[Pecrobet]

TO SIDI0US

I apologize for misunderstanding the fundamentals of your question. I read lots of threads & posts, and sometimes I scan through words so quickly - I sometimes miss the real question.

Addressing your question about why sound quality changes with different driver/s?

Drivers are PC programs/software that control or operate an attached device. So, with that said one driver may sound better than the other. Think of it in terms of Program.

I hope that explains why one driver sounds better than the other. If not, please elaborate.

 

[sidi0us]

Thanks for the replies, there is no need for any apologies, we all are humans and have misunderstandings.

I'm not exactly a driver developer myself, but it basically makes the connection between the os and the hardware, the more complex the hardware the more complex the driver will be and so on. It will make sense that running for ex. a sound card with lots of features, like surround sound, eq presets and so on, to not work properly or just sound bad without proper drivers. The e10k on the other hand it doesn't have a lot of features, which is why it works as plug and play, no extra drivers required, and it works perfectly this way. No problems after any numbers of hours in games or whatever app I'm using, no crackling, nothing, it just works.

The fun part begins when you install the ASIO driver, which in theory shoud bypass the windows mixer (no resampling) and give you low latency and direct hardware communication, resulting in better sound quality. Even though I'm not using asio, I can still hear the differences from the standard windows driver in games, movies and music, which is why I find this weird, it should sound the same. I think the crackling noises, bsods and other issues are present because the driver was meant for windows 7, microsoft did changed quite a few things in the audio department since windows 8.

Sorry for my English, it's not my native language.

 

[Pecrobet]

In my professional opinion, audio sound is unique because each person hears things differently and have personal preferences. For example, some people like more bass dominant sound, others prefer balanced sound and so forth.

I always advise my clients that if it sounds good to them, then let it be. Obviously, we like to tinker with our audio toys to obtain that perfect sound. But, there are so many variables to audio systems and when you add different types of genres to that mix, the math is exponential for adjustment.

So, if you like one driver over another, then keep it!

Out of curiousity, did you resolve the crackling noise? Because I thought you mentioned something about earlier in your posts - or was that the other person only?

 

[Pecrobet]

ALSO, what kind of headphones are you using?

Again from experience and much research, I've realized matching equipment can make an impact on sound quality - How much, is debatable

 

[sidi0us]

I'm using Sennheiser HD558 with foam mod, I've already explain that in my first post.

I'm not talking about matching equipment or how I like more bass.

I will try to simplify this as best as I can.

If I simply plug de dac into a clean system, everything works perfectly, no crackling, nothing.
If I install the asio driver, I have better sound overall, deeper bass, sharper, wider sound stage, it's not night and day difference, but with this windows 7 driver I have all the issues mentioned before...

 

[Pecrobet]

SIDI0US

That's somewhat odd because the ASIO Driver, for Windows 7, should work without any problems. The driver is integrated in Windows 7. In Windows 10, people have had difficulty getting the ASIO Driver installed and/or operational.

Microsoft has no real solution for the problem. But a third party software/driver, known as "ASIO4ALL" offers the download at no cost. However, in order for the ASIO Driver to function properly in Windows 10, you would need to follow various steps for it to work (Basically, go into properties and have the software setup to operate in Windows 7 mode). Below, I've attached a link to the ASIO4ALL Website - This may be helpful. There's lots of information on installing and troubleshooting ASIO Driver. I hope this can be helpful?

LINK: http://www.asio4all.org

 

[Pecrobet]

SIDI0US

LAST THING, regarding the crackeling and popping noises you hear during audio playback using ASIO Driver is most likely caused by an imbalance between Buffering & Latency measurements; You will need to play around with these settings (They can differ between different devices plugged-in). I'm not sure sure why I didn't think of this before, but this definitely plays a key role in the audio playback!

IF "Buffering or Latency" is set to high/low, it will cause issues with playback sound quality (i.e. crackeling & popping noises). I hope I've been some help to you and anyone else.

BEST OF LUCK!!

 

[sidi0us]

I also think there is a problem with the buffer, In the end I gave up on the asio driver, it's not worth the hassle for such a small gain in sound quality. Everyting is working fine now, I'll leave it like this. Thanks for your support.

 

[HWTest]

And what about the firmware?

 

[Pecrobet]

If you are running Windows 10 on your PC, you do not have to over concern yourself with it. However, if you are running Windows 7 or 8, then you goto FiiO website and download the update. It may be a Driver update - not Firmware. I can't recall because I did the update a while back.

If you have an issue with crackling or popping noise, see my post above. It has to do with ASIO Driver and imbalance between
"Buffering or Latency".

 

[HWTest]

Yes, I'm running Windows 10.
There is only the (ASIO) driver from 14.01.2015, which I already have.
The distortion appears after several hours of playback.
I don't think it's overheating, because a brief on/off switch fixes it for another several hours.
Any recommended buffer/latency settings?

 

[Pecrobet]

HWTEST
In your cases, the most honest advice I can offer you is: ¹Make adjustments between "Buffering & Latency" levels (This can be very tedious process, because you need to strike correct balance between the two); -OR- ²Change the ASIO Driver currently installed (IF Decide to change driver, I Recommend ASIO Software Download: "ASIO4ALL Driver", Ver. 2.14).

I wish I could provide you with a definite answer (i.e. Yes or No) on this subject. But, there is no magic bullet to your question. PC Audio Systems are/can be very complex because of the number of different options, features, software, settings, setups, etc to consider.

I've recommended the "ASIO4ALL Driver" to individuals in the past that had issues with their Windows ASIO Driver version. In my opinion, the ASIO4ALL Driver is more simplified and there website offers an abundant amount of support - Detailed information, installation guide, community help & tips, troubleshooting advice and more. Even if you decide not to download the driver, goto there website to see if you can get some answers (Recommend: Download the ASIO4ALL Guide and review information).

ASIO4ALL WEBLINK: http://www.asio4all.org

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[FiiO]

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[sidi0us]

Hi, just an update regarding asio drivers and crackling/popping and bsod's, I've disabled HPET from bios (MSI Z370-A PRO) last week and no issues whatsoever since, everything is working perfectly, give it a try if you have similar problems.

 

[FiiO]

Hi, just an update regarding asio drivers and crackling/popping and bsod's, I've disabled HPET from bios (MSI Z370-A PRO) last week and no issues whatsoever since, everything is working perfectly, give it a try if you have similar problems.

Thanks for the kind feedback.

Best regards