD can be removed after the OS of choice has been booted into RAM.

The RAM OS SSD serves 14GB of "disk space" within the 32GB of provided internal Memory (this "disk space" is 5GB more than the standard RAM OS Disk).

A DVD drive is provided for the rare occasion it is needed.

Two LAN ports come to your convenience, so now the route to the WiFi access point (etc.) can exist in parallel to a NAS (while protected from the Interet).

There's one PS2 port for a shared Keyboard and Mouse connection (Y connector not provided, nor are keyboard, mouse and monitor).

There are USB2 and USB3 ports all over the place as well as a pile of SATAIII connectors and even Thunderbolt, but you won't need those.

The video card again comes with HDMI, DVI and VGA connector.
For again a vastly better SQ (this is serious), the video card can be taken out, so all will be "headless" and controlled by means of RDC. Notice that the multi-boot SSD can be controlled by XXHighEnd and that the boot of choice - and also shutdown can be controlled over RDC.

With no video card assembled during normal operation and with the RAM OS Disk (SSD) removed after booting, the power consumption is 30 Watts during (32/705600) playback.

It is assumed that you have a valid License for Windows 10 (Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 is also fine) with the clear notice that no Windows license is part of the standard package.
If you don't have a valid License or you are not sure about it, ~130 euros must be added to the price and a License will be provided.

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Controlled environment

It will be obvious that this is not any normally "put together" PC as all would be too hot and no Linear Power Supply would be in there (by miles). Therefore it is to be noted that this PC can operate like it does (in sustained fashion !) because of the carefully selected components which closely co-operate and which all has been tested extensively. It is thus not so that, for example, the PC can be bought without its dedicated power supply, that it can be shipped with 16TB of harddisk inside (which btw sure would fit), that it can be shipped with a random untested processor, or that the Linear Power Supply can be provided as a separate unit;
Instead, it is a dedicated machine purely made for the best audio possible as how Phasure could create it.

This PC is to be used as an Audio Processor only - the music stored on the LAN somewhere (in another PC or NAS etc.). The PC is thus not meant to directly attach storage to via e.g. USB, or assemble that storage internally (via SATA). It is tested in empty condition, though with OS Disk (SSD) inserted (might you think this is more convenient to let it in always). Of course it has been tested with the Video card assembled, although the advice is thus to remove that for better SQ.

The PC has been tested and is guarandeed to sustain its capabilities regarding speed and temperature control for continuous playback and being idle - all under control of XXHighEnd - with an ambient temperature of 25C (77F) and with RAM OS Disk (SSD) and Video card in. This also incorporated stress testing for a reasonable period of time, under extreme non-controlled conditions, like operating at maximum processor speed for 10 minutes. This is without the readily assembled CPU cooling fan, which thus can be switched on when necessary.
The fact that this testing has been done with an ambient of 25C (77F) does not tell that all will break at a higher ambient, but because this has not been tested it can not be guaranteed. With CPU fan all will be OK always (say up to an ambient of 40C (104F) - but hey ...).

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Pricing (ex VAT if liable to VAT, and shipping)

Edit January 1, 2017 : The price of each of the versions below had to increase with 150 euros. Also see here (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3621.msg40413#msg40413). This 150 is already incorporated in the prices you see below.
Edit October, 2017 : Price has to increase again (with 50 euros) because of by now crazy memory prices. This is again already incorporated in the prices below.


(pricing is subject to supplier pricing, obviously, which in the end also depends on euro - USD currency rates; with euro 1000+ costing processors this can wildly change in (near) future).

Price with 20 core Hyperthreaded 2.4GHz Xeon 2640v4 processor : 2510 euros.
This has been extensively tested/tuned for the best Sound Quality.

Price with 20 core Hyperthreaded 2.2GHz Xeon 2630v4 processor : 2260 euros.
After several days of listening it was decided that the 2630v4 is not the way to go really.
Re: Mach II XXHighEnd PC with Linear Power Supply (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3621.msg38855#msg38855).

Price with 24 core Hyperthreaded 2.2GHz Xeon 2650v4 processor : 2710 euros.
Edit June 9, 2016 : By now this processor has been extensively tested and it sounds better than the 2640v4. This can be explained by means of the presence of the aditional cores, which theoretically help SQ. To this regard, notice that this was tested with the due XXHighEnd 2.06 which supports 28 cores.
Downside : Apart from a more powerful Linear Power Supply (which was developed meanwhile), this needs the CPU fan to run. Without that it is ~9 minutes without fan followed by 90 seconds with fan, then again 9 minutes without, and so on (this goes automatically). So this is no way to go and the fan has to be on permanently.
Please notice that the fan is not PWM controlled (would be bad for SQ otherwise) and that the totally inaudible fan maintains the CPU temperature at 32C / 90F max, during playback. So really no problem at all.
Lastly, the SQ observation has been done with continuously running fan. This with the notice that I myself never heard a difference between with and without fan (consumes less than 0.5W), contrary to with and without video card (may consume 19W). So in my view really good to go.

Price with 28 core Hyperthreaded 2.0GHz Xeon 2660v4 processor : 3010 euros.
Edit Sept. 2016 : This processor now has been tested too and found to be very OK; contrary to the 2650, the 2660 does not require the CPU fan to run (it may switch on during more severe tasks the PC needs to process, but not during normal Audio playing).

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Benefit of more processor cores : the more cores the less the audio processes "can" be interrupted by other processes in the PC (Operating System) which benefits SQ (largely).
Besides that, each core will load a track in parallel to other tracks, thus an e.g. 24 core processor will load an album of 24 tracks in the time of one track (about 1 second).

When you do not pocess the RAM OS Disk, 200 euros will be charged for that (the SSD will have 5 pre-installed Operating Systems, of which 4 can be booted from RAM - W10 10074, 10565 (edit Sept. 2016) 14393.0 and 10586.0 plus W8).
When you don't have an XXHighEnd License for your Household, 72 euros adds to the price.

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Availability

Today ! However, each PC is build to order (first come first serve as always). Processor lead time can be immediate but can also be 2 weeks and far more at times (depending on supplier stock and/or world wide availability).

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:wacko:
Peter

Hi Peter,
That looks really nice! So the new LPS fits in a case like that.

One remark though, I tried a low profile in the past, but got noise issues with the CPU fan. It was to close to the top part of the case and made to much noise blowing through vent opening. More space between top vent opening and fan was needed.

Regards, Arjan

Fan ? what fan ? ...


:whistle:

Is it let's build some hardware month  ;) promising it looks

Great  :)

And it has an Esata connection at the rear ? Wonderful :) I am eager to read about the specs (CPU, amount of RAM, etc...) :)

 :evil:

Alain

Start guessing?

Regards

Peter, do you still use an Asrock mobo with the same CPU ? I do not see any PCIe card for USB ?

