Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Paul PMN]

I just connected my Windows 7 (Ultimate with service pack 1) computer with a USB cable to a Hegel H160 integrated amp. It plays every file except 88.2 KHZ. The message that comes up says I must use 48 KHZ (or cancel playback).

Prior to this connection I had the two devices (computer + Hegel) connected with an optical cable from a sound card which is installed in the computer. All files (including 88.2 K) played fine. Now, only the 88.2 files don't play.

The Hegel will play up to 92 KHZ files and because it played 88.2 files being fed from the sound card via optical it's probably not the culprit.

I've checked the sound settings in the Windows control panel and all listed formats play.

I have other players i.e. Audacity, VLC and they play 88.2 files while connected with the USB cable. I have checked and re-checked JRiver's settings in playback options and the DSP settings and am quite sure every setting is as it should be.

I've read all of the posts that I could find and have not been able to find a solution. I'm more than willing to admit to 'user error', but for the life of me am not able to find a solution.

I do have the latest edition of MC version 21.0.39 and when I connected the Hegel via the USB cable the correct driver immediately installed.

I do hope someone out there can help me solve this problem.

Thanks,

Paul

[RussellS]

It would appear that it is a limitation of the Hegel H160 as stated in this review http://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/729-hegel-music-systems-h80-integrated-amplifier-dac

Here is a quote from that review:

The USB input accepts digital data of resolutions up to 24-bit/96kHz, but won’t accept a sampling frequency of 88.2kHz. The H80 is not unique in this regard; for example, the NuForce DDA-100, which I recently reviewed, has the same limitation. I remedied the situation by setting the DSP on my media player to output 96kHz data, but this could be problematic if you have lots of 88.2kHz files and are playing them from, say, an optical disc player that lacks sample-rate conversion. The S/PDIF inputs accept sampling frequencies up to 192kHz, including 88.2 and 176.4kHz.

Here is a review of the Hegel HD2 which also has this limitation but also has some additional information as to why this limitation is in place. It would appear from reading this that the limitation is actually by design.

As to why other players do play 88.2Khz files ok over USB I would imagine is because they detect that it is not supported and so resamples to another sample rate that is supported.

[RD James]

This is very common. Lots of audio devices only support multiples of 48kHz at high sample rates, skipping rates like 88.2 and 176.4
That the S/PDIF inputs accept 88.2 while the USB input does not, is not surprising either.
S/PDIF receivers often lock to a range of sample rates e.g. 40-100kHz while USB receivers only accept specific rates.
 
I would recommend upsampling to 96kHz in DSP Studio instead of downsampling to 48/44.1kHz.

[Paul PMN]

RusselS and RD James, you guys are amazing!!!

Thank you so much for your reply! This was driving me batty; I will set the sample rate to 96K and be done with it.

The reason I wanted to switch to USB is that I felt using the optical connection was sending an already converted signal to the DAC in the Hegel, which has its own DAC that is supposed to be far superior to the sound card in the computer.

I probably don't really hear the difference, but would like to 'believe' that there is one. 

The greater question is why come up with a sampling frequency that isn't supported by all devices? I know the answer is that these sample rates are supposed to 'sound better', but if they do, then why doesn't everyone agree.

Much to learn, we do...

[RussellS]

Glad we could help .

Here is a review of the Hegel HD2 which also has this limitation but also has some additional information as to why this limitation is in place. It would appear from reading this that the limitation is actually by design.

I just realised I forgot to provide the link to this information so here it is http://www.goodsound.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=275:..

About half way down it describes why they chose not to support 88.2Khz

[Paul PMN]

Thanks Russell, We're still in the infancy of computer audio with much more to learn and discover. What a great time...