"Binding" Wheel

[thedodgyguy]

Anyone else having problems with 'binding' wheels (not a big issue actually, just mildly irritating at times) and consistent sound cutouts in-track (a big issue)? Also... I'd like to get rid of the menu animations if it'll speed up the sloooow UI. Any ideas on how that's done?


Oh and another thing - every time I power this up and start playing I get a "Grace Notice" message... again, I'm wondering what that is... an MTP error certainly, but I'd like to know how I can get rid of it. I'm running the latest firmware (1.05) which shipped with the player. Thanks for any comments.

[CrowdAds]

[bRokEnCHaRacTer]

No problems with the wheel on my Vibez. I also don't have any gaps in my ablbums. Perhaps your rip isn't quite perfect?

I am runing the firmware v. 1.04, din't know there was a newer one

[thedodgyguy]

Oops, my mistake 1.04 it is.


I might just be holding it wrong for optimal use - although how differently can I hold this thing - but sometimes the wheel's travel is impeded in mid-spin.


I just get about a quarter-second gap every now and again. I'm going to listen one-eared and see if I can tie it down to a buffer refresh.

[Sombra]

Originally Posted by thedodgyguy

Anyone else having problems with 'binding' wheels (not a big issue actually, just mildly irritating at times) and consistent sound cutouts in-track (a big issue)? Also... I'd like to get rid of the menu animations if it'll speed up the sloooow UI. Any ideas on how that's done?


Oh and another thing - every time I power this up and start playing I get a "Grace Notice" message... again, I'm wondering what that is... an MTP error certainly, but I'd like to know how I can get rid of it. I'm running the latest firmware (1.05) which shipped with the player. Thanks for any comments.

Do you have the gain set to low or high? I tried it on high and thought it was great to have a little more volume boost, but when a new song would come on the volume woulg get loud for a few seconds, then get a bit softer for the remainder of the song. I didn't realize it was the gain setting affecting this and was pretty dismayed that my Vibez was doing this. Then it dawned on me that the volume problems started when I adjusted the gain control. I put it back to off and everything was fine again.

No gain for me as the volume disruption is terrible.

[thedodgyguy]

As a previous Karma user I know never to go near the gain control. Shame that they haven't bothered to work on that either, as well as the buggy EQ.


The Karma used to have 'electrical noise' of the HDD spinning up bleed into the headphones so it was easy to tell that the glitches mid-track came from the HDD buffer-fill. With the Vibez, that's not readily the case so I can't tell but the frequency with which it happens makes me thing it is a buffer-fill problem. Whereas it caused a momentary glitch on the Karma, on the vibez it's actually a break so it's exceedingly annoying.

[thedodgyguy]

Update:

Buffer-fill break, absolutely. I'm really surprised that people out there aren't reporting this. This is a major, major factor in the music playback.

[Sombra]

I'm not exactly sure what it is you're talking about. Can you describe what is happening with your Vibez.

[thedodgyguy]

There. Is. A. Break. In. The. Sound. Every. Time. The. Vibez. Refreshes. The. Buffer. From. The. HDD.
Since. The. Vibez. Is. A. Gapless. Device. The. Breaks. Are. Nearly. Always. During. A. Track.


I can't think of a simpler way to put it.

[Sombra]

Originally Posted by thedodgyguy

There. Is. A. Break. In. The. Sound. Every. Time. The. Vibez. Refreshes. The. Buffer. From. The. HDD.
Since. The. Vibez. Is. A. Gapless. Device. The. Breaks. Are. Nearly. Always. During. A. Track.


I can't think of a simpler way to put it.

It's where you went from "consistent sound cutouts in-track" to 1/4 second gaps that you lost me in translation.

I'd say you have a dud because I have achieved what I am perceiving to be perfect gapless on many albums...not all, but many. The ones where I don't have perfect gapless haven't been encoded with LAME.

[thedodgyguy]

Right.


Just to make it 100% clear.


The gaps are almost never at the end of tracks. They are IN the tracks, because the Vibez - like the Karma before it - refreshes it's buffer from the HDD when it needs to, not at track transitions. When the HDD powers up, the track cuts out momentarily.


As such, it has nothing to do with LAME encoding, although it may have something to do with the frame sizes of various codecs.


If you're using it with low-bitrate MP3's I won't be surprised that you're not coming across this issue often since the buffer will need to be refreshed much less. However if you're using it with music of a quality which allows the hype generated for this machine sound-wise to be evaluated properly, then you'll be encountering a buffer refresh much more often. That is my situation.

[Sombra]

Originally Posted by thedodgyguy

Right.


Just to make it 100% clear.


The gaps are almost never at the end of tracks. They are IN the tracks, because the Vibez - like the Karma before it - refreshes it's buffer from the HDD when it needs to, not at track transitions. When the HDD powers up, the track cuts out momentarily.


As such, it has nothing to do with LAME encoding, although it may have something to do with the frame sizes of various codecs.


If you're using it with low-bitrate MP3's I won't be surprised that you're not coming across this issue often since the buffer will need to be refreshed much less. However if you're using it with music of a quality which allows the hype generated for this machine sound-wise to be evaluated properly, then you'll be encountering a buffer refresh much more often. That is my situation.

All are 192 and up or FLAC and no issue at all like you have. Me thinks you have a dud. I haven't read about your issue anywhere else, have you?

[thedodgyguy]

Well - in all fairness, the Karmaholics all but denied that the similar (but much less acute) problems I experienced with 3 Karmas existed too. Funny thing, fanboys. But no, this is far too noticeable for anyone.


I've fired off a query to the vendors. Hopefully they can resolve it and it *is* a dud. The quality is decent but this issue makes the Vibez a non-starter for me at the moment.


At this moment I also have to say the battery's not looking spectacular either: This is the first time I've tried to run a test and after two complete discharge cycles, 160K average MP3 playback in DJ mode All Tracks is revealing ~50% charge as of now (00:05). I started playback at 19:00 and this is without the normal fiddling, but just a wake-up and browse through artist once every two hours or so. Given the claimed life of the Vibez I was expecting to find this at about 30% tomorrow morning at 7am but I'm now fairly certain it's going to be fully discharged by then. Update tomorrow!


Edit: First-round battery life is somewhere under 14 hours. Which puts it in Sony levels of optimal vs actual battery life misrepresentation.