Audio Show

[Marcin_gps]

Hi Peter,

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3061/obraz140q.jpg

Looking any familiar? haha
Picture taken few days ago at Audio Show 2010, Warsaw.
They made a product out of it - Win7 based music server with XXHE as a player of choice and charging over 6k EUR, haha, maybe I'll start selling these machines too, only better.
Win7 + attended - FAIL! I assume they didn't bother with other 'tweaks'.

Cheers,
Marcin

[PeterSt]

[jarek]

Marcin,

it is a polish habit : laughing at somebody's work. You my think whatever you wish to think - this is true. But writing negative words, publishing a picture in a public forum about somebodys work - that is different. If you are sure you may do better, why do not you do better ? And much cheapper than 6k Euro, of course.

Jarek

[Marcin_gps]

Excuse me, I'm not criticising anybody's work. It was just a heads up for Peter - how his work is being used as a base of what I believe high-end system. No hard feelings. Can't I just publish the pictures from a show where thousands of people got to see it? But now that you brought it up, I need to say few things - yes, I think I could do better for that price, every kid knows how to put a regular PC together and install somebody else's software, you don't need a degree or years of R&D for that! Was I negative? Sure, but I think I made a point here and pretty good one. Maybe I'll have a chance to audition that 'Musa' thing in future and compare it to my music server, it should be fun.

Cheers,
Marcin

[AUDIODIDAKT]

6K and on W7 ? its just a PC

I can offer (so can Marcin) a complete build for way under 2K, with only the best stuff on the market today, you wonder where the other +4K goes, haha

I though we just "auditioned" W7 a bit too long already. 

Roy

[jarek]

Roy and Marcin,

the case alone with 12 inch touch LCD without power supply costs about 1k Euro. Please add
- fanless power supply / no fans (and find one that is good for the sound)
- Win7 ultimate
- ultra low power 4-core processor + passive heatsink / no fans
- 16GB ram
- 2TB low power HDD
- 64 fast SSD
- professional sound card (Lynx or RME) that has clock i/o and digital output only for the best sound
- wireless keyboard with touch pad
- IR remote control
- Wifi

No way to get the above hardware / system for less than 4k Euro when you buy parts only. Where is cost of assembly, set-up, configuration, and finally software licenses for ripping and playback ?

The final produict price is not a sum of components price. It is always more, sometimes 10x more, especialy in high-end business.

I assume, you can make 2k Euro computer, but this is not the same computer as above. Of that I am sure.

[PeterSt]

Jarek, anyone ...

I was cautious to respond with a smiley only, already because it should be a customer somewhere.
So not for Jarek, but to "anyone" especially ... not many people (relatively seen) know how to build a *good* PC for audio playback. I won't say this one is one of that, and I won't say it isn't (because I just don't know), but obtaining all the experience it needs is a kind of priceless. Please let it go, please let it rest. If we join all our efforts on how to improve sound quality and charge for it ... then what ?

It is just a market.
There is quite some more of this, and people are just happy to pay for it.

Thank you for your understanding,
Peter

[AUDIODIDAKT]

I assume, you can make 2k Euro computer, but this is not the same computer as above. Of that I am sure.

Maybe without soundcard (comes with NOS1) and casing, but it will be better and most likely sound better too.
For me its about the sound not the bling-bling that comes along, which is not always a good choice for SQ.

But still nice to see the "highend" industry finally catches-up.

Not offending anybody, at all, but come on who needs all the extra's, you ?? do you really ???
Its for show....... "the audio show"

[Marcin_gps]

Agreed, but assembly, set-up and 'priceless knowledge' costs 100EUR in regular PC stores, although good for you - if you have customers that are willing to pay. Audiophiles not often are computer geeks, so they could go for sth like this blind, if they like the sound. For me, hardcore overclocker, IT graduate and former CHIP editor, it's a piece of cake. I once contacted you about 'Musa' asking simple questions, but you didn't answer. I knew it was scam then. I'd be very pissed if I bought it and didn't find anything that is not available as a ready to work product. I'd expect custom made linear PSU for the price, and I'd offer one if I decided to make music servers. What  do you think people would say, if they found about it? And they will, trust me.

[PeterSt]

Hi Marcin,

I once contacted you about 'Musa' asking simple questions, but you didn't answer. I knew it was scam then.

Is this addressed to me ? If so I must have missed it. Also I just searched everything for 'musa' but can't find anything ?

Peter

[Marcin_gps]

No it is to Jarek - he's a distributor of that thing http://audiofast.pl/main.asp?idm=60&r=0&wersja=1
Sorry for a misunderstood.

Greets,
Marcin

[PeterSt]

Oh boy ...

I can't say I like how this topic develops. But let me again try to "explain" how people want to be "abused" - or scammed if you like (with or without linear PSU for such a price).

First off, the shops dedicated to this kind of work, have more or less "huge" problems with stuff like this themselves. Or they call me, or they tell their customer to contact me for further finetuning etc., just because they are no audiophiles or whatever at all. I mean, generally speaking. So this is not a matter of spending 100 euros (which btw well will be 400 in your areas Marcin), because they don't know where to begin or where it ends. Customers of such shops dove into it anyway, spent the money and have few, and therefore easily pay for another 2 days of work if necessary to get it right (this is not virtual, it really happens).

Just for fun I could challenge you to only get a remote normally (!!) working with such an OrigenAE case (you'd die on dealing with that company to begin with), and then I mean without the weather forecast on your screen. If you know how to arrange this, what to tweak, and what to replace with what, it's "priceless" and maybe worth 1000 euros alone. It took you two weeks to get there maybe, but still it's worth the money. Not for me of course, but for all those who just won't be able to get there.

I already said, let it rest. If Mr X estimates it sells like that, so be it and I guess it will.

Peter

[Marcin_gps]

Just for fun I could challenge you to only get a remote normally (!!) working with such an OrigenAE case (you'd die on dealing with that company to begin with), and then I mean without the weather forecast on your screen. If you know how to arrange this, what to tweak, and what to replace with what, it's "priceless" and maybe worth 1000 euros alone. It took you two weeks to get there maybe, but still it's worth the money. Not for me of course, but for all those who just won't be able to get there.

I already said, let it rest. If Mr X estimates it sells like that, so be it and I guess it will.

Peter

Challange accepted Hehe
I know that it's a valueable knowledge, but never thought it would be that much Maybe someday I'll try to enter this market myself, could be interesting. I've said everything I wanted to say, so don't worry - no more 'mess', I promise.

Have a nice day,
Marcin

[Marcin_gps]

Peter, just wanted to let you know that it took me 2 hours to configure OrigenAE remote with its native software to play with XXHE and other things, works great

Cheers,
Marcin

PS
I'm not sure whether 6 cores was such a good idea though. If additional performance from the extra 2 cores does bring anything up compared to my old quad core, it's not influencing SQ - in fact, I think it's worse due to higher TDP. Low-powered quad core is optimum at the moment. My next platform shall be quad core Ivy Bridge (22nm), of course, when it's released in a year or so.

[PeterSt]

Hi Marcin - But did you get rid of the weather forecast on the display ?
Or do you have an older VFD type in there (which uses an older driver version -> OrigenAE dropped that instead of iMon (IIRC) and it is iMon which s*cks so badly).