[Soundbuff]

My computer has an EMU 0404 sound card, which is connected to a Gilmore Lite headphone amplifier with Sennheiser HD 580 headphones and a Logitech Z300 2.1 computer speaker system.

Sometimes I notice the EMU 0404 seems to be clipping (the sound becomes harsh and scratchy) at certain high points in the music every once in a while. I notice this happening through both the Logitech speakers and the Gilmore Lite/Sennheiser HD 580's.

Can anything be done about this? What could be causing it? Could the EMU 0404 be defective somehow? It sounds great 99% of the time (when it isn't clipping). Thanks.

 

[halcyon]

- What is the software doing the playback? What is the sampling rate / bit-depth settings for playback? Is digital EQ or digital volume being used? How about dithering?

- Is the source original PCM (or losless files) or lossy sources (mp3 / AAC / Ogg)?

- What are the sessions settings in the E-MU driver?

 

[CookieFactory]

Isn't there a clipping indicator in patchmix?
I've noticed those sounds too (for example Loreena Mckennitt - Dante's Prayer, Norah Jones - Don't Know Why, etc) but that's just poor mastering, and there's nothing you can do about that.

 

[Soundbuff]

After exploring Halcyon's questions, I may have found a solution to this problem.

I use Media Center v11 and it has two options under the volume control: "System Volume" and "Internal Volume (Audio Only)".

Previously Media Center was set to "System Volume". I tried switching to "Internal Volume" and no longer hear clipping in the playback.

Here are some of the settings in my audio setup:

Media Center DSP: ASIO, 16 bit, 2 channel, 44,100 Hz. Overflow handling is set to "Clip Protection".

EMU 0404: settings are default. I have not learned about customizing the settings. Is it a good idea to do this?

Dithering: don't know what this term means.

I rip files using Plextools (using audio error detection) with Ogg Vorbis set to Quality level 8.

 

[Asmo]

I recommend changing your media player first, foobar 2000 is my recommendation, winamp would be next, a distant next.

Take the time to learn how to use the software, it is worth while, patchmix and foobar and powerful tools, if you want the most out of your music, invest a lil time, you'll be happy you did.