Chaintech AV-710 Setup Thread, Including True 44.1kHz Wolfson Output in XP

[ditzydj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apocalypsee /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would like to ask, this card have no sort of opamp whatsoever right? I'll buy this card soon, not the exact brand, but Evolution 7.1 . Exact carbon copy I'm too tired of playing with opamp on Prodigy HD2, I would like something simpler like this card while having a great sound

I just did a quick google and I couldn't find any info on that Evolution besides your link. And the information there seems kind of sparse? I hope someone who does know that card can give you some info!

I have come to the conclusion that while the Chaintech is a great card, it's just not the right one for me and my use. I don't have the external equalizer/mixer/DAC ... all that I think is needed to use this to it's full potential, nor can I afford any components.

And there is SAM in the mix, running sound through encoders, nothing's compressed ... SAM can drive me crazy! So, I'll be posting in the for sale section. Let someone who can really use this properly get their hands on it!

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apocalypsee /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would like to ask, this card have no sort of opamp whatsoever right? I'll buy this card soon, not the exact brand, but Evolution 7.1 . Exact carbon copy

I don't have the card nearby to take a look, but I'm pretty sure that it (along with practically every sound card in existence

) uses an op-amp... The difference is that it's SOIC and not socketed. Check out this picture, and look to the right of the large VIA HT-S chip in the top photo; it looks like an 8-pin op-amp of some sort. There's also one by the VIA DAC section...

Edit: You may be right, though... I don't see an op-amp near the Wolfson section.

 

[Apocalypsee]

I've seen the card thoroughly. One more question, does this card emit hissing when nothing is played? I'm annoyed by my SB Live! hissing and the HD2 is very quiet thankfully. I hope that the AV-710 also quiet

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apocalypsee /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've seen the card thoroughly. One more question, does this card emit hissing when nothing is played? I'm annoyed by my SB Live! hissing and the HD2 is very quiet thankfully. I hope that the AV-710 also quiet

I think that will depend on your setup. I've never used the card with anything but some semi-decent computer speakers (which are not revealing at all in comparison to most systems around here, or a headphone system); any hiss would have been buried in the noise floor of the speaker amp. Hopefully someone else can comment on this issue.

 

[donnytuco]

What's the ideal setup to use with the kernel streaming?

I've just received my AV 710 today, and installed the drivers as per the instructions on the first post, but I can't tell the difference between KS and DS.

It might have something to do with my setup, as I don't have an amp...

 

[infinitesymphony]

The difference between KS and DS can be subtle or nonexistent for certain people or systems. If it's set up as in the first post, you're all set. What's your system? If you're trying to drive headphones directly, you may get better performance from the green output (it has an internal headphone amp); to use the Wolfson output properly with headphones, you'll need an external amp.

 

[MoNelly]

Where are you guys buying the Chaintech AV-710? I can't find it for purchase new anywhere online...

 

[Fiola]

hmm, following the instructions for vista doesn't seem to work. I have no 2CH High-Sample mode that used to be there in the XP via audio deck. Is there a simple solution to this? I followed the guide on the first page of this thread.

Thanks

[edit] I solved my own problem..... smack forehead. according to flagger's post way back on page 15 or so, if you select the high-sample digital output, it actually also outputs to the black alternate output, despite the fact that the control panel explicitly says that it doesn't. go figure!

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiola /img/forum/go_quote.gif [edit] I solved my own problem..... smack forehead. according to flagger's post way back on page 15 or so, if you select the high-sample digital output, it actually also outputs to the black alternate output, despite the fact that the control panel explicitly says that it doesn't. go figure!

In Vista, I don't think it will matter if you select the digital output or not, since the 'digital output trick' doesn't work--you'll need to resample to 96 kHz no matter what. This is why the Vista mini-guide omits that step.

 

[drizek]

im a bit new to this stuff so...

When you say resample to 96 in vista, does that mean that 44 and 48 get moved up to 96?

Is there any advantage/is it possible to resample to 192 instead?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drizek /img/forum/go_quote.gif im a bit new to this stuff so... When you say resample to 96 in vista, does that mean that 44 and 48 get moved up to 96? Is there any advantage/is it possible to resample to 192 instead?

Yes, everything will need to be resampled to 96 kHz in order to use Kernel Streaming (which is the ideal method). It's possible to resample to 192 kHz, but there are no advantages.

 

[teenage kicks]

How can you change the sampling rate in the settings menu? Every time I go to adjust it, it says "There's a sound currently playing, please stop it", no matter which apps are open.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by teenage kicks /img/forum/go_quote.gif How can you change the sampling rate in the settings menu? Every time I go to adjust it, it says "There's a sound currently playing, please stop it", no matter which apps are open.

Which settings menu, Windows or the Audio Deck? What OS are you using?

Resampling should not be performed at all if it's possible with your OS. If you must resample, use a resampler plug-in in a playback program like Foobar 2000.

 

[teenage kicks]

The Audio Deck menu, and I'm running Windows XP SP2. And I know resampling is bad, that's why I want to change it from 48KHz (what it's at now) to 44.1KHz (normal CD).

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by teenage kicks /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Audio Deck menu, and I'm running Windows XP SP2. And I know resampling is bad, that's why I want to change it from 48KHz (what it's at now) to 44.1KHz (normal CD).

Gotcha... Have you followed the steps detailed in the first post, including using the particular driver version listed? No one here has mentioned that specific problem before. Try closing all unnecessary programs and processes before changing the setting.