Based on Boleary & Arvinds findings and Peter's suggestion I did a test this evening. I tried the following:

1) Ultimate xtweaks - pa off - 15ms - core scheme 3
2) Ultimate xtweaks - pa off - 0.5ms - no core scheme
3) Ultimate xtweaks - pa on (strenght 1) - 15ms - scheme 3

In my system and my ears 3) sounds the best, then 2) and finally 1. But: it is close, very close sometimes (especially 2 and 3)
I didn't a test with ultimate off since I'm loosing this 'easy-going' and part of the emotion in the music. Note it sounds beautiful but with ultimate on is becomes more involving.
Differences I notice: in 3, less (subtle) harshness; but I like that voices come more forward like Boleary noticed. And with 2 and 3 the sound is more open compared to 1.

Hope this helps and/or gives other ideas.

Who needs to thank who?? 

Thanks Peter for solving this particular thing so fast. And now I can really enjoy 'ultimate'...

Dear all,

Any idea what could be the cause of having very loud ticks at my speakers at startup of W7 (just before the login screen appears) and just before shutdown?
(It is not the small vinyl like ticks you have sometimes in between tracks; but really loud ones)

Suggestions very welcome..

Hein

Yep, sorry,
looked only in the main x83 directory.

Learned again! 

Hi Peter,

Sorry, it took a while but here my answers.

Wait a minute ...

There are two "Wait ..." screens in order here, and actually I assumed the new one (very small one which pops up in the left hand side of the screen). But now I wonder whether you just don't mean the known one telling about to wait for Services to shut down ...

It is indeed the little (new) one on the left hand top side of the screen.


Also, your mentioned sequence about "a second small screen" doesn't seem to fit reality.

Also, by now many things can be in order. So here are a few questions (apart from the implied above) :

When you choose Use Settings for XTweaks and go to Minimized OS, does that ever work ?

Yes, this works. No waiting; only the message of the restore point and rebooting.

What actually *is* your setting subject to this topic ? (you never told it).

For the X-tweaks: 60/100/0/1/1

Do (or did) you ever see the message which tells your processor frequency ?

Never saw it..

Hein, maybe you managed to get into some sequence which was not foreseen, and now it is important to know exactly what happens when. But answering above questions is hopefully sufficient.

What I remember is:
- Go to previous version z82
- Undo 'min OS' (when installing I always want to be in normal OS state)
- reboot
- Create directory for z83a
- Copy files
- Run setup in that directory
- Start XXHighEnd z83a
- Go to the setting section and from top-to-bottom fill in my settings (which nearly always as a start use your latest settings including the ultimate now)
- Run activation and start two times again
- Go back to settings and set the scheme to scheme-3 (which is only possible after activation)
- Then pressed MinOS but had not yet pressed unattended.
- MinOS gave the result as described: the new little wait screen is there for 30-40 seconds and then... nothing
- Several restarts and retries: same results.



Last thing : When you won't be able to go into Minimized at all (but use "Use Settings" for XTweakks), please post your XX log file right after "nothing" happened.

I've 'loging' on in the settings but no log-file...(only older ones from 20 minutes to an hour ago.

Hope this helps.. (I'm not in a hurry since I've beautiful, beautiful sound and I assume that stop all services does in the end the same as min.os only it takes more time at the start of playing music since all processes have to be turned down

Kind regards & thanks for all this fantastic work!

Hein

No, sorry, tried it several times; even with restarts between them...

After installing z83a everything works fine (activation, all the settings including ultimate), except I cannot minimise OS. When I press the button a second small screen pops up which says "wait" after a minute or so the screen disappears but the OS button is still blue. I get NO error message and everything works fine afterwards)

Rebooting doesn't help. My 'stop remaining services' is on.

Anybody any idea?

Hein

Wow, Peter, what an achievement. Once again! And at such a high pace (three-four big steps in only 3 months time). Where is this gonna end?  

In my system I have the following effects: much more definition, much more quitness, more depth and more 'musicality' (more caught by the emotions in the music) and it sounds more naturual/easy going. I love the romantic piano concertos and they sound so beautiful..

One point is a bit a step back (in my system): the highs tend to be a bit sharp again. Albums from Katie Melua and Stabat Mater from Jenkins you clearly hear the "ss's" at the start of the singing. This was gone for a long time but now it is back. Anybody any idea how to soften it?

Hein

Hi Peter & Coen,

I did the following test:
-z82 with stop all services active. The sound was detailed, much black background but lacking 'body'
-z82 with 'stop all services' not active, reboot and again start up. A bit more punchy but more or less the same missing.
Then I went back to z81e and then the 'power' was there again. Just at that moment my wife passed by and she said 'hé, is it working again?'. I asked her what kind of difference she noticed and she answered: "The sound is fuller and more powerful"

Hope this helps Peter.. 

Hein

Thanks, Coen,

I'm experiencing exactly the same. From one album to the other there are big big differences. Yesterday I had a piano-concerto of Saint Saens and it sounded so boring; I switched it off.. Other albums sound superb (Buddha bar 3 and similar albums). I also have the impression that the sound is some factors weaker from time to time.
I restarted several times but the same happens.

The funny thing was I didn't suspect z82.. I was carrying around with my loudspeakers, inspecting the cables and the phasing (which is important for my amplifier) and even thought he, my speakers are maybe a bit dull; but then I saw Coen's post..

Hope this helps, Peter,

Hein

Hi Peter, and others,

I could already solve it. The 'use remote desktop' button was pressed (don't know why but it was..) and that prevented to stop all services.

And now... enjoy even further! 

Hein

Hi Stanley,

Thanks, but this is what I did. This works fine: so everything is stopped (like in previous versions); the only button remaining is the 'stop all services' and this doesn't work in my situation.
But I didn't kill any processes manually in W7, if that is what you mean?

Kind regards,

Hein

Dear all,

Does anyone has had the message with the new 09-z812 version when pushing the 'Stop ALL Services' button: "Not allowed: all of the other Services are not allowed to run first"

As far as I can see all the conditions are right: activation, W7 in min os mode and unattended.
Only difference I can find with Peter's description is that I have W7 Pro and not ultimate.

Any ideas?

Hein

Thanks, Praphan,

Looked for it, but missed it.

I just want to make everybody aware that the playback directory can have a huge effect on SQ.. Peter mentions it in his release notes but further I see not many posts about it.
This afternoon I used it for the first time. As playback directory I use a directory on a new 16Gb USB stick (5 euro..) instead of running directly from my 2 RAID spinning disks.
The effect is stunning: in my system as big as PA... (as far as you can 'measure' that with your ears). More 'black'/quiteness, a very attractive sparkling high and a deeper/more full sound.
Recommended!

Hein