Thanks Peter, that should be no problem!

Hi Peter,

Fortunately it turned out a quite simple to resolve the bootentry issue. I discovered that the (re)naming of the OS files does not allow for spaces. This was the difference between the successful and failed bootentries. 'MyWin10-V2.vhd' works perfectly, 'MyWin10 - V2.vhd' does not.

regards, Coen

Good news, 2.06b keeps playing! I can proceed with the setup.

One more thing:

In the problematic OS I tried to make a bootentry in the OS selection list for a boot I named 'W10-14393 V2 BASE' to be able to switch between the not working version and the fresh copy of the ...Copy (the V2). I renamed the fresh copy .vhd to 'MyWin10-14393-V2' yet this combination didn't go. The RAM and BASE versions are created but the "Repair With" column was empty for the BASE entry. I could not boot into this version.
Creating this V2 entry in the fresh version works like a charm, now I can boot into (the renamed) problem OS directly.
Maybe above issue is related to the activation?

Thanks for the support!
regards, Coen

Hi Peter,


No only on the 14393. It's the only one I use. I can only start 10586, the others refuse probablye due to the infamous systemclock/OS clock mismatch. I don't bother.


Well, maybe I goofed here. I can't recall what I did exactly. Ususally I unpack both versions in the /user directory before pasting the files over the existing version. However I might have accendentally started XX from this unpackung location in stead of the .xx folder. It very well possible that I unconsiously slipped into my (very) old way of upgrading with a separate folder for the new version.

Anyway I pasted the upgrade/patch files to the old directory.


You tell me! The photos are of a copy of the version that was shipped with the OS RAM Disk (MyWin10-14393.vsd with v2.06d on it) not the one that stops. Didn'd test this one though.

Hi Peter,

I'm in the '...-Copy' unpampered version. It seems that it is on WORKGROUP. I've attatchs some (compressed) photos

FWIW I'm directly on the XXHE PC, no network involved.

Oh the Horror.

After upgrading to v2.11 I noticed that XXHE stopped playing after a while. I thought this was due to the limitations of my XX V1 PC. Because of lack of time and pure frustration I didn't do any listening with the machine for a while. Yet now trying to resolve the matter I discovered that I have lost activation somehow during the upgrade.
Well, that's my theory. This behaviour is consistent with being unactivated and under 'Minimise OS' is the marking 'Activate'.

Now performing a backup-restore procedure does not help, it still is not activated after the freshest reboot of a copy of the '...-Copy'. Neither is the other working OS (10586) activated anymore.

It appears that something got awfully wrong. I have no clue why all versions got deactivated (is that normal behaviour?) or how to make it work again.

regards, Coen

p.s. I also did a back-up and restore from an off line '...-Copy' version. Also no success.

like never possible?
 

When fiddling with the settings and ignoring the ticks (for a short time) running in KS Special mode produced the best sound I ever had. I guess we have to enjoy superb yet imperfect sound forever....

regards, Coen

While the 360 revolution is upon us I noticed an absence of attention towards the “unimportant” ethernet connection between music server and player.

Now this cable may not carry a lot or any signal while playing, it is a medium that can pick up and conduct undesirable electromagnetic signals. Hence my conjecture that the benefits or effects of the 360 shielding trick might very well apply to the ethernet cables as well.

I do not have the stuff or time to pull such an experiment off. Has anyone done experiments with different ethernet cables and or shielding (like connecting an SFTP shield one way only)?

Cheers, Coen

Maybe a new slogan would be appropriate:

‘Mach III, the best a man can get!’

Regards, Coen

FWIW my first impression:

I think that the SQ with 2.10 with Peter’s settings is quite a boost up from what I was able to archieve with 2.09. This is genuinly the best sound I’ve ever had from my system. Everything seems to be in it’s right place.

As we all know this is ‘the early’ days and who know’s what more is hidden in the settings. BIOS has not been touched.

I do want not dare compare it to pre 2.09 versions since I’ve been working on the PC-DAC setup a lot and SQ benefitted significantly from that.


Regards, Coen

Hi Mani,

You should definitely go for better matching of transformer and speaker. I had to insert Pault Spelz "Zeroformers" to get sufficient power for my 100dB+ 16 ohm baffles. These are quite versatile so I experimented a bit and learned that 6dB is a LOT of extra output especially since my "power" amp is so feeble in the first place (5ohm output tap). I was able to optimize the sound quality  by finding the best coupling.

These "Thöress" amps are very nice looking retro styled amps. I am pleased to hear they sound good too. Wich one do you have the 300B or 845? Their low sensitivity is part of the design philosophy so a preamp (that actually amplifies) is actually expected.

regards, Coen

Hi Mani,

Just to be sure: are you able to use the right transformer secondaries for the loudspeaker impedance? Between a 4 and a 16 ohms tap is a 6dB difference in output voltage level (3dB between 4-8 or 8-16).

Regards, Coen

+1 (never tried it any other way, sounds goof enough for me)


regards, Coen

Hi Mani,

Not with the setup with the XXHE PC. With my old PC removing the SC was devastating to SQ, probably because in the background the on-chip GPU took over. As I understand the XXHE PC does not have a processor with an on board GPU (Xeon).

I will try this, hopefully the monitor will have less or no influence when connected to another PC...

regards, Coen

Hi,

After a small interior-painter-audio-system-wintersleep I've got it in position again. And guess what? It sounded like total sh*t.
Anemic, foggy, sharp and lethally uninteresting.

I ran all the connections and system details, but they seemed identical to the situation before the paint job. I took foto's and all to be sure. Then I realized I had moved the monitor next to the PC since the KVM cable had some bad mouse and keyboard contacts. Of course this went along with a new power outlet.

Naturally I took a power search  screwdriver (the one with the orange neon light in it that glows on the hot pin) and voila an inconsistency: the light glowed opposite to the marking on the plug.
Flipping the plug did nothing short of spectacular good things for the sound. The life is back as are the individual instruments and their dynamics.

This is some 'detail'  to pay attention to and totally free to boot!

Now I would be lying if I said that the sound is the best I ever heard, that would take definitely a different and more capable amplifier and maybe some of Peter's new tweaks that are in the production pipeline.

regards, Coen