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[BushPilot]

I have been very happy with JRM 15. It is a marvelous in operation and has superb operational capabilities. However, I am seriously considering a total move away from Windows 7 or any other Windows product. WASAPI issues and limited performance with this driver, has caused me to look elsewhere for digital music.

Setting WASAPI to Exclusive mode has caused distortion issues in both on-line radio and with CD playback. Disabling exclusive mode in JRM has resulted in mediocre performance with on-line radio. CD playback seems to be less effected by WASAPI issues.

Because of the WASAPI issue, I installed recently installed Ubuntu 10 on a flash-drive to see if it might be a reasonable alternative to what I was using. As I have only mediocre computing skills, this step initially caused me some concern. However, I have found that Linux packages have improved over the past few years.  I was able to install Ubuntu 10 without any issues. The digital sound quality has proven to be outstanding when high quality media packages have been installed. I tried Ubuntu studio, but found it to be too complex for me, so I simply downloaded some quality audio applications like Audacious.

I really like JRM as a media player, but with Windows 7 issues, I am seriously thinking of staying with Ubuntu.

Perhaps there is a better way to configure JRM that I am aware of. I have set JRM to Wasapi with exclusive mode disabled and DSP set to 24 bit/sample rate set to all/ 96,000 Hz. I have set exclusive mode in windows 7 sound configuration.

Have a Benchmark HDR Dac feeding my McIntosh MC-275 amp in my system and listen primarily to on-line and CD recorded classical & opera music.

Your comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

Bill

[JimH]

Sorry to hear that you're having problems.  I believe both Win7 and WASAPI are rock solid.

With WASAPI, exclusive mode is normally best.

There are some other threads here on Benchmark devices.  The wiki has a "DAC Settings" article that might help.

[Matt]

You might describe the technical problem you're having with a little more detail.  Just as a guess without more details, you might try kernel streaming and disabling resampling in Media Center.

We have encountered a few devices that don't nicely support WASAPI exclusive.  If you're having problems with the Benchmark, you might contact them and see if they'd like to work with JRiver to improve support.  Since they're selling a high-end ($2000) DAC, they may be happy to work with you (and us).

Thanks.

[BushPilot]

You might describe the technical problem you're having with a little more detail.  Just as a guess without more details, you might try kernel streaming and disabling resampling in Media Center.

We have encountered a few devices that don't nicely support WASAPI exclusive.  If you're having problems with the Benchmark, you might contact them and see if they'd like to work with JRiver to improve support.  Since they're selling a high-end ($2000) DAC, they may be happy to work with you (and us).

Thanks.

When I use exclusive in JRM the sound quality is great however I get loop-back/distortion with online and cd playback. When I disable exclusive in JRM the loopback/distortion problem goes away but sometimes sound quality suffers. The problem as I see it is with windows 7 setup. I just looked at my configuratio and found a setting that may be the problem. Will know in a day or two if this setting is a soulution.

[BushPilot]

Sorry to hear that you're having problems.  I believe both Win7 and WASAPI are rock solid.

With WASAPI, exclusive mode is normally best.

There are some other threads here on Benchmark devices.  The wiki has a "DAC Settings" article that might help.

I now have JRM 15.0.95. There seems to be a difference in that I cannot get JRM to work at all when I set the benchmark to exclusive mode. I get a screen suggesting that my device should be set in DSP to Sample all sources/96,000Hz/32 bit. When I do this and Uncheck exclusive, everything works wonderfully well. I still have my benchmark set to exclusive in Windows 7. Hopefully I will no longer experience any further issues.

[Vincent Kars]

The reason to use WASAPI in exclusive mode is that you bypass the Win mixer.
The moment you uncheck exclusive all the audio is routed trough the mixer and is resampled per the settings as in the shared mode (24/96 in your case)

My settings using MC/Win7/Benchmark DAC1 can be found here: http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/Players/MC14/MC_Wasapi.htm

Probably the 24 bit is the most important because the DAC 1 is 24 bit.

[BushPilot]

The reason to use WASAPI in exclusive mode is that you bypass the Win mixer.
The moment you uncheck exclusive all the audio is routed trough the mixer and is resampled per the settings as in the shared mode (24/96 in your case)

My settings using MC/Win7/Benchmark DAC1 can be found here: http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/Players/MC14/MC_Wasapi.htm

Probably the 24 bit is the most important because the DAC 1 is 24 bit.

