I vaguely remember them removing the 88200Hz option around the time Windows 7 appeared, at which point it was removed from all newer driver versions aswell. I assume it's certification related. R2.25 was the first WHQL W7 driver according to the changelog, so perhaps it's from that point onwards.

If it's the same level of brightness as the LEDs in the DA-131 I have, then it won't bother you. Bear in mind that the top of the unit isn't totally clear (tinted black), so the visibility of the internals are reduced somewhat (and as a result, the LEDs aren't as bright to the naked eye).

Quote: Originally Posted by HeadLover Yep, Like I have said, using 64 bit on a 64 bit OS will be better. No one can deny it. Maybe it won't be much better, but still it will better. With current processors, there will be no performance or other benefits whatsoever for what is a...

Quote: Originally Posted by Alydon My DT990's (2005 edition btw) have the stock cable. The RCA's on the card are line-out only, and the 1/4" is amped headphone out only, so I use the 1/4" out when the DT990's are plugged directly into the card and the RCA's when I want to use line-out to...

I will comment on one thing I've just discovered about this card - no doubt it'll be pretty damn good, but the specification is misleading. According to the manual (which you can download from the ASUS website), the card does indeed have 124dB SNR... but only for the front output (I'm assuming...

Quote: Originally Posted by Ben Diss Yes, you would retain the EAX and all the other features of the X-Fi. Depends on the model of the card. I have an X-Fi XtremeGamer (SB0770), and it's not possible to get _any_ audio effects over digital out (unless you purchase and use the DDL...

It's normal, I have the same thing happen if there is no signal to the DAC. Not ideal, but hasn't affected me too much.

I tried upsampling with the same audio chip, and couldn't hear any difference at all. You may aswell leave the bitrate/sampling rate the same as your content for better performance (although mp3s do sound better when using 24-bit as opposed to 16-bit... unless you dither, of course).

Just going to bump this thread, as I've come across the same problem that Zorlac did... albeit with one of Creative's own cards (an OEM X-FI XtremeMusic). It's not possible to play any hardware accelerated audio or EAX effects over S/PDIF without a DDL plugin (which is useless to me, as I want...

No offence intended, but your thread title is misleading.

The problem is caused by noisy power circuitry within the PC environment. I had the same problem as you, managed to totally fix the problem by using an optical cable to DAC for electrical isolation.

ALC889A is a Gigabyte exclusive. You will only find it on their motherboards.

The 131 uses a different DAC (1793). I'd imagine that if you wanted to upgrade and notice a difference, then you'd need to go for the 131 instead of the 151.

It has limited power available from the PCI-e slot due to it being x1, if it used a full x16 slot then external power would no doubt not be needed.

My guess is that at a later date a DA-132 unit will appear to cover people who wish to use S/PDIF or Toslink instead. Perhaps David would like to comment on this at some point? Anyway, looks neat, and will certainly cut down on desktop space used (which is pretty much the only negative issue...