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Topic: Playing FLAC via optical (passthru) [on two different sound cards] (Read 4130 times) previous topic - next topic
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Playing FLAC via optical (passthru) [on two different sound cards]

Hey, first post on these forums, so be gentle

Ive been fiddling with my sound cards, i have one on Realtek ALC892 (i think the chip is named) that came with the mobo (Asus p8z68-v pro) with a optical output. When i play FLACs or sometimes even MP3s i hear a noticeable difference between the built in Realtek audio and a Soundblaster X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion Series card.

Now you are thinking - just use the SB one!! But that would mess up my airflow alot in my semi small case so i would rather not do that but instead find the magic button which i hope is out there somewhere..

Anyways

Im under the impression that there SHOULDN'T be a difference since its all digital - can someone pls straighten this out?

Playing FLAC via optical (passthru) [on two different sound cards]

Reply #1 –
What kind of difference?  Volume? EQ?

One of the sound cards may be resampling, although either one should be able to do it transparently, unless Creative is still completely screwing up the resampling in their cards.

What OS are you running, and what software are you using for playback?
"Not sure what the question is, but the answer is probably no."

Playing FLAC via optical (passthru) [on two different sound cards]

Reply #2 –
quality - the whole range of what I'm playing with the Soundblaster card tbh sounds much better more rich and when i switch to Realtek it kinda dies and its missing 'something'. Sorry if I'm using abstract words a lot, but i don't know how else to describe it

Im running windows 7 home premium 64bit and for audio players ive been using Winamp/foobar2000/Spotify

Playing FLAC via optical (passthru) [on two different sound cards]

Reply #3 –
Quote
FLAC via optical (passthru?)
Your connected to the optical connection with both the motherboard and the Sound Blaster?  And, the optical connection goes to a receiver?

If you are truly in passthru mode, the digital data is coming directly off the DVD or digital file and out of the optical connection.    The computer hardware/software doesn't change the data.

With FLAC, you are probably not actually in passthru mode. You may have selected passthru but  your driver is probably smart-enought to ignore it.  If you were able to send FLAC data out of the S/PDIF output, your receiver (on the other end of the S/PDIF cable) probably couldn't decode it.  Same with MP3s...  The MP3 needs to get decoded to PCM by the computer first.    I think passthru only works with WAV (PCM or LPCM), AC3, and optionally DTS.   


Quote
Im under the impression that there SHOULDN'T be a difference since its all digital - can someone pls straighten this out?
If you are not in passthru mode, the most likely cause for different sound would be different "enahncement" settings for EQ or surround effects, etc. 

And with analog outputs, one soundcard might have more noise than the other, or one soundcard might simply be louder than the other.  The other important specs (distortion and frequency response) are usually good enough that "all soundcards sound alike".

Playing FLAC via optical (passthru) [on two different sound cards]

Reply #4 –
Quote
quality - the whole range of what I'm playing with the Soundblaster card tbh sounds much better more rich and when i switch to Realtek it kinda dies and its missing 'something'. Sorry if I'm using abstract words a lot, but i don't know how else to describe it.
Audio differences/defects are not always easy to describe.  To me, "richness" sounds like EQ...  Maybe a bump in the bass or highs to "enhance" the sound????

If our goal is to accurately reproduce sound, there are 3 or 4 categories* of defects to consider.  Some "audiophiles" hear things that don't fall into these categories, and that's a big red flag.  It probably means that they can't hear the differences in a blind listening test either...

1. Noise - Hiss, hum, clicks, etc.
2. Distortion - Generally, frequencies are added to the signal (harmonics or frequencies that are derived the sums or differences of the input frequencies).  MP3 artifacts are a kind of distortion too.
3. Frequency response variations - Fall-off of bass or treble, or a bump somewhere in the audio range, etc.  (With EQ, this can be intentional.)
4. Timing/speed errors - The file might play back at the wrong speed/pitch.  Echo & reverb are also time-based changes.

With modern electronics, noise is the generally the only issue.  Distortion & frequency response variations are rarely audible.    Speed/pitch can sometimes be a problem if you are recording, but most people won't notice a few-percent change in playback speed/pitch.

Speakers & headphones all have different frequency response characteristics, and they all sound different.  And, every acoustic space sounds different with different frequencies being absorbed, reflected, or canceled, and different amounts of reverb.


* See Audiophoolery[/u]

Playing FLAC via optical (passthru) [on two different sound cards]

Reply #5 –
With the X-Fi it may be the "crystelizer" DSP effect. When i remember right its default is "on" after a fresh install. You may want check this in the X-Fi control panel. How it effects sound in pass-thru mode i don´t know, sorry.
Is troll-adiposity coming from feederism?
With 24bit music you can listen to silence much louder!
 

Playing FLAC via optical (passthru) [on two different sound cards]

Reply #6 –
I'm connecting from the mobo/Soundblaster to my receiver via optical - i have tripple checked both in the supplied program and windows that i have no DSP effects running on either chips and after reading all your replies i think that the Soundblaster card is doing something in the background - wonder what it could be tho! Also i doubt i will be able to figure this completely out since i have no idea how to find out if something is being re sampled or whatever it may be. All i know it sounds differently on both cards

Thx to everyone the replied! much appreciated!