[Xennon]

For some reason, I cannot use my hiface 2 with Windows 10. The driver is installed, and the computer recognizes the device, but the M2Tech application does not detect the device. Windows error code 52 notes that it cannot verify the digital signature of the driver. Did any of you have a similar problem?

 

[Claude]

Do you have the latest firmware (6.61) and driver (3.34) installed?
 
Driver is here: http://www.m2tech.biz/it/hiface2.html

 

[Xennon]

yes I have both and the driver was not signed according to my Win10. I temporarily turned off the driver-signature enforcement of Windows, and it works fine now. Still, it is weird that an official driver has this problem. Plus, apparently many of you do not have an issue with the driver.

 

[Claude]

The new Windows 10 Creators Update includes USB 2.0 Audio support. 
 
After upgrading, I uninstalled the M2Tech driver. When manually searching for hardware changes, the new Windows driver was installed automatically.
 
I've only played a few minutes of 24/96 PCM files (WASAPI event mode in Foobar2000), it worked fine.
 
I'll leave to others do do a sound comparison between the drivers.

 

[Claude]

I switched back to the M2Tech driver.
 
The reason is that with the Microsoft USB 2.0 Audio driver, in Foobar2000, the visualisations don't work and the progress bar is stuck

 

[Xennon]

Thanks a lot for the feedback.
One thing I keep wondering is how come I am able to control the volume from my computer. Should not it be impossible to change the volume from the computer, as long as I use a digital USB/SPDIF output? 

 

[Pilotter]

I use the Hiface TWO together with a powered USB hub. My question is should I buy the AQVOX PS or go for the Schiit EITR as an all in one solution? Has anyone tested the EITR in comparison with the Hiface?

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

In previous years at my French house I have used a HiFace 2 USB to Coax Toslink to connect an M1 MacBook Mini to a Benchmark Media DAC-3L. This is because the USB input on the DAC3L was damaged by a lightning strike and I did not want to go through the problems of sending it from Europe back to the makers in the USA to have the USB receiver replaced. Based on bad previous experience sending items back to the USA for repair, I was thinking of complications with USA and French Customs authorities and their arbitrary decisions on who should and should not pay them customs duties. I had a spare Coax Toslink input on my DAC-3L which was working, so the ideal solution was to use the Hiface 2 Adapter and this worked very well, setting the Mac Mini to output at 192 kHz 24 bit from a USB-A socket (The DAC-3L will accept inputs up to 384 kHz 32 bit) and thence via the Hiface 2 to a Coax Toslink cable to the DAC.

This year I had to leave my M1 Mac Mini back in the UK, as it was needed there and instead took a 2016 MacBook Pro. This was rarely used, as its keyboard keeps failing like most of these Macs. I think I am currently on keyboard number 5 with it. The problem is that the 2016 MacBook Pro only has USB-C sockets (4 of them). I connected the HiFace 2 adapter to the MacBook Pro using an Apple USB-C to USB-A adapter. This seemed to work as the HiFace 2 appeared as a available sound device in System Settings. However no sound output seemed to arrive at the DAC-3L. I am wondering if the Apple USB-C to USB-A is not passing sufficient current to fully activate the HiFace 2. The MBP is running OS Monterey 12.7.4, as the latest Mac variant it will run. The odd thing is that the LED's on the front of the DAC-3L show a signal lock at the correct 192 kHz but there is no sound. As soon as I reset the output on the Mac back to Headphones socket and the DAC-3L to analogue input, all works again. I have tried both digital Coax inputs on the DAC-3L with the same results.

I am, as I say above, therefore currently using the 3.5mm socket analogue audio output on the MBP to the analogue input on the DAC3L, which is not the greatest quality arrangement. I would much prefer to use the digital output from the USB-C socket and get the HiFace 2 to work. Any ideas folks. I have also asked the people at M2Tech.