Jump to content
IGNORED

Just received: M2Tech Hiface USB interface


Recommended Posts

Hi Nicholas,

 

you wrote:

 

"So with the Mac, you pay 2-3 times as much for a technically similar product, but without Blu-Ray or HDMI and less disk space, fewer USB ports, etc. At least with Weiss, Berkeley, et al., there's a significant improvement in performance compared to products selling for one-third or half as much."

 

What kind of products would you suggest ?

 

linux musicserver, jeff rowland aeris da, jeff rowland coherence series II, pass x250.5, audio physic caldera mkII & acoustat spectra 22 & Genelec 8050

Link to comment

No. I don't own one, yet, but am always reviewing the possibility, and therefore price them out fairly often. The value that garden-variety W7 laptops provide (I have 4 in house presently) is pretty compelling. And I have not had any security issues with my Windows machines; hardware reliability has been quite good as well.

 

My somewhat jaded points of reference are the very expensive "personal" scientific workstations of, say, 20 years ago, the overall "quality" level of which still pretty much still exceeds that of current PCs (meaning Windows or Mac), but the gap is finally closing.

 

Now, what particular aspects of OS/X or Mac do you think are really special and valuable for high-resolution audio? I'm certainly willing to change over if there's a compelling reason. Which model do you suggest I get, and how much does it cost, fully loaded, with a 1 year warranty?

 

Some new digital audio gear coming in for evaluation will be heavily integrated with iPod/iTouch/iPad and so it will be tested as such, and I'm looking forward to using them at length.

 

I've used several Mac workstations and laptops on and off over the past 25 years. They're fine, but when today I can get two HP dvt8's for the price of an MBP (with smaller screen, no this, no that, etc.) it still doesn't make any sense.

 

A rounded, brushed aluminum chassis that don't snag my designer clothing is not a high priority :) Keep in mind that there's a huge difference between spiffy industrial design and any real increase in usability. And to me, that brushed aluminum look got really tired, say, in the late 90's.

 

My primary use of computers is for non-audio applications, and iTunes doesn't do anything for me (all my media comes in on discs directly from the labels, along with high-resolution downloads in .WAV). Being able to play Blu-Ray and use HDMI is important.

 

Oddly enough, the computer I enjoy most of all is this cheap little Acer Aspire 1410, with a beautiful LED screen, and it goes with me everywhere. Even it has HDMI.

 

In the "emperor's new clothes" department, just for fun, take a look at the in-store posters and ads showing the NY Times front page on an iPad. Looks like a fake. The resolution of an iPad is nowhere nearly high enough to produce a page like that. Hold up an iPad with the Times front page on it next to the poster. You'll see the issue.

 

I mentioned this to my 90 year old mother, who promptly offered, oh, so they took the picture from a large monitor and Photoshopped it into the ad? Yup. TV monitor manufacturers are required to say "simulated images" in their ads; apparently this doesn't apply to computers.

 

Try getting anything past her :)

 

 

Link to comment

If you mean computer products in general, that's slightly off-topic, but with respect to digital audio, it isn't. For general comments, see my response to Chris' post. As always, your satisfaction with laptop X or Y depends on several factors. Chris may make some specific Mac model recommendations.

 

I'm getting excellent results with IEEE 1394 out of Toshiba and HP laptops using JRMC; and reasonable, but not quite as good, results with various inexpensive USB devices. I'm assuming that the $5K U-Link USB-S/PDIF converter will be SOTA, and am waiting for one to arrive.

 

There will be several new products coming out this year with what should be very good Ethernet and USB interfaces, so let's see how things evolve.

 

Link to comment

Nicholas said... "Thus they're both about equally reliable, or perhaps unreliable would be more accurate."

 

Generally speaking, the reliability, or lack of, in a computer is not the hardware, it's the software. Mac OS X, while not immune to viruses, has few to none of them in the wild. Also it seams (to me anyway) that (probably by not having a registry) you can a lot easier install and remove software to trial it. I've got a PowerMac G4 which was upgraded from System 9.x to Mac OS X Panther (think that's right - 10.3) to Tiger and still runs adequately as a day to day machine. That's 8-10 years old. I challenge any Windows PC to be similarly updated and be usable. Equally I've known 6 month old Windows PCs to grind to a halt, slow down in starting up, etc. and need a reinstall. Granted that Windows 7 does seam a lot more stable in this aspect but only time will tell how long term this reliability is.

