Logitech Touch and CPU rate with processing of flac to pcm

[tannoydmt]

Having just bought a Logitech Touch and finding out how great a digital transport it sounds when using it with my Mytek dac, I decided to use my main computer to process the flac files to pcm as recommended on many of the forums for improved sound. My computer uses a Intel quad core 6600 processor 2.4Ghz, a little old now but reasonably fast, opening the task manager to see the cpu use during the file conversion (no other operations in use apart from the norm) it was running at around 25% on most of the four cores which I would think was excessive, can anyone confirm this is normal or point me to possible reasons for this. By the way I am not yet totally convinced that using the main computer processing the files is any better than letting the Touch do this process playing 44.1 or 96khz files, whichever method is used the sound is excellent and would recommend anyone to buy one to use as a digital transport, the headphone outlet is also not bad using my Audio Technica 1000 headphones.

[slate]

Not a Touch owner myself so I am not sure about the current state; but with the original firmware many had problems with stuttering, especially with high resolution files. Most/all of these was removed with some performance improvements in a later firmware, but did it solve it all?!
But I can imagine that if you use the Touch's internal server that you might still be able to get it to stutter once in a while.
Anyway, in the beginning the performance surplus was so fragile that some people even recommnended re-flac'ing to default (5) if one had used high (8). Not sure if that is required today.

About your CPU load; that you see 25% tells us that the program that you are using can't utilise more than one of your four cores. That it uses the one core 100% isn't bad as such.

[Ali Tait]

My Touch is pretty much seamless in operation now. Get the odd stutter but it's rare.I use mine with an HD connected directly.

[magiccarpetride]

Having just bought a Logitech Touch and finding out how great a digital transport it sounds when using it with my Mytek dac, I decided to use my main computer to process the flac files to pcm as recommended on many of the forums for improved sound. My computer uses a Intel quad core 6600 processor 2.4Ghz, a little old now but reasonably fast, opening the task manager to see the cpu use during the file conversion (no other operations in use apart from the norm) it was running at around 25% on most of the four cores which I would think was excessive, can anyone confirm this is normal or point me to possible reasons for this. By the way I am not yet totally convinced that using the main computer processing the files is any better than letting the Touch do this process playing 44.1 or 96khz files, whichever method is used the sound is excellent and would recommend anyone to buy one to use as a digital transport, the headphone outlet is also not bad using my Audio Technica 1000 headphones.

I can cheerfully report hearing noticeable improvements in the sound quality when switching to converting FLAC to PCM on my iMac. Bypassing the Touch for any heavy lifting duties tends to produce better overall sound.

But what does that mean? Nothing.

[technobear]

...opening the task manager to see the cpu use during the file conversion ...

No Dude! You're doing it wrong! :doh:

Switch 'paranoia mode' to 'OFF'

Switch 'music listening mode' to 'ON'

There... now isn't that better http://www.hifiwigwam.com/images/smilies/stereo.gif

[WAD62]

I've been running 4 squeezebox players on 44.1 FLAC for over 18 months now, I transmit in FLAC because I have no desire to clog up the wi-fi bandwidth with wav. The squeezeboxes are more than capable of 'Unpacking' FLAC to wav (that's what they were designed for), and playing it seamlessly, any stutter/drop that I have ever experienced has been due to wi-fi interference, or more often back end cpu issues on the server, never at the player end.

It's exactly like using compression in an MQe messaging system...IT bods only

[jbloggs]

I didn't notice any difference (in sound quality) between steaming FLACs or (FLACs to) PCM to my Touch...both sounded the same to my ears.

[WAD62]

I didn't notice any difference (in sound quality) between steaming FLACs or (FLACs to) PCM to my Touch...both sounded the same to my ears.

Nor have I noticed any difference between playing a CD through my Audiolab 8000CDM, and the FLAC equivalent via linux sever/router/squeezebox receiver, both into coax connections on the same Audiolab 8000DAX. It's a bit of FTP, unzipping, and DAC feeding.

However I wonder if using the touch as both a server and a player might put too much stress on the CPU, particularly if you are using 96K files. I know there are some limitations on using the touch as both server and player, ie when playing from the USB, as opposed to being a wi-fi client

[tannoydmt]

When I started the computer the next day cpu use was back down to around 2% so likely a computer hiccup needing a reboot. I must say the little Touch is a superb digital transport, if you are considering one go ahead you won't regret it with one proviso if you intend to use a usb hard drive results are a bit shaky if you have a large music store much better to use your computer for the music storage, anyone want to buy a cd transport no longer needed.

[Ali Tait]

Yep,agreed. It's a great bit of kit.

[WAD62]

anyone want to buy a cd transport no longer needed.

Hi Mike,

I had a similar thought myself after I went down the squeezebox route and then one Friday night...my router went pop!!!

Thank heavens I had means of playing music over the 5 days it took Sky to send out the replacement, (in the end it was only the power supply so at least I have a replacement, doh!).

Squeezebox withdrawal symptoms are hard to deal with...