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RME User Forum → HDSP(e) series → RME AES Driver/Serial
Hello, I had two queries -
1) How do I find the serial number for my device?
2) I am currently using driver 4.17 (12/14/2016), I would like to know if this driver will work in Windows 11?
Thank you.
Hi and welcome to the RME user forum.
To 1) The serial numbers are usually on the packaging and on the card. In this case, it is a different HDSPe card, but I would assume it is the same for the AES version: https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.ph … 62#p166962.
To 2), I recommend installing the latest driver version 4.45 dated 5/15/23. This version also contains the latest TM FX version 1.83. In the download area for your HDSPe AES it is clear that this driver supports all Windows versions from XP SP2 to Windows 11.
There are several reasons to recommend the latest version:
a) Bug fixes, features
b) the HDSPe driver exists for a long time and can be considered as mature, every bug fix more is a gain for you
c) such old versions are certainly no longer tested with current Windows versions
driver 4.17 is from 2016, Windows 11 from 2021.
It should be clear, to use the latest driver for best stability and compatibility for Win 11.
Hi, thanks for the post.
I will check the serial that way.
I do understand that there are bug fixes, features etc for the updated driver but the driver sounds good to me and I don't want to change it.
I am looking to understand if I can use it on Windows 11 so I can decide if I want Windows 11 or not.
Hi, thanks for the post.
I will check the serial that way.
I do understand that there are bug fixes, features etc for the updated driver but the driver sounds good to me and I don't want to change it.
I am looking to understand if I can use it on Windows 11 so I can decide if I want Windows 11 or not.
A driver doesn't have a sound, who told you such wired things?
I heard it myself changing the driver. Sometimes I update the driver and if I find I don't like the sound I change back. I wasn't expecting a change so the first time I did it I was a bit taken aback and was thankful I still had the old driver.
Sorry, but this can't be the case.
The D/A conversion is done at the converter in the device and the quality of sound is then a combination of converter and the analog stage behind the converter chip.
The driver itself takes care that the device is accessible for applications and for lossless transport of audio data.
That's fine, I know some people don't believe the driver can sound different, I don't want to convince them otherwise. All I am looking to see is if the driver I use will work in Windows 11.
That's fine, I know some people don't believe the driver can sound different, I don't want to convince them otherwise. All I am looking to see is if the driver I use will work in Windows 11.
There are a lot of internet myth going around.
I made you an offer to do the right thing, final decision up to you.
My impression / suspicion is that you never did a proper blind test including quick A/B tests because our brain cannot memorize sound very long if the differences are small.
No myth for me, only going by what I heard, as I said first time I just updated the driver, wasn't intended to be a test as I expected it to be the same. Going forward I did do some testing but it can't be quick as to uninstall the driver then install another driver takes time.
No myth for me, only going by what I heard, as I said first time I just updated the driver, wasn't intended to be a test as I expected it to be the same. Going forward I did do some testing but it can't be quick as to uninstall the driver then install another driver takes time.
If you do not perform blind tests and have no possibility to perform quick A/B tests, then you are only fooling yourself.
Additionally you need to make sure to listen at exactly the same volume level, as louder sounds better to our ears (-> loudness war).
I do not know where you have this information or experience that different drivers would sound different.
Maybe this is even the case for some other companies, where maybe some additional sound shaping things are being performed in a DSP or in the Operating System.
But this is not the case for RME products.
You are safe to use the latest driver sound wise.
I'm sorry but I don't wish to debate it. I know I heard it, I will continue to use the old driver based on my experiences, I don't expect anyone to agree but this is what I will do. I only came here looking to see if that driver will work on Windows 11. I don't really wish to convince anyone otherwise of their beliefs. If anyone has this information I would be much obliged.
Why don't you simply try it out? Most Vista drivers will still run on Windows 7 and most Window 10 drivers will still run on Windows 11.
You can install any version at any time to go back to the previous state / driver version.
The worst that can happen is that you find out that it doesn't work and that would lock you into Windows 10 for no real understandable reason.
What can also help is the installation of a 2nd disk for test installations of Windows 11 in parallel and to implement "Dual Boot". Then you can prepare and test whether everything works as expected or if needed.
Make backups .. you can use Macrium Reflect Home to create working disk images, by that you can go back quickly at any time to the previous state before you introduced changes to your setup.
Even if you don't want to hear about it. If I were you, I would jump over your shadow and start thinking about whether you did something wrong on your test.
Especially in such an area, false rituals are really nothing that helps you or others, rather the opposite.
If it should really turn out that there should be sound differences, then it would also be much more purposeful to communicate these and the test setup validly, so that an error, if it should exist, can be fixed.
However, the measured values that RME communicates for your components in manuals are, in my opinion, under observation by many people. That there should be such a sonic outlier is very unlikely.
