[PascalT]

I'm currently using Hi-Sample rate with my optical out connection to my DAC. Then in foobar I am using the upsampler to 96khz with 16-bit sound (My dac is 16-bit). I'm also using WASAPI on Vista 64. I'm wondering if these are the optimal settings?

 

[infinitesymphony]

amdscooter and PascalT, I'm not sure. This thread is geared towards optimal analog output. I've never used the AV-710's digital output.

There is no guide for Windows 2000 because very few people are still using it (and I don't have a copy). If you can test the various driver versions and find one that allows bit-perfect 16-bit/44.1 kHz output, I'll add a section to the guide. Consider it bit-perfect when you can use Kernel Streaming with 16-bit/44.1 kHz.

PascalT, there is a rumor that the XP x64 drivers work in Vista x64 and allow bit-perfect 16-bit/44.1 kHz output, but the two people who made the claim in this thread haven't confirmed it. Maybe you could give the XP x64 portion of the guide a try and report back.

 

[PascalT]

I don't see any info about it regarding optical output. I guess I want to know if it's possible to output from the optical without upsampling to 96khz? I don't see it as necessary since my music files are 44.1khz.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PascalT /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't see any info about it regarding optical output. I guess I want to know if it's possible to output from the optical without upsampling to 96khz? I don't see it as necessary since my music files are 44.1khz.

As far as I know, Vista's audio stack resamples everything to 96 kHz by default, which is why I'm skeptical of the claims about bit-perfect 44.1 kHz audio in Vista with the AV-710. This is the point of using an upsampling plug-in: either upsample to 96 kHz before it hits the audio stack or Vista will resample it for you using questionable methods.

Try uninstalling the Vista drivers and installing the XP 64-bit drivers. According to some people here, you will be able to get bit-perfect analog output, and by extension, bit-perfect digital output. I think the AV-710's drivers allow bit-perfect digital output by default; it's not necessary to flash the card with Prodigy drivers to get it (AFAIK). Most people flash the card because the Prodigy drivers are friendlier.

 

[amdscooter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif amdscooter and PascalT, I'm not sure. This thread is geared towards optimal analog output. I've never used the AV-710's digital output. There is no guide for Windows 2000 because very few people are still using it (and I don't have a copy). If you can test the various driver versions and find one that allows bit-perfect 16-bit/44.1 kHz output, I'll add a section to the guide. Consider it bit-perfect when you can use Kernel Streaming with 16-bit/44.1 kHz. PascalT, there is a rumor that the XP x64 drivers work in Vista x64 and allow bit-perfect 16-bit/44.1 kHz output, but the two people who made the claim in this thread haven't confirmed it. Maybe you could give the XP x64 portion of the guide a try and report back.

Thanks for the response. I found my OS freezing issue to be not related to the Envy or Prodigy drivers at all.. it was AMD Powernow that was causing the issues with the audio drivers. Once I disabled it in the BIOS and uninstalled the software no more issues. System Tyan thunder K8W/Dual Opteron 246/4GB PC3200ECC. Just sucks to have both CPU's going full bore when it's just being used to have foobar feed mp3's to my receiver.

Anyway.. back to the topic at hand..The winxp 32bit instructions you have posted up work fine to get the output through the Wolfson in win2k also. Now the issue is getting bit perfect (KS or ASIO) working correctly in foobar v0.9.4.5, which is the last version supported for win2k. I could not get it working so far with the 4.73b drivers. I'm using the "diatonis_dts_wav_secret-universe sample" as an acid test. So far I'm only getting a nice "hissing" from my Yamaha receiver when I try to play the file.

I'm on to plan "B" ATM. I've flashed to the Prodigy 7.1 firmware with the latest "unified" drivers v0_978 dated 04.05.2007. Foobar will run regular mp3's through ASIO and it's own KS component without crashing. But both only output "hiss" when I try to play the test file. The Foobar KS component does not have options to configure.... so at this point I'm left with few alternatives but to get ASIO up and running for bit perfect. At least it has "off-line" options. So far I'm not having any success with ASIO v2. Perhaps an earlier version will yield better results... I'm looking a that now.

And that's where I'm at up to this point. Your guide and the many pages of this thread have been very helpful. Thanks for your time. Even without bit perfect.. the sound still is pretty darn nice.

***EDIT***

Also.. if anyone has the KS or ASIO component files for Foobar dated 10/07 I'd love to get them. I'm currently using the 8/06 files for both as they were all I could locate. TIA.. scoot.

