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More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 18 for Windows => Topic started by: tech9_79 on August 01, 2013, 04:07:01 pm

Title: Audio Quality
Post by: tech9_79 on August 01, 2013, 04:07:01 pm
For the last few builds, i have had a very noticeable loss in audio quality when playing music or video.  Low output volume (-20%),bass and dynamics gone.. i have no dsp settings enabled and output mode is wasapi (event).  i confirmed its the player by playing the same youtube vids inside the player and in browser. Night and day.. 

i checked the audio path and it reads 32bit WASAPI (Direct Connection).
i almost want to say this has been happening since the wasapi change.   
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: 6233638 on August 01, 2013, 07:00:31 pm
What happens if you try disabling event style, or using directsound?
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: tech9_79 on August 01, 2013, 11:28:15 pm
Nothing and same result when rolled back to .189. Im going to wipe the uni driver and reinstall see if that helps. 
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: InflatableMouse on August 02, 2013, 12:37:00 am
Did you previously have loudness enabled and is that somehow disabled now?
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: tech9_79 on August 02, 2013, 10:41:07 am
Well i run volume as System, i ran internal with loudness and no better..  i installed 3 different drivers (w/driver cleaner) including official xonar's.. fyi they suck. 
ive tried Kernal ,Direct and wasapi.  No real difference. Is there an archive of previous versions i could try out?   
   
Can anyone recommend a music player to A/B with?
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: kstuart on August 02, 2013, 12:32:36 pm
Is there an archive of previous versions i could try out?  
Go to Search in the toolbar above, and then click on "Advanced Search", click on "Search topic subjects only", click the +, click "Check all" (to clear the checkboxes), and then "click on "JRiver Media Center 18 for Windows", and type "Available" in the "Search for" box and click the "Search" button.
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: tech9_79 on August 02, 2013, 01:05:46 pm
well i installed .158 which was the first version i had on this computer and at the time was working fine.. has the same problem.  Its like the output mode just isnt working. sub channel is barely on, channel separation dynamics are blah and lower output..  what could could be effecting the audio path so greatly?  ive tried enabling jss upmixing room correction ect.. no real difference at all. 

Lfe from flash player shakes the walls, in mc its like its barely on.
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: tech9_79 on August 02, 2013, 09:54:54 pm
the only thing i can think of to when or why something might have happened,  the unified drivers have an exe to enable or disable the 5.1 upmix. I ran that several time to see how it effected MC.  Come to find out Flash Player now does its own 5.1 upmixing?  with or without the driver.  And i configured the audio device in windows from 5.1 to 7.1 a few times to see how it effected my surrounds.  Im pretty sure it was then that noticed music played in MC didnt sound anywhere as good.  So something happened because it use to be the other way around.
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: tech9_79 on August 07, 2013, 11:14:28 am
Ok.. so i went ahead and did a full reinstall of windows to see if the problem was outside of MC..  music is still lifeless and dull.. ive done comparisons of my flac ripped cd tracks and direct offical mp3's to outside sources (youtube ,spotify, pandora ect) no contest..  while dynamics were pretty low with the radio players all channels seem to be at proper output. Flash player sounds by far the best. 

Ive run through just about every config i know of..
a rundown of my setup.

i5 3570k
Xonar DX
Win7 x64 ult
Unified driver 1.71 (upmix disabled)
win playback device (7.1 Full range)
Properties 24bit 48k exclusive control and priority

Asus CP
Audio channel 8
Sample rate (pcm 48k)
analog out (5.1)
Mixer all channels 75%
Eq Flat with slight cut 250-1k hz
Crossover 75hz (LR large, LSRS small, Center large)

Analog out into class D poweramps 300w per channel.
Dayton RS180/RS28 MTM LRC
Dayton RS HF 12in sub (ported)300w
Tactiles in the couch..

Ive been using MC since v15 and i spend alot of time with my system.. so i know somethings not right..   
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: 6233638 on August 07, 2013, 11:22:28 am
You say that Flash Player sounds best. Are you comparing the same source material?
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: tech9_79 on August 07, 2013, 11:41:16 am
Yep.. ive downloaded my YT playlists(HQ) with MC.  I A/B the downloaded file with just playing the video inside MC and from webpage (not inside MC) also my CD flac rips to YT uploads..

this is a new issue.. all my MC files sounded great before.. everything sounds compressed now. 
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: 6233638 on August 07, 2013, 12:02:32 pm
What happens if you disable all your DSP inside the ASUS Control Panel? Does it sounds the same as Media Center then?
It's possible that the output mode you are using is bypassing it.

It seems like it's a configuration issue rather than something Media Center is doing.
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: tech9_79 on August 07, 2013, 02:40:48 pm
well besides the little EQ and crossover nothing is enabled and ive always used both.. i spent all day going over this.. im at a loss. I will do some more testing and might even set up some recording gear idk..

was the sound engine recently worked on at all? Jrss?
Title: Re: Audio Quality
Post by: InflatableMouse on August 08, 2013, 02:32:26 pm
was the sound engine recently worked on at all? Jrss?

No mention of it in the change logs.