9Y-5-06 special mode

[GerardA]

Is it only me or does this sound the best ever?
Lately I was trying to get the last bit of hardness out of some female voices,
but it is Peter who managed this!
I did not expect much from all these weird experiments and after startup I only got a lot of distortion.
So put Q1 higher and now it sounds perfect.
Only first impression but they count the most for me!
Silky highs and deep basses, all I ever wanted!

Thanks Peter!

[mod: changed the topic's title because of confusement with 0.9y-6 otherwise)

[Telstar]

So put Q1 higher and now it sounds perfect.

How high? 14?

And this is with KS, right?

[GerardA]

Q1 = 11, Q2,3=18, Q3,4=0, KS, engine4, DAP,
And now back to listening!
(Not tried anything else yet)

[Telstar]

Q1 = 11, Q2,3=18, Q3,4=0, KS, engine4, DAP,
And now back to listening!
(Not tried anything else yet)

Thanks. I cant see any special mode option, though. Will try tomorrow on the dedicated pc.

[GerardA]

The special mode is shown in one of the log-files.

[manisandher]

I can get 'special mode' ...

... but it's all distorted

It's now 1:30am and I think I've found the optimum setting (for my system). Are you ready for this? It's: Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4/Q5 = 3/9/15/5/10!!!

Don't even ask how many permutations I've been through to get here...

The caveat it that with this setting, sometimes I get 'special mode'... and the requisite distortion...

BUT... sometimes I get 'normal mode'... and such, such sweet music

I'm happy... and very tired... but not too tired for just one more tune!

Ciao,
Mani.

[PeterSt]

Guys, this is crazy. I already told that it depends on the state of your PC whether you will achieve the same as before or not, and even then, you can't see it otherwise than looking in the log file. And you know what ? I already took it out.


But ...

I think I can auto-calibrate it. In the end this is necessary too, because if only a few samples are being skipped here and there, you won't notice it, but it is wrong in the mean time.
I have this a kind of working already, and when more than xx samples are skipped I receive a message about it. When the message is not there, it obviously guarantees that I'm listening to "all the samples" which is what I want.

While the latter is not about Special Mode as such, it is needed to get there automatically. So, I set myself to, say, auto-tune Q1 to just that value that allows Special Mode to jump in and next fixate it for the session.
Whether Special Mode will work at all, depends on the soundcard I think. Possibly it is so that the higher the internal buffers (latency) the better it works. I don't know that yet.

For now my advise would be : let it rest.

Funny thing is : while my tweaking by means of Q1 -which works internally totally different from what is done for Engine#3 - was a kind of surrogate to what happens compared to Engine#3, this Special Mode now again is the big secret for Engine#4. And then to think I discovered it by accident ...

Peter


PS: Mani, what you did to get there would indeed be the way to do it from a technical point of view. I tried that too but gave up within 5 minutes. In the end this is about creating a "balance" in your system. I wouldn't know how to measure *that* though, or otherwise I would be working on it.

[Telstar]

Q1 = 11, Q2,3=18, Q3,4=0, KS, engine4, DAP,
And now back to listening!
(Not tried anything else yet)

No special mode (and no desire to spend hours in testing to achieve it).
But I have to say that the horrible x-fi on my studio PC has never sounded better than with your exact settings
(but without upsampling)

[GerardA]

But I have to say that the horrible x-fi on my studio PC has never sounded better than with your exact settings

That's funny because I first used the Terratec and it sounded so good that I forgot I was using it.
Then with the Gigaworks-DAC there was not really a big difference

[manisandher]

For now my advise would be : let it rest.

Well, I for one am very, very happy to do this

... this Special Mode now again is the big secret for Engine#4...

So, I set myself to, say, auto-tune Q1 to just that value that allows Special Mode to jump in and next fixate it for the session.

This would be great... provided it works for as many cards as possible.

Mani.

PS. My Q settings add up to 42, which must be the optimum setting (for all you Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans)

[manisandher]

"The Normal Mode shows that everything should be allright, and no skips or distortions should be audible; anyway, technically all is "measured" correct.
Not so with the Special Mode, which actually denotes things are NOT RIGHT. However, it was found that just in the case this is "near the limits" things can be allright just the same, but everything "behaves" differently. Look for different sound here !"

Peter, what else can you tell us about this, without divulging too much IC? If 'special mode' is going to become another USP for XXHE (along with AP), it'd be nice to know a little more about what's happening that might be changing the sound.

Mani.

[PeterSt]

Mani, what can I say ? this will just going to be my little secret for Kernel Streaming ...

But anyway, it seems better to wait for a little commercial after it is clear that everybody can use it, which of course is different from sharing it with you out there as soon as possible, if it were only to confirm what I perceive from it. Next, it also should be (and confirmed to be) bit perfect, assuming you (all) would agree upon leaving out some samples - that causing better sound, is really a bad commercial.

It is a pretentious thing anyway, because officially it can't be done.

[han]

Pfff,

Playing with 9Y-6 with engine 4 for two days now and still flabbergastered... 

Whatever I play, vocal (men, women), instrumental, old stuff (50's, 60's), new stuff, high res (24 bit) it has never sounded as natural and smooooth..... as at this very moment!

This "analog" sound (or should I say "holy grail"?) is all about harmonics I believe and yes it's all there. I've been  , I,ve been  and

Wonderful low region, it's silky smooth in the "mid section" and clear and detailed in the highs but what surprises me the most is that all this warmth an musicality is not at all due to loss in detail and clear- and crispness.

Didn't tune the Q settings untill now, just followed the guys that experimented with that (thnx guys!), can't imagine that it could get much better but nonetheless!

Fabulous work Peter, don't understand what you do, how you do it but fabulous it is! Thanks

[Marcin_gps]

I can get 'special mode' ...

... but it's all distorted

It's now 1:30am and I think I've found the optimum setting (for my system). Are you ready for this? It's: Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4/Q5 = 3/9/15/5/10!!!

Don't even ask how many permutations I've been through to get here...

The caveat it that with this setting, sometimes I get 'special mode'... and the requisite distortion...

BUT... sometimes I get 'normal mode'... and such, such sweet music

I'm happy... and very tired... but not too tired for just one more tune!

Ciao,
Mani.

Sweet mother of all that's good and pure - pure music, no fatigue!
It's kind of annoying first if you used to listen to "digital", bu then it's vivid, detailed. I'am listening to Jacintha - Lush Life [JVC XRCD] and can't get enough. Vocals, trumpet, like I'd be live at concert.

[Tony S]

I had a chance to do some serious listening today to 9Y-6 with engine #4 and I agree with the rest on this post with their findings. Compared to engine #3, I myself noticed the mid-range really came to life, the highs at first seemed a bit rolled-off but what I realize they were more refined and had less edginess.  Everything was smoother, more dimension and musicality.  I haven't worked with too many settings but been happy with Q1 =5, Q2-3= 10 and Q3-4=0. I should have done some more listening between engine #3 and #4 with different music material but wanted to see what all the excitement was with KS and its sweet!  Thank-you Peter!

Tony