Hi Head-Fi, I have a few questions that I would truly love if I can have answered.
 
First off, the thread states what I am using; I have an Asus Xonar Essence STX 124dB SnR Soundcard and Sennheiser HD 598's. Both are pretty darn good for the audiophile (I am getting there!)
 
Anyways, here is the issue. I rip my music from CD's (I buy my music), and I rip my songs at 1411KBPS .wav "Lossless" Audio. In my Asus Xonar Essence STX Audio Center, I have: 2 Channels, PCM 192KHz, and Analog Out: Headphone marked. I use the 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter for certain songs, and also sometimes for Gaming, just because I like the sound.
 
The problem I am having is this: the songs that I rip, when I play them on my music player (I am using COWON's jetAudio program for now), it states that my files are PCM 16bit, 44.1KHz! Why is that? I want to have the songs be in 24bit, 192KHz format.
 
Am I completely off? Did I do something wrong? It sounds FANTASTIC, but I feel as if maybe I did not do something critical when I got my hardware.
 
Another point to mention is that despite what I change in the Asus Xonar Essence STX Control Panel, the Windows Sound button still features under "Sound Properties" having 16bit, 44100Hz (CD Quality). When I try to change that, it gives me a warning message, and then some of the Asus Control Panels functions don't work anymore.
 
Please, if anyone can help me understand how to effectively use my soundcard for gaming and high-end audio listening with Lossless sound files, I will love you forever
 
Thank you for your time!
 
 


 

The CD format (Red Book) specifies 16-bit 44.1 kHz. All CDs have that rate. Your sound card is capable of playing 192 kHz content, but CD audio will never go that high. Basically, there is no problem.

Thank you for your reply. So, it is just the pure fact that I am limiting myself to a 700MB CD? What would you recommend then to get the absolute pinnacle of highest audio quality? Digital download in FLAC or WAV formats?
 
Also, do I need to worry about Windows stating that it is set for 16bit, 44.1KHz, despite my Asus having 24bit 192KHz, and the Sample Rate states PCM 192KHz?
 
Lastly, do you know what I do with this box: SFDIF Out: PCM. Do I keep that checked? I don't even know what that does =(
 
Sorry for being such a noob, I just love really high-quality classical music, so I thought just buying the best stuff would solve my problems, but I think I have far more to do ^_^

Are you using windows 7/vista? Or an earlier windows?

I am using Windows 7. I don't think I need to check PCM, because what I read said SPDIF is for Optical, and I'm using a 6.3MM jack directly into my soundcard. Do you know what settings to check off for better sound quality for various applications? Any advice would be good. I want to maximimze the performance of this fantastic soundcard

An FLAC will be identical to the WAV file ripped from the CD, just smaller as it uses lossless compression.
 
You can ignore any SPDIF settings if you are not using it specifically. The STX is has a dual SPDIF port which can output optical or coaxial. You would want to use this port to hook the card to a stereo system at full quality. Changing the setting from PCM may lower quality for playback of music, but increase quality for playback of video with multichannel audio streams that are in DTS or some other digital format, because the stereo system can deal with that better in most cases.
 
If you want higher quality audio, a 24bit source or higher quality headphones are really the only thing you can do, as a CD has a maximum level of sound quality, which is quite good, but not as good as the STX can output with a better source.
 
You may be able to improve the quality of the rip by using a different ripping software or a different drive, as some have been known to mess with the digital data before it reaches the hard drive.
 
Quote:

gulati said:

Thank you for your reply. So, it is just the pure fact that I am limiting myself to a 700MB CD? What would you recommend then to get the absolute pinnacle of highest audio quality? Digital download in FLAC or WAV formats?
 
Also, do I need to worry about Windows stating that it is set for 16bit, 44.1KHz, despite my Asus having 24bit 192KHz, and the Sample Rate states PCM 192KHz?
 
Lastly, do you know what I do with this box: SFDIF Out: PCM. Do I keep that checked? I don't even know what that does =(
 
Sorry for being such a noob, I just love really high-quality classical music, so I thought just buying the best stuff would solve my problems, but I think I have far more to do ^_^

Click to expand...

