WASAPI vs ASIO4ALL/Kernel Streaming
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blehmbo
Posts: 179
Has anyone tried both WASAPI and ASIO4ALL/Kernel Streaming and noticed a difference? I switched from kernel streaming to WASAPI a few days ago, to make switching between my DAC (music) and AVR (movies) more simple while using JRiver, and I noticed a difference. I understand that they are both supposed to be bit-perfect, but I have been hearing a decrease in depth and slightly harsher high frequencies after switching over to WASAPI. I'm not sure if it's me or if either modes is doing something funny to the signal.
I'm using Win7 64bit, JRiver MC17, Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 (thanks Neil!) connected by asynch USB, Intel Core i5-750, 4GB RAM. My settings in JRiver have the buffer size for both WASAPI and kernel streaming set to 0.50 seconds, DSP settings off, and play files from memory is enabled.
I'm using Win7 64bit, JRiver MC17, Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 (thanks Neil!) connected by asynch USB, Intel Core i5-750, 4GB RAM. My settings in JRiver have the buffer size for both WASAPI and kernel streaming set to 0.50 seconds, DSP settings off, and play files from memory is enabled.
Post edited by blehmbo on
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I will have to change mine and check it out. I am also using jriver, w4s dac2 via wasapi. I have never tried anything else but wasapi on it. So you are saying asio4 sounded better yes? Later on today I will change mine out and see I can tell the difference.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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aso did sound different better to meKlipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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Yes, ASIO4ALL sounded better to me than WASPI. ASIO4ALL is essentially a hack for kernel streaming if I remember correctly, so it should sound very similar if not identical to KS. Thanks for trying it out and sharing your findings. Are you connected through your sound card or USB?So you are saying asio4 sounded better yes?
Has anyone else had a similar or different experience with the different output modes? -
asynchronous usb from my laptop running Jriver to a w4s dac2. I am using legacy focus speakers and I head the differece right away. It was not subtle to me.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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...Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 (thanks Neil!)...
You're welcome!
But I must say, reading threads like this makes me love my Squeezebox Touch. I used to use a pc as my source, but fiddling with this type of stuff really got on my nerves...Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
Last I remember ASIO was a wrapper and not necessarily bit-perfect, whereas WASAPI definitely is when setup correctly . . . could be mistaken though'.
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I use ASIO4ALL and it sounds great. It also has A LOT to do with the recieving chip on the dac end. I could never get the WASAPI interphase to load without issues. Granted, I didn't try very long since I was happy with ASIO4ALL. Although ASIO4ALL freezes up frequently when I'm using the Audio GD NFB-3 with the Tenor receiving chip. With my Keces and the Burr Brown receiving chip, I don't have those issues. I use Media Monkey as the player.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Last I remember ASIO was a wrapper and not necessarily bit-perfect, whereas WASAPI definitely is when setup correctly . . . could be mistaken though'.
ASIO is bit perfect.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I thought win 7 uses wasapi and xp used asio.Main system: Lyngdorf TDAI 2170 w/ Pioneer 42" plazma-> Polk LSiM 703 w/Tivo, Marantz tuner, BRPTT: Nothingham Spacedeck-> Pioneer PL L1000 linear arm-> Soundsmith DL 103R-> SUT->Bottlehead ErosDigital: I3 PC w/ Jriver playing flac -> Sonore Ultrarendu -> Twisted Pair Audio ESS 9028 w/ Mercury IVY Vinyl rips: ESI Juli@24/192-> i3 PC server
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"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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I thought win 7 uses wasapi and xp used asio.
No. It's essentially a plug in type driver for whatever program you use as a music player to interphase with external hardware (ie; a dac). The both work on Windows 7, not sure if they are both backward compatible with XP.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Stream_Input/Output
WASAPI is a Windows application, which first appeared in VISTA, that can provide direct unmixed audio streams but while it seems to have more functions for multi channel audio, it's more complicated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_features_new_to_Windows_Vista"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I thought win 7 uses wasapi and xp used asio.
Actually in respect to when they appeared you are correct. ASIO was used in versions of Windows prior to VISTA. WASAPI was introduced in VISTA but both can be utilized on W7 and I assume W8, unless Microsoft has come up with something else for W8.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
