[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

Why E7 + E9?

Well it's all in one solution (dac + amp), that people seems to like , and not very expensive.
the e7 already offers an amp, but the E9  have a better amp, and  provide a  dock convenient for desktop use
 

 

[Axonn]

What kind of input should I put in a DAC? Does it support S/PDIF for example? I think sp/dif gives direct digital output which is noise-free.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

What kind of input should I put in a DAC? Does it support S/PDIF for example? I think sp/dif gives direct digital output which is noise-free.

The fiio solution works with a regular USB  connection, but I don't know more
 
 

 

[Guldkrull]

Quote:

Guldkrull: are you on W7 x64?
 
Gwarmi: going back to 32 bit is out of the question. I'm a software developer by trade, not to mention a gamer and a power user. Also, my machine has 8 GB of RAM so moving back to 32 bit would cut that to 3.5 GB. No way ::- D.
 
Your reply worries me. I will definitely try to buy this card from a solid retailer, where I can return it if it doesn't work properly.
 
Did you try W7 x64 with new drivers, or is this from older experience?
 
vyyye: good to hear some positive experience for a change.
 

Sure am, no problems whatsoever!

 

[Axonn]

Hm. What motherboard do you have? What videocard? I'm wondering if maybe only people with fancy video cards have problem, which may cause more interference? Anyway, it's still too risky for me to buy that sound card. Even if it's great, the risk factor may mean I might end up wasting the money.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

Hm. What motherboard do you have? What videocard? I'm wondering if maybe only people with fancy video cards have problem, which may cause more interference? Anyway, it's still too risky for me to buy that sound card. Even if it's great, the risk factor may mean I might end up wasting the money.

motherboard : ga-p48-dq6
graphic card : 8800gt xilent msi
The problem occurs rarely, it's up to you to decide if it's worth it.
But with the the buggy wasapi/asio support, I  think that's too much
 
 

 

[Guldkrull]

Quote:

Hm. What motherboard do you have? What videocard? I'm wondering if maybe only people with fancy video cards have problem, which may cause more interference? Anyway, it's still too risky for me to buy that sound card. Even if it's great, the risk factor may mean I might end up wasting the money.

GTX 580, so that punctures your theory.
 
Motherboard: AsRock extreme 4 p67

 

[subtle]

 
I use the STX with my LCD-2 at the office on a Windows 7 x64 setup.  I've never had any of the screeching occur but have experienced the popping sound occasionally and it can always be pinned down to another audio source trying to be accessed while audio playback is taking place.  For instance, if you go to a website where audio is playing or a video clip is embedded and programmed to run upon launching the site, and you are currently listening to the headphones in a WASAPI environment, then that audio/video from the website will try and challenge the card to output the sound.  This is where the popping occurs.  Also, if you have any sounds from Windows itself occur then this may cause the pop as well.  That however is solved simply by going to audio and removing all sounds from Windows.
 
I have had the best luck with the oldest drivers available on their website, believe it or not, and they were not beta/prototype drivers.  I just checked and they are still available.  Version  7.12.8.1777.
 
All I have done is disable all Windows sounds, place settings in STX audio center at very high output 300-600ohm, 24 bit / 192, and select WASAPI output and 24 bit playback in Foobar itself.  Then I make sure Windows volume slider and Foobar volume slider are both set to maximum, and only control volume through the STX audio center itself.  I never go above 25-30 on the volume knob, depending on the recording, and just make sure to avoid using sites like Youtube while I'm listening to music, and I never get the popping sound anymore.  If I have to access a site with audio I simply stop the playback through Foobar and start it back up again after I have closed out that tab on the browser.  Also, I make sure to disconnect and reconnect the headphones each time I reboot the computer as the headphone amp in the card turning on and off at reboot will cause the popping as well.
 
I also made further tweaks to improve sound quality and eliminate all popping by utilizing some of the suggestions in this guide.
 
http://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/downloads/Windows_7_Optimization_Guide.pdf
 
Good luck.
 
EDIT:  I don't think it matters one bit what video card / motherboard combo you are using, because like I said the popping occurs when an audio source tries to overtake the one currently playing, but I'll throw mine in just for information purposes.
 
ASUS P6T6 Revolution
EVGA GTX 275

 

[Axonn]

extrabigmehdi: not worth it ::- ).
 
