Topic: Exclusive sound (Read 6920 times)

Biff · « **on:** March 07, 2015, 07:00:48 pm »

Hi all, first post. Excited about jriver. I've installed the trial version. Set up is windows 7 with arcam irdac connected via usb going into hifi. I'm using arcam's asio driver for the dac in class 2 mode and have set it to allow device to take exclusive control. Sound seems good to me. The problem is if I close jriver and open,say, youtube or spotify I get no sound. I understand that when using jriver it has exclusive use of the dac, and that's good for quality. I've gone into sound settings in control panel and unchecked 'exclusive' and then rebooted but I still can't get any sound using any software other than jriver. Could someone explain the reason for this and how I can get sound from other software?

Thanks...

JimH · « **Reply #1 on:** March 07, 2015, 10:28:46 pm »

Read about the WDM driver on this board.

A simple way to solve the problem would be to tell MC to run Media Server on Windows startup. It's in the options for Startup.

Biff · « **Reply #2 on:** March 08, 2015, 05:24:53 am »

Quote from: JimH on March 07, 2015, 10:28:46 pm

Read about the WDM driver on this board.

A simple way to solve the problem would be to tell MC to run Media Server on Windows startup. It's in the options for Startup.

Thanks. Would that affect sound quality at all? So as long as I have jriver running all sound will go through it? Very confusing to a complete newb to all this!

JimH · « **Reply #3 on:** March 08, 2015, 07:05:33 am »

If you don't want sound to go through MC, change your default sound device in Windows Control Panel > Sounds.

glynor · « **Reply #4 on:** March 08, 2015, 09:17:49 am »

If you aren't getting sound in other applications while MC is playing (or paused), that is because of Exclusive Access. You should leave this enabled if you can, but read the linked Wiki article, as it goes into the details.

If you aren't getting sound while MC is stopped or closed, then this is something else entirely. MC includes a windows "virtual" sound card driver (the WDM driver) that can be used to route all system sounds through MC. That's nice because you can use MC's audio engine for other applications which might typically do things more... Dumbly (like web browsers and whatnot). But, it only works when MC is running. If you have this set as your system default (as Jim explained above) then you won't get sound in any application while MC isn't running, because it is like the sound card is missing. But you can change the default in Windows back to your "real" sound card driver, and this won't impact MC at all, just other applications (which will work the way they always did).

It shouldn't set itself as the default when it installs, but this sometimes doesn't work. Windows really likes to set new audio devices as the default when they're first installed, and defeating this is kind of a hack.

ken-tajalli · « **Reply #5 on:** March 08, 2015, 09:19:48 am »

OK he asked you to read about the WDM driver first!
Here is a short version.
JRiver does take over your DAC, correct, however, JRiver as well as being a mediaplayer, it is also a stand alone sound processor! it works like this:
- when you install jriver, it also installs a WDM driver, basically it is virtual sound card.
- you choose JRiver mediacentre (within your sound playback devices) to be your default playback device.
- you tell JRiver to start with windows, in order for this functionality to be available.
- If you play anything outside of JRiver, it will go through JRiver!
- benefits are , bit-perfect playback + full use of DSP + JRiver 64bit volume control.
What more do you want?

Biff · « **Reply #6 on:** March 09, 2015, 09:48:44 am »

Great replies. Thank you. Now a different issue (maybe connected tho). I'm thinking of selling my DAC as I'm strapped for cash at the mo. My amp, Marantz PM6005, has a built in DAC which I will use if I sell my Arcam DAC. I'm trying it at the moment to see how it sounds compared to the external DAC. I'm coming out of the PC sound card via its coaxial conection..which is definitely working, as I've tested it with the external DAC. So...coaxial from PC is going into the amp's coaxial input. But..I'm getting no sound at all from j river. I've set j river to use wasspi. Could some kind person tell me what settings I need to put in control panel/sounds and j river to get this working.
OS is win7 64bit. Sound card has both optical and coaxial outs. Both are tested and working
Hope all this makes sense. Total newbie here!

Biff · « **Reply #7 on:** March 09, 2015, 11:15:23 am »

Quote from: Biff on March 09, 2015, 09:48:44 am

Great replies. Thank you. Now a different issue (maybe connected tho). I'm thinking of selling my DAC as I'm strapped for cash at the mo. My amp, Marantz PM6005, has a built in DAC which I will use if I sell my Arcam DAC. I'm trying it at the moment to see how it sounds compared to the external DAC. I'm coming out of the PC sound card via its coaxial conection..which is definitely working, as I've tested it with the external DAC. So...coaxial from PC is going into the amp's coaxial input. But..I'm getting no sound at all from j river. I've set j river to use wasspi. Could some kind person tell me what settings I need to put in control panel/sounds and j river to get this working.
OS is win7 64bit. Sound card has both optical and coaxial outs. Both are tested and working
Hope all this makes sense. Total newbie here!