If there should be sonic differences in the last driver version, well, wouldn't you hear them there again? What can you loose to simply trying it out and to (hopefully) correct your statements / habits?
If there really should be issues, then RME would surely help to fix it and the community would be glad that you found this out and that RME could fix it.
I have tried installing a different driver many times over the years. No errors were made. I don't believe my statements/habits need "correcting", I am happy with it.
I thank you for your time and advice however I respectfully decline to use a different driver. The current driver sounds the best to me and I intend to keep using it.
If someone can confirm if this driver works in Windows 11 I would highly appreciate it.
I don't think anybody has tested it - and it's not likely that anybody else will do so. Therefore, if you wish to find out, you may have to do so yourself.
And just to add to what's been said already, there is absolutely no way different drivers will "sound" different. We don't know what it was you heard, but it certainly wasn't a "better sounding" driver. Obviously, this card, being entirely digital in its signal transfer (no AD/DA) does not have any "sound quality" at all. And the driver does not alter the signal in any way.
I don't think anybody has tested it - and it's not likely that anybody else will do so. Therefore, if you wish to find out, you may have to do so yourself.
And just to add to what's been said already, there is absolutely no way different drivers will "sound" different. We don't know what it was you heard, but it certainly wasn't a "better sounding" driver. Obviously, this card, being entirely digital in its signal transfer (no AD/DA) does not have any "sound quality" at all. And the driver does not alter the signal in any way.
Hi, Thank you for your reply. Would it be possible for RME to confirm if the driver will work? I am sure RME has the driver and a system with Windows 11 with an AES card, it would take only a little bit of time and would greatly help me out.
I understand, but as I said I can hear a difference.
Thank you again.
I don't have such a system at hand, and I don't think the idea of a "better sounding" older driver warrants such a test. I can assure you that you could not hear a difference in a proper test setup, this idea is without any base whatsoever. There is simply no way this can happen, and no need to discuss it, really. What we don't know, however, in what way you felt something had changed. That could give us a hint to whether perhaps what you heard and believed to be inferior "sound quality" was the result of some kind of misconfiguration.
I don't have such a system at hand, and I don't think the idea of a "better sounding" older driver warrants such a test. I can assure you that you could not hear a difference in a proper test setup, this idea is without any base whatsoever. There is simply no way this can happen, and no need to discuss it, really. What we don't know, however, in what way you felt something had changed. That could give us a hint to whether perhaps what you heard and believed to be inferior "sound quality" was the result of some kind of misconfiguration.
Thanks, I appreciate your response. I didn't mean to say you should test it because it sounds better, but only to help me out, as a customer, I am a fan of your product and have used it for years. As to the sound difference, I can hear it, I would not call it an idea per se rather my experience. As I have already mentioned I did not come here to discuss the driver differences, only to see if it would work in Windows 11. I also do not wish to convince anyone otherwise. I don't think I would call it inferior as tastes differ, I only said it sounds good to me. There was no difference in the system other than the driver change. Everything else was the same. Again I'd like to thank RME for the answer and I see I will have to check it myself. A little bit of hassle but I will check it as I want to use this driver. If it doesn't work I will stay on Windows 10.
Have a great day!
A bit of skepticism can never hurt. However, you can overdo it.
Now you got even a confirmation from RME that the driver doesn't change the sound.
You should realize at some point that your testing methodology was flawed, and therefore you came to the wrong conclusions.
It is widely known and accepted that psychoacoustic effects must be excluded to obtain valid results.
You mentioned that you weren't able to perform quick A/B testing due to the time it takes to install a new driver and reboot and I assume that you also didn't perform blind or even double-blind tests
You would do yourself a favor by simply using the latest driver which will support Windows 11.
Only this way, you can exclude to get a bug-free product and get the latest features.
Side note: what you are currently doing is neither professional nor a clever strategy to run your RME environment. Best practise is to use the latest firmware and drivers.
Further, it would be advisable for you to learn about psychoacoustics and how to properly test to rule out such effects.
One proposal: buy an ADI-2 Pro or ADI 2/4 Pro SE and integrate it by connecting it to an AES port.
The built-in bit test will tell you, clearly, whether audio has been transported "lossless end-to-end" or not.
From the player / DAW / up to the DSP in the ADI-2 shortly before the D/A conversion takes place.
Explanation of Bittest, see manual of ADI-2 Pro FS: chapter 34.22: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2profsr_e.pdf
I think such a device / tool would be important for you to finally come to valid and more satisfactory results and insights compared to the current situation where you do not even believe in what the vendor tells you. Additionally, it gives you high-quality conversion and a lot of very useful features.
An example of how to integrate such a device into your environment, you can read here in my blog:
https://www.tonstudio-forum.de/blog/Ent … our-Setup/
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