[devluxe]

Hi everybody, I just purchased an Asus Xonar U7. I was wondering what are the settings to get the best quality possible. The setup is mac mini(running windows)>asus xonar U7>amp>sennheiser hd 380 pro. Also should I activate Dolby home theatre when I use headphones if I want better quality playback? 

 

[devluxe]

No one?

 

[MrTechAgent]

No , keep it in the normal stereo mode without any DSP options turned on , I don't know if the U7 has the "HF" option , if it does ....click on it , it will turn off all the processing 
 
Also , looks like the U7 does 24/192 , just keep it at that and playback  

 

[devluxe]

Thanks for the answer. Currently the Xonar is connected to the amp using a 3.5mm cable with rca output. Is it better to use a dual rca to dual rca cable for the best quality?

 

[Opiquaq]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but this is useful for people like myself looking for similar information.
 
I find Dolby Digital Live indisputably the best with my set up - Pavilion DV6 laptop, Sony Da-5200es AV receiver + x5 Sony SSNX1 speakers. I have tried PCM 24 bit 192KHz and it does not compare. Neither does the 24 bit 192KHz RCA stereo.
 
Dolby Digital Live and PCM are both S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format), meaning (as I understand it) that the signal is not converted into lossy stereo formats before it reaches your speakers, resulting in higher quality. PCM should supposedly be higher quality than DDL as it is the lossless original material that is then converted into lossy DDL. But your ears know better than the theory what sounds best to them! It may be that the PCM is handled by the onboard soundcard, which in my case is surely inferior to the Xonar U7. 
 
Try them, and see what works best for you. But if you want to go S/PDIF you'll need an HDMI or Toslink cable, like this one, which will plug into the back of your Xonar. You will need an amp or av receiver with compatible digital ports. 
 
My bedsit is now a night club, and I am loving it!  

 
But the question is, can the DDL be ran above 48KHz 24 bit sample rate, as my options are set to that and greyed out? I want 192 24 of course! PCM does not play on my system above 96KHz 24bit. Is it possible to designate the Xonar the handler of it (or some other similar trick) that will yet still enhance my sound quality???

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but this is useful for people like myself looking for similar information.
I find Dolby Digital Live indisputably the best with my set up - Pavilion DV6 laptop, Sony Da-5200es AV receiver + x5 Sony SSNX1 speakers. I have tried PCM 24 bit 192KHz and it does not compare. Neither does the 24 bit 192KHz RCA stereo.
Dolby Digital Live and PCM are both S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format), meaning (as I understand it) that the signal is not converted into lossy stereo formats before it reaches your speakers, resulting in higher quality. PCM should supposedly be higher quality than DDL as it is the lossless original material that is then converted into lossy DDL. But your ears know better than the theory what sounds best to them! It may be that the PCM is handled by the on-board sound card, which in my case is surely inferior to the Xonar U7. 
Try them, and see what works best for you. But if you want to go S/PDIF you'll need an HDMI or Toslink cable, like this one, which will plug into the back of your Xonar. You will need an amp or av receiver with compatible digital ports. 
 
My bedsit is now a night club, and I am loving it!  

But the question is, can the DDL be ran above 48KHz 24 bit sample rate, as my options are set to that and greyed out? I want 192 24 of course! PCM does not play on my system above 96KHz 24bit. Is it possible to designate the Xonar the handler of it (or some other similar trick) that will yet still enhance my sound quality???

 
If your just sending a 2-channel signal thru S/PDIF (optical or coaxial), you can send 24-bit/96K PCM (uncompressed) digital audio thru S/PDIF.
If you use DDL (Dolby Digital Live) to compress the digital audio, then your limited to 24-bit/48K, at least for 6-channel audio, maybe also 2-channel?

 

[Opiquaq]

Hi Purple Angel, thanks for getting back to me - I never received a notification in my email, maybe I never confirmed my address? Anyhow, if what your saying is true 96KHz 24 bit PCM is the best I can get - but why could my laptop provide 192KHz out of it's audio jack, when the Xonar U7 cannot deliver equal through S/PDIF optical? Is the USB out a limiting factor? 
 
I don't know if you have similar experience, but I switched to 2 channel stereo over 4 speakers (A + B speakers on simultaneously), and find this far superior to 5ch, possibly because I have 4x 2 way speakers with 12cm cones each and my amp was probably treating them like tweeters. I wonder if you have any other ideas for how to get the most out of my system? 

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Hi Purple Angel, thanks for getting back to me - I never received a notification in my email, maybe I never confirmed my address? Anyhow, if what your saying is true 96KHz 24 bit PCM is the best I can get - but why could my laptop provide 192KHz out of it's audio jack, when the Xonar U7 cannot deliver equal through S/PDIF optical? Is the USB out a limiting factor? 
 
I don't know if you have similar experience, but I switched to 2 channel stereo over 4 speakers (A + B speakers on simultaneously), and find this far superior to 5ch, possibly because I have 4x 2 way speakers with 12cm cones each and my amp was probably treating them like tweeters. I wonder if you have any other ideas for how to get the most out of my system? 

 
24-bit/192K is more a marketing tool then anything practical.
Music audio CDs are 16-bit/44.1K and music audio files (FLAC & mp3) made from the music CD need not be ripped into anything higher then 16-bit/44.1K.
My newer Blu-ray movies audio tracks are 16-bit/48K.
I believe 48K is more then enough for any gaming audio.
 
The latest Pink Floyd album came with a special 24-bit/96K audio disk (as well as 16-bit/44.1K disk) and websites like HDtracks offers music in 24-bit/96K and 24-bit/192K.
So unless you go out of your way to buy these special music audio files, you really have no need for taking advantage of the optical cables 24-bit/96K (or 24-bit/192K?) ability.
 
What type of audio are you sending from the computer to the receiver?
FLAC or mp3 or Blu-ray audio or gaming or other?