Guldkrull: yeah, the GTX 580 is a powerhouse. But the mobo is a decent/good one so I guess you're fine for good reason. Then again, I also have a good mobo (Asus P8Z68-V Pro). Anyway, too risky ::- /.
 
subtle: thank you for the wealth of information and the guide. I would not make so many sacrifices in comfort for a stupid sound card ::- D. I think I will attempt to find another solution, such as going through S/PDIF and external amping / DAC. I am not sure if this is possible though, I mean, without the crappy mobo sound card polluting my music. Started a topic on this but so far nobody answered: http://www.head-fi.org/t/585188/should-i-look-for-an-amp-with-optical-s-pdif-inputs#post_7967300
 
everybody: what's this I keep hearing about WASAPI? I understand what it is. A method to play sound independently from the OS filters. I major media players have plugins for this "wasabi" output ::- D. But apparently the sound card needs to support it? Can it be output via S/PDIF?

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

extrabigmehdi: not worth it ::- ).
 
Guldkrull: yeah, the GTX 580 is a powerhouse. But the mobo is a decent/good one so I guess you're fine for good reason. Then again, I also have a good mobo (Asus P8Z68-V Pro). Anyway, too risky ::- /.
 
subtle: thank you for the wealth of information and the guide. I would not make so many sacrifices in comfort for a stupid sound card ::- D. I think I will attempt to find another solution, such as going through S/PDIF and external amping / DAC. I am not sure if this is possible though, I mean, without the crappy mobo sound card polluting my music. Started a topic on this but so far nobody answered: http://www.head-fi.org/t/585188/should-i-look-for-an-amp-with-optical-s-pdif-inputs#post_7967300
 
everybody: what's this I keep hearing about WASAPI? I understand what it is. A method to play sound independently from the OS filters. I major media players have plugins for this "wasabi" output ::- D. But apparently the sound card needs to support it? Can it be output via S/PDIF?

 Yes ASIO and WASAPI can be used with SPDIF, I am using a USB to SPDIF converter for my external DAC ~ it should not matter.
 
 Another one to consider which works for some 'Kernel Streaming' - less popular but some people have better results

 

[Guldkrull]

Quote:

extrabigmehdi: not worth it ::- ).
 
Guldkrull: yeah, the GTX 580 is a powerhouse. But the mobo is a decent/good one so I guess you're fine for good reason. Then again, I also have a good mobo (Asus P8Z68-V Pro). Anyway, too risky ::- /.
 
subtle: thank you for the wealth of information and the guide. I would not make so many sacrifices in comfort for a stupid sound card ::- D. I think I will attempt to find another solution, such as going through S/PDIF and external amping / DAC. I am not sure if this is possible though, I mean, without the crappy mobo sound card polluting my music. Started a topic on this but so far nobody answered: http://www.head-fi.org/t/585188/should-i-look-for-an-amp-with-optical-s-pdif-inputs#post_7967300
 
everybody: what's this I keep hearing about WASAPI? I understand what it is. A method to play sound independently from the OS filters. I major media players have plugins for this "wasabi" output ::- D. But apparently the sound card needs to support it? Can it be output via S/PDIF?

I don't think you have to worry, I can guarantee that only extremely few suffer from this problem you mention. It would surprise me if the STX is a less safe option than anything else, all products fail for some and these "some" tend to voice their misfortunes quite loud.

 

[Head Injury]

No problems here, popping or otherwise, using Windows 7 x64.

 

[Kong911]

No problem here...using Win 7 x64.  using Foobar with ASIO output.  No popping sounds.  Latest driver installed.  Any chance you have your onboard enabled?
 
ATI 6970 Crossfire with P8P67 motherboard.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Hum,
just managed to get rid of the pops while using wasapi,
by disabling the digital output device.
 

 

[Axonn]

Kong911: I don't own the sound card yet. But I am considering to. Just very confused now because of the few people with problems.
 
Also, I think that if I would get this card, I would keep the onboard enabled because I can keep the speakers on that source and the headphones on the Xonar.
 
Guldkrull: it's true that the people with problems will always come forward more often. But still, it's food for thought. If I could test the card before purchasing, then sure, but since I'm not able to do that, I don't know........... I'm not a money factory ::- D.
 
And talking about alternatives to this sound card... what do you head-fi'ers think about this thread? Nobody answered so far and I'm very curious about the questions there: http://www.head-fi.org/t/585188/should-i-look-for-an-amp-with-optical-s-pdif-inputs#post_7967300
 
One more thing: why do you think that W7 x64 never has problems with ON BOARD sound cards?