HTGL

DCS Scarlatti upsampler and dac combo was the best analog like dac to me...no let me take it back. Maybe not exactly analog like..it is not either analog or digital..the sound is.... hard to describe But to my ear, totally different league than emm labs, wadia or other high end dacs. Extremely low noise floor, high macro and micro dynamics and especially massive three dimenaionality..they were just the king to my ear until vivaldi came out.

Ok guys. I will definately stop right here! Even myself started to think since last night that this was little too much for you guys. Last thing: you guy may want to consider in the future (not because of my case) to make a one category of forum which deals with dispute and the rest of the forum is as it is. Site like audiogon has those kind of stuff and actually it is well orgarnized. Just 2 cents.

Gentlemen, I guess this will be my last post regarding this issue unless somebody really wants me to post something. I did enough as a newbie, and really don't want to disturb this forum anymore. As I repetively said, I don't think I am qualified here yet to do that. It seems that I am primarily criticized by two things: wrong venue and anonymity. i) Wrong venue: I agree that I do not have a right to make you guys unpleasant by seeing my post. But as somebody suggested, if Chris allows for me to post my original posting but minus legal thing, I can always do that with involvement of Paul Hynes and you guys. ii) Anonymity: I didn't know this would be criticized to be honest and didn't intend coward hiding at all when I posted it. I thought my identification and qualification might be just irrelvant to and or even misleading the point. If you guys want though, and if that is a sufficient condition of my re-posting of the problematic thread, I can easily open myself. I don't have anything to hide. Seriously, do you guys really think something is different if you guys know my name, my age, my background, my work place, my education, my audio gears, and my cars... or whatever? I don't think so, but if you guys have a concensus, I do not have any problem to open them (probably for a limited time and without phone number and address since I don't want to be googled forever:)) Thank you for all your concerns and again take my sincere apology for this mess caused by me! Best regards, Wookyung

Thanks! I asked the question to Chris in earlier post of this thread, but no answer from him. I would not interrupt his trip for now.

I paid him July last year...and you know, BOA policy. I can't dispute it anymore. To be honest, money back at this point is not my major concern.

100% agreed...my bad.

I just stay calm after the small turmoil I brought because just don't want to make this forum like Sh. TV like you said. I am nobody here and gave no contribution here; so I agree with the general opinions that I have to shut my mouth. But it does not mean that somebody like you should believe not mine but his. If I can do posting just one more time, I can easily disprove all your assumption, probably you don't care anyways. Don't worry guys I am not doing:) Anonymously? what do you want know about me other than I am a honest customer? Yes I already started the court action. If you really want to know the outcome, I will summarize it after the case finished since that is not the jungle justice anymore, but a fact by that time.

Hello guys, Thanks for the comment, and I have to say I totally understand what each one of you said, especially the fact this is a wrong venue. Yes I am a newbie in this forum and you guys knows much better about what the atmosphere of this forum should be. I will follow it. Only bad thing I can imagine by the no-legal-related rule is this though; if somebody criticises other guy with legitimate reasons (probably with much milder tone than I did), then the other guy can always say "I will sue you" to make post deleted and cover his fault. Of course, how many people would do that except... Happy listening! Wookyung

Eliose, I am the user who wrote the comments which might be useful to some people and which might be obnoxious to many of pure music lover. Yes, it was suddently deleted without any pre or post notice to me. I somewhat understood or even expected a possible deletion before I posted it. That was the reason I sent a lengthy PM to Chris to get a permission of the posting one day BEFORE I actually posted it. But I didn't get any answer (it might be too lengthy PM for him to read). So posted it, but it was gone. After I saw the deletion, asked him last night what forum rule I have violated and waiting for his answer. He might think that there were probably too much emotion and unproved allegation (at least to him)-it was simply impossible for me to prove everything which happend last 8 months within a single post. So I was waiting for Paul Hynes' response to build up discussion based on what he would say. I saw his rebuttal (again in my opinion, a story made up by him) and wrote a rebuttal to him. But sadly it was already gone at that moment. I felt really bad not because my post was deleted without any pre- post notice, but rather because we lost a chance to show/prove/disprove a truth. Chris, I know that my opinion about him was solely based on one time (but lengthy), private experience, but isn't it true that all the reviews/comments here are most likely based on one time and private experience as well? Any comment will be welcome. If you guide me about which way I can bring up this issue again, it would be much appreciated. I am thinking "fact only" version which only include his rebuttal to my previous post and our entire email exchange at the order process. Or if that thread was deleted by any mistake, please revive it so that I can rebut it. Will it be ok? Wookyung

