You might need to think about it the other way. Your USB controller on the motherboard might have failed. This prevented XXHighEnd from accessing the drive and the program crashed. You still can't use any USB devices because the controller is still bad. Do you connect the drive and devices to a front USB port on the computer? I have read that some of these are not grounded very well and with dry winter weather (at least where I live) you can get static electricity problems when you go to plug in a USB device.

Anything to report yet on the Cantatis Overture?

I have found that I like Windows 7 the best and feel it is the most intuitive. Regarding the button issue, are you talking about shortcuts pinned to the taskbar? If you right click the Internet Explorer icon in the taskbar and click Internet Explorer it will open another session. I like it that the taskbar shortcuts become session icons when the program is running and only open new sessions if you want them to. This takes up less space in the taskbar and I am more likely to want to return to a current browser session than to open a new one. Some more info on the taskbar can be found here.

When in Jukebox you press Ctrl+A to select all files. Then right click and select Library Tools > Convert Format. Click Options to choose format and whether to delete original files. Now click start. With the paid version, J. River Media Center 14 (you get a 30 day free trial), you get some more advanced options and you can set how many files you want to convert simultaneously. This way you can max out all threads on a multi-core processor.

I just download Jukebox and it took about two minutes to download and install. It took another 1 minute 15 seconds to import 4072 songs. To get ready to convert all of them to FLAC took an additional 15 seconds.

You can, however, wait for this feature to be available in xxhighend. 

I also wish xxhighend supported ape. However, I would rather have development time spent on audio quality. You can easily convert ape and ogg with J. River Media Jukebox. It is free and is developed by the same person (Matt Ashland) that made the ape format. You can save or delete the original files. You can also use it to rearrange your file and folder structure including the way you name the files.

Yes, drivers were released on October 22, 2009 for Windows 7.

The HT Omega Claro Halo is another card to consider. The Claro Halo XT adds a 6 channel board with RCA jacks for a 7.1 channel solution.

Chipset: C-Media Oxygen HD CMI8788 Audio Processor
DAC: 24-bit/192kHz AK4396VF
SNR: 120dB (2Ch Analog Out)
Swappable OPAMP sockets



Edit:  I just found out from HT Omega that this card resamples 88.2 and 176.4 to either 96 or 192 kHz. 

I did not realize that until you mentioned it so I checked the manual and you are correct. I'm still not sure whether the card always resamples to its set sample rate if one is use WASAPI exclusive mode. Also, they are supposed to be releasing drivers that allow for automatic sample rate adjustment. In other words, it always will use the sample rate that you send it by changing its set sample rate. I'll have to wait and see if this supports 88.2 and 176.4.

I definitely feel that Peter's upsampling and arc prediction are what makes the new version sound so great and I want to be able to use it. If I used 4x upsampling with 44.1 material, the card would accept the 176.4 and then resample to 196 kHz. This might still sound better than listening at 44.1. It also might not be a noticeable difference from listening to 176.4. The 4x Arc Prediction upsampling might have improved things to such a degree that the final resampling from 176.4 to 196 kHz won't impact the sound quality.

Fidelio, you mention in another thread that you have a very quiet PC power supply. What power supply are you using?

Because I want a multichannel solution, I plan to get the Asus Essence ST with the H6 DAC expansion board. All the opamps are swappable and I already have a 1ppm TCXO to install when I get the card. This card has its own Molex power connector for the audio output section.



Here is the card modded with Burson Opamps:

I came across an article yesterday called Do I Need 32-Phase Power On My Motherboard?? It mentions two things of relevance to audio. First, more phases result in a lower noise power supply. Second, 2 oz of copper on the motherboard (like the Gigabyte motherboards) will "will dissipate more heat and lead to lower electrical noise."

I purchased some ERS cloth a few years ago after it was recommended in a thread a head-fi.org. However, it disappeared (I think it was thrown away by my mother-in-law) before I ever installed it. I might purchase some more for my new computer build.

Regarding motherboards and power phases, I have wondered how the power phases effect sound quality. I sent an e-mail to Anand at anandtech.com inquiring about the power delivery circuits in motherboards. Here is what I wrote:  "I enjoyed reading your article today on the new processors and P55 motherboards. I also read your recent article called, “How Much Does it Cost to Build a P55 Motherboard?” One of the main things that set the various motherboards apart was their power delivery circuits. It would be nice to have an article about a motherboard’s power delivery circuit, how they vary, benefits of more phases, and how these circuits affect sound quality in an audiophile HTPC. Thanks." I didn't get a reply, but maybe he is working on the article. 

I have been researching PC power supplies and found that the Corsair HX850 and the Antec Signature 850 have the lowest ripple and are among the most efficient power supplies, even at lower power usage. They are also almost silent - especially when providing the lower amount of watts needed for a typical HTPC.

I am also planning to purchase the Asus Essence ST soundcard as soon as it is released in the U.S. It has an EMI/RFI shield over the analog section and a "copper “faraday” barrier that isolates the power conditioning circuitry from the sensitive analog amplifications circuits." Furthermore, the analog section has its own molex power connector for receiving power directly from the power supply without any noise being introduced by the motherboard, etc.

I talked to Gary Dodd of Dodd Audio at RMAF. He is one of the leading edge designers of battery powered tube preamps and tube amplifiers. He said he could build a lithium ion power supply for the Essence ST soundcard that would have no noise whatsoever. I haven't talked to him since, but when I get the card, I may consider going that route.

In anticipation of the Essence ST, I have already purchased some opamps to replace the stock units. I have also purchased a 1ppm TCXO to replace the stock clock on the soundcard.