 

"Last time I checked, Mac still wasn't able to license Blu-Ray or deploy HDMI, and it may never happen.

 

It's not a case that Apple are not ABLE to license Blu-Ray, it's a case that they choose not to. In fact Apple were one of the founder members of the BluRay Consortium (think that's their correct title) along with Sony, Panasonic, etc.

 

It is true Apple (at the current time) don't fit HDMI to their products, however they use the Mini-Display port which is electronically compatible with HDMI (including audio in the latest laptops) and can be connected to a HDMI capable device with a simple correctly terminated cable or

Eloise

---

...in my opinion / experience...

While I agree "Everything may matter" working out what actually affects the sound is a trickier thing.

And I agree "Trust your ears" but equally don't allow them to fool you - trust them with a bit of skepticism.

keep your mind open... But mind your brain doesn't fall out.

Link to comment

Submitted by The Computer Au... on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 14:56. Joined: 11/29/2007 .:. Offline .:. Comments: 6014

Yes I received them. The

Yes I received them. The second one came in at 1:00 AM this morning. I haven't taken a moment to respond but I will shortly.

 

Chris, I haven't heard back from you! I emailed you twice, the first time about 2 weeks ago before I first posted on this thread - I asked if you wanted to review the modified Hiface seeing as you were currently reviewing the stock Hiface & I also wanted to talk about a trade account or whatever is appropriate.

 

If you are not interested please let me know.

 

Link to comment

Hi Chris C!

 

I've been using spotify and iTunes. But all computer-sound is directed either to the hiface OR the soundcard, depending on what I choose as "Default" in "Sounds" in the "Control Panel"

 

I find no way to let them work/play sound seperately.

 

 

 

Link to comment

Thats a shame. To be honest I don't understand why this site wouldn't want to review the modified HiFace.

 

I would be interested in seeing such a review - perhaps against the original and also the next generation design from M2Tech. I would have thought others would be interested also - but perhaps not.

 

Best Wishes

 

Richard

 

 

 

Link to comment

However it is generally a poor substitute for hearing the audio equipment yourself in your own system. I suggest if any vendor is willing to provide Chris with a product to review, they could also provide the same demo equipment to any CA reader to evaluate and review. The cost to any CA reader should be no more than the shipping to and from costs with a deposit equal to the purchase price of the equipment to be fully refunded upon return. This is pretty common in the audio industry.

 

The ball is always in the vendor court to participate. If I didn't have a similar audio component I might be willing to buy something based on reviews and without my hearing it. But for me I am usually just interested in possibly bettering what I already have and determining whether it's worth the cost. That involves trying it for myself and no other persons reviews or comparisons can make that determination.

 

Link to comment

I'm always interested to hear the thoughts of a trusted reviewer regarding gear that might not be immediately available to home demo. It's a shame that it would appear that you have to be part of the 'paying team' to get a review.

 

Naturally you'd not expect someone to be given a free hand to advertise their product where everyone else pays for the privilege and in doing so supports the site.

 

I'm sorry to say that if I was left feeling that someone hadn't been given a fair crack of the whip that it would taint my feelings about the impartiality of the site. (Trust me on this Chris I run a product based forum with 10,000+ members, your impartiality is priceless).

 

 

 

17\"MB-Pro-Weiss 202-Muse 200- NS 1000M

Link to comment

I wanted to post exactly this but was afraid that it would be construed as soliciting. So if anybody is interested in this offer of a home trial based on a full refund when returned, then feel free to contact me. I can only do this for a small number of people, however.

 

I do hope this post doesn't get deleted!

 

Edit: Sq225917 posted while I wrote the above - is there a trusted reviewer that could be nominated & I will gladly extend this offer to him/her. I'm based in Ireland, not US, so we are talking about international registered post to anywhere (about 15Euro from Irl, ? cost back)

 

Link to comment

AUDIOZORRO SAID: "Reading someone else’s reviews and comparisons are useful. However it is generally a poor substitute for hearing the audio equipment yourself in your own system."

 

I absolutely agree. But, that said, I heard the jkeny's modded hiFace in my rather modest system, and it trumped my stock hiFace in clarity, definition and smoothness. It removed the "edge". Great piece of gear!

