Hiface Impressions

[boleary]

Wonderful improvement over my M-Audio Audiophile USB for Spdif conversion. GerardA what once was harsh in those hi frequencies, female voices and violins is all very smooth and proper sounding.

But I still can't get Adaptive or Special mode to work. Each time I try I get a message that there are too many buffer errors. When I retry, I then get a message that, "The Device is allocated but cannot play, check dac settings". Once this message has appeared I have to restart the computer cause xx quits working. After restarting four or five times I went back to normal mode with the settings below. Normal mode, for now, is fine for getting how cr*ppy my previous spdif signal was. Damn, gotta love this sh*t.

Those messages occur with xx set for 24 bit only or 32 bit. Also with the wasapi driver, engine 3,it plays for 2 or 3 seconds and then gives a message that the buffer is too large!

So Peter, or anyone else who is sucessfully using the Hiface in Special or Adaptive mode, what settings work for you? 

[PeterSt]

Dear B.,

Let this be a not so much serious post with an undertone of truth though ...

If I were you, I would take a day off and invite your wife to the zoo, find a nice restaurant for after that, have some beautiful drinks going along with it, and then bring up the subject of needing a new PC.

So Peter, or anyone else who is sucessfully using the Hiface in Special or Adaptive mode, what settings work for you?

Everything just works. The HiFace is a very generous device IMO. I used it with 22 samples at Special Mode (but it depends on the PC whether it can cope with that), and Q1 = 4 for Engine#3. Normal mode just ran, and Adaptive Mode I never tried.

When I retry, I then get a message that, "The Device is allocated but cannot play, check dac settings"

To me this looks a nice 100% the same as your PC's inability to change formats. Before we could blame the soundcard, but now we can't anymore.

Also with the wasapi driver, engine 3,it plays for 2 or 3 seconds and then gives a message that the buffer is too large!

I never heard of the message, hence it doesn't come from me. Can you post a screen copy of it please ?


In any case, glad you have one (again) at last. Now let's hope it doesn't bring you misery ...

Perer

[GerardA]

Hi Boleary, Peter,

It's to cold to go to the zoo here, so I went to my work.
Not really in the right mood to give you a serious answer too...

My hiFace arrived two days ago. First on the HTPC, but this freezes because of a AMD SB700 chipset.
Then on the centrino laptop it works (special mode) , sounds impressive / strange like more upfront and sounds appearing unexpectedly like in real live.
Also no noise at all like I got from mobo-spdif before.
Sometimes music stops/drops out for a second. Second album don't start. Reboot PC then first song ok, second in fast-motion.
Then messages about everything, like DAC endpoint, DAC samplerate, etc...
(Laptop is not tweaked to death yet, too )

So we really have to wait for new drivers to get happy!
(On Head-fi there is a thread with up to date answers)

[PeterSt]

Of what I've heard there are NEWER drivers which DO NOT WORK.

I work with the ones John kindly provided here : Re: XXHIGHEND-M2TECH-WIN XP. I strongly advice to try those, so I can at least judge everything regarding the same driver version.

I really didn't notice a single problem (after I made it working for XXHighEnd of course) ...
But keep in mind that at this moment I did not try Adaptive Mode. I suppose though, you can go as low as 32 for buffer size (@ Q1=1).

Let me know what happens with the above referred to drivers !
Peter

[manisandher]

Guys,

I've had the Hiface working in my office system (with Atom PC) for over a week now. The DAC here is only up to 96KHz capable, but DAP in KS 'Adaptive mode' works perfectly. I can't remember (I'm working out of the country right now), but I think I have buffer=1024 and Q1=1. IIRC, buffer=128 and Q1=2 also works fine... I can check this when I'm back this weekend.

In any event, the Hiface definitely works fine with XXHE.

Mani.

[boleary]

Well somewhere between the murkats and the mongeese it occurred to me change core appointment so I switched from scheme 3 to scheme 1. In special mode with the buffer set to 384 and Q1 at 5 all is well. If i reduce the buffer to 256 I have to increase Q1 to 7 or I get distortion. Does this mean that the proper buffer setting is 384? Can't rely on my ears right now cause everyone is sleeping.

Adaptive mode works with the same special mode settings: 384/5. If I go below Q1 at 5 I get the "too may buffer errors" and "device allocated but cannot play messages," which then require a reboot.

Haven't tried engine 3 yet. Am off to work now but first I gotta go to the zoo....forgot my wife was still there....

[PeterSt]

[PeterSt]

I come to 2048 and Q1=1 (or higher) for the HiFace. This is W7.

Note : The "guide" for finding the buffer doesn't seem to work here; if I follow the guide (Tooltip on the KS Mode combobox) I end up at 256, but next sliding Q1 (from 0) to 1, and ... quite some Buffer Errors.

Hope this helps.
Peter

[PeterSt]

I must add something to this :

1. This was with the HiFace used at DAC Needs = 24 bits (this may matter, but I didn't check it).
2. In Normal Mode I accidentally tried Q1=5, but it didn't work well. Next tried Q1=20 an no Buffer Errors around. Notice that the Set Device Buffer Size does nothing for Normal Mode.

For the above too, I used DAC Needs = 24 bits.

For your conveniency, 0.9y-8c will show the Set Device Buffer Size and Q1 value (in samples for Special Mode) in the X3PB log file.

[boleary]

Well, let me just say the wait was worth it, though I'm glad it's over. Been listening in Special Mode the last couple hours and, ah, thank you Peter; the sound here is magnificent. Never heard anything like it coming from a stereo system.

[PeterSt]

Wait a bit more and you'll have two. Now, *that* will be something ...

[manisandher]

With my Atom PC and the Hiface feeding an old Musical Fidelity X24 DAC (24/96 max), I've arrived at the following settings:

DAP
KS Adaptive (Special not tested)
buffer=1024
Q1=1

I'm getting no buffer errors (apart from a single one right at the beginning due, I suspect, to my integrated video driver trying to keep up with XXHE going into Unattended mode). This X24 DAC has been stored away for the best part of 10 years. I hated it when I bought it - way too bright and forward. However, it now sounds pretty listenable with XXHE and the Hiface.

Mani.

[manisandher]

Of course, if you're going to use a Hiface, the spdif cable is going to be critical.

... apparently the old Belkin Synapse Platinum Digital cables (the blue ones from the 1990s) are the 'dog's bollocks', as we say here in the UK.

I'm currently using this cable between the Hiface and the X24 DAC. I'm not sure if it's down to the Hiface or the cable, but I've never heard this DAC sound so smooth... It could well be the cable, as this is exactly what other people have described when talking about the effect this cable has on the sound. I have a pretty expensive Cardas spdif cable knocking around somewhere and will do a comparison at some point.

Mani.

[boleary]

Thanks Mani. I've got a cable on order. Not being in a position to audition them, I am willing to defer to an Audiodidact  .

Regarding yours and Peter's settings, I can't duplicate them. 1024/1 induces too may buffer errors. Also, I can't use core appointment scheme #3; #1 works for me. Don't know why this is so. What rationale did you use in settling on 1024/1? Just wondering.

[manisandher]

I just followed Peter's instructions... sort of! I set Q1=1 and started with the lowest buffer=32. With the 'log activity' box checked, I continued increasing the buffer size until there were no buffer errors in the X3PB log file. Now of course, I could reduce the buffer size from 1024 and increase Q1 from 1 and probably find a number of other values that work. But buffer=1024 and Q1=1 sounds good.

Incidentally, scheme 3 works fine for me on my Atom PC.

Mani.