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Re: Quality sound card only to be used for digital out ?? - much difference if you're only digital out, no analog?

Posted by Presto (A) on November 29, 2006 at 11:17:37

In Reply to: Quality sound card only to be used for digital out ?? - much difference if you're only digital out, no analog? posted by Triodeuser on November 29, 2006 at 08:35:56:

Well, there are two ways to go, but the problem is that getting digital out the "good" way is just as expensive as getting "analog" out the best way. For example, getting digital out using Lynx would be to get an AES16 - which is two-thirds the price of a 2B and has NO DACs on it!! You could also go with a USB solution that has SPDIF output. Funny thing, most folks going with USB solutions are doing so to AVOID spdif on the other end and take I2S directly to the DACs.

The way to go "on the cheap" is to get a PCI card that does two very important things:

a) it will pass through 44.1khz without resampling to 48khz. Do not confuse this with a Windows Kmixer issue - it's a similar problem but different. Even if windows kmixer is bypassed (using ASIO for example) your card could STILL be resampling to 48 or 96 khz if that is what the driver of your card is set up to do with the digital output. C-media cards, for example, only allow the user to select 48 or 96khz as output options - not 44.1 khz. It will PLAY 44.1khz files, but only after resampling them to 48khz.

b) it will be ASIO compliant for the SPDIF output (if you want ASIO) For example, my M-Audio Revolution 7.1 has ASIO capable analog inputs and outputs, but NOT for the digital output! (Strange!) So I need to use kernel streaming with this card. It bypasses kmixer as ASIO does, but some folks are "dead set" on having ASIO and ASIO drivers for their media players. ASIO is "supposed" to sound better than kernel streaming. Jury is still out on that one if you ask me.

Perhaps if you could tell us what equipment your friend is trying to interconnect we could recommend more specific/specialized solutions.

Apparently, some guys have had great success with affordable Chaintec cards (AV710?) that use the Envy24HT chipset like the M-Audio Revo, but are also ASIO compliant for the digital output (or so I have heard).

Best advice? Ask around! :o)

Cheers,
Presto

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