Help with M-Audio 2496 Setup Options

[ynnek4]

hi, first off here is my specs:

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer To Be Filled By O.E.M.
System Model To Be Filled By O.E.M.
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 3 GenuineIntel ~2993 Mhz
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 3 GenuineIntel ~2993 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. 1005.002, 6/8/2004
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
Time Zone Eastern Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 2,048.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 1.46 GB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 3.35 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

i am wondering what would be my best option for getting a ""semi" audiophile-like sound experiecne on my home computer.

i have the 2496 with some swan m200's. i noticed that this is an behringer amp i can purchase http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002E50K...id=J3RW4Q6WV3LQ

i also want to be able to listen with headphone (ala my old audigy 2 card). i guess i would need a headphone amp for that. can those two amps work in conjunction?

also, what kind of cords/cables will i need?

thanks in advance for any info.

(i also get a weird "screechy/lp record skip" sound when i shutdown my computer with my swans still turned on)

[dreamliner77]

No need for the behringer preamp. It's not made for an audio reproduction chain anyway, it's a mic preamp. Just run straight out of the 2496 into the swans.

[CSMR]

The audigy won't have a headphone amp either so it's the same situation except better reproduction now of course.

You just split the output in two. Look up the connections and order the parts, no problem.
Aren't swans powered? So no need for an amp for them.

[ynnek4]

thanks for the replies.

so basically, i wont get any better sound with some sort of "tube" amp?

also, these are my current settings as far as volume. i noticed my cd player's volume is at 100% in both properties. this translates to "in the red" on my delta panel monitor mixer page.





would i need to turn down the cd player volume to get full dynamic range or will keeping it at this level not affect the sound to the speakers?

thanks.

This post has been edited by ynnek4: Mar 10 2007, 23:41

[henkersmahlzeit]

"in the red" on my delta panel monitor mixer page.

no problem, as long you stick with digital signals ...

[ynnek4]

"in the red" on my delta panel monitor mixer page.

no problem, as long you stick with digital signals ...

thanks.

i have read (dont remember when/where) its good to have the cd-rom volume at or near 100% because if you do not you lose "bits."

does that make sense?

[CSMR]

You lose bits with windows XP even at 100%, more at less. With vista you will still lose, but not as much as bits. To get perfect output you need to bypass mixers and use the ASIO interface.

[ynnek4]

You lose bits with windows XP even at 100%, more at less. With vista you will still lose, but not as much as bits. To get perfect output you need to bypass mixers and use the ASIO interface.

this may sound crazy but i do not have any control over my mixer inputs. i can slide the slider all around and there is no change in volume whatsoever.

btw i am using vuplayer http://www.vuplayer.com/player.php to play my cd's.

This post has been edited by ynnek4: Mar 11 2007, 02:32

[cliveb]

this may sound crazy but i do not have any control over my mixer inputs. i can slide the slider all around and there is no change in volume whatsoever.

You've got "Enable digital CD audio" checked (which is a good thing - don't uncheck it). But this means that when a CD is playing, the data is read by software and then sent to the soundcard's "WAVE" line, not the "CD Player" line. So the slider you need to move in Windows Mixer is the "Wave" one, not the "CD Player" one.

That said, if you're using an M-Audio AP2496, then it's simplest to just leave all the Windows Mixer sliders at maximum, and use the Delta Control Panel to adjust playback volume. As has been said by others, if you're feeding a digital signal from a CD, it can't be clipping. Note that the Delta Control Panel meters begin "lighting up" the red sections when you get above -3dB; at 0dB the entire red section is "lit up"

And finally, I too have an M-Audio AP2496, and don't see a "CD Player" slider in Windows Mixer. Mind you, I'm running Windows 2000 rather than XP, perhaps the XP driver is different. But this card simply does not have a CD input, so I can't see how it makes sense to have a CD Player line shown in Windows Mixer.

[evereux]

i also get a weird "screechy/lp record skip" sound when i shutdown my computer with my swans still turned on

Turn your monitors off before powering up/down. I'm pretty sure I blew a woofer in my Monitor Audio's due to this noise.

this may sound crazy but i do not have any control over my mixer inputs. i can slide the slider all around and there is no change in volume whatsoever.

MAudio Delta Control Panel > In the Patchbay / Router tab select the Monitor Mixer radio button. In the Monitor Mixer window push the WaveOut 1/2 to full and you can then control the volume using the Master Volume slider.

[ynnek4]

i also get a weird "screechy/lp record skip" sound when i shutdown my computer with my swans still turned on

Turn your monitors off before powering up/down. I'm pretty sure I blew a woofer in my Monitor Audio's due to this noise.

this may sound crazy but i do not have any control over my mixer inputs. i can slide the slider all around and there is no change in volume whatsoever.

