I've gone back to foobar2000!

Posted by: Hot Rats on 19 July 2013

I have an Acer laptop with i5 processor and 8GB RAM running Windows 8. I was using JRiver Media Center 18 with JPlay installed and the JRemote app to control the system from my iPad. I really wanted to try out the Hibernate mode in JPlay as many on the JPlay forum reported that it offered significant improvement. It has been proven that the JRiver Media Center/JPlay/JRemote combination does not work with Hibernate mode enabled. The foobar2000/JPlay/MonkeyMote combination was reported by some to work, enabling the user to retain remote control of the system with Hibernate mode enabled.

 

I installed the foobar2000/JPlay/MonkeyMote combination and tested it with Hibernate mode off. It worked fine but as soon as I enabled Hibernate mode I had problems. Playback could not move from one track to the next and the maximum amount of time that I could get a 16/44 rip to replay without hanging was about three minutes. I tried adjusting the foobar2000 buffer setting and the buffer settings in JPlay. I changed from Xtream, the default JPlay engine, to UltraStream but I just could not get it to work. I then installed the same combination on a much older ASUS computer with an Intel P6200 processor and only 2GB RAM. I thought that it could not possibly work but much to my surprise it did! It was back to the drawing board again. I disabled Windows Defender as recommended and that didn't help either.

 

On my old ASUS laptop, I installed Windows 8. It is a very minimal installation with no superfluous additional software. My new Acer computer came with Windows 8 pre-installed at the factory and while I had removed the unnecessary software that was also on the machine, the Windows installation itself contained a lot of associated Acer bloatware. very helpful for most users I'm sure but not for computer audiophile applications.

 

I had already made an image of the Acer laptop so that I could reset it to factory settings if required. I wiped the hard drive of the Acer and installed Windows 8 myself, opting for the most minimal feature set possible. I then installed the foobar2000/JPlay/MonkeyMote combination and this time it worked!

 

The people at JPlay are right in saying that Hibernate mode does offer a significant improvement. I have been listening to music all day, including HiRes material at 24/96 and 24/192. I also installed the SACD input plugin for foobar2000 and I can now listen to DSD files, converted to 176400 PCM on the fly.

 

It was worth the hassle trying to get my system to run in Hibernate mode while retain remote control from an iPad. I am informed that installing Windows 2012 Server will bring about another improvement in sound quality. Maybe I'll try it one day but for now, I am just going to enjoy the music!

Posted on: 19 July 2013 by hungryhalibut

I have no idea what this is about, but it sounds very exciting. 

Posted on: 19 July 2013 by Hot Rats
Originally Posted by Hungryhalibut:

I have no idea what this is about, but it sounds very exciting. 


Sorry. Perhaps I should have explained a little more. I use a laptop with player software. The signal from that goes to an M2Tech HiFace Evo S/PDIF converter and then into my Naim Audio DAC. JRiver Media Center and foobar2000 are software players. They usually output in either ASIO or WASAPI format. JPlay adds an additional option for playback. Check it out here:

 

http://jplay.eu/

 

There is some fierce debate going on about the merits of JPlay. Some love it, others, including the authors of JRiver Media Center claim that it is a hoax:

 

http://www.jriver.com/jplay.html

 

I guess it all depends on whether or not you believe that bit perfect is bit perfect and that there are no differences between bit perfect output

Posted on: 19 July 2013 by pcstockton
Originally Posted by Hot Rats:
Originally Posted by Hungryhalibut:

I have no idea what this is about, but it sounds very exciting. 


Sorry. Perhaps I should have explained a little more. I use a laptop with player software. The signal from that goes to an M2Tech HiFace Evo S/PDIF converter and then into my Naim Audio DAC. JRiver Media Center and foobar2000 are software players. They usually output in either ASIO or WASAPI format. JPlay adds an additional option for playback. Check it out here:

 

http://jplay.eu/

 

There is some fierce debate going on about the merits of JPlay. Some love it, others, including the authors of JRiver Media Center claim that it is a hoax:

 

http://www.jriver.com/jplay.html

 

I guess it all depends on whether or not you believe that bit perfect is bit perfect and that there are no differences between bit perfect output

It isn't a hoax.  It's just unnecessary. 

 

It is analogous to saying that if you remove the owner's manual from your car it will be faster (because it is lighter).  Sure, it is true.  But not meaningfully measurable.

Posted on: 20 July 2013 by Hot Rats

The debate on whether JPlay is a hoax has prompted much interesting debate on the forums. I think it was unfortunate that Jim at JRiver chose the word 'hoax' to describe the software. It almost implies an intended dishonesty on the part of the creators of JPlay. I much prefer you choice of 'unnecessary' and I would partly agree. JRiver Media Center's standard output to either ASIO or WASAPI is very good. I tried JPlay and thought it was better. I believe that it gets better still when the Hibernate mode is enabled in JPlay. That is a subjective decision. I have not measured the results nor have I conducted industry approved blind listening tests. To my ears, JPlay produced the better sound so I use it. If others chose not to use then fine. That's their decision and I respect that. The most important thing about an audio system is that the listener is happy with the experience that it provides.

 

The issue of measurement is also interesting. There is a view that in order for something to be considered better, then the benefits have to be measurable. A recent comparative test on 'Top Gear' was interesting. The test compared the new incarnations of the Peugeot 208 GTi, Clio RenaultSport 200 Turbo and Ford Fiesta ST. When acceleration and top speed were measured, the Ford lost out but when it came to the 'Which one would we buy?' part of the test, Clarkson, Hammond and May were all agreed that the Fiesta would be their choice.

 

I am sure that you remember the 'Hi-Fi Review' magazine. In this publication there were reviewers who reported subjective judgements on items of equipment. Noel Keywood, on the other hand, reported on how items of equipment measured on the test bench. I always felt very frustrated when reading his reviews. I do not claim to be able to analyse technical measurement. I just wanted to know what it sounded like.

 

There is a story that has passed to folklore that pertains to the late Julian Vereker. He was apparently, asked what the THD figure was for one the early Naim Audio amplifiers. His answer was 'Is it bothering you?'. Whether or not this story is accurate or apocryphal I don't know but it's a good one.

 

Not everything is measurable in the world of audio. I mush dash as I am meeting up with friends from the 'Bit Perfect is Bit Perfect' club this lunchtime ... only joking!