ASIO

2020-01-06 20:28:32

I am new to Foobar and I getting a bit overwhelmed by the technology. Hopefully, one of you can help me out.
I bought a Topping D50s dac recently and it comes with instructions for settings for Foobar v1.3.16 .  The instructions say to run ASIOproxy installer that comes with the topping instructions. This installs the ASIOproxy component into Foobar.

I've read in Foobar's component page that ASIO may be buggy and suggests using something else.  So, I guess my question is, should I follow the Topping directions or not?

I bought a 96K res. file and I'm curious to see for myself what all the hyp is and whether I agree with it - I'm skeptical.  The only way I can figure out how to get that resolution is to utilize ASIO or am I wrong?

Thanks for any help.  Jim

Re: ASIO

Reply #1 – 2020-01-07 07:27:51

You can get 96KHz also via directsound and WASAPI. I prefer WASAPI because it bypasses the windows mixer, so no windows sounds can interfere with the music.

As far as sound quality goes. There is no proof that a decent 44.1/16 file sounds worse than 96/24 under the same circumstances as far as I'm aware of. Try for yourself and downsample the file to CD quality and perform some (preferably ABX) testing to make sure.

Re: ASIO

Reply #2 – 2020-01-07 09:52:57

Obvious the ASO driver is supplied by the manufacturer.
It is a third party driver and anybody a bit familiar with TP drivers knows that the quality fluctuates from poor to excellent. Hence the warning by Foobar.
If it works correctly, you can safely use it.
As suggested, you might also try the Foobar WASAPI component.
I expect it to work correctly using the USB
http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/Players/Foobar.htm

Re: ASIO

Reply #3 – 2020-01-07 12:15:28

The instructions shipped with the Topping D50 are outdated. You can download latest version of Foobar2000 (1.5.1) and install the ASIO component (version 2.1.2). Remember to select the right output in foobar preferences (sort of ASIO:Topping...). I'm using a Topping D10 with no problem.

Re: ASIO

Reply #4 – 2020-01-07 20:07:56

Thanks for the info everyone, I really appreciate it.  I know there is a lot of debate over whether resolutions over 44k make any difference but I bought a recording sampled at a higher rate and I want to see for myself if I can tell any difference. I suspect I won't be able to but I was also told that high res. players all sound the same and I can hear a big difference between Foobar and others, so . . . .

Anyway, thanks very much for the helpful information.  Jim