Topic: Proper Settings

I have the ADI-2 DAC FS. The DAC is connected to two KH120A speakers and ATH-AD700 headphones. Beyond that I do not know too much.

I have been using 16384/384000. My thought process was that setting it this high would help cover all my bases. Someone told me recently that I have been using the wrong settings in my MADIface settings. To my limited understanding of newly acquired knowledge, this is putting the processing in Windows which is something we do not want to do and the reason why we have an external DAC to begin with. We are also trying to prevent up sampling because this can cause audio to be poorer quality. Are all of these points true? 

I game, listen to .flacs, and watch movies. I don't want to miss out on anything. But tbh, I cannot tell the immediate difference between 44, 48, or 384. I would feel better though knowing I have the best sounding option... After all, I didn't spend $1,200 on a paperweight.

With that, what performs the best? What should the buffer size or samples be set to?

2 (edited by KaiS 2023-01-11 09:59:53)

Re: Proper Settings

Best to make Windows automatically switch ADI-2 DAC’s sample rate, according to the source.

No extra sound information is gained by upsampling to a higher rate.
Just in contrary, through the upsampling process information is lost.


ADI-2 DAC is plug-and-play in most cases.

Run ADI-2 DAC in factory default setting and (opposed to the manual’s “Quick Start advice) DON’T install the RME driver.
The driver is needed for ASIO-compatible software only, mostly DAW’s / programs for professional recording studios.
The driver stops the automatic sample rate switching for Non-ASIO soft.


For best quality, set Windows and the player / gaming / etc. soft's Volumes to exactly 100% and use ADI-2 DAC’s Volume control to set the listening level.

To check if your settings are optimized, run RME Bit Test, read manual page 67 how to do that.


Per default Auto Ref Level is active, when turning the Volume dial you should see volume figures with dBr instead of straight dB (without r).
Leave it like this and you speakers get an level-optimized signal automatically.

Activate Auto Ref Level for your 'phones too.
The setting is separated from Line Out and accessible under I/O after plugging the 'phones.

3 (edited by SightUp 2023-01-11 15:50:59)

Re: Proper Settings

Thanks for the reply. I need some help breaking down some of this.

KaiS wrote:

Best to make Windows automatically switch ADI-2 DAC’s sample rate, according to the source.

Just to be sure I am understanding, this is accomplished by no installing the MADI drivers?

KaiS wrote:

No extra sound information is gained by upsampling to a higher rate.
Just in contrary, through the upsampling process information is lost.

Are you confirming that audio quality when upsampled is lost here?


KaiS wrote:

ADI-2 DAC is plug-and-play in most cases.

Run ADI-2 DAC in factory default setting and (opposed to the manual’s “Quick Start advice) DON’T install the RME driver.
The driver is needed for ASIO-compatible software only, mostly DAW’s / programs for professional recording studios.
The driver stops the automatic sample rate switching for Non-ASIO soft.

I googled ASIO and it appears this helps with sound latency. I never knew this was an issue, but would it hinder me, would I experience latency not having a driver installed for the DAC?

KaiS wrote:

For best quality, set Windows and the player / gaming / etc. soft's Volumes to exactly 100% and use ADI-2 DAC’s Volume control to set the listening level.

I run VLC for my media needs. You're saying put VLC at 100% volume and use the knob to control the audio. But what about in game? I need to turn down my in game to like 25-50% so I can hear Discord. Is lowering my in game hindering me?

KaiS wrote:

To check if your settings are optimized, run RME Bit Test, read manual page 67 how to do that.

I am probably going to reinstall Windows either this coming weekend or the next. Because I have the drivers already installed, would I need to wait to do this until Windows is reinstalled?

KaiS wrote:

Per default Auto Ref Level is active, when turning the Volume dial you should see volume figures with dBr instead of straight dB (without r).
Leave it like this and you speakers get an level-optimized signal automatically.

Activate Auto Ref Level for your 'phones too.
The setting is separated from Line Out and accessible under I/O after plugging the 'phones.

Please break this down a little more for me. Additionally, this needs to be enabled and/or disabled every time I use my 'phones?

4 (edited by KaiS 2023-01-11 23:57:39)

Re: Proper Settings

SightUp wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I need some help breaking down some of this.

KaiS wrote:

Best to make Windows automatically switch ADI-2 DAC’s sample rate, according to the source.

Just to be sure I am understanding, this is accomplished by no installing the MADI drivers?

KaiS wrote:

No extra sound information is gained by upsampling to a higher rate.
Just in contrary, through the upsampling process information is lost.

Are you confirming that audio quality when upsampled is lost here?