Ok I've got sound coming out of jriver now BUT....it's coming out of the soundcard's 3.5mm jack instead of it's coaxial output. Please help!!!

CountryBumkin · « **Reply #8 on:** March 09, 2015, 12:11:14 pm »

Check the setting in JRiver>Audio Devices, see if there is another choice for the soundcard (like HD Audio, or Digital Audio, and/or see if your computer has a separate setup (such as Control Panel >Realtek HD Audio Manager) where you can select different outputs.

ken-tajalli · « **Reply #9 on:** March 09, 2015, 07:07:16 pm »

As suggested, in JRiver, under tools>options>audio>audio device look for the (something) digital output or SPDIF and set it as output device. If you are lucky you may have a wasapi for that device too,if not you have to use direct sound.
You may not miss your iDAC at all, if your digital output device has a decent clock!

olegausany · « **Reply #10 on:** March 09, 2015, 08:21:01 pm »

@Biff I never owned Marantz receivers but owned many different external DACs and irDac is one of the best DACs costing less $1000 I have heard so depending on your sound signature preference you do might really miss your irDac

Biff · « **Reply #11 on:** March 11, 2015, 01:25:05 pm »

Quote from: CountryBumkin on March 09, 2015, 12:11:14 pm

Check the setting in JRiver>Audio Devices, see if there is another choice for the soundcard (like HD Audio, or Digital Audio, and/or see if your computer has a separate setup (such as Control Panel >Realtek HD Audio Manager) where you can select different outputs.

Can't see a setting there...

Biff · « **Reply #12 on:** March 11, 2015, 01:27:15 pm »

Quote from: ken-tajalli on March 09, 2015, 07:07:16 pm

As suggested, in JRiver, under tools>options>audio>audio device look for the (something) digital output or SPDIF and set it as output device. If you are lucky you may have a wasapi for that device too,if not you have to use direct sound.
You may not miss your iDAC at all, if your digital output device has a decent clock!

No setting for that. Now when i set the soundcard as default device in control panel sounds when I open jriver it sets itself as the default so now I'm not getting any sound at all. Please help

Biff · « **Reply #13 on:** March 11, 2015, 01:55:03 pm »

Quote from: olegausany on March 09, 2015, 08:21:01 pm

@Biff I never owned Marantz receivers but owned many different external DACs and irDac is one of the best DACs costing less $1000 I have heard so depending on your sound signature preference you do might really miss your irDac

Yes there's a big difference between the Arcam and my amp's on board DAC. The Arcam is very good..a classy sound. Very reluctant sale if I do sell it!

BryanC · « **Reply #14 on:** March 11, 2015, 04:49:33 pm »

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Audio_Setup#Audio_Output_Settings

ken-tajalli · « **Reply #15 on:** March 11, 2015, 05:31:08 pm »

Quote from: Biff on March 11, 2015, 01:27:15 pm

No setting for that. Now when i set the soundcard as default device in control panel sounds when I open jriver it sets itself as the default so now I'm not getting any sound at all. Please help

OK in JRiver go to tools>options>audio>audio device and list what you do see there.
All your sound devices are listed there, if you find "no settings there" you are not doing it right.

this is a screen capture from mine.
Can you see the drop down menu (little arrow) to the left of Teac . . . - click on and list everything here.

glynor · « **Reply #16 on:** March 11, 2015, 10:37:46 pm »

Quote from: Biff on March 11, 2015, 01:27:15 pm

No setting for that. Now when i set the soundcard as default device in control panel sounds when I open jriver it sets itself as the default so now I'm not getting any sound at all. Please help

Please post screenshots here of the exact same details I requested from Goalline in this post:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=95705.msg659441#msg659441

In addition to the ones I asked for in that post, please include a screenshot of the Windows Sound Control panel pages that Goalline included in this post:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=95705.msg659927#msg659927

Do not follow any of the other instructions in that thread, as they were not written for you.

The linked thread has instructions for posting screenshots, and there is also this Wiki guide here:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Screenshot

Also, make sure Logging is enabled in Media Center, then open it and play something back. If you get an error, please post a screenshot of it. Either way, then collect the log ZIP file and post it here as well. Logging is described here, with instructions on collecting the ZIP and posting it:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Logging

Thank you.

Biff · « **Reply #17 on:** March 21, 2015, 10:49:06 am »

This is sorted now. I'm keeping my DAC and now understand what jriver's wdm does.

Thanks for all the replies

glynor · « **Reply #18 on:** March 21, 2015, 12:00:24 pm »

Great. Thanks for reporting back.

Biff · « **Reply #19 on:** March 21, 2015, 12:07:00 pm »

Thankful for the help Glynor. Now trying to sort AV sync issue...

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Author Topic: Exclusive sound (Read 6920 times)