|
Computer Audio Asylum Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies. |
|
|
|
Computer Audio Asylum Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies. |
|
In Reply to: RE: EMU posted by chopper87@aol.com on July 17, 2009 at 18:48:53:
Hi Lance,
on the USB front here is a little background.
There are two sets of USB numbers which can get confusing. There is the USB spec (1.0, 1.1, 2.0) and the audio class spec (1.0 and 2.0). The USB spec 1.0 and 1.1 specified low speed and full speed. Audio class 1.0 used full speed and could go up to 24/96. A couple years later USB spec 2.0 came out, it had a high speed mode that was 40 times faster than full speed. This could easily handle 24/192, BUT no new audio spec had been released. Because there was no new audio spec designed to work with high speed mode the OS vendors (Microsoft etc) were not writing USB drivers that would do audio over high speed mode.
This is the way things stood for many years. If you wanted to do 24/192 you had to write your own drivers for whatever OS you wanted to run on. Several "pro" companies did this, but its a large amount of effort to write the drivers and support them. Most high end companies simply don't have the resources to do that. So high end USB devices went up to 24/96, that way they could use the drivers built into the OS.
There IS now an audio class spec 2.0 which does officially support 24/192 over high speed mode, but only Apple has written drivers for this so there still is not much in the way of high end hardware that will use USB at 24/192. IF Microsoft has audio 2.0 drivers in Win7 then we might start seeing high end devices using 24/192 over USB.
The EMU 0404USB is one of those devices that run 24/192 over high speed USB, BUT it has its own special drivers in order to do so. It has internal DACs that will do 24/192, but its S/PDIF outs will only go up to 24/96.
I hope that helps.
John S.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
