Recomendation for inexpensive bit perfect SPDIFF output (1 Viewer)

[PhillJones]

I've been trying to make sence of this issue over on the AVSForum but quite frankly, it's very complicated to sift through the multitude of threads and answer the simple question of which soundcard should I buy.

The M-Audio Revo is out as it doesn't support ASIO and so unless you go to Kernel streaming, you can't get bit-perfect output. I don't want to go the Kernel streaming route as it seams to be complicated and doesn't work with all programmes, eg WinAMP.

I thought the Audigy 2, which supports ASIO would so it but according to a review I read, it also re-samples 44.1KHz sound from a CD. I don't quite understand this.

Does anybody have a recomendation for an inexpensive soundcard with ASIO drivers that will pass the PCM, DTS, DD, or whatever bitstream unmolested.

Cheers,
Phill

 

[NickSo]

IIRC, there is a cheap C-media chipset based soundcard available at NewEgg.com that sells for around $20, some people have created drivers for it which enables it to pass a digital signal bit for bit, so it is possible to output a DTS signal form a DTS-CD from your computer.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...120-101&depa=1

 

[Scott L]

Did you read this thread at AVS? The guy recommends a USB device called the Onkyo UD-5.

Cliff notes:

I have the Revo and this thread says you only need the right player to do Kernel streaming. Winamp 2.9 does it too.

 

[PhillJones]

Thanks guys, I know about all these options and have ruled them out for one reason or another.

The Chaintech with flashed eeprom is a good idea but has limited functionality.

I'm a bit suspicious of the USB doo-hickey. I perhaps need to do more research on this. I'm thinking that I'd like to use DVD-Audio or SACD eventually and I suspect that this path won't allow an upgrade. Maybe I need to combine this with a conventional soundcard for analogue output.

I know about Kernel streaming. It seems to me to be just too much of a pain. It isn't supported on recent versions of Winamp which could be an issue later on down the line.

 

[Christian Behrens]

You won't get digital output from DVD-A or SACD, period. Stand-alone players don't do it, and when at some point computers will be able to play those two formats, it won't be digital either.

-Christian