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[hulkss]

I am using a USB connection to the 16A.

I can connect in "Exclusive Mode" if "Event Style" is disabled.

I can connect with "Event Style" if "Exclusive Mode" is disabled.

Is this to be expected? Is one option better?

WASAPI is allowing smaller buffers than ASIO on my system.

[wer]

The sound quality is the same.  Just use what works.

The different options exist because different systems have different idiosyncrasies.

[hulkss]

Based on what I've read in the JRiver Wiki, the benefits of "exclusive mode" seem to out weigh those of "event style".

It seems odd to me that "event style" works only in "shared mode" in my system.

[fitbrit]

Based on what I've read in the JRiver Wiki, the benefits of "exclusive mode" seem to out weigh those of "event style".

It seems odd to me that "event style" works only in "shared mode" in my system.

You're right. Use Exclusive mode however it works. Event Style or not is a compatibility issue; Exclusive mode is a quality issue.

[wer]

Exclusive mode is a quality issue.

Well, in the sense it lets you change the sample rate or bit depth if you want to; & it has other strictly technical advantages.  But if you're playing a sample rate the hardware will accept, the sound quality is the same.
16bit-44.1KHz sounds exactly the same in exclusive mode as in shared mode.

[dtc]

You should try to figure out how to use both Exclusive Mode and Event Style, if your DAC allows it. Exclusive Mode bypasses the Windows Mixer which can be critical to good sound. Event Style allows the DAC to control the timing of the data going from the PC to the DAC. PCs are not good real time computers, so should not be used to control the audio timing. The DAC has a master clock that controls the timing to a much higher degree of precision that the PC can,  thus decreasing what is know as "jitter" or timing inconsistences.  Event Style provided a big advance in computer audio when it was introduced by Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio.  Bit Perfect Audio insures that the bits that the DAC gets are the same as are in the file. Event Style insures that the data getting to the DAC is at the exact sample rate, e.g. 44.1K samples per second, not at, e.g., 44.101 or 44.098.

So, I would not settle for just Exclusive Mode. Do some online research and talk to the DAC manufacturer. You should be able to do both, assuming the DAC supports Event Style.

UPDATE: It looks like this device is a switch/mixer rather than a DAC. If so, it may not support Event Style in the way a typical DAC does.

[hulkss]

You should try to figure out how to use both Exclusive Mode and Event Style, if your DAC allows it. Exclusive Mode bypasses the Windows Mixer which can be critical to good sound. Event Style allows the DAC to control the timing of the data going from the PC to the DAC. PCs are not good real time computers, so should not be used to control the audio timing. The DAC has a master clock that controls the timing to a much higher degree of precision that the PC can,  thus decreasing what is know as "jitter" or timing inconsistences.  Event Style provided a big advance in computer audio when it was introduced by Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio.  Bit Perfect Audio insures that the bits that the DAC gets are the same as are in the file. Event Style insures that the data getting to the DAC is at the exact sample rate, e.g. 44.1K samples per second, not at, e.g., 44.101 or 44.098.

So, I would not settle for just Exclusive Mode. Do some online research and talk to the DAC manufacturer. You should be able to do both, assuming the DAC supports Event Style.

UPDATE: It looks like this device is a switch/mixer rather than a DAC. If so, it may not support Event Style in the way a typical DAC does.

I did some listening tests tonight. Shared Mode with Event Style sounds much better and works with smaller buffers than Exclusive mode with Event Style disabled. I can't get both to work together.

I set the default bit rate, bit depth, and channel count to match in Windows 10 and JRiver.

The device (MOTU 16A) is a 16 channel DAC with a 48 channel mixer.

[dtc]

The fact that you cannot set both modes together is probably related to the 16A's mixing capabilities. Most pro gear like that uses ASIO drivers which are usually set to non-exclusive mode so that more than one device can be used.

As long as you stick to one sample rate and match the Windows shared sample rate and the MC sample rate, you pretty much bypass the ill effects of the Windows mixer, which is what you found. The 16A sample rate should be set to the same rate.  If you have other sample rate files, you might want to use the MC DSPs to convert them all to a common sample rate, if you have not done so already.

It is interesting that you confirm that Event Style makes a difference in sound. It was a big deal when introduced, but we sort of forget about it these days, since pretty much all new high quality stand alone DACs use it. Windows PCs are just not good real time computers.