Alain

At first I thought those two vases in the background were two DHTs poking up out of the case ala Modwright, etc. :)  Peter, if you built a "DHT-PC", you'd be guaranteed to sell a ton of them... it doesn't matter what (if anything) the DHTs would do...

Hi,

the computer casing/chassis is a Silverstone ML04.

Motherboard is an Asrock X99M Extreme4 with a LGA2011 v3 socket for a XEON CPU, and 16GB DDR4 RAM chips, I bet.
Same mobo type which Michael uses.

Joachim

Alain, like I told elsewhere, the Silverstone doesn't sound right any more with the Linear Power Supply.
But it can be in there all right.

Peter

Don't pin me down on such expressions which may even come across as statements. I have a whole new world to learn;
I regularly run into tracks where I hear things which make me say WHAT ? and next this sizzles after burning in my head of what is actually happening or broken or what. An example which hopefully speaks :

A few occasions I heard the feedback of a microphone in a loudspeaker which I never heard before. You know what I mean ? This is most often used by electric guitar players to create over tones and it even more will happen accidentally. So come too close with the pickup (which is microphone) of the guitar to the speaker playing that guitar and you have that sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luURyH9fzhk
(just watch it out for the whole 4 minutes)
Want some goose bumps ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOsgv_X_cV8
(this is the song the guy mentions in the first video)

If I listen to a track which I regularly listen to and suddenly I hear such a blast of "overtone" then it seriously feels that something is broken. It just seems to much of something which did not occur at all, earlier on.

Peter

I did not mention any specific PCIe card... The Silverstome already sounds too extreme to me, so I am using my sotm PCIe card that was stored in a drawer. It allows me to use my linear power supply to inject clean power to the Intona... For the moment...

Alain

About the processor. I see that Michael is using a Xeon CPU. Maybe low wattage so it can be fanless? But still 8 cores?
Not sure but I would say that a e.g. 5930K CPU (140w) cannot be used fanless, unless we can be for sure it always run at low speeds.
What I remember is that Peter did stress tests at full CPU speeds for the LPS. To me that seems impossible with a 140w CPU and fanless....
I think the Noctua cooler is not that good. I could be wrong.

Arjan

Interesting (the 2 videos) :)

Alain

Peter, does it affect the way voices are rendered ?

Alain

Hi,

Peter installed in his "last batch" a XEON E5-2620 v2 CPU, and the SQ should be superior to the 3930K he wrote.

Looking to the XXH "lamps" all cores are engaged only then, when in "unattended mode" the "Flac" tracks are convert to "Wave" and transfered into RAM. The rest of the time ..... , or I'm using other processes within XXH, such handling the Gallery etc.

Joachim

I am quite sure that fanless will not work in my (Australian) environment even when the cpu is throttled down.  That is unless you can get a pile of heat-pipes from the cpu to a big heatsink stuck to the side of the case...which is unobtainable for LGA2011 as far as I can see...the ones that are available are for use with case fans rather than cpu fans so do not really save anything in regards to fans.

I will probably make my own passive cooling setup for this reason with some generic heatpipes, some lumps of copper and a custom PC case.

I was wondering if using the principle that Peter did with the Phasure PC (voltage controlled), that could be externally powered (LPSU or else). That should not induce noise, unless it spits back in the mains.

I am also concerned about not having functional fans, at least for the CPU...

Alain

Hi Joachim,
I missed that about the Xeon CPU in the last batch. So for this X99 socket 2011-3 it could be the new Xeon E5 2620 v4... just 85 watt and a lot of cores.
Arjan

Alain,

This is too difficult to answer because obviously that is a Yes. All changes do.

Totally unrelated to your problem, but still in the same realm :

I discovered yesterday that I couldn't listen to Tina Turner any more because she sings (and probably talks) so ugly. I noticed it with others too, but they are not really familiar to me anyway. To me this is a really new effect suddenly, where one really can speak of (I suppose !) better rendering as such. Here a small example of Private Dancer (close to 8 minute version) which shows really beautiful music (or a good recording), which I shut off half way because of the ugly singing (notice the by me ugly made words) :

All the meahn cohme in thease plaeces
And the meahn are all the saime
You don't look at their faices
And you don't ask their naimes
You don't think of them as humeahn
You don't think of them at aoll
You keep your mind on the maoney
Keeping your eyes on the waoll

I do this from the top of my head now, but something like that.
Prior to this new "stage" (and say since the B'ASS) I started to notice, how no matter what a black person can be recognized (most may say "easy !" but I don't think this counts for all black people so easily).
But just think : do you think that Tina Turner is unbearable for singing literally ugly ? ... probably you don't even know what I am talking about ...

But as said, a different rendering than something which can make a woman voice sound nasty.

Peter

Hey Peter, everyone knows how difficult it is to communicate between different languages. Just to let you know, your use of the phrase *** will most likely offend quite a few people. It's always difficult finding the best expression...

But I agree, it's so easy to identify the 'lush' voice of a 'person of colour'... compared to the thin anaemic voices from you 'whities'  :prankster:

Mani.

That is because it was never written.

There seems to be more which is "stated" by some(one) but which is only wild guessing.

Guys, please be careful and don't try this at home (or you will fry something). I think I said elsewhere that the BIOS was even changed especially for Phasure (maybe I did not write that and possibly I planned that for later, but anyway it is true).

Btw, if I claim that something works, you can bet that it works. ... HERE. But this is exactly how no "lies" (between quotes) should be spread, because people may try to copy it and next throw out of the window a $1000.

Hey, of course I am challenging and teasing a little by means of not saying anything really. So I can understand. But ...  :)

Peter

Thank you Mani. I really thought it over and "rephrased" deliberately myself in the next sentence. But I guess that's not sufficient.
I changed it. At this moment you are the only person using the word. :) :)
(just rephrase with *** I'd say).

Regards and thanks,
Peter

Hi Peter,
Your warning is clear, I will stop guessing. But this MachII is a real teaser and still a black box for us..... But with a lot of promises!
Regards

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd PC Mach2-02c.JPG) High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS 02 (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd PC Mach2-02b.JPG)

WOW....  :blob8: Quanta costa

Very nice Peter,

This is going to look great with my amps one day  ;)

I was just thinking (at preparing the next post for this topic) ...

Actually all of my "expertise" comes together in this new PC;

My actual job is (and always has been) some kind of "performance specialist". You can see it by things like me (with my company) bringing the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software to the PC platform (back in 1987), or -more close by - squeezing out 384KHz from a Juli@ interface (or having the first 384KHz DAC in general), being the first with a 786KHz DAC and of course the whole lot around Minimized OS and a virtual 0% of CPU usage during 32/768KHz playback. Blahblah.

In this PC some more of that all comes together.

Peter

Edit, May 26, 2016 :
Watch out : This post has been the base for the text which is now in the first post of this topic. This first post is kept actual like for prices or functionality, while the post over here is not !