KaiS wrote:

ADI-2 DAC is plug-and-play in most cases.

Run ADI-2 DAC in factory default setting and (opposed to the manual’s “Quick Start advice) DON’T install the RME driver.
The driver is needed for ASIO-compatible software only, mostly DAW’s / programs for professional recording studios.
The driver stops the automatic sample rate switching for Non-ASIO soft.

I googled ASIO and it appears this helps with sound latency. I never knew this was an issue, but would it hinder me, would I experience latency not having a driver installed for the DAC?

KaiS wrote:

For best quality, set Windows and the player / gaming / etc. soft's Volumes to exactly 100% and use ADI-2 DAC’s Volume control to set the listening level.

I run VLC for my media needs. You're saying put VLC at 100% volume and use the knob to control the audio. But what about in game? I need to turn down my in game to like 25-50% so I can hear Discord. Is lowering my in game hindering me?

KaiS wrote:

To check if your settings are optimized, run RME Bit Test, read manual page 67 how to do that.

I am probably going to reinstall Windows either this coming weekend or the next. Because I have the drivers already installed, would I need to wait to do this until Windows is reinstalled?

KaiS wrote:

Per default Auto Ref Level is active, when turning the Volume dial you should see volume figures with dBr instead of straight dB (without r).
Leave it like this and you speakers get an level-optimized signal automatically.

Activate Auto Ref Level for your 'phones too.
The setting is separated from Line Out and accessible under I/O after plugging the 'phones.

Please break this down a little more for me. Additionally, this needs to be enabled and/or disabled every time I use my 'phones?

Think simple, it is simple.
All the advice is in my 1st posting.

• Driver: Delete the driver using Windows mechanisms.
Read manual page 42 how to.
I don’t know why the manual suggests to install the driver, better without.
ADI-2 is Class Compliant, Plug-And-Play with the Windows supplied drivers.
Drivers are only needed to update the firmware, which is better done on a separate machine to avoid the trouble.

• Upsampling: nothing beats the original.
Where should extra information / better quality origin from?
ADI-2 does the best native DA-Conversion ever possible.

• Level mixing: Usability beats sound quality: If you need it, do it and don‘t bother.
You hardly will notice a sound quality difference.
I just mentioned the optimized settings ‘cause you asked.

• ASIO: your soft don’t support it, why bother.
Latency is relevant for hard core gamers only.

• Auto Ref Level: Set and forget. Setting is permanent, if you see the dBr appearing when dialing ADI-2’s Volume you got it.
ADI-2 allows and remembers different settings under “I/O” for each output: Line, Headphones and IEM.

Re: Proper Settings

Thanks for the follow up!

I do see dBr appearing when I raise or lower the volume. So, we're good there.

I do game a lot and I do really care about sound latency. I do not want there to be any.

In the Windows sound settings, what should Default Format be set to?

I read page 42. https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dac_e.pdf
What specifically are you trying to point me to? I am not seeing a how to here.

6 (edited by KaiS 2023-01-11 23:59:57)

Re: Proper Settings

Manual page 42:

Windows Plug & Play methods do not cover the registration of the ASIO driver. This entry can be removed from the registry by a software de-installation request. This request can be found (like all de-installation entries) in Control Panel, Programs and Features. Click on the entry 'RME MADIface', then Uninstall.

To use Windows own Class Compliant drivers the RME driver has to be removed completely (for example after a firmware update). In Device Manager select the ADI-2 DAC under Sound, Video and Game Controllers, right click and choose Uninstall. In the next dialog make sure to check 'Delete the driver software for this device'. Otherwise the driver will stay within the Windows installation and gets reinstalled automatically after the next reboot.

7 (edited by KaiS 2023-01-12 00:01:29)

Re: Proper Settings

Latency: does your gaming soft support ASIO?
Else, forget the driver.

Re: Proper Settings

Gotcha. This is the first time I am hearing about ASIO so I assume not.

And what about the Default Format settings? I know Windows volume is going to be 100. But what about that format? Wouldn't that lock the output to the DAC if it's set to 44100 for example?

9 (edited by KaiS 2023-01-12 00:36:15)

Re: Proper Settings

SightUp wrote:

And what about the Default Format settings? I know Windows volume is going to be 100. But what about that format? Wouldn't that lock the output to the DAC if it's set to 44100 for example?

Without the driver installed ADI-2 follows the original source’s sample rate.
Playing a CD file you get 44.1 kHz, playing a HiRes file you get the higher SR.
That‘s how it should be.

