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[arizonajoe]

I use a Kitsune-tuned resistive ladder specialty DAC that takes its I2S input from a Singxer SU-1 Digital to Digital Converter ( https://www.kitsunehifi.com/product/kte-su-1-kitsune-tuned-edition-3-2uv-output-noise-125db-psrr-usb-digital-to-digital-convertor-xmos-xu208-cpld-dsd256-dop-free-shipping-with-coupon-code-singxer/ )   that itself receives the USB 2.0 Type B connector that runs from my ASUS motherboard.  I use Archlinux and have Pipewire and Pulseaudio installed. Under the Options menu, there are many available audio devices, but the devices that include/recognize my SINGXER SU-1 are seen here:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51897086140_4da28d1b3b_c.jpg

I am not sure which option would provide the best audio quality.  I won't bother with the Surround sound options, but there are only a few options that provide a working digital stream.  The one I tried to select, the SU1 USB STREAM OUTPUT at the bottom of the list, does not work at all.  I remember using Kernel streaming some time ago, but that option now seems to have disappeared from the list.   

Does anyone know which output is considered to be the highest quality stream?  All of my music is in FLAC form. Most sources are at 44.1KHz. And unlike in Windows 10 or 11, where a Steinberg ASIO driver is in some opinions apparently desirable for the best quality audio, I have read that the data flow from a Linux O/S kernel is more direct and already as good as it gets.  But if that is true, do the output sources that work and are made available by MC28 all equal in audio quality?  My older ASUS ROG Code iX motherboard manual says nothing specific about the onboard sound card's limitations or capabilities that would be of interest to would-be audiophiles. These motherboard-based "sound cards" are usually not made with the finest electronic components or tolerances.

I am also having some occasional difficulties with MC28 in Archlinux.  After I make a few audio source selections to find one that produces sound, the entire MC28 app window occasionally blanks out like this and crashes:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51895509502_1e9f3dba82_h.jpg

I placed the above links on Flickr to avoid using too much space on this Interact forum server.  Hope that's OK.

[mwillems]

The output choice that provides the most direct control of the hardware will be the "front:" or "surround:" options depending on how many channels you want to address (if it's a "stereo only" device, choose the "front:" output, if you need to address more channels choose the surround option with the appropriate number of channels). 

The default or pulseaudio options will play music but will pass sound through the system mixer so are less direct than the "front:" or "surround:" options.  I wouldn't recommend the USBStream outputs; you mention kernel streaming, but that's a Windows-specific audio output method. The "USBstream" outputs on linux aren't equivalent and don't provide a direct connection (my recollection is that they're actually a monitoring output, but I may be remembering that wrong). 

[arizonajoe]

Thank you for clarifying that!