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Title: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: hybride on March 09, 2008, 10:52:06 am At the moment playing with a very cheap C-media chipset card (€18) with special open source WDM drivers (http://code.google.com/p/cmediadrivers/)
Sounds very good. Should a more expensive souncard improve SQ in this route? Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: SeVeReD on March 09, 2008, 06:00:48 pm At the moment playing with a very cheap C-media chipset card (€18) with special open source WDM drivers (http://code.google.com/p/cmediadrivers/) Sounds very good. Should a more expensive souncard improve SQ in this route? I'd say yes... especially if you're getting cracks/pops and XXHE isn't even playing music. Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: hybride on March 09, 2008, 06:17:54 pm Well hehe, your probarly right where it's about the driver compatability, Vista and XX ;)
I believe nothing is wrong with the C-media chip. The open source drivers are working excellent with all my other equipment/software. Sound en decoding is excellent. But what about the chip's power supply or the clock running it? Should they have influence on the SPDIF SQ? Maybe i'm going to try to supply the C-media chip with battery or clean DC to find out myself. Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: PeterSt on March 09, 2008, 08:39:40 pm I didn't look it up, but assuming you are using the "dogber" version, I estimate on that his tweaks made it worse. Remember, he did it to make Vista operate bit perfect, which was not applied to Exclusive Mode obviously. Now you can wonder how that was accidently mangled ...
Ok, besides that, I think everybody will say that any "onboard" sound device isn't the best thing to use. This is theory of course, but my HD-Audio onboard (not an interface card) ... :nea: Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: hybride on March 09, 2008, 09:22:18 pm Can we test drivers to be 'exclusive mode' perfect?
Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: PeterSt on March 09, 2008, 09:55:12 pm Quote Peter what do you mean with the 'dogber' version? Yeah yeah, you removed that text by now. :) But okay, I didn't take the screenshot for nothing ... (from the link you gave earlier; look in the bottom right corner). Quote Can we test drivers to be 'exclusive mode' perfect? I'm not sure what you mean by this ? A driver made for Vista just should. Unless it's mangled with of course. :wacko: Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: hybride on March 09, 2008, 09:58:24 pm 'unless it is mangled' ; Is it possible to debug that?
Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: PeterSt on March 09, 2008, 09:59:05 pm Oh, notice that the "Driver Signing" problems he talks about, come from the procedure concerned (which is just a computer program) rejecting it.
Not that it would be wrong (sounding) for that. But it isn't a good thing. Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: PeterSt on March 09, 2008, 10:00:05 pm 'unless it is mangled' ; Is it possible to debug that? It just has ! That's why it's bit perfect. I thought you'd know it. Why are you using it then ? Just found it via Google ? if so, then indeed better revert to the original. Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: hybride on March 09, 2008, 10:45:20 pm I just did a short A-B listening test between C-Media-SPDIF <> USB >>> Stello DAC
What do you think... the C-media SPDIF with Dogber driver sound's MUCH better then over USB. Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: PeterSt on March 09, 2008, 10:47:54 pm Hehe But can use 96/24 over SPDIF then ? Or IOW do you, while USB just can't ?
Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: SeVeReD on March 10, 2008, 12:11:30 am Any other USB device you have going on?
Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: hybride on March 10, 2008, 11:31:12 am Any other USB device you have going on? On that hub no other usb device was connected. Is that what you mean? Hehe But can use 96/24 over SPDIF then ? Or IOW do you, while USB just can't ? I played with the same XX settings over USB>DAC and SPDIF>DAC. I only switched the DAC input and changed primary sounddriver in Vista. The Stello only accept 32/48 but that is not possible with XX. I have XX (dac needs) at 16/96 Title: Re: Eng#3>SPDIF 1:1 data passthrough; any reason to buy a expensive soundcard? Post by: hybride on March 10, 2008, 09:11:06 pm For who's wanna know;
I get more and more impressed of the SQ of the cmedia7838/dogber driver combo. Just tried the onboard Realtek chipset's SPDIF on my ASUS M2A-VM. cmedia's sound is more clear, more airy If you have a HTPC and can use SPDIF or TOSLINK on your DAC you can give it a try for a couple of dollars :) Http://www.trust.com/products/product_detail.aspx?item=12950 |