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(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd PC Mach2-02c.JPG) High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS 02 (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd PC Mach2-02b.JPG)

The Phasure Mach II Stealth LPS is an all passively cooled Audio PC with 10 core (20 core hyperthreaded) or more processor and which houses a Linear Power Supply. All in a case of only 10cm / 4" of height (that includes the footers). It is 43,5cm / 17.5" wide and 35cm / 14" deep.

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach2 LPS 01a.JPG) High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS 01 (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach2 LPS 01.JPG)

Behind the nicely machined bracket for the power inlet (115/230V switchable) and power switch there's a transformer and Linear Power Supply, delicately tuned for the best Sound Quality possible today.
This new Mach II Stealth LPS should be able to set the audio standard for the upcoming years;

The LPS is the result of the on-going expertise and motivation of us all and say that I have been there to finish it off with now 10 years of quite explicit "audio building" experience. This resulted in something which is well beyond a "XXHighEnd PC" as all this expertise is now packed into one small box, previously thought to be impossible.
Besides that, and of course is has been the sheer objective, this "box" changes the sound so drastically that it is once again beyond belief how it can happen.

There are no large heat sinks part of the case - there is no forced air cooling, there is nothing getting hot and there is a 20 core processor.
Minimum !

Like the first edition of the XXHighEnd PC, this one can be heavily underclocked in combination with the XXHighEnd software. And, although it has not been explored for SQ, the Mach II LPS can run at a ridiculously low 120MHz, which is too low to operate really (all is not responsive enough). For that reason XXHighEnd 2.06+ contains a "boost" feature which kicks in when needed (like with volume change), while after the operation of concern the pre-set playback frequency is automatically re-engaged.
And oh, I am also very proud and thankful that I got ASRock as far as adjusting the BIOS especially for Phasure. :blush1:

---

Specifications

Xeon processor, minimum 10 Core (minimum 20 Core Hyperthreaded) .

ASRock X99M Motherboard.

No running fans anywhere;
For unknown "emergency" situations a CPU Cooling fan can be switched on by means of an external switch (this just in case with the notice that we could not find such a situation) . This fan is completely silent (13dBA or so) and it will draw the heat from the case's internals as well.

Without the emergency cooling fan, the Internal case temperature is between 40C and 45C (104F and 113F), with the hottest component (outside the CPU) being 50C (122F). This is at an ambient temperature of ~24C (75F) and further normal operating conditions.
The heat generating components are rated at 170C (338F) at least, while the advised continuous max temperature of the CPU is 70C (158F).  In the Mach II environment, the CPU is ~59C (138F) max, during continuous playback of several hours (32 bit / 705.6 KHz, never interrupted).
When idle, the cpu is 54C (129F) or a bit less.

A hot-swap 2.5" drive bay is provided for the Operating System SSD, which is also provided (240GB) and pre-installed with the OS RAM Disk Operating Systems (for free for those who obtained the RAM OS Disk already - otherwise 200 euros extra).
Of course the SSD can be removed after the OS of choice has been booted into RAM.

The RAM OS SSD serves 14GB of "disk space" within the 32GB of provided internal Memory (this "disk space" is 5GB more than the standard RAM OS Disk).

A DVD drive is provided for the rare occasion it is needed.

Two LAN ports come to your convenience, so now the route to the WiFi access point (etc.) can exist in parallel to a NAS (while protected from the Interet).

There's one PS2 port for a shared Keyboard and Mouse connection (Y connector not provided, nor are keyboard, mouse and monitor).

There are USB2 and USB3 ports all over the place as well as a pile of SATAIII connectors and even Thunderbolt, but you won't need those.

The video card again comes with HDMI, DVI and VGA connector.
For again a vastly better SQ (this is serious), the video card can be taken out, so all will be "headless" and controlled by means of RDC. Notice that the multi-boot SSD can be controlled by XXHighEnd and that the boot of choice - and also shutdown can be controlled over RDC.

With no video card assembled during normal operation and with the RAM OS Disk (SSD) removed after booting, the power consumption is 30 Watts during (32/705600) playback.

It is assumed that you have a valid License for Windows 10 (Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 is also fine) with the clear notice that no Windows license is part of the standard package.
If you don't have a valid License or you are not sure about it, ~130 euros must be added to the price and a License will be provided.

---

Controlled environment

It will be obvious that this is not any normally "put together" PC as all would be too hot and no Linear Power Supply would be in there (by miles). Therefore it is to be noted that this PC can operate like it does (in sustained fashion !) because of the carefully selected components which closely co-operate and which all has been tested extensively. It is thus not so that, for example, the PC can be bought without its dedicated power supply, that it can be shipped with 16TB of harddisk inside (which btw sure would fit), that it can be shipped with a random untested processor, or that the Linear Power Supply can be provided as a separate unit;
Instead, it is a dedicated machine purely made for the best audio possible as how Phasure could create it.

This PC is to be used as an Audio Processor only - the music stored on the LAN somewhere (in another PC or NAS etc.). The PC is thus not meant to directly attach storage to via e.g. USB, or assemble that storage internally (via SATA). It is tested in empty condition, though with OS Disk (SSD) inserted (might you think this is more convenient to let it in always). Of course it has been tested with the Video card assembled, although the advice is thus to remove that for better SQ.

The PC has been tested and is guarandeed to sustain its capabilities regarding speed and temperature control for continuous playback and being idle - all under control of XXHighEnd - with an ambient temperature of 25C (77F) and with RAM OS Disk (SSD) and Video card in. This also incorporated stress testing for a reasonable period of time, under extreme non-controlled conditions, like operating at maximum processor speed for 10 minutes. This is without the readily assembled CPU cooling fan, which thus can be switched on when necessary.
The fact that this testing has been done with an ambient of 25C (77F) does not tell that all will break at a higher ambient, but because this has not been tested it can not be guaranteed. With CPU fan all will be OK always (say up to an ambient of 40C (104F) - but hey ...).

---

Pricing (ex VAT if liable to VAT, and shipping)

(pricing is subject to supplier pricing, obviously, which in the end also depends on euro - USD currency rates; with euro 1000+ costing processors this can wildly change in (near) future).

Price with 20 core Hyperthreaded 2.4GHz Xeon 2640v4 processor : 2250 euros.
This has been extensively tested/tuned for the best Sound Quality.

Price with 20 core Hyperthreaded 2.0GHz Xeon 2630v4 processor : 2000 euros.
This has not been tuned or tried for Sound Quality at all. Other parameters (heat) will be fine.

Price with 24 core Hyperthreaded 2.2GHz Xeon 2650v4 processor : 2450 euros.
This has not been tested at all, thus also not for heat parameters but most probably it will be fine. If not OK in sustained fashion, there's always the CPU fan at our service (can be switched on by means of external switch and is inaudible at ~13dBA).
For the Linear Power Supply no problems are to be expected (at all).

