• Registered: 2021-12-02
  • Posts: 26

Topic: ADI-2 connected to Windows PC: set to 48 kHz or 384 kHz

When I use my Windows 10 laptop, I listen to sound sources with 44.1 or 48 kHz sample rate most of the time.

In this case, shall I set the Sample Rate on MADIface Series Settings to 48000 or 384000?

I guess if I choose 384 kHz, the filtering and oversampling(or asynchronous sample rate change in case the music source is of 44.1 k sample rate) is done by the PC, not by the filter inside the RME ADI-2. How good is that filtering on the PC? Does anyone know about ripple, stop band attenuation, or other specs?

P.S.: On this Windows 10 laptop, the sample rate of the built in speaker and the built in headphone jack is always 48 kHz. The user cannot change the sample rate. The built in microphone sample rate can be 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz.

  • Registered: 2021-12-02
  • Posts: 26

Re: ADI-2 connected to Windows PC: set to 48 kHz or 384 kHz

I played 20 kHz 0dB FS track ripped from Stereophile Test CD2 with VLC media player at 100% volume.

By changing the sample Rate on MADIface, I found that, if sample rate change occurs on Windows, the frequency response of the filter (the low pass filter to combat aliasing, like the ones on DAC chips, "upsampling" in hi-fi term) on the Windows 10 PC is not flat to 20kHz.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLXTbUWGjSuzvHQUSKOm3hF92vCC701cIbKmEuPd4uGVqjna51z1Tk7KW5Tv_gqnRJQhtqX9cHDQ_dL44VU0Qe9eO-tRVbyvWY_IAAe2hpdeUzaSbdkhtj26vTLN2v8VFJ6wa4lt1LG6idgOJ5u-RJng=w1839-h1308-no?authuser=0


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLXPe8jBWlwSo-v9wpHTfneE4JhRfORrnE0HpLX-g_86bSjWdbiadWopKEQn8eH28hL1SwYzefyCRK3lb4lkM5E3I9sBagEc4HhGSsUMbePB8Lf8oaJpSCydHS5Ugdx_8ddhVYvl7ZSZo2un92naFaNx=w1839-h1290-no?authuser=0


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLUt3xOOUiel6tbg5W6Ad1V1PtdIc8131Wrlg7USNX7FojhfNbPemqRumrk5PAJY9VVuCYd64imJUDOqlHCZHgTezlpaujhLO7n5zvsdz1nu98VOK_ijJnFxuHLbtrjFB_1iQf_hoUEWUThL3F8E1EK1=w1676-h1277-no?authuser=0

3 Reply by skyfly (edited by skyfly 2021-12-22 17:32:41)

  • Registered: 2021-12-02
  • Posts: 26

Re: ADI-2 connected to Windows PC: set to 48 kHz or 384 kHz

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWbYpIz2pL1xajITNm2mxf_C4GocSitSfl1WaYEA2uz12HAB8KGsOk6NE9SsjTd9c6P2qqALh3_UPtBkEJjkWUPTGmb_bVF_eDJOHshfoKDtwqVrcZNeVa77D_vLBOxEefZp8r-3oN7obQwkE-zt9Ct=w1968-h1401-no?authuser=0


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLXgFUmhbRbP6hsLtKmn9b3bEbKo_P0FMvtIq1h5LJGgR1WBAYMtI89EXYtsLASJ01TsQ24ahvV0byBhFM1VqIGDgaJO9Wt6M1FzaZgdfwoKk4yvOn6tI-dOqe7kcW_zJqvDRnu-0pE7nOO_Rqa7jJuM=w1839-h1257-no?authuser=0


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWYOIJ3rfYEeVnJIKJad_VxI4nW03ba0jb0HGIcBUnelyLQe4SQFvrF4PPthPqvzpdNW0usZvrFZhdbwOQjDJrDpGHRalNWAgG7tNkYeJvhUHRXPa893x2vxWjEWvTiPlbusKDWrbQ3TnusoqZS06EG=w1839-h1311-no?authuser=0

  • Registered: 2021-12-02
  • Posts: 26

Re: ADI-2 connected to Windows PC: set to 48 kHz or 384 kHz

Anyway, I still do not know whether

[1] 44.1 -> 384 or 48 -> 352.8

is better for sound quality than

[2] 44.1 -> 48 or 48 -> 44.1

on Windows PC.

I would rely more on the filter inside the RME ADI-2 DAC in the case [2] than in the case [1].

  • ning
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2019-06-08
  • Posts: 579

Re: ADI-2 connected to Windows PC: set to 48 kHz or 384 kHz

RME’s spectrum is not meant to be used in this way. In this scenario, you should use sweep signal, use fft, and plot the FR.

For your questions you can just use a player that sets the sample rate for you… many do it.

  • Registered: 2021-12-02
  • Posts: 26

Re: ADI-2 connected to Windows PC: set to 48 kHz or 384 kHz

ning wrote:

RME’s spectrum is not meant to be used in this way. In this scenario, you should use sweep signal, use fft, and plot the FR.

For your questions you can just use a player that sets the sample rate for you… many do it.

Though we cannot claim Windows sample rate converter is down by exactly 23 dB at 20 kHz, I think we can safely claim that Windows SRC is not flat to 20 kHz.

Many computer users listen to various sound sources on the computer, not limited to software such as Audirvana. For many of the sound sources, users cannot choose the sample rate, cannot know the sample rate. One sample is chosen on the operating system.

7 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2021-12-22 19:43:07)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,150

Re: ADI-2 connected to Windows PC: set to 48 kHz or 384 kHz

Your screenshots are valid and say it all:

Windows samplerate conversion is suboptimal (to say the least) no matter which samplerate chosen.

So best avoid it.

ADI-2 can automatically switch the samplerates according to the file played.
It’s a matter of player software and driver configuration.
Mostly ADI-2 DAC’s  CC / Class Complient Mode without driver does the job.
Other soft likes the ASIO-driver.

Use RME Bittest to check for lossless transfer.
Read ADI-2 DAC manual page 67.

KaiS's Website