Signal Path....Please ad your input

Computer Audio Asylum

Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

With "normal" audio gear we all knew every detail about music on its signal path at what we needed or wanted to do to increase fidelity.
We knew the weak points, what impact various things had on sound etc. from the record->needle->power->wire->vibration->direct drive/belt drive->etc. etc. or with CD->transport->DAC->wire->power-> etc.
Now with computers we use "drivers", RAM memory, ASIO, etc. all before it even leaves the box.
What real aspects of the path can and should be looked into. There is a huge GREY area that I am not so clear on....Right off the bat I would imagine that there is an enormous amount of jitter in computer audio due to the very "electrically" noisy power supply and circuit boards etc.
My assumption is data [music] stored on a HD is goes through a series of drivers [ASIO] etc. when called on to play, after that it is buffered on RAM and is streamed out of what ever port it is commanded too straight from RAM...if its digital it will go out from RAM as a pure digital signal out s/pdif bypassing all the curcuits of a sound card or on board sound device.
If it is commanded to go out as analog it will be directed into the curcuits of your sound card etc. for D/A conversion and then go out.
Is this assumption wrong, please someone add details or correct me.
My feeling is that if your going digital out to an external DAC, your sound cards only need is for the port to provide a path for the signal and nothing else.

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Topic - Signal Path....Please ad your input - Dynaudio_Rules 07:19:40 01/04/07 (10)

Re: Signal Path....Please ad your input - audioengr 21:51:08 01/04/07 (0)

This picture may help - Christine Tham 19:05:11 01/04/07 (7)

Quick Question Christine - Presto 13:42:05 01/05/07 (1)

it's just another name for kernel streaming - Christine Tham 21:02:21 01/05/07 (0)

Just in case anyone is wondering how things will look like in Vista - Christine Tham 19:15:59 01/04/07 (4)

So after ASIO the signal goes into the Audio Driver and then.....? - Dynaudio_Rules 05:32:59 01/05/07 (3)

Yes, everything needs to go through a driver - Christine Tham 12:39:01 01/05/07 (2)

This may sound stupid - Dynaudio_Rules 11:04:48 01/06/07 (1)

Re: This may sound stupid - Christine Tham 12:14:09 01/06/07 (0)

Re: Signal Path....Please ad your input - digepix 09:35:01 01/04/07 (0)

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