Split file size and volume

[PeterSt]

Nah, just significant changes compared to previous settings (thought to be important).

[Robert]

Peter your settings are much better after doing lots of comparisons. I've gone back to 4096, 14, 2 SFS and its definitely more musical and detailed. Now I need to make a decent computer and throw away the laptop, buy a Phasure Dac and hope I can afford the next software version "z7".

Under Pressure as Freddie Mercury once sang!!!!

[CoenP]

Peter are you stating that having the music on a seperate usb3 drive is a significant change? (for the 'better' ?) Is this from a convenience or also from a sq perspective?

I have limited sata connections so having no or a negative drawback  when migrating to an usb3 hub would suit me very well.

Regards, Coen

[PeterSt]

Nope.

[Robert]

When I apply 4096, Q14, SFS 2 it stops after 4 tracks and a box comes up "No Track Data". I can only push out the stopping by raising the SFS to say 20. Disappointing as it sounds better at this setting.

[boleary]

Several times I've tried Peters settings and everything but the SFS of 2 works for me. I'm staying with my SFS of 450, though I've changed my signature regarding the other settings. Voices are eerily natural on my system at this SFS setting. Maybe I'll change my mind when, geeze, whats that new thingy called, oh yea, 9z-7 is released.

Peter, please try and change my mind soon. 

Brian

[Robert]

You are right Brian we all need to be put out of our misery and load up z7. The problem is once I've heard a sonic improvement I don't want to go back.

Its a worry we are needlessly wasting time on settings for  z6 that may be redundant with the new version.

Thanks to Peter for his latest updates on the inner workings of XXhighend it does help to understand what is happening.

Robert

[charliemb]

What seems to be working best for me with a Wyred DAC2 is buffer=2048, Q1=14, SFS=2 and yes its definitely more musical and detailed.  An important difference is that I'm using Normal mode of Engine #4.

The 2048 buffer size may have to do with my use of 2x or 4x upsampling (rather than 8 or 16 as others are using).  Also, I'm now using PE and AP or at least AP + Minimize OS.   None of this is reflected yet in sig (at the time of this post).

So this works on a non-Phasure DAC.

[Robert]

I've gone back to SFS430 but no not as good soundwise. I'm currently at 40 SFS so good so far.

[charliemb]

I forgot to mention that with the settings I posted two posts ago, that playing does not stop after a few songs.  I've queued up over 15 tracks and it played through all of them.  This is with 44.1.   With higher sampling rates and unattended mode, I have trouble sometimes even with the first track.  But HiRes sounds good attended, with the advantages in convenience of attended mode.

So I recommend, if you are having trouble playing more than 4 or 5 songs with SFS=2, try using the Normal mode of Engine#4.

[charliemb]

I've now moved to buffer=3074, Q1=14, SFS=2, Engine#4:Normal, 4x AP+PE, Unattended, MinimizeOS (will update my sig once I've settled on this experiment, if I do).

Otherwise, does anyone else trying SFS=2 notice a degradation in SQ with use (as memory fragments)?

What happened last night is that I started with pristine, detailed, and musical results with SFS=2 on a known "bad" recording (Wilson Pickett's Midnight Hour CD).  Then I switched over to JRiver to listen to high res DSD.   After an hour I exited JRiver and tried to play with SFS=2 and the same Wilson Pickett song, Mustang Sally, sounded awefully distorted.   HuH???   Yes, it happened.

Maybe SFS=2 SQ depends on how fragmented the memory has become over time.

[stefanobilliani]

So I recommend, if you are having trouble playing more than 4 or 5 songs with SFS=2, try using the Normal mode of Engine#4.

I can report , that I fairly noticed that the stops playing various albums at SFS=2 does happen "always" at the same passage to the next song and "always" at the same song . For example one album stops after the first song . One album stops after the fifth song .
At SFS=4 all albums flow to the final song ....

[PeterSt]

Charlie,

This *is* something I am concerned about myself. It is not for the exact reasons or way it will work out as you describe, but it's certainly in the same area and phenomena.

Because I know about this, I am the most careful with selecting the programs I need to fire up before a playback session, which btw always is preceded by a reboot. This is not the case (read : I don't feel like needing that) with the higher SFS amounts (like 350-450).
It is not that I ever proved that it works out like you suggest, but maybe you just did. So, no matter the way you describe it can't happen in my view, let's take it for granted that for net result something like that will be in order - when not careful.

I did not ever notice degradation during a playback session, but in my case this will never be longer than 3-4 hours, plus I always reboot in advance (I have to, because I use the same PC for developing the lot and this requires Normal OS Mode).

Thanks a lot for sharing Charlie - it could be important ...
Peter

[PeterSt]

Stefano, you too thanks for sharing.

I play with 2 all the time and never anything stopped anywhere. This is a bit dangerous, because things *did* change in this area (for the version I use), so maybe that's it. Otoh, what sure can happen to me is that I hear 1-2 seconds of a track and then all stops again. This is important to the kind of same issue I think, because it cannot be repeated. So, let's say that one out of 15 album-starts this happens, and when it happens it can even happen 3 times in a row before it finally plays.
Btw, most probably the same will happen to you if you try 0.2 or so. It needs that "flow" like a water lever.

Supposed this won't change for you or anyone bugged by it in 0.9z-7 - I will never attempt to solve it. It is a crazy complicated thing, since this is still official memory playback, but then at micro level so to speak. So, if 4 works, then please stick to that and hope it won't make a difference too much with 2. Small problem : it most probably will from theory, and in fact I am waiting for the day to try 4 myself. But I didn't so far because I like so much what I'm hearing and I don't want to change.

Regards,
Peter

[stefanobilliani]

Stefano, you too thanks for sharing.

I play with 2 all the time and never anything stopped anywhere. This is a bit dangerous, because things *did* change in this area (for the version I use), so maybe that's it. Otoh, what sure can happen to me is that I hear 1-2 seconds of a track and then all stops again. This is important to the kind of same issue I think, because it cannot be repeated. So, let's say that one out of 15 album-starts this happens, and when it happens it can even happen 3 times in a row before it finally plays.
Btw, most probably the same will happen to you if you try 0.2 or so. It needs that "flow" like a water lever.


Regards,
Peter

Welcome Peter ,
I am trying right now to the set of SFS=2.2  and 2.4 . It helps a lot . wait .... wonderful and relaxed sound with 2.4 

Edit: my XX 0.9-z6 defenitely plays all songs in a flow at SFS=2.8 .

s