Price with 28 core Hyperthreaded 2.0GHz Xeon 2660v4 processor : 2750 euros.
This too has not been tested at all (same as the 2650v4 above).
For the Linear Power Supply again no problems at all are to be expected.

Benefit of more processor cores : the more cores the less the audio processes "can" be interrupted by other processes in the PC (Operating System) which benefits SQ (largely).
Besides that, each core will load a track in parallel to other tracks, thus an e.g. 24 core processor will load an album of 24 tracks in the time of one track (about 1 second).

When you do not pocess the RAM OS Disk, 200 euros will be charged for that (the SSD will have 5 pre-installed Operating Systems, of which 4 can be booted from RAM - W10 10074, 10565 and 10586.0 plus W8).
When you don't have an XXHighEnd License for your Household, 72 euros adds to the price.

---

Availability

Today ! However, each PC is build to order (first come first serve as always). Processor lead time can be immediate but can also be 2 weeks at times (depending on supplier stock).

---

:wacko:
Peter

Hi Peter,

nice design. :)

The open question is this LPS with the previous Phasure PC compatible.

I think/hope the LPS should work with the older X79 mobo too. The max TDP of the Xeon 2640v4  is 90 W, and that is a higher rate than the 80W of the Xeon E5-2620v2.

Price?

Thanx
Joachim

Peter,

If you ever consider the possibility to sell your LPSU as a standalone - no matter if it is in a wooden box, a metal box, does come bare as is with the required cables, I would certainly be interested in getting one.

Thanks.

Alain

Hi Peter,

This looks so interesting. Like many people here, I'm sure, I'd love to be able to simply go ahead and order a new Mach II without any worries. But having already invested heavily in my current audio PC, the decision to drop Euros 2k+ for a new one is difficult for me. I would do it though if there was a guarantee of better sound.

Are you happy to offer a trial period so that people could evaluate the Mach II in their own systems, with a restocking fee (plus two-way shipping costs) if they wished to return it?

Mani
(Greetings for Melbourne BTW.)

Peter, in the Eureka thread you mention the issue of PE affecting sound quality.  Did you solve it in the Mach II and if so is it by disconnecting it or some other means?  I ask as this is a significant design improvement in audio PCs.

Hi Dave,

As a matter of fact it only this morning came to my mind that I forgot to mention that as a feature. So :

There will be a switch for that which by default connects PE and which thus also can disconnect PE;
I forgot because the day that bracket in the back (for the power inlet) was finished I disconnected PE with good result, but the hole for the switch just was not there yet (it still isn't, but will be in the production machines).

Peter

Hi Peter,

I see in the specification that the internal memory is now 32Gb. Why is that? Does that mean that 16Gb is no longer enough or just anticipating for the future?

About the CPU. Do you have any thoughts about the much cheaper Xeon 2620V4 (octo) version? I know more cores will load a album faster but what about SQ?

Is the DVD player needed? I always use an external usb player if needed.

I am really interested in this MachII, but also a bit hesitating. What will it bring, it is not a DIY pc anymore and I am also awaiting the B'ass.

regards, Arjan

Hi Peter,
I assume the MachII comes with an XXHighEnd version that has the PSU dials?  Could you provide the details on what the dials are and how to use them?

Many thanks for truly being innovative and hence moving the digital sound reproduction by leaps and bounds forward. 

Cheers,
Dave

Hi Arjan,

16GB is enough but

a. the 16GB in the "old" XXHighEnd PC did not anticipate any RAM OS Disk situation;
b. the RAM OS Disks as have been provided so far anticipate everybody having 16GB in their PC (XXHighEnd PC or otherwise);
c. since this is a new dedicated PC why not put 32GB in there.

Ad c.
Do notice that the normal RAM OS Disk setup has only 3-4GB of free "disk space" and ~3GB of free memory. This means that not a whole world of HiRes material can be played from one Playlist. I know, most of us are not into HiRes all that much but we shouldn't be dictative too much, right ?
So now 5GB of "disk space" is added and the remainder of the extra 16GB is for free memory. Let all breath a little ...


SQ definitely will be better the more cores are available. Notice that the old PC with its 6/12 cores also explicitly was about that (and not at all about track loading, although of course that matters too).


No. Especially not since I actually can't get them anywhere any more at this moment. Still it can be convenient for loading drivers. I know, we can download everything these days, but still. Anyway, if I can't get them I can't get them.


True. But it also is something maybe nobody could have done "DIY" to begin with, which almost includes me. :)
By now there's also too much money involved to "play around" a bit and trial. If you don't pay attention (in this "leage") you fry a 1000+ costing processor; You don't want to know how many baby steps with IR thermometer pointed at all places at the same time, I took before it started to run for real.

I hope this was something for an answer ... :blink:

Regards,
Peter

Yes it is. Thanks Peter.

Peter, will XXHE 2.06 and the larger (32GB) RAM OS be available to people that do not get your new PC?  I ask because I do have a nice hi-res collection that contains some of my favourite music.  For example it is a p.i.t.a. to have to load half of the Max Bruch Violin Concerto (DXD) just so I can listen to it...then after that has played I load the second half.


Interesting.  I have observed this but not tested it but now you seem quite sure about it.

Hi Anthony,


Oh, I always have been, say since Minimized OS has been introduced. It is only that I myself never had the opportunity to test/listen with more than 12 cores (unlike you). It is very explicit strategy (just investigate how Core Appointment works).


Sure. By the time someone has 32GB and wants to benefit from a larger "OS Disk" he can announce himself.

Regards,
Peter

Hey Peter, maybe I missed it, but has there been any published price of the new PC and what might that be?

Yo Brian,

It was all spelled out in this post : Re: XXHighEnd PC Mach II Low Profile Stealth (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3621.msg38758#msg38758).

For better clarity I now put the same text in the first post of this topic as well (which wasn't so because I let evolve the PC graduately).
I also just changed the title of the topic, might people still think that LPS was the abbreviation of "Low Profile Stealth".  :drums:
Regards,
Peter

Don't know how I missed that!  :)

Hi Peter,
I don't know if i misunderstand you but i'm using 32GB of internal memory. I do have the Ram OS disk, but it's still not operational. Do you suggesting that the ram os will not work in mine 32 GB configuration?
I'm also using hires material.

Regards Johan

Haha Johan, no. I was suggesting to "anncounce" yourself, which you just did.
Watch your email ...

Best regards,
Peter

Peter  -  I get that a Silverstone PCIe card is not provided but is the USB port on the mobo or is it a PCIe card?  Is it USB 3 or 2?  I thought that yonks ago it was found that USB 2/3 on the mobo sounds best switched off?

Paul

Hi Peter,
Not sure if you saw my question on PSU dials in XXHighEnd for the Mach II.  I didn't mean to ask anything proprietary, I just wanted to understand if there are knobs that have been added to XXHighEnd as you indicated in an earlier post that allows you to some tuning.

