Couple of questions regarding Foobar2000

Posted by: Hot Rats on 07 June 2010

After some degree of hassle I finally succeeded in getting my Acer Laptop/M2Tech Hiface/Naim DAC/Naim XPS to play digital audio files at all resolutions. I ended up using Foobar2000 software as I couldn't get J.River Media Center 15 to work at higher resolutions.

Couple of questions please ...

I have added Foobar's Components UI plugin. This gives me an austere yet funtional interface that displays the albums and track titles. When I click on an album title, all of the tracks in that album are highlighted. My question is how do I stop Foobar from playing when it has completed playing an album. I have tried different playback settings but it seems to want to continue to the next album and play continuously until I click on the stop button.

Secondly, is there a cheap interface that I can use to control my digital setup from the comfort of an armchair? I think this might be possible through my home network but I don't know how to do it or what the hardware and software requirements are. My amplification is NAC52/Supercap/NAP250.

I have to say that the hassle of getting the digital setup to work was well worth it. It sounds great and 24/192 resolution is just amazing!

Posted on: 16 June 2010 by Aleg

quote:
Originally posted by gypsykirk:
quote:
That's the big discussion over here.

Andy S might have something to say about that Big Grin (Sorry Andy, I just had to say it Cool )

I'll need to find this discussion
The logic in my mind and the understanding/information i have gathered up to this point would lead me,...sorry almost had me buy this soundcard today....

It comes with an optical cable!!! lol

If my understanding is correct, @£18 it's gotta be worth a go!! ??????

Gypsykirk

I wonder if your £18 soundcard will output all sampling frequencies or just 44.1 and 48 kHz. I would go for soundcards that can also output higher sampling frequencies to be able to output 88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz HiRes audio as well.

Andy S says that as long as the software player is bit-perfect, the drivers for the digital output are bit-perfect and the digital output can output all the sampling frequencies, than any digital output and cable will do as long as it is fed into the Naim DAC which will do a reclocking to remove the jitter introduced along the way.

Andy claims to hear no difference between digital sources as long as they are bit-perfect.

Several disagree however because they say they hear differences between different (bit-perfect) sources. Andy can only believe that when accompanied by a waterproof scientific explanation of why it could be so.

Just read the threads: "Why is the nDAC so cheap?", "My take on the n/DAC", "CD transports on the Naim DAC", "Coaxial digital lead for nDAC", etc.

-
aleg

Posted on: 16 June 2010 by pcstockton

Gypsy,

Whatever it is, ensure that it can output a bit perfect signal. At that price I sincerely doubt it does.

-Patrick

Posted on: 17 June 2010 by gypsykirk

After poking around and noticing other products discussed here.......SPEEDLINK SL-8871-SRD-A Stage 7.1 PCI Sound Card @ play.

24bit/96kHz playback !

I would imagine it would still have to be an upgrade from the USB cable i'm using to dac??, which only allows 16/48USB (optical being 24/192)
I'm quite interested in giving it a go as most "high res" files i can see are 24/96.

However my understanding is still....surely if those drivers are allowing bit perfect, then bit perfect is being passed, irrispective of what sound card can handle....I read through one previously mentioned thread and tbh,...my heads up my a@#e now!!

Cheers.

Posted on: 17 June 2010 by Hot Rats

quote:
Originally posted by gypsykirk:
quote:
After some degree of hassle I finally succeeded in getting my Acer Laptop/M2Tech Hiface/Naim DAC/Naim XPS to play digital audio files at all resolutions.

Doctor Jazz....M2 tech hiface?? after a search it seems this little device isn't the easiest little device to obtain. Did you contact them direct??
Worthwhile??
Expensive??
I'm thinking of putting windows 7 on my computer...then going down the whole route again of getting bit perfect WASAPI etc...I only have a few free Linn studio master downloads but if i could get things going i would defo start purchasing more...

I ordered the M2Tech Hiface directly from the UK importer Purite Audio. Check out their websiet at:

http://www.puriteaudio.co.uk/

... or give them a call on 0208 815 5878

The guy who you get through to is really knowledgable and helpful. I seem to remember that my M2Tech Hiface was around £105 (BNC Version). It will accept 24-Bit/192kHz files so it plays the Linn Studio Masters without any problems and very tasty they sound too!

Posted on: 24 June 2010 by gypsykirk

Ordered the aforementioned soundcard today 96khz 24bit seems to be the "standard" in high res files, to my knowledge anyway. So I'll give it a go. Still waiting on my nac a5 coming.. aaargh!
In relation to the wee M2 tech box, i think that money will be getting spent on a nas! my next research project lol...Thanks for help though guys.
Cheers.

Posted on: 24 June 2010 by js

Nothing against foobar, sound cards, interfaces etc but wouldn't it be so much easier to buy a SB touch instead of a soundcard and avoid all of these issues, play your wav files and have the remote be all it can be? There is a bit of pleasure in comparing and learning but the PC is also using a cheap switching supply. If you wanted to tweek, you could always try napsc or other linear supply on a SBtouch.

Posted on: 05 July 2010 by gypsykirk

quote:
Nothing against foobar, sound cards, interfaces etc but wouldn't it be so much easier to buy a SB touch instead of a soundcard and avoid all of these issues, play your wav files and have the remote be all it can be? There is a bit of pleasure in comparing and learning but the PC is also using a cheap switching supply. If you wanted to tweek, you could always try napsc or other linear supply on a SBtouch.

js
I can't get foobar to recognise this souncard as 24 bit with asio4all among other things, i'm gettin a bit sick of all this,everything's fine via usb, great! it's just i'd like to get into some higher resolution files that's all.. ....You may have a point with the SB theory.....
So will it sound as good as mfvdac and cambridge audio dacmagic??
Also, the reason i went with a dac and computer is so that everything from my computer can be played through music system,
will SB touch/receiver allow my pc to be plugged in too?? i like having foobar as large interface on tv and not being restricted to small handset, can I use iphone to control just the SB receiver?? or must i use their handset?
Thanks..

Posted on: 06 July 2010 by pcstockton

Gypsy,

What exactly do you mean by "recognise this souncard as 24 bit with asio4all"??

You cannot select a bit rate output when using ASIO. The option will be greyed out in Foobar settings. ASIO will pass along whatever it is given.

Secondly, why are you using ASIO4all?? Does you soundcard not support ASIO? If it does you really should be using Foo_asio_out available on the "components" page of the Foobar2000 website.

Thirdly, how do you know you are not passing through 24 bit files? How are you verifying this?

If you decided on trying that $18 sound card I am guessing that it may not be ASIO compliant. If not try using it in KS mode?

Good luck Gypsy!
Patrick

Posted on: 06 July 2010 by pcstockton

quote:
Originally posted by gypsykirk:
will SB touch/receiver allow my pc to be plugged in too?? i like having foobar as large interface on tv and not being restricted to small handset, can I use iphone to control just the SB receiver?? or must i use their handset?
Thanks..

Gypsy,

Yes, you will connect your PC to the SB by ethernet cable or wireless. Although you will not be using Foobar but rather the SB proprietary "Squeeze Server".

Yes you can continue to output your PC's video feed to your HDTV and interface the Squeeze Server there.

Yes they make an iPhone app (iPeng) for controlling the SB.

-Patrick