Need some serious help with foobar wasapi etc Options

[todd89]

Hi, this is my first post.

I'm new to the whole audio set up, and I've just installed EAC, ripped some files in flac and decided on using foobar for its wasapi support. This is because I've heard of its ability to utilise 24bit/44100/192000hz, which I hear is good? I have no clue what wasapi does to be honest (I have heard it mutes all others sounds on the computer so it can focus on one output sort of thing), why 24bit is considered the best. So basically I am wanting some sound advice to indicate whether I have set up everything correctly in order for me to achieve the best sound from what I have.

This is what I've done so far:

I downloaded the wasapi plugin, placed it in the components folder, opened output setting and changed device to wasapi: speakers/headphones (sigmatel high definition audio codec or something) and set the output format to 24bit.

I have also stumbled across the sound properties of the speaker logo in the bottom right hand corner of the desktop and found advanced settings. There is about a dozen options in the 'default format' section from 16bit to 24bit 44100hz and right up to 24bit/192000hz?

Note: I am using a fiio e9 and onboard sound, so can I effectively achieve 24bit/44100 or 192000 with what I have.

Thanks

This post has been edited by todd89: Dec 16 2011, 00:11

[db1989]

Rather than making everyone go over these points again—because, trust us, they’ve been done to death—I advise that you do some basic research about digital audio and search for previous threads here in which concepts (read: misconceptions) such as this are discussed. In brief:

(1) There will be no gain in quality from upscaling the bit-depth or sampling rate of any given audio source; it should simply be output at its native resolution (e.g. 44100 Hz and 16 bit for CD audio).

(2) Unless something is seriously wrong with your software and/or hardware, the output method will make no difference to the audio that is sent to your hardware. The various methods are constrasted by their technical properties/abilities (e.g. WASAPI’s exclusive mode), not any assumptions about quality; that is, by how they transmit the audio, not by what they transmit.

(3)

24bit/44100/192000hz, which I hear is good?

Don’t believe everything you hear. And I mean that not just figuratively but also literally! Any curiosity over whether something will be audible, or any uncertainty over whether you really hear an apparent difference—neither of which will apply in this case—can be tested using an ABX test (two links). This is mentioned in #8 of our Terms of Service, which exists in large part to spare people from wasting energy and perhaps other resources on, or misleading others with regard to, unverifiable ideas about audio quality that are probably based upon the placebo effect.

This post has been edited by db1989: Dec 16 2011, 15:56

[todd89]

Sorry about my impatience. I have searched the forum and did not strike luck. So basically your saying that by changing the bit rate to 24/192 etc and output to wasapi, there is no difference in sound quality. I definitely understand what yor saying regarding the placebo effect. I can't tell any difference between standard settings against wasapi etc.

This post has been edited by shakey_snake: Dec 17 2011, 05:19

Reason for edit: Removed full quote.

[Kohlrabi]

So basically your saying that by changing the bit rate to 24/192 etc and output to wasapi, there is no difference in sound quality.

Concerning Audio CD based files, this is true in the best case scenario. If you have a poor resampler sound quality will very likely get worse, unless your sound card also is flawed at certain sample rates, and you need to resample in software to circumvent poor hardware resamplers (e.g. SBLive cards).