Cheers,
Dave

Hi Dave,

Didn't miss it. But I thought that answering is a bit moot since you don't have a XXHighEnd 2.xx license in the first place (maybe not even 1.xx). So now ask me what al more "dials" are in 2.xx ?
haha
You can't have context to all of this - that is what I mean.
Anyway, you'll see (hopefully). And otherwise I don't elaborate on this stuff anyway. :)

Regards,
Peter

Hey there Paul,

At this moment I myself use USB3 from the MoBo. Ground (black wire) in NOS1a still disconnected. But this with the explicit notice that I have the PE not connected in the Mach II (this goes by a nice switch now).
People, don't try this at home, I should add.

Anyway, when working at this level of "low consumption" it automatically becomes the idea that better nothing should be in there, which is already because hardly anything is in there now to begin with. The switching off of USB2 and USB3 (of which we don't even know what it means electrically) is such a step, but I figured that adding the Silverstone is also such a step but in the wrong direction. :) Main point of course is : It does not sound well with it, which - I'm sure - is now only because so (really) much more is audible. Maybe I put it back in tonight and switch off the MoBo USB('s) just to have it confirmed; if it goes as last time I won't last 1 minute with it (with that only saying how "audible" it is, which btw always has explicitly been the case (but I - and almost all liked it for the better, including me)).

Something else is that yesterday, for the first time, the video card being in there did not disturb me. This is a bit tricky because it's implied by different XXHighEnd settings I applied day before yesterday (some path I didn't travel before).

I'll let know the result, if I don't forget to put it in in the first place ...
Peter

Hi Peter,

I do not understand your answer. Dave's question seems perfectly straightforward to me and it is actually something that would interest me (and perhaps others with the "correct" license as well). Anyway, if you really feel that it is top secret whether there are dials or not then that is fine of course. Personally I do not see how a simple yes or no with a short explanation can be so secret.

Hans

Hi Hans,

Did I ever explain how all in XXHighEnd works ? of course not.
No difference here.

Peter

Dear all,

I have some wonderful news :

First is that the 2630v4 somehow was registered at 2.0GHz; I am not even sure whether it has been speced like that elsewhere, or that I made the mistake in writing it down myself like that, but it practice is 2.2GHz.

With the 2640v4 rated at 2.4GHz there's now hardly a difference, except for 250 euros. :swoon:
And you know what ? I tested it by now (yesterday) and I can't perceive SQ differences with the 2640. So it really is good to go.

I also made the lot 60 euros higher in price for I think good reasons. This is the text I just added to the first post :

Edit, May 26, 2016 : When the fan is running, a led now will show so. We also added a thermal safety switch, which switches on the fan+led when the cpu cooler becomes 60C (140F); the fan then runs for maybe 60 seconds (this is estimated) and will have cooled all to 45C (113F) and then switches off again.
Side note : The real conditions could not be tested because there is no way to get the lot so warm that the fan kicks in. Of course all was tested, but in an oven.
The (white) led is assembled in the side of the case and is fairly bright. It is the idea that it will be visible when the fan is running because you can't hear it by any means. Still it could influence SQ so for this reason it is good to see it. Keep in mind though that the fan will never kick in in the first place. But what would we think when for safety it could be running while there would be no means to check it; we'd be restless.
I thought that the extra 60 euros for this, is justified.

Peter

OK Peter I have read all I need to know

I want one. :yahoo:

I'll PM you.

Fred

But as aslways ... one day of listening is not enough ...

Day before yesterday was the 5th day and I decided that it for sure it had to be the processor which disallowed me to find sound "with comfort";
I have been struggeling all over the place and not that I had really bad sound, I heard flavours all over and whatever I tried I could not get back the WOWzzz from each single minute with the 2640. I just got homesick to that.
Add to that the responsibility I'm taking here for you (the count is at 12 for sold Mach II's) and that it is always better to make a small frisbie of that 2630 then sell it to even one of you (and I have back my $$$ euros for that one).

No.

So in went the 2640 again and only THEN I knew what an outrageous difference it makes.
Before you ask : I am clueless to what the cause can be, as the 2640 and 2630 really are the same except for a 200MHz of (max) speed difference (I just re-checked the specs). This with the notice that both are set (BIOS) to 1.8GHz anyway, and that the PC really is the physical same one.

I think that this is what lured me into the first day's judgement of the SQ being the same :

Maybe you recall me talking about the Linear Power Supply and how it can exhibit a too black sound. Say too quiet. Not uninteresting but maybe dead-ish; I was able to tune the power supply (this is capacitor stuff) so that this turned out to be OK, plus - and you may recall that as well - that I found another "route" of tuning in XXHighEnd. Together, this now was creating the crisp and fresh sound and together with the B'ASS a situation that makes drop your jaw continuously.
With the 2630 this now seems all unnecessary (the crisp is there anyway) and this is exactly how it does NOT allow you to tune more back to the blackness. Somehow all sounds just less and whatever dial is used, it remains within this boundary of "less". The margin of SQ difference seems squeezed largely (some would be happy about this, but then first all must be at 100% of course).

I also told about the 4th level of B'ASS "amp" I added and that this worked now, urging for even more as it seemed.
Lastly, I tried to tell about the "energy" of the current you can feel all over (this is really strange - more later about this).
This was with the 2640 ...

Well, starting at the end, this was the first I now had to remove with the 2630. I forgot whether this was in day 2 or day 3, but I had to switch off actually both additional levels and it improved. That already got me thinking, apart from being disappointed (I already saw the switches in the B'ASS going out again).

On a side note, envision that the number of parameters really is getting outrageous and that it actually becomes impossible to attempt improving on something which is now wrong, which *was* right (the 2640). There's just infinite time involved. And I know, it could save you 250 euros for the less expensive 2630, but ...
I just did not know where to go after day 5, and went back to the 2640 on day 6 instead.

---

Really, really within the second you know that this is the thang;
All is smooth and detailed and black again. But also : with headroom all over. Suddenly no XXHighEnd dial makes it wrong. Yes, it changes sound, but wrong seems impossible.

What went out unconsciously together with the 2630, was the "energy" feeling. About this :
This is really very strange; yesterday we had a thunderstorm, and I am sure that people recognize the "energy" awareness when such a storm is bound to begin (or is there). This is what's happening with the B'ASS as well and the more level of it added, the more "energy feeling" occurs (well, this is how it comes to me). Of course we know about the phenomenon of "energizing the room". Well, if this is not that ... but I think in some other dimension.
The 2630 does not do this (I know now). This felt energy translates to felt power and when that dimension in the music lacks, something really is missing (you will learn soon).

Peter

What you see below is what we have been brewing on the last couple of days (OK a full week :secret:).

I wanted to have this ready prior to any first build for those who ordered the Mach II already.  Now they can choose to have this cool V4 case ...

