Setting up Hiface

quote:

AMA, does the Transporter really sounds better than than the HiFace through the nDAC?

Yes, TP is quite audibly better. They sound very close as nDAC is doing fantastic job on jitter rejection. Many people will consider these sources as similar. I have a full-Naim system which is capable of resolving the tiny musical nuances especially transients. TP makes much more sparky transients than HiFace.
Use for example Naim Sampler 7 (2009) for tests.

quote:

Have you tested them side by side?

Yes, it does not take long time to pick up a difference. I'm afraid Rebecca Pidgeon will be close on both but Thea Gilmore will make the difference to be more pronounced.

quote:

I thought you were not successful with the PC platform yet.

Not exactly. TP is my main transport and PC/Hiface (or M-Aduio) are mostly used for watching movies.

I set up Foobar with WASAPI only to check up if PC/Foobar/Hiface can rival TP. The only problem is that when I progress a slider it crashes the whole system -- so I avoid doing this -- which is uncomfortable.

quote:

Anyway I would have thought the HiFace should be at least on par with the Transporter.

It all depends on your value of differences. For some people on this forum all transports sound the same through nDAC (which I agree are very close today) but for me TP is a bit better than HiFace. Does it worth the difference 2 $K against 300 $ ? Sonically -- possibly not. But TP offers a kind of browsing comfort, remote and independence of PC interface. TP also has a great built-in DAC. I think the best VFM with TP is raised when you use it through it's analogue (which is VERY good source). But ironically the model name eventually brought it down to the limited usage as a digital transport I really want to make up a second system around TP -- but I have to find a proper replacement for it in my first system.

There's an Evo version due out in July apparently.

Agree most of what PCS said except for the slow large library bit

I have somthing like 30,000 ALAC tracks and no bogging down noticed

quote:

Originally posted by JYOW:
Agree most of what PCS said except for the slow large library bit

I have somthing like 30,000 ALAC tracks and no bogging down noticed

Lightning fast with my 10,000 ALAC tracks. Not a super-large collection, admittedly.

30K is within its limits. Try about 60k and it unusable.

quote:

Are you using CUI or DUI?

Patrick, I have no idea of what is it and where should I set it up.

More info:

Buffer is 1500 ms and output resolution 24 bit.

Is that OK?

let me note again that Foobar slider crash happens only under KS or WASAPI -- in DS mode it works flawless.

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:
30K is within its limits. Try about 60k and it unusable.

I see. 60K tracks is a lot of music! I figure it you listen 4 hours a day it would take almost 3 years to finish listening to one cycle.

quote:

I see. 60K tracks is a lot of music! I figure it you listen 4 hours a day it would take almost 3 years to finish listening to one cycle.

JYOW, your collection takes 1.5 year for one cycle -- which does not make things easier indeed

BTW My collection is > 600 GB.
I guess if FLAC album is around 350 Mb then it's around 1,700 albums.
And if each album contains circa 15 tracks it will finally count for 25,000 tracks.
Or less -- because many of albums are in 24/96.

LOL very true. And to think that I still keep the physical media. What am I supposed ot do with them. I buy a CD, rip it, put it back into plastic wrapper for protection. 99% of the time never to be touched again.

And now that I no longer have a nice slide out tray of the Naim CD player to savor the "experience", I bet they will never get used again.