Benchmark DAC2, JRiver and Windows Volume?

I seem to have got confused somewhere along the way and was wondering if someone can help me.
I am using version 20 of JRiver media center and was using version 19 before.
Somehow I don't remember that I ever had to set the Windows volume control to 100%.
After some reading I understand why this should be set to 100%.

But I also thought when using ASIO or WASAPI, the Windows volume control is bypassed.
It seems that with the DAC2 it is never bypassed.

This came to light when I tried to play back some DSD files after a long while last night. All I would get is hiss.
Eventually I found my way to the windows volume control and when I set it 100% it worked.
This also explained why the last few weeks when playing 16 bit files, the DAC2 always lit up the 24 bit LED. I never had the Windows volume at 100%. Now the 16 bit LED on the DAC2 lights up when playing 16-bit files.

I also have a Chord Hugo and when playing through it with Media Center and using ASIO or WASAPI on the same machine the Windows volume control is bypassed. Changing it or muting it or whatever has no effect.
I am pretty sure my Ressonessence Concero HP was the same.

I would have thought the Benchmark DAC2 would have been the same. In fact it doesn't seem to matter what volume option I set with Media Center (internal volume, application volume), the Windows volume is still the master volume and has to be at 100% for bit-perfect playback.

Is this simply a difference in driver implementations or hardware or something else?
I don't understand why the Windows volume isn't bypassed with the Benchmark DAC2.

If anyone can explain that would be much appreciated.
I've sent an e-mail to Benchmark. Hopefully they will get back.

Thanks,

-- sanjay

 

I have the DAC2 HGC but on Mac. I would imagine that you need to set the default audio from windows to Benchmark in audio settings. Once you do this I believe the volume slider in windows won't work bypassed Benchmark is now in control.

I just looked at the instruction manual did you install the driver located on page 35? Hope that helps?

 

Yes certainly I have the drivers installed.
Also the default setting makes no difference. I had it already set to default.
I read somewhere else to not set it as the default. I tried that and no difference.

-- Sanjay

 

Interesting...maybe go into system hardware find the USB hubs and delete all devices on the hubs. Make sure no devices are connected to your USB hubs when you delete. If that don't work then maybe uninstall and reinstall the driver. Hope the helps?

 

The thing with WASAPI and ASIO is that they can bypass the system volume, but they don't have to. So it's still possible to have the system volume in effect even if you're using WASAPI or ASIO.

JRiver has various volume mode settings: application volume, internal volume, system volume, and disabled. Those volume settings work even if you're doing WASAPI or ASIO.

I usually have JRiver set to internal volume. And in the Startup settings I have it set to "optimize volume for best sound quality", which sets the volume to 100% when JRiver starts. Otherwise I have the volume mode set to disabled.

DSP processing will affect the bit-perfectness of playback. For example, volume leveling or adaptive volume, or EQ, or clipping protection. Best to disable that sort of stuff if you want to maintain bit-perfectness. When you lose bit-perfectness the DAC may see 16-bit source as 24-bit or 32-bit because JRiver does its processing at 64-bit for better accuracy then reduces the bit-depth to whatever the maximum the DAC reports that it supports.

Disclaimer: I don't have a DAC2 so I don't know its peculiarities. And DSD playback has its particular peculiarities.

 

What driver are you selecting within JRMC? If there is not a specific Benchmark driver selected and it's not a WASAPI driver - you may not be able to set MC to use Internal Volume - which is needs to be on.

Also - over in the Windows Sound applet - you need to set your Benchmark driver as the Defualt Device and then within it;s Properties on the Advanced tab - be sure that you have Allow Applications to Take Exclusive Control of this Device and Give Exclusive Mode Apps Priority

And finally - As Ham Sandwich has mentioned - you cannot have ANY plugins of DSP processing inline with Media Center - or you will lose all bit perfect playback.

I use the TEAC UD-501 and have it's driver selected with all the above settings with bit perfect playback everytime - completely bypassing Windows on all fronts.

Cheers,

VP

 

I'm thinking maybe it really is just a driver implementation. Maybe the Benchmark ASIO driver and WASAPI don't bypass the system volume.
Whereas the Chord Hugo driver implementation does bypass.

I have the JRiver volume set to disabled. I have my DAC2 on Home Theater Bypass feeding my Bryston BHA1 amp.

 

All this stuff I already know and have double and triple checked. It's not new to me. I'm not having any issues being able to get bit-perfect playback.

The only thing I am curious to know and understand is why for the Benchmark DAC2 the Windows System Volume is still in play. If I have it at 100% I get bit-perfect playback.
With the Chord Hugo DAC, the Windows System Volume is bypassed and makes no difference.

I think as Vocalpoint said maybe it really is just hardware and driver implementations.
Maybe not all ASIO and WASAPI implementation bypass the Windows system volume. I always assumed that this would always be the case.
It would be cool to have confirmation of this.

I've only seen one mention of something similar in one review. But nobody really mentions this anywhere else.
It's always mentioned that the windows mixer is bypassed if you use asio or wasapi and exclusive mode.
Hence my confusion.

 

It certainly could be a driver implementation thing. Drivers in Windows do have a certain amount of freedom to do some things their own way. Benchmark support should be able to answer the question for you.

One thing I do is have my DAC connected as a secondary audio device rather than the system audio device. I have the system audio device set as onboard sound. I have JRiver (or Foobar) play to my good DAC while system sounds and such all go to onboard sound. It's handy because system sounds never get routed through my music listening and the system volume control has no effect on my music listening. It does however make things a bit convoluted when I want to play a YouTube video through my good DAC rather than trough onboard sound.

 

You would have to confirm with Benchmark. ALL drivers have a unique angle to them. All I know is my Teac driver worked perfectly right out of the box and I have never touched it since it was installed.

VP

 

I heard back from benchmark. Unfortunately and frustratingly they did not answer the question I asked.
They just told me to set the the system volume at 100% for bit-transparent playback.
That I already know.

What I am trying to understand is why I need to do that with the Benchmark DAC2 and not the Chord Hugo.
I guess I will just have to accept it as some mysterious hardware/software implementation that nobody even the people that make these things are able to answer.
It is frustrating though to not know.

 

They gave you the answer without actually admitting that their Windows driver implementation is lacking. If system volume needs to be involved in any way - you have a lame driver. End of story.

I would spend more time with the Hugo.

VP

 

That's a bummer because the DAC2 HGC is a wonderful sounding DAC! I don't have experience with it on Windows so I can say on Mac no issues with volume. It always locks in and takes OS out of the equation. Well I hope they fix this if indeed its a software issue...

 

I still get bit-perfect playback if the system volume is at 100%. So I'm not really bummed about it.
I just wanted to understand why one DAC behaves this way and another doesn't.
Also JRiver has an option to set the volume to 100% before starting playback.

-- Sanjay

 

Benchmark should be able to give you a better answer about how and/or why their driver behaves like it does.

However it is behaving, they must have a reason for it to be that way. Benchmark knows their stuff and they know about computer audio and how to do the drivers. They've got a wiki covering computer audio and even a page dedicated to digital volume control. They're also big enough to have customized drivers developed if they need them. If their driver is doing something different than is typical for other drivers then they must have a reason for it doing that. Cause making it do that means more software development work and why make things more difficult for your development for no reason.