wtfplay

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sligolad

 

Then go to DRAM Frequency and from the drop down select 800Mhz

 

What does this do? I have left mine at Auto.

 

I have my cpu at sync all cores at 800 Mhz and turned off unwanted services. I have kept hyper threading and some C states as XXhighend requires these to work with. Turbo is off.

 

The key is lowest power, lowest noise which wtfplay thrives on and gives back such a superior listening experience.

 

Agree with you but you still need a powerful processor(i7 or later) and quality power supply. Linear power supplies seem to be the answer now for superior listening.

 

Its hard to get specific Bios settings online as people have different audio programs and computer cpu's. All react differently with each other. What I have done so far definitely improved the sound albeit slow to boot up and load files. All play back perfectly though.

 

I have yet to try wtfplay but it certainly is on the right approach to better sound. I tried Daphile but it only plays music files from Ram not the OS. Both are required in Ram to make a big difference.

 

Robert

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Well I took the plunge yesterday and loaded up WTFPLAY and whoa what a sound. Took me by surprise inner detail I've never heard in fact depth I've never heard. This was caused by frustration with Xxhighend endless settings and issues with Intona sound.

 

Surprisingly easy to get working and quick to respond, my only issue is volume is quite high. I can manage it but would like to reduce it to optimise volume pot in Benchmark.

 

I've adjusted Bios settings per Sligolad above.

 

How do I get "alsamixer" to work? I thought it might be with the wtfplay download. Does "alsamixer" effect sound quality?

 

I tried typing alsamixer after command line but it says cannot open mixer: no such file or directory.

 

Robert

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WTFplay would be my #2 player, clean detailed sound that's just a little bass light and "2D"compared to BH at its best. But WTF just works with consistently good results every time, without waiting minutes for replay to start or needing a high spec PC, so for the majority of my use it's as good or better than BH, especially once you use the command line (tab key is your friend here) rather than the text ui.

 

Norton,

Whats your no1 player?

 

I agree with you on wtfplay it is so simple to operate and quick. So far no upsampling. I'm not sure about bass light, when I play a track with big bass it all seems to be there but in more detail. Its quite a change from running Ram OS xxhighend(upsamples to 24/192) which takes time to load into ram, then to play tracks in the best mode more time. I have ongoing problems playing back hires files which skip randomly mid track. To be frank I'm also over windows as an OS. I think its doomed going forward and we don't need all the stuff that comes with Windows for dedicated audio playback. The best sound I've heard is Linux based on the Antipodes servers New Zealand based product.

I find myself playing track after track with wtfplay. The only other Linux player I've compared it with is Daphile and I think wtfplay is better. I havn't returned to xxhighend yet for a final verdict.

 

 

Robert

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I had a look at Infinity Blade and it looks similar to Xxhighend and a nightmare to get working with ongoing bugs, probably never solved as Windows is the PROBLEM. Windows is constantly upgrading and this changes the platform nearly everytime. This is why running XXhighend we use a specific W10 edition with no updates what so ever.

 

Gosh I have tons of bass with wtfplay and detailed. I've had to readjust speakers and settings in my HiFi as a result. Its so nice to be able to play whole albums from 16/44 to 24/196 with no clicks, skipping or sudden stops.

 

I just want to hear the music with little or no hassle.

 

Robert

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I found this download but don't know whether its any good. I have downloaded it in good order, but not activated yet, still playing with wtfplay.

 

http://ftp.vector.co.jp/68/13/3565/bughead_7_81_x64.zip

 

Not easy crossing languages. I will try this but I'm concerned with all the variables having come from one that has many and never got it right.

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frd

 

My music is currently on another computer connected by ethernet through the router to my Audio computer. I found sound wise this to be much better than usb music drive connected directly.

 

Is running wtfplay from Linux better than Windows? What Linux desktop would you recommend? Or makes no difference.

 

Robert

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I have been playing with tuning the audio buffer size and this is well worth trying. I'm currently at -f 8192 -n 3 -p 60.

 

Going from -f 2048 to -f 4096 then -f 8192 each one an improvement over the other. I tried -f 16384 but seemed to loose some bass impact. I also tried -n 2, -n 4, -n 6. -n 3 seems to be best in my setup. I have yet to try -p.

 

This program is so simple to operate and sounds excellent. I have had to readjust subwoofers and reduce sub volume due to the extra bass extension. The bass has never performed like this in my system. Love the less is best approach.

 

Robert

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To be fair HQ Player for best sound relies on finding the right settings for your system. I personally found it to be not as good as my preferred player below.

 

I have tried the latest version of wtfplay and am watching its progress closely.

 

Its simplicity is very seductive and I think its direction of development is the right one. 

 

Its still not in the same camp as my sound from Xxhighend Ram OS. But this costs both in time and money to maximise. Its reliance on Windows is a pain but I guess this has a positive effect on the sound.

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Norton try the new Oppo 205!!! Its amazing, I've replaced my Benchmark DAC2 with it and no regrets. The new Sabre chips are something else.

 

Robert

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I never owned the 105, I had the Cambridge 751(Oppo 95 equiv) which had better multi channel output design. Thats all gone now back to good old stereo. I was waiting for surround sound music but its never taken off.

 

In saying that the 205 did beat the Cambridge sonically on all formats notably blueray,  SACD and CD. I used the Benchmark DAC2 for computer audio output. 

Yes the Sonica has had mixed reviews. The 205 is improved over the Sonica I believe but I've not heard it. I watch live concerts first then music so the 205 covers a lot of bases for me in one box, less cables. I still may get a dedicated DAC but waiting for better USB input design and 32/768 capable. Xxhighend outputs 32/768 upsampled. The Chinese are showing promise in this direction but more work to be done.

Mind you I'm very happy with the 205 so in no hurry in fact may not bother unless a big breakthrough in sound design appears, unlikely as we seem to have small improvements over time. The 205 does it for me sonically at present.