[Johncan]

I just purchased a new Musical Fidelity X-DAC V3 and I was planning on using it with my PC. The X-DAC V3 replaces a Musical Fidelity X-24K DAC.

When I use the X-DAC V3 with my CD player, both the optical and toslink interconnects work perfectly. However, when I switch to toslink out from my PC, the X-DAC V3 stutters for the first 25 seconds of the song and then plays fine. All the subsequent songs plays fine. However, if I manually skip a track or stop and start again, the song will stuttter for the first 25 seconds and then all is fine. This did not happen with my X-24K DAC. Everything worked perfectly with the X-24K DAC.

My PC is PIII 500 MHz CPU with 384 MB SDRAM. The hardrive is 7,200 RPM about half-full and was recently defragged. The OS is Win XP Pro with SP2. I use Foobar 8.3 with no other programs running. I have no active DSP in the chain (no volume or upsampling). My soundcard is a USB Sonica. My ouput is kernel streaming with output at 24 bits.

I have swapped toslink cables, tweaked Foobar settings (such as other output settings, bit-level depths, tried the ASIO plug-in), tried Winamp, and another generic USB sound card. I even added a Monarchy DIP to the chain and nothing improved.

Any ideas? Any good PCI soundcards with coaxial out (not toslink)?

 

[Deadreckon]

I use an Airport Express optical with my x-dac v3 and it works perfectly. Edit: except you couldn't use Foobar unless there is a hack. It sounds like your computer is the problem.

 

[sgrossklass]

A Revo 5.1 should fit the bill. Wouldn't bother with USB audio if PCI is an option.

 

[Johncan]

I reloaded the Sonica USB drivers and I have some improvement. It now only stutters twice: once at 8 seconds and once more at 10 seconds.

I am still using kernel streaming at 24 bits with no DSPs and 44.1 output. The X-DAC V3 automatically upsamples to 192.

I will probably go but a M-Audio Revo 5.1 and move the Sonica to a laptop.

Thanks sgrossklass!

John

 

[evil-zen]

Try increasing buffer length under output or increasing foobar's priority. Under Task manager, processes, foobar2000.exe, right click, set priority, either above normal or high.

 

[Johncan]

Slid buffer length to 8000 ms and changed foobar2000.exe priority to high...

I now have only one stutter at exactly 14 seconds. We are getting better!

John

 

[Johncan]

My Revo 5.1 arrived today... popped in it and attached the coaxial cable. I set Foobar 8.3 to 24-bit padded to 32-bit with Kernel Streaming ouput. NO MORE STUTTERING! My flac files sound great.

Thanks!

John