 

 

MichiGoon[br]PS Audio Power Plant Premier >> Oyen MiniPro 1TB External 2.5-in FireWire 800HD >> Mac Mini 2.53GHz/4GB with Amarra Mini 2.2 >> Ridge Street Audio Poiema USB cable >> Ayre Qb-9 (or) Tranquility SE DAC >> Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II ic> Arcam AVR350 >> Acoustic Zen Shotgun Double Barrel >> Vandersteen 2Ce speakers (combination of LessLoss and VH Audio power cables w/dedicated circuits)[br]

Link to comment

Chris' reluctance to review a modified hiFace (or modified anything) is in my opinion a reasonable and responsible decision, and ultimately is in the best interests of the readers. It's not that Chris isn't interested in the state-of-the-art or trying out new things.

 

From my perspective, I would not want to review such gear (not that I wouldn't enjoy trying it out) for several reasons which others have alluded to as well.

 

1. Modification usually voids the warranty.

2. A favorable review causes consumers to buy the gear, possibly creating problems when attemting to get warranty service if it subsequently fails. The user complains, well, so and so well-known audio person recommended your product, how come you won't fix it? and so forth.

It's thus a prescription for dissatisfaction under certain circumstances.

3. Hand-modified gear may not have the same QC, reliability and uniformity of the "native" gear directly from the vendor (see 2 above)

 

 

Link to comment

"It's a shame that it would appear that you have to be part of the 'paying team' to get a review."

 

Hi sq225917 - I respect your opinion but disagree 100%. There is no evidence to support your opinion, at least here at Computer Audiophile.

 

Nicholas is correct in many way as to why I am hesitant to review the product. There are too many cons to doing such a review in this case. The product may be wonderful but there are many more (non-monetary) considerations that must be made prior to accepting a product for review. In fact I waited a very long time before bringing in the production version of the hiFace (review to come). I was unfamiliar with the company M2Tech and everything that goes with it such as history, reputation, hardware and software support, etc... I actually talked to a few engineers in the industry about M2Tech's approach before moving forward.

 

I'm not saying I review only products from companies that meet every single criterion. Rules are made to be broken, but this isn't the right set of circumstances. Nothing personal, just a business decision.

 

 

 

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

Link to comment

Chris, I wasn't stating that's how it was, rather hinting that's how it could be perceived due to your lack of a sound explanation as to why you were being 'frosty' to JK.

 

Maybe I've missed a sticky explaining reviewing submission eligibility, if not don't forget it's just as valid giving 'us' this info as it is the equipment manufacturers.

 

Thanks for providing the clarity, I knew you had some good reasons hidden away somewhere. ;-)

 

Si

 

17\"MB-Pro-Weiss 202-Muse 200- NS 1000M

Link to comment

Chris, I don't take it personally, I know it's business.

 

I just wanted to allow your readers the opportunity of a comparison with the stock Hiface as you were already doing a review of it, I believe?.

 

I didn't know that you had a problem doing a review of a modified product as Nicolas & you have stated.

 

Anyway, I hope your forum readers welcome the opportunity to review the product themselves & make up their own minds, as some who have posted here already, have done.

 

Link to comment

I got my jkeny-modified HiFace a few weeks ago, and it was love at first listen. It was such an obvious improvement over the stock version that I couldn’t bring myself to taking it out of my system to A/B it to stock. I finally did today, and all the benefits I thought were there were there in spades: greater clarity, improved transients, more air and spaciousness, extended frequency response with more tuneful bass. All the usual suspects! These differences are not subtle in my system. I use xxhighend (the latest version is phenomenal!) played into a Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC. The modified version creates a much more musical presentation and enjoyable listening experience. It similarly trounces my Lynx card and it’s portable to boot. I recommend it highly, and if there's any doubt, all my interactions with John have been positive and hassle-free.

 

Link to comment

Same here, I have had one for about 3 weeks now it is giving me the best "digital" sound ever. The std Hiface is good but the modded version takes it to another level.

 

MBP>Chevron Audio Sabre UV player/Dac/Meridian Explorer dac>Chevron Audio Paradox Pre>Leema Hydra 2>Leema Xavier speakers.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...