Usb 24 192khz M2tech Hiface

 
Quote:

faudrei said:

Because 7 has several OS related audio improvements over XP?
 

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XP and Win7 should be compared side by side and I haven't done that. There might be differences but I couldn't hear them after I formatted my HD and installed Win7 on it. Anyway, if there's a difference, it's definitely not substantial. 
 

Perceived SQ increase can, beside OS, also be driver dependent. It could just be that M2Tech just have better 7 x64 drivers. Although, in my case, Musiland's Monitor and onboard audio also improved in SQ... to lesser extent than hiFace but still improved...
 
On my ThinkPad it was quite obvious: I had two disks and used new one for 7 installation, this way I had the possibility to go back and forth and test it thoroughly. Win 7 has definite edge over XP (on my laptop).

 
Quote:

sofgr said:

nahh,  but i could not be bothered doing  A/B comparisons  on such  little things, got it  up to 1000ms  just to be safe,  testing  in  windows 7 - foobar - WASAPI   now,  no audible clicks  at all  when  going back and  forth between tracks, btw  i got  everything  set to 44.1khz - 16bit because i mainly listen   audio cds ripped  in FLAC and some mp3s,  in case  i want  to playback  some 96khz  material  should i first change the sampling rate settings in foobar and  windows  control panel  ?   isn't there any way for  foobar / hiface  to change  the playback sampling rate of my system automatically  just by matching it with  the rate of the  audio file being played ?  

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some more observations  for the ones  who have still not  made up their minds .... 
 
1)  windows 7 64bit + foobar 1.0.3 +  kernel streaming + 1000ms buffer length   works  perfectly, no crackling  no pauses  nothing 
2)  gaming wise  i had  some problems  with  tactical ops crossfire ( ut2004 mod ) mostly  frequent and ANNOYING  but  i reinstalled  it because my  nvidia card sucks  in XP anyways  and now the mod works perfectly  when playing it  on windows 7 ( i got  both OSs in dual boot mind you )  i tried the  "sound test" level which simulates footsteps doing  circles around AND above  your head, positioning was up  par with  x-fi game mode + cmss3d  headphone  + 5.1  control panel settings,
 
I even used  the ingame settings  that i use with  my x-fi without  noticing  any problems,  H/W 3D + EAX   + system driver OFF ( it just uses  the openal libraries located on  the windows   folder instead of the ones located on the  actual game folder )    
maybe elevation cues were a little bit   off due to the  absence of the cmss3d headphone elevation filter  but  most of the FPSs  i play  don't have  elevation  cues  anyways   ( like  L4D2 versus, where they would be REALLY useful )   
3) when using foobar   the  master sampling rate options  located on  windows 7  sound control panel  dissapear,  that's propably a  good  thing   

Quote:

patu said:

 
 
XP and Win7 should be compared side by side and I haven't done that. There might be differences but I couldn't hear them after I formatted my HD and installed Win7 on it. Anyway, if there's a difference, it's definitely not substantial. 
 

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When I set up my wife's Win 7 laptop I could easily swap the USB between my older XP laptop and hers.  Win 7 with WASAPI seemed to sound bette than XP with ASIO4ALL,  through the same rig.  Go figure? 


 
Quote:

faudrei said:

Perceived SQ increase can, beside OS, also be driver dependent. It could just be that M2Tech just have better 7 x64 drivers. Although, in my case, Musiland's Monitor and onboard audio also improved in SQ... to lesser extent than hiFace but still improved...
 
On my ThinkPad it was quite obvious: I had two disks and used new one for 7 installation, this way I had the possibility to go back and forth and test it thoroughly. Win 7 has definite edge over XP (on my laptop).

Click to expand...

 
Agreed.  7 has a definite edge over XP.... (at least subjectively anyway).
 
USG
 

I just got my hiface which I'm using on my macbook pro with osx leopard, I installed the latest driver from mtechs website.
 
When I go to the audio midi set-up it the only bits option I get is for 32 bits, and for the khz I found that I like 44.1khz the best but there is a big lag like 1-2seconds when Im watching any videos, the lag decreases if I move it up to 192khz but its still noticeable. Is this normal?

Quote:

kawai_man said:

[...] there is a big lag like 1-2seconds when Im watching any videos, the lag decreases if I move it up to 192khz but its still noticeable. Is this normal?

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It's the buffering against the pops and clicks, about 600msec at 44.1kHz. I use VLC for watching videos, audio offset can be set.

Quote:

leeperry said:

heheh, the amount of bs this regal guy can put up is astounding..
 
if something had to be done...rest assured that jkeny would be modding it, duh.

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So very polite of you.  Why you would obsess over modding a $150 dongle is surprising.  I think it would be fun, but not worth blowing off someone's post.

M2Tech EVO pic:
 

What's this ST output for?

Awesome! Is there a pic of the other side too?

Here's a link.
http://www.tweekgeek.com/_e/Portable_Computer_Audio/product/Evo/Evo_USB_to_SPDIF_Interface.htm

 
Well I opened up my Hiface today.  May explain why myself and SlimA disagree so much about the SQ.   Hiface is now shipping these with a  22.579MHZ clock instead of the original 22.5792MHZ clock,   this new clock is also much smaller,  barely even fits the pads on the board.  I imagine this is why SlimA likes the Hiface and I don't,  I usually agree with his listening.  I'm sending Hiface an email.
 
New Hiface  (see the tiny clock they are substituting for the original)
 
 
 

Compared to the original units 44.1khz clock (photo from Jenky's DIYAUDIO THREAD)
 

Wow keep us updated on what they say regal, I have one of the newer Hifaces I believe, while it is a good improvement Im not stunned or in aww with the improvement like so many people here seem to be, my opinion of it is that there alot more detail to the sound and some more texture and much better highs but there is not really a bigger soundstage and everything sounds thinner which I dont like, listening to my dac without the hiface and just the optical connection from my mac there is more wieght to the sound. 
 
500th post for me

Well after I got over the shock of the pissant audio clock substitution   I was able to by-pass the internal 3.3V regulators and feed the clocks directly off a 18650 LiFePO4 battery.  It works,  I can start a new mod thread if folks are interested.  Total investment is under $40 for the upgrade but you do need at least a Hakko soldering station with the sharp tips.   I had posted a link the the 18650 battery holder I bought,  but I can't find the dang thing so for now the battery is soldered on.
This is by no means meant to compete with Jenky, as I bought the cheapest chinese batteries and charger I could find.
 
Just 5 minutes listening to a track that I am very familiar with and the sound improvement is absolutely stunning,  I have never ever heard digital like this.  Its a live concert SBD track and I can hear the reverb off the music halls walls,  never heard that before.
 
I probably will upgrade to tent clocks just because I am pissed that they pulled a bait and switch,  but I think the battery power probably equalizes things.  Only Jenky would know if the old style Hiface sounds better than the new when battery powered.  I think it is safe to say without batteries the new Hiface is a downgrade.  They should have at least told us they went with a cheaper clock.
 
 
Anyway I had planned on starting a new thread in the DIY section on how to do the mod yourself if there is interest,  if you aren't skilled with SMD I would recommend sending it to Jenky because it is easy to make a fatal (for the hiface) mistake.  You need surgical tweezers and a jewlers magnifying glass.