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach II LPS V4 Case 01a.png)High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS V4 Case 01 (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach II LPS V4 Case 01.png)

All the hard work has been done and all the internal positioning of elements is in there as well (AutoCAD). What's left at this moment is the finalizing of the logo, the possible opening of the front door (with some goodies behind it) and the physical construction of the mounting of the PCIe expansion cards (3x) - knowing where all is to be already.

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach II LPS V4 Case 02a.png)High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS V4 Case 02 (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach II LPS V4 Case 02.png)

Looks longer than wide, but it really is square (43x43cm, ~16.5x16.5").


(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach II LPS V4 Case 03-2a.png)High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS V4 Case 03 (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/XXHighEnd Mach II LPS V4 Case 03-2.png)

So yes, you really saw that right. Cool or what ? a V4 only, but alas ...

Peter

Nice, please add it to my order  :) thank you!

That looks very cool. Put me down for that case :thanks:

Fred

Cool!!!  :goodjob:

But uhm....

How does the NOS1a fit on top of this? Maybe this on top of the NOS1a then.

 :)

Hi Peter,

I'm for this one too, with 2640.

Best regards,

Arvind

Looks really nice.
In my situation it will be NOS1a next to B'ass next to MachII.

Arjan

All,

We must be careful a bit, because this text I removed right before posting the tex about the V4 case :

This can be had for 525 euros (ex VAT) and this price anticipates single unit production.
Careful, because like with the B'ASS case, the finish is not clear yet.

I thought to better sort out that finishing method first, hoping that today I would be further with that.
But I think I can see that because I left out that text, you could think that the price is the same as with the other case. Well, if that could be true ...

So this 525 looks to be on the safe side for us, but if whatever finish costs 50 more, then it will be 575 ...

Peter

Hi Gerard - A two-folded answer :

First off, I reckoned that footers of the device on top of it have a certain thickness. This thought emerged with the idea around the cooler. This in the sense of "can be OK".

Next up was the determination of the "sticking out" height, and this appeared to be 9.5mm (0.368"). This is now a given fact.

The footers we plan ourselves are 8mm (0.32") of height. So those would be too "low" (short), when a device with them is to be placed "over" the cooler (on top of the PC).

While the thought of "could be possible" was only just that, I next reckoned that people should not stack devices like that in the first place and they merely should have separate shelves.
This is where my tinkering about this stopped and continued the design ...

Peter

I forgot to tell the height of the V4 Case.

Including footers this is 84.5mm (3.38"). Without footers it is 76.5mm (3.06").

Including the cooler and footers the height is 92.5mm (3.7").

Regards,
Peter

Ok clear  :)

Not too big of a problem.

 :)

Peter - to be honest as sound quality is my top priority I am not sure I would want to pay 525/575 for the case will it still be an option to have the silverstone case?

Cheers

Paul

Paul, Yes !!

Some want it "chique" and this one is meant for them.

Regards,
Peter

... Such a nice cabinet... And I love the cooling touch that you designed !

Alain

Hi Peter,

still an unanswered question.

Price for the LPS to be implemented in the Phasure PC MK I?

Thanx
Joachim

Hi Joachim,

I have very explicitly told that this LPS will not be sold separately. IIRC you asked the question an hour after I told so and why.

Sorry !

Best regards,
Peter

It is winter here...30 degrees celsius today...what a beautiful day!

Haha, well you were quite wrong.
So you have it 30C inside eh ? LOL
Anyway, let's see :

For the 2640 (and further controlled environment) : With 24C ambient the cpu will get to 59C. This means that with 30C ambient the CPU will be 65C (yep, it just works like that), with the notice it is allowed to be 76C (continuously).
It is only that the 65C won't happen because the (now present) Thermal Protection will kick in at 60C and start the fan (just very low rev) and in 90-100 seconds it will be at ~44C (which is where the fan stops).

So in the end you would be right. It is only that I don't believe that you have it 30C in there (but hearing about having it 10C at winters inside (is that really common ?) and I should put no money on that).

Something else is that for the 2650 (and 2660 I suppose) this won't work (it works but each 9 minutes the fan kicks in for 90 secs). So I adjusted the first post with that observation; The 2650 and beyond must work with cpu fan (inaudible), which we do not with PWM control (better for electrical noise).

Peter

Hi Peter,

sorry, never saw this info, but now I know. Thanx.

Joachim

It was about 10 degrees this morning at sunup and reached 30 before lunch...perfect day apart from a bit of wind.  Not a hot 30 degrees though because no humidity, just a beautiful comfortable day.  Mind you four days ago we had strong south-westerlies blowing cold air up from the Southern Ocean over the continent and it got to 10 degrees maximum with rain...that was a shock to the system!

Anyway, yes, I would have 30 degrees or more inside the music room very, very often from say September to May perhaps.  A wall of windows to the north with lots of natural light but little airflow, unlike the rest of the house which has wonderful airflow from every direction but the south (cold when it blows from that way).  I have had passively cooled audio computers before (i5) and they just do not work when the humidity gets up (the case goes from luke warm on a dry day to toasty on a humid day) so I am very wary of them, but perhaps they were not as underclocked as the Mach II.

The thermistor and fan is a good idea though.

So 30 degrees in the music room today? It would have been pretty close (I did not go up there) but it certainly would have been at least that had those 24 valves been glowing today.

Hey Joachim,

I can understand that you possibly got agitated by me not answering to your question on May 20 (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3621.msg38760#msg38760). But what should I do if in the post you respond to (which was from 30 minutes earlier - http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3621.msg38758#msg38758) I (thus very explicitly) say this :


Outside of this, I feel that you sure will have read that, because of your response directly to that :


So I say it can't work and that the LPS will not be sold separately and 30 minutes later this is the question. Who do you think is agitated here ?
Allow me to add, because otherwise things still may be in doubt :

You bought the old PC, thought that it could be powered with an LPS, started tweaking with that yourself (you never asked me in advance (not that you had to, but I did not know anyway)), asked me questions per email and I tried to help you, to end the communication about this with you saying that you did not tell me all there was to tell (sort of) and now it did not work. This was on May 15, the same day this topic started ...

Let me be totally clear :
When I would have thought even the slightest that the old PC could have worked with this, I would be still selling those. Because remember, I still have a few (see topic about it). So instead I throw these away ? ... apparently yes.

In the end the message in that "Controlled Environment" paragraph in the post I linked to, tells that what I did here is so special that it can only operate without catching fire and other misery, when it is in a controlled environment. This is literal. And this environment now is my own.
Maybe I should refer to your own experiment again and that it failed. Why ? not because you don't know what you are doing. But say that I prepared for this several years (throughput) and that at some stage I started to see the light. And this worked out on April 30 2016 (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=2726.msg38539#msg38539). All I needed really was a change of mind set, and work on the idea that the old PC now indeed was old enough to be called obsolete. So it went on sale on April 3 (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=3594.0). This was really the day that I finally could start thinking about something else.
So I did !