 

[amdscooter]

^^^***UPDATE***

Well I gave up on foobar and tried winamp. Took all of a few minutes to get it working. ASIO did not want to work properly even with the Prodigy having it's own ASIO support.

So I found this KS plugin:

Winamp Kernel Streaming

Installed it and am currently able to KS through winamp. The sample files sound great!

Hmmm.. for some reason the img tag is not working for screenshots. I'll try to get the screenshots working properly later.

Screenies added..

 

[infinitesymphony]

Nice work, amdscooter! I wonder why Foobar's KS plug-in wouldn't work... I'm not familiar with that DTS file, but if it's multi-channel, you may need to use Foobar's downmixing component for 5.1 -> 2.0. Either way, I'm glad you were able to get bit-perfect digital output.

 

[amdscooter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nice work, amdscooter! I wonder why Foobar's KS plug-in wouldn't work... I'm not familiar with that DTS file, but if it's multi-channel, you may need to use Foobar's downmixing component for 5.1 -> 2.0. Either way, I'm glad you were able to get bit-perfect digital output.

I got the DTS file here:

Free 5.1 Surround Sound DTS and AC-3 Downloads

And your guess is spot on... both files I have been using as an acid test are 5.1. I'll have to locate some 2.0 files to test with and get Foobar's downmixing component working. My guess is that KS and ASIO in Foobar have been working properly all along (even with the Envy24 drivers prior to flashing to the Prodigy firmware) and I simply botched the test files... duh.

I did find it odd that the ASIO component in Foobar did not show up as a playback option until I loaded ASIO4ALL.

^^Noob mistakes that I can live with as this stuff is all new to me.

Breathed some new life into my years old budget sound card on a years old OS and came away with some really good sounding music. Thanks again for the great head start. Your XP 32bit instructions appear to be valid for win2k 32bit.

 

[PascalT]

Whatever I do I can't get the DTS file to work.. I just get static. I tried using the chaintech and different drivers under Vista 64. I also tried my onboard audio card and same result.. All my sounds are set to 44.1khz in Vista and I am using WASAPI in Foobar.

Really annoying

 

[decayed.cell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PascalT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Whatever I do I can't get the DTS file to work.. I just get static. I tried using the chaintech and different drivers under Vista 64. I also tried my onboard audio card and same result.. All my sounds are set to 44.1khz in Vista and I am using WASAPI in Foobar. Really annoying

You also need a DTS decoder
foobar doesn't play DTS natively

 

[PascalT]

ah I see. It works now. does that confirm it's doing bit-perfect? thanks.

 

[decayed.cell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PascalT /img/forum/go_quote.gif ah I see. It works now. does that confirm it's doing bit-perfect? thanks.

You'd have to connect it to a DTS Receiver and use the AV-710 as a transport, otherwise I think if you dump the output using the WAV writer and then compare it against the original file that should tell you if its bit perfect

 

[MikoLayer]

This is kinda odd. I moved my perfectly working av-710 from one vista 64 machine to another, and now the card won't play anything at all. With fb2k @24bit 96khz, the progress bar gets stuck with music playing: I can drag it around and the spectrum analyzer would update to that point only, but still nothing playing (with both the progress bar and the analyzer totally stagnant).

The machine is relatively clean with a fresh install of vista 64 SP1, though I did attempt installing the driver for the card using windows update at first without realizing I wouldn't be able get the envy control panel that way.

Any suggestions?

 

[infinitesymphony]

It sounds like a driver issue. Have you tried uninstalling all audio-related drivers and installing the ones using the guide? You might try the XP 64-bit drivers; it's rumored that they will allow bit-perfect playback in Vista x64.

 

[oohms]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saulous /img/forum/go_quote.gif HELLO ALL! With Vista 64bit you can get bit perfect 44k 16bit output both Wolfson black analog out and spdif when using xp64 newest drivers with 2-ch output with Vista 64bit drivers audio deck, and you don't have to re-enable output after S3 resume like when using 96k 24bit using Vista newest drivers with Vista 64bit drivers audio deck.

This method partly works in 64 bit vista.

Method:

Install the 5.40a vista 64 driver normally (running setup.exe)
Restart
Close the audio deck
Go to device manager, find the card, manually "update" to the 4.60b XP64 driver
Restart

In the audio deck:
2 channels (NOT high quality mode)
SPDIF: PCM only, select 44.1

Foobar: WASAPI (envy24 speakers)

Most music will work bit perfectly since 44.1khz is the most common bitrate, but this will NOT work with music of a different bitrate.

Im investigating other alternatives, including running the XP64 control panel, will keep you all posted