Attempting to use XXHighEnd with AirFoil for Windows 7

[ZagatoV12]

 It will be obvious from my question just how new I am to this whole business. I've read all the introductory guides for the beginner and, hopefully, I followed eveything step by step, but ........

What I am trying to do is use XXHighEnd as a HiQ player, for its legendary SQ, but wirelessly send its output to another piece of software called Airfoil. This allows me to 'send' the data stream to my modest Zeppelin Air integrated system. This works perfectly with iTunes, with any browser streaming MOG music selections, with Foobar and with Media Player etc, so the method itself works wonderfully with these other applications. Now, I do not expect staggering quality from the Zeppelin Air, but it's my first foray into PC based replay, but so far it has worked extremely well for me, hence my interest in improving things by moving from standard players to XXHighEnd .......but, oh dear, it doesn't seem to work with your application so far. I therefore suspect that either my installation is not set correctly or it's not going to work with Airfoil anyway. After installing successfully and playing tracks using the standrad speaker output, I started Airfoil to see if their app could work.  Airfoil can 'see' the XXHighEnd application, but I can see from it's interface  that it's not receiving any output from XXHighEnd ..... result ...... my internal speakers work fine on my laptop but no sound comes out of the Zeppelin Air system when I attempt to get Airfoil to grab XXHighend's output. 

Attached is a screen shot from my system showing the XXHighEnd UI and the Airfoil interface while a track is playing - you can see there is no 'signal' at the bottom of the Airfoil app as there usually is and the sound is still coming out of my laptop speakers where it would by now be coming out of the Zeppelin Air system with other players!

Would you possibly have any suggestions? I am using the demo installation only to see if this whole thing works befreo buying a license.

Rather disaappointed, but hopeful, Mike

[Calibrator]

G'day Mike and 



Peter will be along in a few hours with a thorough answer, but I'm reckoning, that because XXHE runs in what's known as "exclusive" mode, it is prohibiting the Airfoil app from getting anywhere near the data/processing. It's unlikely iTunes is using this exclusive mode, which is why that works for you.

Stick around regardless if you can't use XXHE as initially hoped. I'm sure you will hear the benefits used in a normal manner.

Cheers,

Russ

[ZagatoV12]

Thank you, Russ, for the insight. I thought it might be something fundamental. Although I have a very high end CD based replay system at home, when I travel to the US, all I have in my place so far is the Zeppelin Air. Having been brought up on high quality replay, but needing to carry my music with me, the idea of everything digital makes a whole lot of sense. I was wondering whether digital replay had come of age over the ten years I've been out of this kind of obsessive stuff, and in my research stumbled on Computer Audiophile's site and learned of all the new possibilities.

So, before diving into the new generation of replay, I though I would start here. Those who know the Zeppelin Air would attest its somewhat surprisingly decent qualities, so it seemed an ideally basic starting point to understand all the newer technologies. First question was should I go down the Mac or the PC route? Having been a PC man for as long as there have been PCs, it seemed right to start there. I was surprised to find so few decent possibilities beyond the run of the mill / default players and so was delighted to stumble on XXHighEnd. Naturally I can see that a quality digital / analogue signal path through a decent system is going to reveal the full potential, but I suppose impatience got the better of me.

I was rather hoping it would work. I've read that Mac users have Amarra and Airfoil working together and that was going to be my recourse failing this combination working. I fancy that PC based replay is more 'musical' than the Mac route!?

Anyway, I guess if Peter says it can't be done, I'll try something else for the time being until Ive learned enough of this generation's possibilities to take the plunge and spend the hard earned stuff on the best I can afford!

My grateful thanks again,

Mike

[PeterSt]

Dear Mike,

I am so sorry that your "first" attemps to make something of today's digital offerings don't work out as intended.
But Russ is right, look here :

http://www.rogueamoeba.com/support/knowledgebase/?showArticle=AirfoilWinWASAPI

(I only have no clue what option C in there means, but I guess that says "don't use it" )

For XXHighEnd indeed only Exclusive Mode is possible. This means WASAPI (Engine #3) or Kernel Streaming (Engine#4).
Before there were Engine#1 and #2 and they were DirectSound based (option A behind that link), but it really isn't for the better. So, that is about the dreaded "bit perfect" thing bascially, and although it is not the most important of all, I dropped those Engines because of the far more poor sound.

Indeed it will be so that an application like Airfoil won't incur for the best sonic qualities, which is for several reasons. One of it is WiFi which is needed (well, that assumed) which is "devistating" to the sound. Hard to explain in brief, but this is all about what the Operating System has to do in order to get things going. The internal communication with something like Airfoil is one of them, and you really shouldn't apply it were it for the best sound.

But hey, what is the big deal anyway ? I mean, if you can't get this going for what you so nicely intended (and a LOT of nice things can be done via the ApplTV alone !), why not use any other player to your likings for this application ? I mean, if the SQ doesn't matter so much anyway ...
Right ?

Later you can always setup something really good around a real good player. Really much can be achieved, and the next version (0.9z-6) goes further again.
So yes, XXHighEnd was made for the best sound possible, and all the good guys in here, like Russ, always helped and help to improve. If something is wrong or things went lesser, there's always someone (or everyone) to shout outloud I did something wrong, or should improve on something anyway.
Will count for you too.

All the best for now !
Peter

[ZagatoV12]

Aha!. There you go. Well, thank you for such a helpful reply. Now I understand, and of course I entirely agree with the logic. Perhaps, at least, my question on your forum will help other Newbies understand.

I'll be back! 

Thanks again Peter and Russ.

Regards

Mike