[TOS #8] From: Bit-perfect playback questions, From Topic ID: 89281 Options

[JimH]

Realizing that the original question is now old....

So, was your comparison between DirectSound and ASIO/WASAPI double-blind?

If the equipment is decent (good receiver, speakers, for example), the difference is very clear, and not minor.

WASAPI is part of Vista and Win7. ASIO generally comes with the device you're using (USB DAC, for example). So ASIO can occasionally be imperfect.

Here's what we recommend:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Audio_Output_Modes

This post has been edited by db1989: Dec 10 2011, 13:51

Reason for edit: fixing quote tag

[Canar]

So, was your comparison between DirectSound and ASIO/WASAPI double-blind?

If the equipment is decent (good receiver, speakers, for example), the difference is very clear, and not minor.

Whoa there. Gonna need to see double-blind tests on that one. That's a totally unintuitive result unless something is being done incorrectly.

WASAPI is part of Vista and Win7. ASIO generally comes with the device you're using (USB DAC, for example). So ASIO can occasionally be imperfect.

Bad drivers are bad drivers. Whether the bad driver part affects ASIO or WASAPI worse is all up to the people developing them.

This post has been edited by Canar: Dec 10 2011, 01:30

[JimH]

So, was your comparison between DirectSound and ASIO/WASAPI double-blind?

If the equipment is decent (good receiver, speakers, for example), the difference is very clear, and not minor.

Whoa there. Gonna need to see double-blind tests on that one. That's a totally unintuitive result unless something is being done incorrectly.

WASAPI is part of Vista and Win7. ASIO generally comes with the device you're using (USB DAC, for example). So ASIO can occasionally be imperfect.

Bad drivers are bad drivers. Whether the bad driver part affects ASIO or WASAPI worse is all up to the people developing them.

I respect your opinions, but we do a lot of testing with different equipment and ASIO driver quality is all over the place. We don't see the same with WASAPI.

Directsound isn't in the same league.

That's my opinion.

[JimH]

You can get bitperfect output with any plain old media player over DirectSound if you leave your device's sample rate at the same setting as your files (e. g. 44.1 kHz) and set the volume to 100% since Vista.

This thread is hysterical and BS marketing driven.

16 bit INT -> 32 bit FLOAT -> 16 bit INT conversion, et ceteris paribus, is lossless, before you start the "but, but, but ... float pipeline"-whining.

Mr Bot,
I would like to be able to discuss this without fightin' language. My post addressed the user's question. There was no "BS marketing". I admit I can be guilty of "BS".

I'm just one of a very good team, a very serious team, of people who have been in full pursuit of the best audio possible for the last 13 years now.

Let's just talk.

JRiver