[mtrot]

Hi, I am newly into trying to play high rez flac music files from my laptop pc to my receiver. I just got Media Monkey and downloaded a 96k track from HDTracks. I have connected my Toshiba laptop to my Onkyo 809 receiver with a high speed HDMI cable. I am hearing the music from the receiver, but when I display the audio info on the receiver, it shows that the input is 48kHz. Is some kind of down conversion going on? I was hoping to see 96kHz like I do when I play a DVD-Audio disc. Any ideas why this might be, and how do I get 96k or 192k on the receiver? Thanks very much.

[Aleg]

Hi, I am newly into trying to play high rez flac music files from my laptop pc to my receiver. I just got Media Monkey and downloaded a 96k track from HDTracks. I have connected my Toshiba laptop to my Onkyo 809 receiver with a high speed HDMI cable. I am hearing the music from the receiver, but when I display the audio info on the receiver, it shows that the input is 48kHz. Is some kind of down conversion going on? I was hoping to see 96kHz like I do when I play a DVD-Audio disc. Any ideas why this might be, and how do I get 96k or 192k on the receiver? Thanks very much.

Check in Windows the settings for your sound device.

Default setting is that it will only output 48kHz. So you will have to tell it which frequencies your sound device is capable of processing, by selecting the proper checkboxes.

Also you have to tell it which freqency it has to use when the audio device is used in shared mode (i.e. non exclusive mode). When used in shared mode it will send all output in this frequency. It depends on your audioplayer if it can use exclusive mode or not.

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Aleg

[ted_b]

Are you saying you've gotten a DVD-Audio disc to show 96k or 192k from your laptop to receiver via HDMI?

[mtrot]

Are you saying you've gotten a DVD-Audio disc to show 96k or 192k from your laptop to receiver via HDMI?

No, I was talking about when I play DVD-Audio discs on my Oppo BDP-83 Universal player.  Then my receiver will display 96k or 192k.

[mtrot]

Check in Windows the settings for your sound device.

Default setting is that it will only output 48kHz. So you will have to tell it which frequencies your sound device is capable of processing, by selecting the proper checkboxes.

Also you have to tell it which freqency it has to use when the audio device is used in shared mode (i.e. non exclusive mode). When used in shared mode it will send all output in this frequency. It depends on your audioplayer if it can use exclusive mode or not.

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Aleg

Thanks, Aleg.

OK so far I have found under Control Panel, a window, "Sound", and a tab, "Playback", in which there are three entries:

1. Digital Output Device(HDMI)
2. Speakers
3. Digital Audio(S/PDIF)

On the Digital Audio one, there are check boxes to select different sample rates from 44.1kHz to 192.0kHz.  I checked them all.

However, I thought I needed to be concerned with the #1 option, Digital Output Device(HDMI), since I am connecting the laptop to the receiver with a HDMI cable.  And when I select properties, I get a window and when I hit the Supported Formats tab, there are no check boxes, but rather a field which lists three sample rates, 32, 44.1, and 48kHz. I tried to type some higher sample rates into this field, but it does not allow typing.

This tab also lists:

Max # of channels:                2
HDCP:                                  Not supported
Bit depths:                           16 bit

Not sure what all this means.

[ted_b]

HDMi from your laptop is limited to 16/48.  That's why i asked the earlier question.

Use spdif (coax or toslink), not HDMI.  You likely will get 96k.  Or burn the files to a DVD and play them back on the Oppo.

[srb]

Most HDMI graphics cards integrated soundchips only support a maximum sample rate of 48KHz and any sample rate above that will be downsampled to 48KHz, although some of the more recent higher end desktop and laptop HDMI graphics card audio chipsets do support higher bit rates.

On a desktop PC, some HDMI graphics cards that do not have high resolution HDMI audio chips do have a digital audio pass through that can send higher resolution audio through the HDMI port when an internal cable is connected betwwen the soundcard's digital audio output header to the audio pass through header on the graphics card.

Steve

[mtrot]

HDMi from your laptop is limited to 16/48.  That's why i asked the earlier question.

Use spdif (coax or toslink), not HDMI.  You likely will get 96k.  Or burn the files to a DVD and play them back on the Oppo.

OK, wow, this is what I needed to know.  Regarding S/PDIF or toslink, I see in the computer specs that the S/PDIF outlet is shared with the head phone port.  So, I guess I need to find a special cable with different connector on each end, one for the laptop and the other for the receiver.

[srb]

So, I guess I need to find a special cable with different connector on each end, one for the laptop and the other for the receiver.

Mini-TOSLINK to TOSLINK

Here are a few examples, the first two links to inexpensive plastic cables and the second two links to more expensive glass optical cables (but still not ridiculously audiophile priced)

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022902&p_id=1557&seq=1&format=2

http://www.amazon.com/27015-Velocity-Toslink---Optical-Digital/dp/B0002JFN10/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1340216670&sr=8-6&keywords=mini-toslink+cable

http://www.amazon.com/Toslink-Optical-Impact-Acoustic-Sonicwave/dp/B0009JR4H4

http://www.lifatec.com/toslink2.html

Steve

[mtrot]

Mini-TOSLINK to TOSLINK

Here are a few examples, the first two links to inexpensive plastic cables and the second two links to more expensive glass optical cables (but still not ridiculously audiophile priced)

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022902&p_id=1557&seq=1&format=2

http://www.amazon.com/27015-Velocity-Toslink---Optical-Digital/dp/B0002JFN10/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1340216670&sr=8-6&keywords=mini-toslink+cable

http://www.amazon.com/Toslink-Optical-Impact-Acoustic-Sonicwave/dp/B0009JR4H4

http://www.lifatec.com/toslink2.html

Steve

Thanks Steve,

I like the Amazon one, but the longest available is 3 meters.  I need at least 15 feet to reach where I sit with my laptop.  I did find a "25ft Toslink to Mini M/M 5.0mm OD Molded Cable" for $5.18 at monoprice.com, but I am not sure if that is the right size on the laptop end, nor am I sure of the quality.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022902&p_id=2833&seq=1&format=1#largeimage

[srb]

Yes, that cable will work.  I don't know why they skip over the 15ft. size in the Mini to Standard cables, but they do.

I have a 25ft. Monoprice Premium Toslink cable, but I don't know if there is any difference actual fiber differences between the Premium and Standard models.  The Premium cable is only available in a Toslink both ends (not Mini) and I suspect the differences may be cosmetic.

The Premium has a Techflex type braided outer jacket and the plug is a rather large fancy machined aluminum piece, which is actually a disadvantage, as the plug is too heavy and exerts too much leverage pressure on the plastic mating protrusion, and one of my Premium cables broke at the plastic part.  They really look nice, but ......

Blue Jeans Cable custom terminates to size, but they don't offer a Mini plug.  They do sell the standard Mini-to-Standard adapter extension, but I prefer not to use the adapters.  They work much of the time, but in some cases do not work well.  It places the end of the optical fiber another 1/2" or so further away from the optical receiver and some people have experienced dropouts and even not working at all, which probably has something to do with slight differences in output of the transmitter and sensitivity of the receiver.

My 25ft. Monoprice works fine, but it is for a second more casual system and I haven't tried it in the main system which uses a coaxial S/PDIF cable.

Steve