A possible solution for SD card problem of HiFiMAN players
Jun 17, 2011 at 8:13 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
Nankai

Nankai

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I got an email from a customer who did a extensive research about SD card problem. I think the solution is terrific. After getting his confirmation that I can publish these, I hope to share this info for all headfiers. 
 
I have finally gotten the HM-602 to work properly with 32GB SDHC cards. The results of my analysis are detailed below:

1) Yes, the SD Card reader in the 602 is very finicky. This is complicated by the fact that each computer hardware manufacturer has implemented their own version of SD/SDHC formatting software optimized for their PC. The solution is to format each and every SD/SDHC card using the free
SD Formatter 3.0 (http ://www.sdcard.org /consumers/formatter_3/) from the SD Association [of Manufacturers] to ensure that the card is formatted to industry standards.

2) A very high percentage of 32GB cards are defective or just plain fakes. Three out of five that I bought were so. I now run each card through H2testw, the best SD tester available, ( http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/H2testw.shtml ) in order to weed out the fakes.

3) I then re-format the "good" cards using SD Formatter 3.0 and then copy my FLAC tunes to the card. I send the "bad" cards back for a refund. 

So far, I have tried a 16GB and a 32GB SDHC card, both class 4, from Kingston and SanDisk (respectively) and they work. By work, I mean that they are read by the HM-602 and after I power off and leave the card in the drive, they display the lists after I boot up the player and allow me to access the items in the list. Everything I wanted.
 
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Jun 18, 2011 at 6:57 AM Post #2 of 17
This looks like great news concerning the different SD cards that alledgly didn't work.  
 
However I haven't had problems with my Kingston 32GB class 4 cards except when I have either interrupted a file transfer or loaded the pdf liner notes on the card with the flac files. Then I would have to reinsert the card after each boot. These issues are obviously easily fixed.
 
Aug 18, 2011 at 3:13 PM Post #4 of 17
I don't understand how you can manage to get so many defective cards. I mean 3/5, where are you buying these things? I have bought plenty of cards, and I have run across exactly 0 fakes, and no defective cards. And I have bought cards from eBay, but when I do, I make sure to get them from the right seller.
 
Aug 26, 2011 at 5:42 PM Post #7 of 17


Quote:
nankai said:
I got an email from a customer who did a extensive research about SD card problem. I think the solution is terrific. After getting his confirmation that I can publish these, I hope to share this info for all headfiers. 
 
I have finally gotten the HM-602 to work properly with 32GB SDHC cards. The results of my analysis are detailed below:

1) Yes, the SD Card reader in the 602 is very finicky. This is complicated by the fact that each computer hardware manufacturer has implemented their own version of SD/SDHC formatting software optimized for their PC. The solution is to format each and every SD/SDHC card using the free SD Formatter 3.0 (http ://www.sdcard.org /consumers/formatter_3/) from the SD Association [of Manufacturers] to ensure that the card is formatted to industry standards.

2) A very high percentage of 32GB cards are defective or just plain fakes. Three out of five that I bought were so. I now run each card through H2testw, the best SD tester available, ( http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/H2testw.shtml ) in order to weed out the fakes.

3) I then re-format the "good" cards using SD Formatter 3.0 and then copy my FLAC tunes to the card. I send the "bad" cards back for a refund. 

So far, I have tried a 16GB and a 32GB SDHC card, both class 4, from Kingston and SanDisk (respectively) and they work. By work, I mean that they are read by the HM-602 and after I power off and leave the card in the drive, they display the lists after I boot up the player and allow me to access the items in the list. Everything I wanted.
Click to expand...


First, do we need to do a Quick Format, Erase Format, or Writeover format?
 
Second, did you test entire 32GB Class 4 cards with the H2testw before you deemed it OK? That takes quite awhile doesn't it?
 
And lastly...the H2testw doesn't say anything about whether the card is a fake or not, does it? Do you just deduce the card is a fake if it has too many errors?
 
 
May 22, 2012 at 5:47 PM Post #10 of 17
I've noticed, again, that the 1st 32 GB card I purchased (a Patriot) and the latest (Kingston) do not have any problem working with my 602 at all... and they both indicate they're made in Japan.
 
I've also noticed that the two I do have a problem with are PNY and both were made in China. And several others I took back that did not work properaly were also made somewhere other than Japan.
 
And then I've also noticed two interesting things... that using a SanDisk card reader in a USB port... the two made in Japan that work with no problems whatsoever write quite a bit slower than the two made in China (which were also sold as Class 4). And more importantly, I pretty much do not have any problems with the two PNY made in China if I do one specific thing every time I put new files on them. That is... after I've copied and pasted all the latest folders with files onto the cards that I want, I go into the last folder (or probably any folder on the card would work) and delete a single FLAC file, and then copy and paste the same single FLAC from the HD back onto the card. The cards then scan correctly every time from then on by my 602. I've also copied several individual FLACs at one time and that seems to work, too. So for the two cards I had problems with, it appears for some reason copying folders with the files in them will copy the files fine. But then finishing the file copying by copying at least a single FLAC file by itself makes the cards work right in the 602 almost every time I've done it. The maybe one time it didin't work, I just stuck the card back in the computer USB port, deleted a FLAC and copied it back, and it worked again in the 602 from then on.
 
Hopefully this helps, and maybe it'll work on any future cards I buy that may have the scanning problem in the 602 or other HiFi man players.
 
Jul 3, 2012 at 3:08 AM Post #12 of 17
larshp said:
However I haven't had problems with my Kingston 32GB class 4 cards except when I have either interrupted a file transfer or loaded the pdf liner notes on the card with the flac files. Then I would have to reinsert the card after each boot. These issues are obviously easily fixed.
Click to expand...


New HM-601 user here, thanks for the info on the liner notes all my cards are working fine now! I have a Centon 32gb class 10 that is working great. Thanks again.
 
Aug 1, 2012 at 9:12 PM Post #13 of 17
I just purchased a Toshiba 32 card that is Class 4 and Made in Japan and my HM602 with latest firmware goes crazy with the card.  It won't lock on a song.  I can select the folder and album but when you press play it just starts cycling through the songs nonstop basically.  I have a Toshiba 16 Made in Japan and it works perfectly.
 
Aug 10, 2012 at 7:03 AM Post #14 of 17
I only use Sandisk 32gb class 4 and have never had a problem with my 601
 
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