Best regards,
Peter

Hi Peter,

please read my email concerning your Reply #74

Joachim

Joachim, I just saw that my email to you from 10 minutes older than your last post, does not want to go out (with others). So keep watching your Inbox - I will try to repair ...

Peter

Hi All,

So ... what you see below is the picture of the first Stealth going out, just over a week ago.

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/Stealth Mach II LPS Front 01a.jpg) High Resolution link XXHighEnd Stealth Mach II LPS Front (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/Stealth Mach II LPS Front 01.jpg)
Switch at the right hand bottom is to turn on the cooling fan manually. Shouldn't be necessary but can be used to cool more than natural convection does, e.g. when you don't use the PC and now for even better longevity. Below you can see the (white) led for it ~1cm next to the switch.

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/Stealth Mach II LPS Switch.jpg)

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/Stealth Mach II LPS Back 01a.jpg) High Resolution link XXHighEnd Stealth Mach II LPS Back (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/Stealth Mach II LPS Back 01.jpg)
Large slider switch next to the power inlet is to cut mains Protective Earth, so it doesn't imply capacitance in the power cord when you want to play with without PE.

With some other jobs in between the lines, today the 6th of a first planned batch was going out. 2 have been shipped to new NOS1a owners so they won't know the difference anyway ;) and of two of the others we might hear something of, soon because they post here now and then.

Next batch is starting tomorrow with the knowledge that the due owners are all enjoying a vacation or are out for other reasons. :bye: So hold on for reports other than my own.

Peter

I am one of the new owners of the MachII with OS RAM drive.  I haven't been able to spend much time listening or optimizing.  I currently have a mouse, keyboard, monitor and USB drive for music hooked up to the Mach II, so again far from an optimal setup.  Prior to the Mach II I had a laptop which is my comparison point for sound quality against another computer.  I don't have a lot of comments so far, but here are a few -

- First it is a remarkable engineering job from the hardware to the software.  I will post more on this later.
- Read the directions carefully, it is all there, but easy to miss things (or maybe it is my reading comprehension).
- I originally hooked up a USB keyboard and then switched to a PS2.  The sound is better with the PS2 keyboard.  To me this gives you an idea of how sensitive the sound quality is to the computer and how with this system you can hear the difference...  Of course most of you have known this for awhile.
- I'm not great at describing sound differences, but I'll give it a shot - bigger sound stage, better clarity and definition, more natural, and a lot more bass. I think the most surprising thing is I've never heard bass sound so natural on my speakers before.  Even though I am coming from a laptop, before the NOS1a I had a great CD player and amp and all the things I mentioned are significantly better except the sound stage with the same speakers.

I plan on using creating a direct Ethernet connection from the laptop to the MachII so I can RDP in.  This way I can take out the video card, etc.

As I progress more I'll post.  Looking forward to hearing other people's thoughts.

Cheers,
Dave

Hey Dave, congratulations whith your well-thought-over purchase, and thank you for this first report.

Now wait till the day that you can detach all devices (including the SSD for the OS) with as last step the video card. You will be (should be) amazed how much *that* alone will matter. After experiencing that, you will not be able to listen for one minute with the video card in. Promise. Anyway, that relatively bad suddenly.

Best regards,
Peter

Hi All
Just wanted to chime in with some feedback. I previously had the original Phasure computer and the NOS1a using the RAM OS. I was using a music server to provide music files. Installation of this is beyond my skills so I enlisted the aid of one of my friends to set up the connection between the 2 computer.

Last week the new MachII Stealth arrived. I had my friend back and he reconfigured for the new computer (more on that later) It was playing wonderfully with even better sound than before. It always amazes me how Peter makes the impossible happen. Each time I can't believe it actually sounds more realistic and lifelike. People come to my home and they are literally stunned.

After all was set up last Sunday I decided to remove the video card as recommended. For someone with my limited computer skills this is kind of scary.

I turned the computer back on and I started getting red and blue flashing lights instead of just the cool blue. I shut it down, emailed Peter and went to work for a couple of hours.

No answer from Peter....It was Sunday and he does have a real life after all :good:

I got home saw an email from Peter saying not sure what was going on and telling me to put it back in for now.
So not wanting to be without music I put back the video card. As it was rebooting I noticed the red flashing light again and then a light flashed in my head :haha:
I never waited for the boot process to complete. Removed the video card again (Peter emailed me saying the same thing during this time) and all was well with my world :good:

Without the video card the sound was much better but I would say not as dramatically improved as with the new Stealth in the system. That improvement just on its own was fantastic. Removing the card is the icing on the cake.

I would be remiss if I did not make one comment: :reboot:
My friend had a real tough time getting it all setup and Windows 10 is the culprit. He is not certain but what he thinks happened was since I wanted as easy access as possible, he set up the server user with no password. While Windows gave no messages or warnings, it was not allowing the Stealth to see the server music files until we set up the user on the server with a password. Once he did that it saw the drive and not until then. Pretty bogus if you ask me.

That's it for now. Gotta go listen.
 One thing that never sounds boring

PETER YOU DID IT AGAIN :goodjob:

Thank you Fred.  :) :) :)

It is (sort of) quite well known that PC's which take part of the RDC communication require a password. Also, the XXHighEnd scene of PC's require a password anyways, because otherwise insufficient rights exist for various XXHE tasks.
Maybe it hasn't been dealt with the last year (or even 2), but I think the subject passed a couple of times.

Anyway you guys for sure did sort it out completely on your own, so well done ! very well done.

Best regards,
Peter

Finally home again and new PC are up and running.
Arranged with music on Lan, remote and removed the video card -min OS on ram. All done in minutes  ;)

Sound? Yes, no doubt very promising  :)
Did play about 6 hours yesterday, no serious listening as I just arrived from a very long travel (from Angola) 
Anyway, just a smal feedback to Peter that I am very happy with all, and now I need some time to listen

And give it a week for burning in !

Peter

Yes, will do.
Been listening a few hours today and it's no doubt big step forward  :)
And now with the w10 14393  :) :) :)  happy!!!
Its really a big difference!

:) :)

All,

The 2660v4 processor now has been tested too.

(http://www.stordiau.nl/xxhighend/Xeon2660v401.png)

:yes:

And for those interested : the 2660 runs a bit cooler than the 2650, with the result that the 2660 can play Audio with continuous passive cooling (video card assumed removed !).

Regards,
Peter

PS: And to the due owner : congratulations !  :)
And of course, thanks for sticking your neck out !

Wow, very impressive to see all those cores !

You're welcome Peter!

