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Author Topic: JRiver and Rotel Asio - muddy sound [Solved]  (Read 1416 times)

Akedon

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JRiver and Rotel Asio - muddy sound [Solved]
« on: August 28, 2020, 02:25:58 am »

Hello there.
I have connected preamp Rotel RC-1590 (with Rotel RB-1590 amp) to pc via USB.
I'm listening to Flac files from Tidal via DLNA from my IOS.
When I choose the official Asio driver from Rotel as output in JRiver I get muddy sound, it just sounds too boomy with lost on clear. Audio path shows that output is 32 bit.
With WASAPI exclusive it sounds fine, pure (and not boomy) bass with good details overall. Output is 24 bit (padded).

And the most interesting is that Asio driver from Rotel works fine on AIMP, so looks like the driver itself working properly.

Any way to fix this? I know I can just play music through WASAPI Exclusive which is good output, but still, I want to figure out with Asio driver because it's the best option as I know.
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Awesome Donkey

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Re: JRiver and Rotel Asio - muddy sound
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2020, 04:52:20 am »

Using ASIO over WASAPI exclusive doesn't actually make a difference, as both are *usually* exclusive and both bypass the system mixer and both output bit-perfect audio. The only real difference between them is ASIO usually has lower latency but in my own testing this actually doesn't really matter too much.

There is one noteworthy caveat to mention for ASIO... some ASIO drivers only provide shared ASIO and not exclusive ASIO. A good example is my current Topping DAC, via its drivers it only does shared ASIO for PCM and exclusive ASIO for native DSD output with no way to force exclusive ASIO for PCM. This is rather annoying because if the system is set at the same bit-depth/sample rate, you can get system sounds playing while playing back music for ASIO.
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Windows 11 24H2 Update 64-bit + Ubuntu 24.10 Oracular Oriole 64-bit | Windows 11 24H2 Update 64-bit (Intel N305 Fanless NUC 16GB RAM/500GB M.2 NVMe SSD)
JRiver Media Center 33 (Windows + Linux) | iFi ZEN DAC 3 | JBL 306P MkII Studio Monitors | Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones

JimH

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Re: JRiver and Rotel Asio - muddy sound
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2020, 07:21:52 am »

It's possible that the ASIO driver would work if you use the 32 bit version of MC.

Another problem with ASIO is that the driver comes from the manufacturer of the audio device and some have bugs.  WASAPI is part of the OS.
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Akedon

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Re: JRiver and Rotel Asio - muddy sound
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2020, 07:53:52 pm »

Using ASIO over WASAPI exclusive doesn't actually make a difference, as both are *usually* exclusive and both bypass the system mixer and both output bit-perfect audio. The only real difference between them is ASIO usually has lower latency but in my own testing this actually doesn't really matter too much.

There is one noteworthy caveat to mention for ASIO... some ASIO drivers only provide shared ASIO and not exclusive ASIO. A good example is my current Topping DAC, via its drivers it only does shared ASIO for PCM and exclusive ASIO for native DSD output with no way to force exclusive ASIO for PCM. This is rather annoying because if the system is set at the same bit-depth/sample rate, you can get system sounds playing while playing back music for ASIO.
Yes, with Rotel ASIO it also plays system sounds.

It's possible that the ASIO driver would work if you use the 32 bit version of MC.

Another problem with ASIO is that the driver comes from the manufacturer of the audio device and some have bugs.  WASAPI is part of the OS.

I'm using 32 bit version of MC.
Looks like that ASIO driver is buggy with JRiver, so I will just stick with WASAPI Exclusive  :)
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Awesome Donkey

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Re: JRiver and Rotel Asio - muddy sound
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2020, 06:50:56 am »

I don't think it's a JRiver issue, it's an issue with the driver itself.

Especially since system sounds play when using ASIO, I'd avoid using it if you care about bit-perfect output and don't want system sounds playing at the same time.
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I don't work for JRiver... I help keep the forums safe from "male enhancements" and other sources of sketchy pharmaceuticals.

Windows 11 24H2 Update 64-bit + Ubuntu 24.10 Oracular Oriole 64-bit | Windows 11 24H2 Update 64-bit (Intel N305 Fanless NUC 16GB RAM/500GB M.2 NVMe SSD)
JRiver Media Center 33 (Windows + Linux) | iFi ZEN DAC 3 | JBL 306P MkII Studio Monitors | Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones
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