BTW: don‘t expect the HiRes file to sound significantly better than the CD-format one if no “Remastering“ (a different processing in the studio) comes into play.
And - not every “Remastering” is an improvement, to say the least.
I find myself preferring the good ol’ CD more and more.

Re: Proper Settings

I just reinstalled Windows 11. The drivers are completely gone.

My goal is to listen to music or movies without loosing any quality or have any undo upsampling.

Here is the problem that I am running into: https://imgur.com/a/7WikCx4

98% of my music is 44.1. However, 100% of my movies and TV shows are 48000.

What should I do? Continuously switch it? From what I gathered from your previous post, you can set it up to automatically detect and play whatever Hz the file is to the DAC, right? What am I missing to set this up?

11 (edited by KaiS 2023-01-13 10:28:23)

Re: Proper Settings

At the moment I’ve no Windows PC handy to check for further advice.

If the built in Windows driver can’t be configured to do the SR switching, you may look into this thread where two solutions are offered:
https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.ph … 83#p142583

Re: Proper Settings

I am not sure I understand everything there. I did notice the thread was about 4 years old too. Hopefully things have changed for the better since then.

Hopefully someone else then will be able to answer the question of what Windows 11 setting need to be enabled/set so no matter what the native Hz of the audio or movie file is, the DAC plays that native Hz and not get locked by a higher or lower Hz due to Windows settings?

13 (edited by KaiS 2023-01-13 17:56:25)

Re: Proper Settings

I just realized you’re on Win11 - I’m still on 10, so...

Windows is a moving target with all the regular forced downgrades into an advertisement platform, hard to hit.

Re: Proper Settings

KaiS wrote:

I just realized you’re on Win11 - I’m still on 10, so...

Windows is a moving target with all the regular forced downgrades into an advertisement platform, hard to hit.

Same here. Windows 11 is the new Windows 8.

Re: Proper Settings

I feel like I am learning a lot here. I've been talking to people who know lots more about this than I.

So WASAPI exclusive, it's like trying to turn on both cold and hot water at the same time from from the sink and feel them both separately.

This is bringing me to my next question.

Hypothetical scenario 1, I am running a WASAPI driver in nonexclusive and let's say I open music file A and it's 44.1 kHz. Then I launch a game that is 48kHz. Does the music file A go up to 48kHz or does the game go down to 44.1kHz?

Hypothetical scenario 2, I am running a WASAPI driver in exclusive and I am running music file A and it's 44.1 kHz. I then open the 48 kHz game. Does the game sound not work or does music file A stop playing? Does it cause crashing of either program?

16

Re: Proper Settings

1. An (any) audio interface does not support mutliple sample rates simultaneously. In this case the audio engine in Windows will sample rate convert the different sources to only one sample rate. The sample rate is set by Windows/Windows settings, so when at 48 kHz even your first playback of 44.1 kHz will be sample rate converted.

2. In an ideal situation the second playback (game) will not use this audio interface because the device is (exclusively) already taken. In reality all sort of crap can happen.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Proper Settings

MC wrote:

1. An (any) audio interface does not support mutliple sample rates simultaneously. In this case the audio engine in Windows will sample rate convert the different sources to only one sample rate. The sample rate is set by Windows/Windows settings, so when at 48 kHz even your first playback of 44.1 kHz will be sample rate converted.

2. In an ideal situation the second playback (game) will not use this audio interface because the device is (exclusively) already taken. In reality all sort of crap can happen.


Thanks for the reply.

So here is where I am at.

I cannot have a truly variable or adaptive DAC because I run multiple programs that use audio at once; music player, OBS, Firefox, games, Discord.

Best I can do is find the highest, games and movies. In my instance @ 48 kHz, and then set it to the 48 kHz in Windows Audio Properties. My music is not as important and at least I am not upsampling to 384 kHz anymore so technically the 4.9 khz difference as it is all 44.1 kHz vs. the 340 kHz difference should technically sound better.

18 (edited by KaiS 2023-01-14 18:07:49)

Re: Proper Settings

SightUp wrote:

I cannot have a truly variable or adaptive DAC because I run multiple programs that use audio at once; music player, OBS, Firefox, games, Discord.

Best I can do is find the highest, games and movies. In my instance @ 48 kHz, and then set it to the 48 kHz in Windows Audio Properties. My music is not as important and at least I am not upsampling to 384 kHz anymore so technically the 4.9 khz difference as it is all 44.1 kHz vs. the 340 kHz difference should technically sound better.

I‘d even try 96 kHz.
It‘s a good compromise, not unnecessarily high, but all filtering way out of the audible band.

If it doesn’t give you an audible improvement, or the majority of your sounds is 48 kHz anyway, you should of course stay with 48 kHz.