The 2660 Mach II should arrive here tomorrow. Fortunately I'll be around to receive it and should be able to set it up immediately. I'll compare it to my current audio PC (3960X, Teradak linear PSU, 3x Neutron Star mobo/USB clocks, etc) at some point, but it'd probably be best to wait a while to let the Mach II burn in - other owners (e.g. Scroobius) have reported that the burn-in process can take quite a while. As always, I'll try to give my honest impression of the sound...

Mani.

The Mach II has landed!

Very straightforward to set up - connected the monitor, mouse and keyboard first just to find the IP address via ipconfig. Once I had this it was a doddle to set the RDC up. Then removed the video card.

Peter must have been enjoying using it as it was still in MinOS! Had to go to normal OS to get my NOS1a to be recognized. But other than this, got into RAM-OS with total ease.

And the sound?

How can a PC make such a difference? I think for the first time ever I've now got 'real', deep, deep bass from my office system. Listening to Marley's 'Kaya' right now - I've always thought not the best recording, and generally lacking deep bass for a reggae album. But this just isn't the case, as I'm hearing it right now.

BIG smile on my face... :grin:

Thanks soooooo much Peter!!!

Edit: Of course, lots more thoughts about the sound over time...

Mani.

Mani,


:oops:, indeed I have (day before yesterday's listening session of 4-5 hours). I had to know how "28 cores" sound. And I must honestly say that I considered to get such a processor myself. Then I thought I was crazy enough without it ...  :)

Thank you Mani.
Peter

PS:
I see that blue led shining in your beautiful picture; this can be quite bright during sleeping office hours. :tomatoes:

On the inside of the (opened) front there's a small plate which can be shifted in front of the led. I never really tried it myself, but mine went in front of the led by some accident and I really like it better. This is not mentioned in the provided little guide (I never thought of it).

Peter

Jamming ... Playing the guitar ...

on a keyboard.

Btw, Kaya is about finished by now. Yes, try Crisis for some load of bass.

:shy:

There's one guy who looks totally out of place - doesn't have the 'cool' gene.

Mani.

Hi Mani,

But we know he is cool ;) And with all he has done and is still doing he can also be quite hot :)

You have a very cool system btw :)

Alain

Hi Alain.


Yeah, not bad for an office system, hey? I'm quite happy to experiment with different amps and speakers in this room (and probably will continue to do so going forward), but XX and the NOS1a are a permanent fixture.

My BIG dilemma right now is where to put the Mach II. I haven't tried it in my main system yet, and won't for a few more weeks. But I just know that I'll really miss it when I take it out of my office system. If this is the case, the only solution will be to order another one! Boy, running two systems starts getting very expensive. Having said that, it's just sooooo nice to be able to work with beautiful music filling the room as you do so. This is becoming almost more important to me than having a dedicated listening room...

Mani.

Hi Mani,

You certainly have good taste :) I also understand your dilemma; when I am not at home (I have been for the last 3 weeks at my girlfriend's home - her mother is in loss of autonomy), II miss my audio system a lot... Music is such an important part of my life... Having the chance to listen to music and with marvelous SQ is a gift of life for us :)

I hope that Peter knows how many smiles he triggers  :thanks:

Please keep on bringing your perceptions :)

And let the good times roll ! :)

Alain

Listening to Henryk Górecki in my office right now (trying to concentrate on work)... with my eyes full of tears... Only music can do this...

Mani.

Edit: Now listening to KLF to cheer myself up...

Congratulations mani, the new computer from Peter is a big step forward imho  :)
Have been using mine a while now and it's performing very well.
Using 10586 ram version, not sure about 14393.0 -very impressive at first..., but I spend a lot more time listening when using 10586  :)

So I just received my new Mach II PC the other day, and WOW! What an essential piece to pair with the NOS1. I would recommend anyone serious about computer audio must get the Mach II! It improves the sound on every possible level. "Detail with Musical soul and drive" I can't imagine what the up coming B'ASS might add to the increased "power" it presents,

It is also a wonderfully built and finished product that complements audio gear and doesn't look like some DIY add on or out of place desktop PC.(Makes me feel the need to finish my amps and speakers cosmetically ;) )

Just for some background, my prior audio PC had the same modded motherboard with an external clock, an external PCIe clock and USB 3 PCIe card with an external clock as Mani's LeMonster PC. It was also running a full ATX linear power supply. Peter's Mach II destroys it!

Todd

Thank you very much for that great read, Todd.


The answer to that is quite simple : you write this because you see me writing in superlatives about the B'ASS so all is a bit virtual but imaginable. However, what if I tell you that last week I would have said the same as you just did (WOW and such) about my B'ASS relative to the week prior to that. And worse, yesterday I did that again.
So true, it will be unimaginable what will happen soon, because the B'ASS is in it finalizing stage. But still some issues to solve. Also see new topic I will start soon (in Chatter).

Regards,
Peter

Front as per October 2016 (change was necessary due to inconsistencies in the base front and engravure problems because of that) :

(http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/Stealth Mach II LPS Front 02a.jpg)
High Resolution link XXHighEnd MachII LPS (http://www.stordiau.nl/XXHighEnd PC MachII/Stealth Mach II LPS Front 02.jpg)

Peter

Hello Peter,

I would like to order a 20 core Mach II PC plus ramdisk

all the best,
Leo

Leo, great !!
And yes, I noticed that you are one of the few who never got into the RAM-OS Disk yet. Now I can put that behind me, haha.

Welcome to the club of Stealths ! :)

Kind regards,
Peter

Leo,

Maybe a strange path to communicate ... but somewhere I recall that your email address changed (and I use the same one as the one you use for the forum), while you also seem not to respond to the email I sent to you on November 1. Not that you really needed to respond, but your Stealth is about ready and ...
:unsure:

Best regards,
Peter

Maybe no reaction by mail, but I did pay the bill  :)

Hi all,

Sadly I have to announce a price increase for each of the versions of 150 euros. This is because :

- The 32GB of memory at first was ~60 euros while now it is 185 (and rising);
- The Motherboard is 20 euros more expensive now (probably caused by the higher USD (against the euro) these days);
- SSD's have become 20 euros or so more expensive (they say because of production problems).
- The processors did not really drop in price.

This totals to 165 euros, but 150 price increase is OK for now.

Something else is that the life of the 240GB SSD may come to an end soon, with the notice that 480 or 512GB may be the smallest in due time and that these are 40-50 euros more expensive again.

I am sorry for the price increase (looks a bit pathetic), but this is what happens when working with (too) low margins.

Regards,
Peter

Here we are again with a price increase.


Yes, and now it is 290 euros !!
For this reason I had to increase the price again, but with 50 euros only. This is because by now the processors (all of them) dropped about 50 euros which will be related to the EUR-USD currency rate.

Yesterday we bought memory for 5 systems against this price (hey, at this moment it is not even allowed to buy more at one time), so for these 5 systems the sales price is fine (see first post in this topic with per today adjusted prices). But 3 systems (or maybe 4) are already sold ...

Thanks,
Peter