[Zodduska]

I'm looking to buy an Opera but I was a bit put off the USB connection when I read the Benchmark engineer commenting on how poor USB is as an audio source in general and all the work they had to do to get it to be accurate for the USB DAC1 over in the source forum.

Currently I have an Audigy 2 ZS > Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 Ultra setup, so I would like to keep this setup somehow, but from what I gather Audigy 2 ZS pci cant do bit accurate output from its SPDIF.(?)

I was wondering if anybody could give me some advice on how to achieve bit perfect SPDIF output on the cheap. Add a second soundcard dedicated for this? replace A2ZS with X-FI? will X-FI "touch" the sound at all? any other way?


slightly ot, but is it ok to use a splitter to feed the Opera's SPDIF in from multiple sources? all be it not at the same time, just to avoid having to swap the connection all the time to go from CDP to PC source.

 

[happyangryhappy]

FWIW I use an audigy 2 zs on a second computer and when using asio/foobar with the digital spdif out I cannot distinguish any difference in sound from using asio/foobar in the av710's optical out on my main computer, which is supposedly bitperfect. I have A/B'd them into the same dac at the same time and in my opinion I could tell absolutely no difference.

Also, there are many camps on the USB/audio debate.

 

[Zodduska]

Thanks for the reply happyangryhappy, I might just try it out before deciding on going to a bit perfect solution. It's just that ive foobar ABX a lot of different bit rate lossy formats vs lossless and I cant tell consistently at the higher end lossy vs lossless.. but it just bugs me that I know it is lossy. So just knowing it might not be optimal makes me shy away from it while on a quest of audiophiledom.

 

[Joshatdot]

AV710 with Prodigy flash

 

[ShadowVlican]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshatdot /img/forum/go_quote.gif AV710 with Prodigy flash

+1

works great and dirt cheap

using one in my HTPC

 

[Zodduska]

Thanks!

 

[Zodduska]

I dont really want to start another thread so I'll post this here and hopefully somebody will see it.

I installed ASIO4ALL last night to use with foobar and my new Central Station, but I noticed that when playing through foobar I still get sound through multiple applications at once (I thought ASIO only supported one stream) and also Kmixer volume control is still active.. How can this be the case if ASIO is supposed to bypass Kmixer? Do I need to uninstall the Creative drivers?

also dealing with my original question, if I were to add the AV710 as a second card dedicated to SPDIF (keeping the Audigy to decode DTS and DD5.1 into my speakers) will foobar playback through kmixer along with the AV710? if that makes sense to anyone.. more like can I have standard windows sounds and game sounds independent on the A2ZS and kmixer while listening to music from foobar and the AV710 while using ASIO?

what a headache

edit:
Im guessing I would have the Audigy set to the primary under windows device settings, then have the AV710 ASIO selected under foobar.. Its just the kmixer volume being active while using ASIO that scares me....

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zodduska /img/forum/go_quote.gif I dont really want to start another thread so I'll post this here and hopefully somebody will see it. I installed ASIO4ALL last night to use with foobar and my new Central Station, but I noticed that when playing through foobar I still get sound through multiple applications at once (I thought ASIO only supported one stream) and also Kmixer volume control is still active.. How can this be the case if ASIO is supposed to bypass Kmixer? Do I need to uninstall the Creative drivers? also dealing with my original question, if I were to add the AV710 as a second card dedicated to SPDIF (keeping the Audigy to decode DTS and DD5.1 into my speakers) will foobar playback through kmixer along with the AV710? if that makes sense to anyone.. more like can I have standard windows sounds and game sounds independent on the A2ZS and kmixer while listening to music from foobar and the AV710 while using ASIO? what a headache edit: Im guessing I would have the Audigy set to the primary under windows device settings, then have the AV710 ASIO selected under foobar.. Its just the kmixer volume being active while using ASIO that scares me....

after you select ASIO in "Output", go to ASIO Virtual Devices, select ASIO4All v2. highlight it and click edit.... choose the appropriate mapping... then save all, quit foobar and open it again....

The Kmixer shoul be inactivated for foobar..

 

[Zodduska]

Thanks

 

[Amarok]

I use USB to a Behringer UCA202. No driver needed. ~$35. I've confirmed w/tech support that it is bit perfect. It only has TOSLINK S/PDIF, tho. It has a HP output (dunno about the SQ) and some other I/O.
With something like this, you don't need to choose a sound card based on S/PDIF output. You can choose it based on other qualities, like good 3d positional sound or 6ch or whatever.

And WRT to USB & SQ. I use USB --> TOSLINK at home and the sound is, to me, absolutely phenomenal. I've been doing the audiophile thing for years, including listening to systems I'd need a 2nd mortgage to buy and I haven't heard anything even close. So, IMHO, USB shouldn't be a limiting factor. But, you never know. Now I'm curious

about S/PDIF directly from my sound card. Thanks a lot!!!

But, for me, the low cost, portability and no need to change your existing sound card make it the better choice.

-=A=-