Thanks for your input on configuring JRM in windows 7. Seems that when I had some windows 7 issues and reinstalled it last week, I set up exclusive mode in W7 incorrectly. Exclusive mode is now working as it should and I have set up my configuration as you suggested. It remains to be seen if I will be free of loop-back issues that I experienced previously with this configuration.

If loop-back issues return (Which happens with track changes or with music selection changes in online radio) then my alternative is to move to Linux. Hopefully everything will be OK so that I don't have to leave JRM as it is a great media program.

[Matt]

If loop-back issues return (Which happens with track changes or with music selection changes in online radio) then my alternative is to move to Linux. Hopefully everything will be OK so that I don't have to leave JRM as it is a great media program.

If you hear looping, increase the buffering slider in WASAPI options.  We recommend 0.5 seconds.

[Vincent Kars]

You can move to Linux.
As far as interface is concerned, the  Linux audio players I have tried are a bit down. The best ones more or less equal WMP or iTunes.
Sound quality wise: configure ALSA to use hw: instead of plughw;
hw: talks straight to the sound card just like WASAPI does.
Plughw: is just like using DS (Direct Sound, windows default), anything not matching the capabilities of the sound card goes through the mixer.
Maybe today it is possible to get a 24 bit DAC like the Benchmark to work with hw:
A year ago it wasn’t

If anyone is using mpd on Linux with a 24-bit USB DAC (such as the Wavelength Proton), mpd recently incorporated S24_3LE support into the latest version in git. This means mpd can send audio straight to the DAC instead of processing in alsa first.

If phrases like these make sense to you, you are ready to go the Linux way

[BushPilot]

So far so good. I have set DSP to 24 bit/ no sampling/ wasapi  - exclusive and have set buffering to 0.5s. Left my laptop running overnight and no loop-back or other issues. This is the most stable performance I have had since using JRM 15. As for Linux, I am still in learning mode (I'm 75 now and rather slow at learning the language of Linux) and will seek help from others in getting the best performance possible. Presently using Audacious and a digital driver for the Benchmark. More detailed sound than JRM 15 but not as analog sounding. That said, I truly like JRM and will stay with it for my music, unless Linux improvements can be secured.   

[Randy_QB9]

I am using a Ayre QB-9 with a HP Touchsmart PC (Windows 7-64 bit) and MC 15.  I have set the Ayre USB audio device with the exclusive boxes (2) checked on in the Windows 7 audio devices configuration.  If I check the exclusive box on in MC 15 WASAPI configuration, I get no sound and the MC player races the end of the track.  If I uncheck the exclusive box in MC, then every seems to play fine.  Is this normal with the Ayre QB-9?  Or is there something else I may not have set correct?

[JimH]

Welcome to the forum.

WASAPI exclusive mode should only be set in one place -- the application that you want to have exclusive rights.  Normally, this would be MC.

[Randy_QB9]

In my previous post I was not very clear, let me try again.  On the Ayre website they have a "computer audio setup page" where they show how to setup the Ayre QB-9 with Windows Vista.  They do not show a Windows 7 setup but I was told by phone (from Ayre) that they just haven't had the time to update their web site, but the setup should be pretty much the same.  In the Windows Vista setup under sound properties for the QB-9, they show a screen shot and state "make sure to check both the boxes in the "Exclusive Mode" section.
They also have a section on how to setup J River Media Center for the Ayre DAC.   From the Output mode settings, you are to select the Ayre USB from the drop-down list under "Device".  Then check the box for "Open device for exclusive access".  Regardless of whether I check or uncheck the previous exclusive boxes from the Windows 7 sound setup, whenever I check on the "Open device for exclusive access" from MC 15, the MC player does not play any sound and then races to the end of the track.  Is this a problem or should I just listen with Open device for exclusive access unchecked?

[JimH]

In the Windows Vista setup under sound properties for the QB-9, they show a screen shot and state "make sure to check both the boxes in the "Exclusive Mode" section.

That doesn't seem right.

They also have a section on how to setup J River Media Center for the Ayre DAC.   From the Output mode settings, you are to select the Ayre USB from the drop-down list under "Device".  Then check the box for "Open device for exclusive access".

That seems right, but I think you're saying that you tried this and it doesn't work.

There is an Ayre thread around here somewhere.  I'll see if I can find it.

The wiki has a "DAC Settings" article you might try.