[acguitar84]

I just read everything, and try to research it. Nobody needs to post their impressions and tips, but they do anyway, and I just try to learn from everything.

 

[Peti]

   
Try Foobar2000 with WSAPI output, it's free, good and still maintained. It's clean and straightforward, and won't cost you anything to have a play with it.
 
Bughead is no longer in active development, so any problems might never be fixed. If it works for you, then this isn't a worry, but it's worth knowing.

7.49 got out two days ago for Bughead Emperor. Best player I've ever heard, period. JRiver 21 was a tiny little bit better than Foobar2k but this japanese miracle smokes all of them for me. What's best, it's free, so nothing's keeping you from giving it a run. The downside to me is the plethora of the options, that's literally, just overwhelming.
 
Bughead - DAC-19 - Liquid Gold - HD800C the best combo I've heard to date. Absolutely non-fatiguing treble-wise; I could enjoy my poorly recorded/mixed/mastered NWOBHM discs without a problem. The Modi Multibit will be put to the same test (rig) hopefully soon.

 

[mentt]

7.49 got out two days ago for Bughead Emperor. Best player I've ever heard, period. JRiver 21 was a tiny little bit better than Foobar2k but this japanese miracle smokes all of them for me. What's best, it's free, so nothing's keeping you from giving it a run. The downside to me is the plethora of the options, that's literally, just overwhelming.

Bughead - DAC-19 - Liquid Gold - HD800C the best combo I've heard to date. Absolutely non-fatiguing treble-wise; I could enjoy my poorly recorded/mixed/mastered NWOBHM discs without a problem. The Modi Multibit will be put to the same test (rig) hopefully soon.

If you need to stick with PC best results can be achive with Daphile

 

[Peti]

If you need to stick with PC best results can be achive with Daphile

But for that you'd need two computers/laptop, right?

 

[mentt]

But for that you'd need two computers/laptop, right?

No, just one
Music can be played from local disk or from NAS -> from NAS you will get better sound
You can control It from tablet, phone or Computer. There are apps or you can use web interface
You dont have to even install it. You can boot It from USB flash stick

 

[Letmebefrank]

No, just one
Music can be played from local disk or from NAS -> from NAS you will get better sound
You can control It from tablet, phone or Computer. There are apps or you can use web interface
You dont have to even install it. You can boot It from USB flash stick

Why would it sound better with a NAS than a local hdd?

 

[jcwc]

   
Although it's not as good an option as WASAPI, you can do direct bit-exact audio over USB under XP using the "kernel streaming" output component in Foobar:
 
http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_out_ks
 
That should work reasonably well for you, HTH!
 
That said, you really shouldn't be using Windows XP at all any more- especially on a machine with any sort of network connection. It isn't getting regular security patches any more, and is unsupported as of 2014.

 
Thanks for the tip about the kernel streaming component for Foobar. I've installed it.

 

[rmoody]

Why would it sound better with a NAS than a local hdd?

It won't. Any more than it would sound better played through a $5000 network cable with arrows on it.

 

[Letmebefrank]

It won't. Any more than it would sound better played through a $5000 network cable with arrows on it.

I know, I just wanted to hear his reasoning on it.

 

[bigro]

 
It won't. Any more than it would sound better played through a $5000 network cable with arrows on it.

The Arrows show the direction that the electrons are aligned. You don't want your electrons swimming upstream now, do you?

 

[rmoody]

 
The Arrows show the direction that the electrons are aligned. You don't want your electrons swimming upstream now, do you?

 
I still have badge access, I'll sneak in and reverse your cables you keep it up!

 

[earnmyturns]

With all respect, audio is pretty far from brain surgery.

Dunno, the pressure ratio between barely tolerable loud and minimum discernible is not too far from the ratio of backhoe precision to a micrometer 

 

[Ancipital]

Nope, no difference. That's why people keep buying usb decrapifyers and USB to SPDIF converters.

Because there's no difference.

Right.

 
"Audiophiles buy this stuff, therefore it must be valid" is one of the least compelling arguments that you could make, you're just undermining your own case. Audiophiles buy many things. There has to be a more useful argument available to you, surely?
 
 

   
Thanks for the tip about the kernel streaming component for Foobar. I've installed it.

 
Great, I hope it's working for you 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
7.49 got out two days ago for Bughead Emperor. Best player I've ever heard, period. JRiver 21 was a tiny little bit better than Foobar2k but this japanese miracle smokes all of them for me. What's best, it's free, so nothing's keeping you from giving it a run. The downside to me is the plethora of the options, that's literally, just overwhelming.

 
The UI is a bit bonkers, too!
 
The thing that concerns me is that on the site, it says:
 

 STOP Bug head development for my mental health. All request dump and rejected.
開発は健康改善の為、休止しています。作者の体重が、80kgになったら再開します。

 
I really hope I have the wrong end of the stick there. The Japanese part says that it will resume once the dev hits 80kg, so maybe it's not as doomed as all that, if he/she gets their health under control.

 

[jcwc]

   
Great, I hope it's working for you 

 
Unfortunately, with KS I'm getting the occasional click/pop.

 
I've now installed ASIO4ALL, which is working fine without the clicks/pops as long as I have sufficient buffer size.

 

[Ancipital]

   
Unfortunately, with KS I'm getting the occasional click/pop.
 
I've now installed ASIO4ALL, which is working fine without the clicks/pops as long as I have sufficient buffer size.

 
Argh, such a hassle!