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Topic: WASAPI BSOD + Other Issues (Read 2677 times) previous topic - next topic
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WASAPI BSOD + Other Issues

I've been getting consistent BSODs using WASAPI with the latest stable release of fb2k (v1.1.7) and the official output component, and I was hoping to get some thoughts on my situation.  I've tested DS vs. WASAPI with a friend who is more indifferent towards, and we both hear a difference.  Output sounds more distinct in WASAPI (voices sound clearer and better), while in DS the soundstage sounds a little bigger but also muddier, and vocals aren't as crisp.

My setup:
Win 7 Professional (64bit) (updated with all essential updates)
Intel i7-950
Gigabyte X58A-UD3R (Realtek HD drivers are not installed, and all Realtek inputs are disabled under Control Panel -> Sound)
12GB DDR3 memory (all recently confirmed with 0 errors through Memtest, with matching voltage and latency)
ASUS Xonar DX (uninstalled official ASUS drivers, installed latest ASUS Unified Drivers (v1.41) with c-media) (powered and plugged into PCI-E)
GTX 460 SLI (latest drivers)
Cooler Master GX 750W

Current chain:
fb2k -> Xonar DX (S/PDIF) -> AMB gamma2 DAC -> headphone amp -> headphones

Fb2k configuration:
Windows + ASUS Panel (and Windows + ASUS Panel + C-Media Panel) (need to set both): exclusive mode (shared does not work with fb2k with WASAPI), 24-bit, 96khz or 192khz sample size (with everything between 48-96 or 48-192 enabled under Windows control panel, and the matching highest PCM sample size under ASUS/C-Media)
- all Realtek inputs are disabled under Control Panel -> Sound
- only ASUS Xonar DX Speaker + S/PDIF are enabled, with S/PDIF set as default device
FB2K Output: ASUS Xonar DX S/PDIF Output (24-bit)
- Tried buffer length at 250ms and 650ms
- Tried buffer size at 0kb and 400kb
- Fading set to 0ms for all fields.  Also tried fading at 10ms for all fields but didn't make a difference.

Problems:
- If I play a 24/96 flac file, I inevitably get a BSOD with physical memory dump after a few minutes.  If I skip around the 24/96 file a 2-3 times over the course of 5 seconds, 100% chance of BSOD.  I have not tried 24/192 files yet.
- BSOD happens much more infrequently with 16/44 lossless files, but generally happens after a few hours of use.
- There are no issues with DS.  I have not ever experienced a BSOD with fb2k DS output.
- Upon rebooting, Windows crash report always reports 'irql_not_less_or_equal' (I don't have a crash report on hand, but I can crash it later and get the exact printout)
- The 4 lines of hex string that come with the Win7 crash report are a little different each time it crashes
- About 30-40% of the time, when I pause/stop playback under WASAPI, I get a really loud clicking noise that doesn't stop until I start playing another file.  Someone on Hydrogenaudio fb2k support reported the same issue a few days ago.

I've tried as many permutations of my different audio panels and fb2k as possible, but it still crashes consistently when I play files with fb2k WASAPI.  I stopped using the official ASUS drivers for the unified drivers but it didn't seem to help.  I have not tried the mobo S/PDIF output but I've heard Realtek drivers are even worse than ASUS, and Realtek drivers are incompatible with Nvidia 4xx GTX SLI, so I'd prefer not to use Realtek except as a last resort.

If anyone can please help with my issue, I'd be really appreciative.  After scouring Hydrogenaudio and other sites for people with similar issues, I haven't found any solutions, and it doesn't seem like many people playback 24bit flac.  Maybe I have an insufficient buffer length and buffer size?  Should I be setting my buffer length down to 50ms and buffer size up to 10MB?

In the long-run, I'm eventually going to get a USB-S/PDIF converter box and go straight from my mobo USB to DAC, but that won't be for awhile.  I'm not sure if this will resolve this issue.
From what veteran posters here have said, it seems like this is a driver issue, so will a USB-S/PDIF converter box bypass the ASUS drivers which fb2k WASAPI mode accesses altogether?  The new DAC I'm getting does not support USB without a converter box, otherwise I'd bypass the ASUS card entirely.
The new chain would be:
fb2k -> mobo USB out -> USB-S/PDIF converter box -> DAC -> headphone amp -> headphones

Thanks for any help!

WASAPI BSOD + Other Issues

Reply #1 –
I reread the FAQ and ran across this gem:

Quote
I have an Asus Xonar card and I'm experiencing problems...
Asus Xonar drivers are known to be completely broken on multiple levels. Get rid of this card and get a card from another manufacturer.

I finally got fed up with the Xonar DX, uninstalled all the drivers, and installed the latest Realtek ALC889 HD drivers (R2.64), connected via optical S/PDIF and... hmm... playing and jumping back-and-forth the track on 24/96 and 24/192 files, and no BSOD.  I should have taken Peter's advice in the first place.

Two minor issues, one fixed so far:
(1) Whenever I open a new window/application, the audio would skip.  I changed buffer length to 610ms and it seems to have solved this issue.
(2) When I stop playback, sometimes I get that really loud buzzing noise that only goes away when I open another music file. (Unresolved)

I also ran Thesycon's DPC Latency Checker and, while fb2k is playing with WASAPI output, latency stays within 100-140 μs.  This is well within the threshold for: "This machine should be able to handle real-time streaming of audio and/or video data without drop-outs."

Anyway, I guess I resolved my own issue by getting off what I thought was a better solution (a standalone card purchased with the intention of minimizing jitter) and going with the onboard solution.  It might be my imagination, but fb2k also seems to be running smoother with Realtek with WASAPI output.  DS output on the Xonar was always lightning quick, but WASAPI felt a bit sluggish in user response.

I hope I can figure out what's going on with (2), but in the meantime, I hope this thread helps anyone else dealing with BSOD issues with WASAPI on a Xonar card.  Just from a handful of Google queries, I ran across many people also BSODing on their Xonars with WASAPI output.
 

WASAPI BSOD + Other Issues

Reply #2 –
Just in case you ever do run into DPC latency issues, Latencymon is a better tool for rooting out the problem, as it actually logs the latency levels for all drivers and displays them in a sortable list. It also logs other information, such as hard page fault durations per application.