Dave, Yes your previous issue is exactly same with what I have now and agree that the cause might be the USB audio 1 and 2 incompatibility. I reported that the possible Audio 1/2 issue to Sotm and they tried collaborate with DCS to solve it but no outcome yet. My only hope is upcoming update from DCS. I heard since last fall that they are planning to improve the Scarlatti Upsampler to get up to 192kHz through USB which, I believe, requires their own AUDIO 2.0 driver...

I have been used a 45W ivy-bridge Xeon process (Xeon E3-1265L V2, which is exactly equilvalent to the 45W i7 processor Chris mentioned) on my CAPS like server without a single problem for more than a few months. The pros of this cpu is that it has been/is widely available, and small cons is that it is slightly more expensive than the i7. If somebody wants a high performance cpu which can replace the i7 but with low TDP, I guess this is the best option for now as long as your motherboard support Xeon cpu (check individual mobo manufacture site, but most likely yes).

Nick, Maybe you already made your server based on the date of your posting. I haven't checked this site for a while. I do have DCS Scarlatti upsampler, and I was/am trying to make the upsampler and Sotm express card compatible each other. As Chris said somewhere else, this Sotm express card is much more compatible with various DACs when you use native Windows 8 USB 3.0 controller, but not perfect yet. Here is my short story. I decided to build my own server inspired by CAPS 2.0 last summer. The key part of the built was the Sotm Express card and my primary objective were i) good cosmetics and ii) no fan noise just like CAPS2.0. After many trial and errors, I ended up with very similar thing to the current CAPS 3.0 Zuma (which I am proud of myself that having a similar thought with Chris!). It was sometime last August, so the Streacom evo version was not available at that time. Just used non-evo version. Regarding the CPU, I also thought 45W I7 version, but it was not available at that time either. So equivalent 45W Xeon (forgot the model number...perfectly equivalent to the I7 version and it works really well) was chosen. Because I am not a big fan of NAS, three 256GB Samsung 830 SSD's were chosen as local drives. A few mother boards were tried (and as you might know motherboard selection is a tricky part when you use the heat pipe streacom case), and final decision was ASrock-this was simply the best for my purpose, dimension, geometry, quality and etc. (the model name is not on top of my head). I put the best 16gb low latency, low profile ram available at that time. Initial impression with the Sotm express card was a pure disappointment. The SQ was very good but only for two minute. After that very frequent slip/ticking noise. I tried every possible solution I could find from CA (Thank you Chris for your help!) but no success. Yesterday, I followed Chris' suggestion to go to Windows 8 (with its native driver, NOT SOTM TI DRIVER). Yes it was much much better, no, it was perfect when you listen to only either 44.1 or 96 kHz music. Once you change from 44.1 music to 96 kHz, no sound. That action freezes everything, JRiver and even computer (shutdown is impossible). Interestingly, the change from 96 kHz music to 44.1 kHz music is fine. By the way, the music through the card is simply amazing (again, as long as you don't move the play from lower to higher frequency music). A lot of improvement over the onboard USB (I haven't used the PCI Sotm card though). I hope better driver in the future will completely eliminate this problem... Please let me know if you have any experience you want to share with me. I now have a better idea about my next generation server (which include FC10 case and external linear power supply from P.H. (and additional power connector bracket for powering all the SSD drives). This will be expensive server overall, but I expect cosmetics as well as SQ will be the best.

Chris, I couldn't play anything without installing ASIO4all. Probably it is because the driver of Scarlatti upsampler is still USB Audio Class 1.0 (as you know, this class does not require a manufacture specific driver, so there is no software/driver provided by DCS. Even in their manual, they said the upsampler uses generic usb driver in Windows). As far as I know, Debussy (and Puccini U clock as well) has Class 2.0. I believe that is the reason DCS provides their own ASIO driver for Debussy. I can be wrong; hope somebody who has either Scarlatti or Paganini can confirm what I said. I may have to wait until DCS updates the firmware of Scarlatti just like the new Vivaldi.