[Baxide]

I am trying to find out if it is possible or not to play 192KHz audio files via USB on an external DAC without using any special drivers. What would or should happen if I try to play a 192KHz file via USB on a USB DAC that is only 96KHz max? Would the audio file play or not?

 

[AsianBatman]

You will hear static if you play unsupported formats. 

 

[Baxide]

  You will hear static if you play unsupported formats. 

That is what I think I remember. But lately I have been able to play 192KHz files quite OK on a range of 96KHz USB DACs that I tried out. Am I confused? You bet! But I would like to hear from anyone else who has tried to play 192KHZ files from a PC through a 96KHZ DAC.  If all else fail I am going to have to do a clean install of W7 and try things all over again.

 

[imeem]

I thought u can only do 96 khz over usb. For anything over that, you need like coaxial or digital audio cable. I would try but i don't have any music in 192 khz. 

 

[jiiteepee]

 
That is what I think I remember. But lately I have been able to play 192KHz files quite OK on a range of 96KHz USB DACs that I tried out. Am I confused? You bet! But I would like to hear from anyone else who has tried to play 192KHZ files from a PC through a 96KHZ DAC.  If all else fail I am going to have to do a clean install of W7 and try things all over again.

 
You can play 192kHz audio but, as you don't have native drivers for the DAC there (i.e. youre using WASAPI shared mode, DirectSound or MME API), check the system audio settings ... 192kHz (actually all) audio becomes re-sampled to the format given there by system SRC engine.

 

[Crashem]

Windows only supports up to 96khz via usb with native usb drivers. If your dac is capable of more, they will need to write a driver for it. For example, my buddy has pan am that uses Wolfson dac that is capable to 192kh, but alo hasn't written a driver for it so 96khz is max.

 

[PleasantSounds]

Windows only supports up to 96khz via usb with native usb drivers. If your dac is capable of more, they will need to write a driver for it. For example, my buddy has pan am that uses Wolfson dac that is capable to 192kh, but alo hasn't written a driver for it so 96khz is max.

 
It's not only the DAC's capability that matters, but also what the USB controller chip can handle.
For example my NFB-5 can do 192kHz over Coax, but only 96kHz over USB. 

 

[r010159]

   
It's not only the DAC's capability that matters, but also what the USB controller chip can handle.
For example my NFB-5 can do 192kHz over Coax, but only 96kHz over USB. 

If I am not mistaken, there are two different classes of specs for USB. The 96 kHz is natively supported. A separate driver is needed for any higher data rates.
 
Bob Graham

 

[Roseval]

If I am not mistaken, there are two different classes of specs for USB

 
Correct
There is UAC1 (USB Audio Class 1). This standard is available on all common operating systems including Win.
UAC2 (2009) is available in OSX and Linux. Nobody knows if Microsoft is even thinking about implementing this standard.
Hence if you want to play > 96 kHz files at their native sample rate on Win over the USB you need
- USB DAC with a UAC2 receiver
- a third party driver (most of the time by Thesycon) to enable UAC2 at the PC side.
 
If you do "nothing", you use the default windows audio driver (DS=Direct Sound), all audio will play regardless of the sample rate but it will be resampled to the setting in de Win audio panel.
 
If you want to play the audio at its native sample rate, your best bet in case of a USB DAC is a media player supporting WASAPI in exclusive mode.
This will bypass the win mixer.
As WASAPI talk straight to the audio device, the format send to the audio device must be supported by it.
If you send 24/192 to a 24/96 USB DAC, it will fail.

 

[salla45]

I have been playing some 192khz files via mediamonkey on both laptop and desktop pc's straight into my new X300A's (max 96khz) without a hitch; and without needing to modify any settings.
 
Don't know if this helps any.
 
There are some parameters in the device setup you can try and alter also if it doesn't work, I guess.

 

[Chodi]

Where are you guys getting 192khz audio files? Are you ripping these yourself doing upsampling? There is painfully little of that available commercially. Even the masters that I have from major labels are 24bit/96khz.

 

[ipdtt]

Linn UK for one source;  http://www.linnrecords.com/recording-fantasien.aspx 

 

[salla45]

HD Tracks is an excellent source.