MAudio Delta Control Panel > In the Patchbay / Router tab select the Monitor Mixer radio button. In the Monitor Mixer window push the WaveOut 1/2 to full and you can then control the volume using the Master Volume slider.

that did it! thanks a lot.

i had an audigy card before this one and i never noticed the swans making the noise when i powered down.

i have heard some things about "asio." what program would be good to utilize this? i have heard about asio4all, but i was not sure what that was. i also have foobar.

This post has been edited by ynnek4: Mar 11 2007, 17:26

[evereux]

When powering my PC down I get a nasty fast loud clicking noise and not as bad but a loud click when powering up. This can't be good for the speakers, hence my assumption (and the amazement of my dealer when ordering a new woofer, they've never seen one blow in that range of Monitor Audio's).

Don't think I've ever heard swans though.

[ynnek4]

this may sound crazy but i do not have any control over my mixer inputs. i can slide the slider all around and there is no change in volume whatsoever.

You've got "Enable digital CD audio" checked (which is a good thing - don't uncheck it). But this means that when a CD is playing, the data is read by software and then sent to the soundcard's "WAVE" line, not the "CD Player" line. So the slider you need to move in Windows Mixer is the "Wave" one, not the "CD Player" one.

That said, if you're using an M-Audio AP2496, then it's simplest to just leave all the Windows Mixer sliders at maximum, and use the Delta Control Panel to adjust playback volume. As has been said by others, if you're feeding a digital signal from a CD, it can't be clipping. Note that the Delta Control Panel meters begin "lighting up" the red sections when you get above -3dB; at 0dB the entire red section is "lit up"

And finally, I too have an M-Audio AP2496, and don't see a "CD Player" slider in Windows Mixer. Mind you, I'm running Windows 2000 rather than XP, perhaps the XP driver is different. But this card simply does not have a CD input, so I can't see how it makes sense to have a CD Player line shown in Windows Mixer.

thanks for the info! much appreciated.

are you familiar with vuplayer http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.php ? do you know if it works with asio? i have searched but have found nothing. does the cd playing application have to be compatible with the asio4all file in order to work?

please forgive me, i am a newbie.

thanks again!

[cliveb]

are you familiar with vuplayer http://www.vuplayer.com/vuplayer.php ? do you know if it works with asio? i have searched but have found nothing. does the cd playing application have to be compatible with the asio4all file in order to work?

Sorry, I'm not familiar with that player. (Like most of the people on these forums, I use Foobar2000 as my media player of choice). Your best bet to get accurate answers wuold be to contact the software author direct.

(Oh, and my apologies for forgetting to mention that you need to route the monitor mixer to the AP2496 hardware output - luckily everaux explained that bit. If you route other lines to the hardware output, the signal levels are all fixed).

[ynnek4]

well i downloaded foobar and the asio component. seems really nice.

i was wondering, what should me replaygain be set to? i believe i read somewhere that is was better to turn it off?

i want to have the best possible sound (quality wise).

also, how to i enable foobar to startup once an audio cd is inserted?
i have associated cda files to foobar and also in windows but once i insert an audio cd i get a error message telling me there is nothing associated with it (audio cds).

thanks in advance.

[Light-Fire]

"in the red" on my delta panel monitor mixer page.

no problem, as long you stick with digital signals ...

thanks.

i have read (dont remember when/where) its good to have the cd-rom volume at or near 100% because if you do not you lose "bits."

does that make sense?

That does not make sense at all.

You lose bits with windows XP even at 100%, more at less. With vista you will still lose, but not as much as bits. To get perfect output you need to bypass mixers and use the ASIO interface.

There is no such a thing as "lost bits".

[CSMR]

Lost resolution. Why not measure it in bits?

[Light-Fire]

Lost resolution. Why not measure it in bits?

Because they are not units to measure "resolution". They are not even units to measure anything. They are logical representations of information. You only start to lose "resolution" after docoding the digital signal to analog signal.

...so basically, i wont get any better sound with some sort of "tube" amp?...
thanks.

You get the worst sound with tube amp.

[krabapple]

Whether you approve or not , bit depth and resolution are usually associated with each other in both audio and video.

[Light-Fire]

Whether you approve or not , bit depth and resolution are usually associated with each other in both audio and video.

Whether you understood the discussion or not, bits still are NOT units of measurement.

[cliveb]

Whether you approve or not , bit depth and resolution are usually associated with each other in both audio and video.

Whether you understood the discussion or not, bits still are NOT units of measurement.

As you said earlier, bits are a way of representing information. What the information is that is represented depends on the method used to encode it into the bits.

However, in the case of linear PCM digital audio, the way the encoding is done is such that 1 bit represents 6dB of resolution. In the digital audio world, it is just universally accepted that resolution can be referred to in terms of bits. If you want to be pedantic about this, you're going to have a hard time communicating with others about digital audio.