Ok cool, thanks. I will be sticking with my Sennheiser HD 598's, because I just bought them. They sound pretty good to me. Maybe not as good as AKG 701, but meh, I'll deal with my purchase. I love them
 
So, all my settings are right, it's just the audio samples that I need to get in .FLAC or .WAV which are 24bit/96-192KHz, correct?
 
Do you know any good places to get files of that quality? Either online or thru stores? (I don't mind paying a lot for them)
 
Thanks for your help by the way

Quote:

gulati said:

So, all my settings are right, it's just the audio samples that I need to get in .FLAC or .WAV which are 24bit/96-192KHz, correct?

Click to expand...

Well, yeah, theoretically. The problem is that 99% of music is released only at 16-bit / 44.1 kHz.
 
Edit: Oh, I see you like classical music. In that case, check out the HRx series from Reference Recordings. There are two sample tracks here. They're pricey, but I'll tell you from experience that it's almost impossible to find music that's extremely well-recorded, well-performed, and high-res. Usually you'll get one of the three. Also look at the high-res section of HDtracks.
 
I'm not sure what the state of Blu-Ray releases is like, but theoretically concert and audio BDs are being released in 24-bit lossless. It may take some finagling to get your computer to play them properly--I haven't tried it myself.

Thanks, I'll definitely pick up a recording.
 
Do you or anyone else have any experience with the actual Xonar Essence Audio Center? I would like to know your opinion on the best settings for songs (such as the AUDIO option, HI-FI option, GX option).
 
I personally feel as if I prefer using the 7.1 Speaker Shifter setting for listening to trance or house, but for classical music I like using the HI-FI option. Any advice on what your sound setting preferences are? (For HI-FI, I like using DH-1 which is the Reference Room size)

If it were me, I would disable all audio enhancements. From what I read, the "Hi-Fi" mode is a treble boost EQ and DH-1 is room reverb. Keep in mind your sound card is doing this DSP in real-time and that most built-in DSP is very poor. Any time you do something that affects the whole signal in real-time, you vastly increase the likelihood of degrading the original signal.

There is a thread in the 'Sound Science' section that would probably interest you.
 
 

24bit vs 16bit, the myth exploded!

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/415361/24bit-vs-16bit-the-myth-exploded

 
My opinion is not to let 16/24bit bother you. More important is the actual mastering of the track, or whatever you want to call it. On a decoding level, trying to tell the difference between 44100 or 192000 pieces of information per second is a waste of life! I can understand that you want to get the most from your system but you are already streaks ahead of most people.

Thanks, I'll definitely check out that article. I went on the Linnrecords website and downloaded the .FLAC / .WAV Lossless 24bit files, and compared them with the MP3 quality files. I could hear a SLIGHT difference using the Hi-Fi setting which according to Asus portrays the highest clarity in a song.
 
But yes, I will try to not be so obsessed with perfect audio, and just try to get decent+ songs ^_^
 
Ive started to really like the Dolby Headphone mode too, because it adds a slight echo, as if I am listening to music from a bathroom, and a huge speaker is outside the door. It sounds a bit darker. Very nice for Jazz, in my opinion.
 
But your recommendation is to just stick with no Presets? Just Hi-Fi mode? (I'm still trying to learn every setting with this soundcard.. there are so many)

By the way, does anyone know what GX is on my audio control panel? I have no idea what it is, and Google is only resulting it as a gaming audio engine. But, there already is a GAME setting. Any idea?

DS3D-GX is ASUS's version of Creative EAX (Environmental Audio Effects). Fake 3D stuff, basically. If you care about accuracy, turn off all of the presets and run flat. Otherwise, feel free to make it sound however you want.
 
gregorio fails to examine all of the angles in his thread about 24-bit vs. 16-bit. Proportionally more values = proportionally more accuracy, regardless of dynamic range. In addition, there are benefits to using higher sampling rates besides just capturing high-frequency content. But that's not what this thread is about.

Ahh got you. Thanks.
 
One last question I have: My HD 598's state they have 50 Ohms of Impedance, and my Soundcard has a built-in Amplifier which can drive up to 600 Ohms of Impedance.
 
Should I try to turn up the impedance at all? What would happen if I did? Could it harm my headphones? Would it improve sound quality? (Those kind of things; I'm not too sure I know what the benefits of using an amplifier for a headphone that has 50 Ohms of Impedance)
 
Thanks!