DAC connected to PC. Sounds like reverb on playback. HELP

wasclywabbit

wasclywabbit

When the going gets wierd, the wierd turn pro.
I've connected my s.m.s.l. DAC to my PC using the USB connection. I have loaded all the drivers. My PC is recognizing the DAC but the playback sounds like it's going through an echo chamber or extreme reverb. The sound is clear otherwise. I've tried resetting the DAC and restarting the PC. The DAC is also connected to a CCA through another input with an optical cable. That sounds fine. So I'm thinking the problem must be on the PC end. Any thoughts as to what might be causing this?
 
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Found the problem. I had to order a 30' USB extension to get from my PC to the DAC. The cable has a chipset that boosts the signal. I moved the DAC to where I can connect it to the PC using a 4' USB. No echo. So I'm going to have to get an extension without a booster
 
Scratch that. Now have it connected with a normal USB extension with no booster and it's doing the echo thing. There has to be a software/driver issue. When I look at the driver software it says ASIO not connected. What is ASIO?
 
Found and installed ASIO4all. Through process of elimination I found the problem. I have to disable the Line In in Realtek Audio. The echo goes away. Weird, but I can live with it.
 
There is likely a driver available to download from SMSL that includes the ASIO interface, if so you don't need Asio4All. Generally you don't need ASIO at all anyway. Just use Wasapi Exclusive if your player supports it.
 
Sorry. I'm mostly streaming Amazon HD. I use Windows Media Player to play downloaded or ripped .flac files. The driver for the s.m.s.l. is XMOS.
 
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botrytis said:
WASAPI is supported natively in Windows 10 but some DAC manufacturers have not converted from ASIO drivers, so there is that.
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A DAC released in the last 5 years with a non UAC compatibilite USB interface would be quite rare, it may exist but I don't have an example.
 
botrytis said:
If you have a Ph.D. and can deal with line mode Linux, then Foobar. Otherwise try something else. Foobar is just too complicated and it never worked well for me, and I have setup a linux LMS command line system before.
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Well, it's free. There are definitely better options that you have to pay for.
 
I've setup Foobar with no issues ( But my day job involves industrial doses of Linux, so very little fazes me. ), but I'd reccomend MusicBee or even VLC for a much easier to use quality player.

Mark Gosdin
 
Something else that might work is to decrease the buffer - that also reduces signal latency, which can cure "echos". How you do that depends on your system, so read the book, eh.

Trade off is, a smaller buffer makes your computer work a little harder to process the real time signal, but that shouldn't be a problem if you're not trying to run a lot of extra programs on a junker laptop while listening. Avast or Acronis for example, are real resource hogs. Also, you'll want to make sure you ASIO driver is selected as the primary handler in your player - just because it's installed doesn't mean it's working (or working right).

PS - not a fan of ASIO - just another layer of BS between the music and your equipment. Windows WASAPI can do anything it can, and do it better. ASIO outlived it's usefulness when DirectSound was replaced as the go to audio interface.
 
botrytis said:
Not in Windows 10 - WASAPI system is built into win 10 - ASIO is actually an extra layer now.
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That may be true for Asio4All but not in a general case. ASIO drivers that come from the manufacturer of a DAC or audio interface are intended for pro-use and are the most direct low-latency path to the hardware from the application such as a player or an audio authoring tool, and as such they are most certainly not wrappers around Wasapi. That said, unlike in pro-audio applications, latency doesn't matter much for general home audio scenarios as it makes little difference if here is an extra 50 millisecond delay on the way to the speakers, so I agree that ASIO doesn't really provide any real benefit over Wasapi exclusive for your music enjoyment.
 
Looks as though the XMOS driver that s.m.s.l. uses for the DAC integrates ASIO. Adjusting the latency does nothing for the "echo." But, as I said, I can live with disabling the Line In during playback. I'm reluctant to do any more tinkering because, with my luck, I'll screw something else up. I've switched to VLC and am quite happy with it. I really appreciate all the feedback!
 
I'm new to the world of DAC's and purposely did not want to spend a lot on the DAC until I was sure I'd use/like it. The s.m.s.l. is a considerable improvement over the CCA and was well reviewed as having a lot of bang for the buck. At some point I may upgrade to a more pricey model.
 
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