Carl Stock said:
Thirdly, I understand many people may be experiencing problems with their Cambridge Audio 640Hs; but I really wish it could be realised that these initial problems can be solved in the near future. There must be other users who are not experiencing any problems. The analogy of the patient seeing the doctor springs to mind: if all is well, the doctor (this forum!) does not hear from the patient (the user).
I would agree with you, except there are so many apparently inherent problems that I doubt there are many satisfied owners to be found.
Carl Stock said:
Peering at computing websites, you will find there are a vast array of conflicts and apparently simple problems that are unavoidable, at least in the short term. Even with Macs I have one there can be problems. Computers do not always run according to plan, be it because of software or hardware. Even with extensive testing, there are problems that can occur in the field (in the real world); and multitasking operating systems like Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc., are never foolproof there is simply a great deal of work going on with operating systems, and it simply is not possible to guarantee near-flawless daily performance along the lines of, say, a CD player.
Obviously! I am lead developer for a large software company and I use a variety of operating systems, servers, network protocols and equipment on a daily basis. To say that it is not quite right just because it's hard or complicated just doesn't work for me. It's just not right because of underdevelopment and lack of proper QA. It appears to be a long way from from users' expectations of usability and stability, and there is still a question mark over the hardware design because the CPU fan runs constantly and you could nearly fry an egg on it.
In comparison to the Audiotron: that has more functionality and only lacks the hard disk, is also CE based, has no fan, runs cold, and is fast to navigate no matter what the size of the music database. In thousands of hours of use, I have never found a single problem.
In comparison to the Hidielio Pro: that also has 160GB hard drive, has far more functionality, has a very good UI, needs no fan, runs cold, and is fast to navigate regardless of the size of the music database. I have not found a single problem yet in a week of constant use. So far I have about 100GB of music on it.
This is the way it should be. No-one expects software or hardware to be perfect, but there's a very big gap between the occasional problem that might be expected, say once a month or less, and failing to run for more than a few hours without crashing.
Carl Stock said:
Lastly, any hard disk is quite capable of running 24/7 without any problems. In any case, my servers hard disk at home runs almost 24/7.
That's very true. My home linux server is always on, and has been running now for around 5 years. There is a caveat though. My five and a half year old TiVo is on its third drive. That is always on too, but also it is always writing to the hard drive, which generates heat. Overheating can have a dramatic effect on hard disk life. For example I've got 12 NEC Express5800 servers at work with three disks in each. On average, one fails a month. I believe this is due to poor airflow inside the case (they are blades) because fundamentally it shouldn't happen. The relevance here is that the 640H runs extremely hot, and this may well affect the hard disk life. It will be interesting to see how many fail between two and three years old.
While hard drives can last a long time without any ill effects provided they do not get too hot, the same cannot be said of processor fans. Invariably they get steadily noisier due to bearing wear.
Carl Stock said:
You mark my words: I am sure the 640Hs firmware will be vastly improved in the very near future and will continue to be improved further.
Either they put significantly more resource into sorting out the existing problems quickly, or they will damage the brand. I have subsequently heard from another (recently) ex-Richer Sounds employee that in fact there is a significant rate of return, at their branch at least. The main causes for concern are that the processor fan runs constantly, and the unit runs very hot, neither of which should happen. And the number of lockups could be related to that. In addition, the general usability and performance of Audiofile with a large amount of music are poor, and the network performance is, err, broken.
I do hope they get it right. What the market needs is something like the 640H which majors on sound quality but with enough functionality to be useful. However, they should have got it right
before putting it on sale. Expecting paying customers to beta test the product will never work out.