Audioengine D1 DAC optimal settings

[psychic717]

Hello.
I'm new to this forum but I would like to ask for your opinion on some questions I have.
I just bought a DAC (Audioengine D1) because I wanted to give the "best" sound quality to my headphones (Sennheiser Game One), but my audio knowledge is limited so here I am.
Although everything seems to be working fine I have some questions I can't find answer to on Google.
 
The FAQ from Audioengine says:
 

 

Why do I lose system volume control when using the D1 with my computer?

Optical and USB outputs are all digital, so both Windows and Mac OS X will disable the system volume control when they are in use. You can still control the volume directly in iTunes (or any media player), with the front panel volume control on the D1, or with the volume control on your audio system.

 
 
Which is true if I use the USB connection, but I'm currently using the Optical cable as the input (for convenience purposes) and I still have the "normal" Windows volume control.
 
EDIT: It seems the USB input also provides system volume control.
Is this normal?
 
 
 
Another question I have is if WASAPI is worth using over DirectSound.
I've been reading about how to use it on Media Player Classic and music players, but it's a bit complicated and it seems to produce crackling sounds when I start and stop the music track.
Is it really worth using WASAPI from a sound quality perspective?
 
 
I appreciate any input.
Thanks.

 

[MindsMirror]

The windows volume should work with USB or SPDIF devices, it does for my Modi. Windows volume is done in software and it shouldn't matter what kind of device you use, it should work unless you use ASIO or WASAPI which bypass it. It must be something with the D1's driver that's preventing you from using it.

There's not much benefit to sound quality using ASIO or WASAPI. You should use them if you need low latency for real time applications, if you need to prevent other applications from playing audio, or you want your media player to be able to switch your DAC's sample rate. Since it's giving you issues I would not bother with it.

 

[psychic717]

Because the FAQ talks about the volume issue and also because the first time I plugged my DAC (USB) I did notice changing system volume did nothing, I thought it was working as stated by Audioengine.
But then I used the optical cable and I had volume control so I was confused and thought that maybe the set up was incorrect as I never used a DAC before.
 
So I guess it is normal to have system volume control with a DAC, their FAQ should be updated.
Also, it seems WASAPI is too much a hassle for little gains, so I'll stick with DirectSound as it already sounds amazing with the D1 compared to the onboard realtek audio.
 
Thanks a lot for your explanation MindsMirror, I can now be assured my audio is configured properly.