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Post by dalethorn on Jun 19, 2012 14:36:44 GMT
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Post by dalethorn on Jun 21, 2012 2:53:12 GMT
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Post by dalethorn on Jun 22, 2012 16:34:36 GMT
According to what I learned from HRT, the newer more "advanced" operating systems like Windows 7 actually default music playback to the lowest common denominator, even when the music player is playing a 96 khz track and the DAC supports that data rate. Windows XP, the old ancient about-to-be-discontinued operating system gets it right and sets the data rate at 96 khz without effort. So in the new O/S's you have to dig into documentation and figure out how to set the data rate higher.
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Post by freddypipsqueek on Jun 22, 2012 22:28:37 GMT
Picked one up on 'the bay' for £70. I'll give it a go and post some comments.
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Post by dalethorn on Jun 23, 2012 3:18:57 GMT
Here is where I did an extended comparison of the HeadStreamer (for PC's) and iStreamer (for i-devices) DAC's. Since the HeadStreamer includes a headphone amp (and in fact the output of the HeadStreamer is headphone only), the iStreamer had to have a headphone amp added for the compare. The HeadStreamer won handily I think, so it should be interesting to see how it fares against the Audioengine D1 and FiiO E17, both of those USB DAC's with headphone amps. www.stereophile.com/content/comparing-hrt-istreamer-and-headstreamer-dacs-audiophile-recording
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funk1969
250+
Some things are so easily overlooked...
Posts: 481
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Post by funk1969 on Jun 23, 2012 8:40:36 GMT
I skipped this little device. The E10 is now replaced by a Pico DAC and a Dual Mono CMoy. If the Headstreamer had a line out I would have at least been partly interested...
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Post by freddypipsqueek on Jul 4, 2012 21:21:50 GMT
Dale.
Do you use ASIO or WASAPI with the headstreamer.
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Post by dalethorn on Jul 4, 2012 22:56:33 GMT
Dale. Do you use ASIO or WASAPI with the headstreamer. I tried WASAPI on Win7 per one suggestion but I couldn't get it to work. So I will d/l the ASIO plugin next and give that a go. At this point the computer is just sending 96k I guess, since the Headstreamer light shows that on all tracks. It sounds OK so I'll have to see if ASIO makes a difference with the 44k CD rips. Presumably I'm not getting correct output at 44k but it does sound good.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2012 7:24:41 GMT
Dale, your HRT is a UAC1 device relying on Windows native driver which, I'm afraid, is not ASIO compatible. What was the problem with WASAPI? IIRC you were using Foobar, have you read the guide in the computer audio section? have you tried the latest beta5 WASAPI plugin. If you want/need some help don't hesitate to ask.
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Post by dalethorn on Jul 5, 2012 8:18:19 GMT
I downloaded the Beta 5 WASAPI and added that, then I see under Preferences/Output a bunch of selections like WASAPI: Speakers (Headstreamer) and also WASAPI (event) : Speakers (HeadStreamer).
So I tried the first one and it started sputtering occasionally. Then I tried the one with (event) in it and that seems to be working better, but I still hear a few ticks and pops. The data rate lights are also reporting the correct data rate now.
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Post by freddypipsqueek on Jul 5, 2012 8:19:58 GMT
From my brief investigtaions last night.
ASIO4All appears to work and Foobar with the SOX resampler it is not bad. I have not done much of a comparision however. I understand that ASIO is dependent on the USB receiver chip being supported. The ploytec ASIO I otherwise use does not work as it provides limited support for only a few chips.
I use Windows XP so WASAPI is out for me.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2012 8:57:38 GMT
Dale, if supported by your DAC "Event" is the mode to use. In that mode the DAC controls the flow instead of the PC, asking for bits when it is ready to accept them insterad of being forced fed. Have you tried increasing the buffer length? try with 1,000ms and see if it gets rid of the clics and pops. Also in the task manager change the WASAPI component's priority to high or even "real time". Another good idea is to use the "Timer Resolution" tool or Fidelizer.
Freddy, ASIO4All is not real ASIO. It lets you use the ASIO mode of a media player but inside it is nothing but good old Kernel Streaming (there is a KS output plugin for Foobar that makes it unnecessary) dresed in an ASIO wrapper. While it may make sense in XP, it is quite pointless in Vista or 7 WASAPI or true ASIO being better.
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Post by dalethorn on Jul 5, 2012 15:31:42 GMT
Thanks Javier - I had the buffer length OK, but the priority task setting should help.
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Post by dalethorn on Jul 6, 2012 3:47:44 GMT
I set priority on high and the sound has been smooth and so far free of glitches except one baddie that lasted half a second, but since I wasn't watching the tasks I didn't see what the offending process was. The next problem is with Preferences/Output set to WASAPI (event) : Speakers (HeadStreamer) when I was comparing local clips I have to the same tunes online the Foobar sound came through the Headstreamer but the online sound went to the computer's built-in speaker. So to fix that I had to reset Foobar Output to DS : Speakers (HeadStreamer). I have a feeling this is going to be an unfixable problem on a corporate PC. It's really hard to believe that Windows 7 can't feed audio as a background task without bad glitches and so much kludgy workarounds.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2012 7:23:55 GMT
That is by design Dale, nothing to do with the PC being corporate. Both ASIO and WASAPI lock the used soundcard for exclusive access in Foobar (and all other well designed media players for that matter) so no other application can get to it. iTunes, if configured for "audio session" uses WASAPI but in shared mode so system sounds or audio from other programs can still reach the sound card but that defeats the main purpose of using either WASAPI or ASIO which is bypassing the Windows Mixer and all related stages in the audio processing chain for best SQ and automatic sample rate change.
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XTRProf
Fully Modded
Pssst ! Got any spare capacitors ?
Posts: 5,689
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Post by XTRProf on Jul 6, 2012 10:16:55 GMT
Hi Javier,
Interesting you mention Foolbar or any media player will lock the soundcard thru Wasapi for Foolbar or media player usage. Then how come if I play youtube, there is now double sound coming from the soundcard as well thru my laptop? I'm asking as this is puzzling to me as the soundcard is supposed to be locked to Foobar exclusivley but I'm getting dual sound.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2012 21:28:55 GMT
Sorry Chong, I'm not sure I quite undertsand what you are trying to say. If you are using 2 soundcards simultaneously, WASAPI will only lock the one it has assigned, the other one is free and can be used by Windows. Youtube (web browser) uses Direct Sound not WASAPI.
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