XXHighEnd Model 0.9y-7 (with Kernel Streaming Adaptive Mode)

[PeterSt]

(download is at the very bottom)

For those who are new here : do notice that Engine#3 (WASAPI, which only runs on Vista/W2008/W7) is a totally different beast for the character of the sound than Engine#4 (Kernel Streaming, which runs on XP too). Both are in the bit perfect realm, but both sound totally different and also have different capabilities to vary the SQ.

• A new Kernel Streaming "Adaptive Mode" has been developed with again another nature of sound. Its main reason of existence though is its similarity to Special Mode for ultra low latency (not *that* low, but towards 20-100 samples anyway), but in the "normal" way of working. This means that the X3PB log file will report on Buffer Errors if they are there, and thus will guarantee you to be without them (if they don't show up).
  Note : Before the Buffer Errors for Normal Mode were shown per 10, which now has been turned into per 1, and a withgoing time for your conveniency ("when did it actually happen ?").
  There is still some calibrating to do, but this can be done a. way more faster than Special Mode and b. now can also be done for sound devices with unknown buffer size.
  Please see below first picture, which is a screen copy of the Tooltip concerned (on the new combobox "KS Mode").
  
  Important : (kind of) : if you want to go back to the "feel" of the first Kernel Streaming versions (0.9y-5-00/01) which worked for some, select the highest possible latency of the sound device (first find out your sound device's latency if you don't know it, see tooltip !), and next set Q1 to 30.
  You hear the (huuuge) difference, right ?
  
  
• It was found that the AI (Anti Imaging) Upsampling Mode consumed too much memory. This has been solved now. Notice though that currently it may actually consume too "few" memory, implying that the Split File size parametere (Settings Area) can be higher than you are used to, hence it is not 100% consistent with the "no AI" setting. This will be solved in a future version.
  
  
• The "96Khz / 192KHz only" parameter (Settings Area) as introduced in 0.9y-6, appeared to wrongly calculate the track lengths, causing each track to finish playback somewhat before the end. This has been solved now.
  Notice that the current means of working (of AI in general !!) really incurs for Unattended Playback, or otherwise no Gapless will be achieved.
  
  
• For Attended Playback the Wallpaper Coverart did not show for the first track playing. Solved.
  
  
• As per an OS setting, the Font Size can be set to 125% or 150% of the normal size (btw, 125% being called "normal" by the OS) (see Configuration Panel, Monitor). So far, XXHighEnd never incorporated this feature (unintendedly), therewith making a mess of the screen at settings other than 100%. Now, all has been made adaptive to that. See below second picture for an example of it. Notice this shows at the real 125% size.
  
  At switching from one Font Size to the other (which requires a reboot), the first startup of XXHighEnd will show a wrongly organized screen. In order to reset that to normal workable proportions, the "Set" button in the Presets section of the Settings Area is available (again, see second picture below).
  (the Presets section will contain real presets in a future version).
  
  
• When an attempt was made to use the Normalized Volume (tick the Use checkbox in the Normalized Volume section (Settings Area)) while no "Reference Album" had been denoted, an error followed about a decimal being too large. Solved.
  
  
• In the Data Locations section (Settings Area) a new field "Intermediate Files Folder" has been added; When not filled, the current XX folder will be used for it (without real penalties, because it always was used for that so far). But :
  It was noticed that when intermediate files - meaning music files - were copied to the XX folder, that folder usually being on the OS drive, *and* that drive being a Solid State Disk (SSD), a. this can be very slow at writing and b. it will wear out the SSD (yes, they wear !). For this reason, the Intermediate Files Folder can be pointed to a normal HDD's folder (just pick one of your music disks, but a FAST internal one).
  At this moment this is used only for the intermediate files used for calculating the Normalized Volume, and this in the case the album concerned has to be converted first in order to read the PCM data (from FLAC, MP3, etc.).
  
  
• For KS Special Mode an attempt has been made to let a Digital Volume Change go without a stall of sound in general;
  Besides that, a bug was found that definitely stalled the sound (krrrrrr sound) when a new track (part) was about to load. This bug has been solved, and changing the volume should not be a problem anymore.
  A same kind of problem was there at changing the Absolute Phase during playback. Also solved.
  
  
• For KS Special Mode, the caption on the Q1 slider now (like the Tooltip on the slider button) also shows the latency in samples.
  
  

The usual repeat from earlier Release Notes :

Very important : Only when AutoHotkey has been installed, and is at least working to the extend XXHighEnd can be startup with a hotkey (default is Alt-X), it is allowed to tick the checkbox "Stop Services" in the Settings Area, and use Unattended Playback mode (checkbox at the bottom of the main screen). For AutoHotkey See AutoHotkey Install. When this is not done, hence XXHighEnd can not be brought up with a hotkey, at Unattended Payback - no desktop icons will be visible, no Taskbar will be there, no Startbutton will be around ... nothing. You might, however, may be able to use the "Windows" key which will bring up the Start Menu and find something in there to find your ways again. So, be careful, or maybe you will not be able to do anything, except for listening out the playlist concerned, and wait until that finishes and XXHighEnd will popup automatically, which by itself will bring back everything.
A reboot is a solution as well.

This all sounds more dangerously than it really is, and with the hotkeys available there is really nothing to fear.
And remember the objective : better Sound Quality.