[brucek]

After loading, it goes into the album list and not the components menu! What am I not doing right?

The file should be put into the foobar components directory = C:\Program Files\foobar2000\components.
It will then show in the components list.

Use explorer and examine the components directory.

brucek

[danman]

Thanks!

[danman]

After loading, it goes into the album list and not the components menu! What am I not doing right?

The file should be put into the foobar components directory = C:\Program Files\foobar2000\components.
It will then show in the components list.

Use explorer and examine the components directory.

brucek

I loaded everything up and when I click on the ks transit option it tells me I have an error!! Won't work I guess. Only works with ds transit option

[WGH]

Only works with ds transit option

That is the way mine works too. You now have a few options to ponder:

1.) Do nothing and save up for the Bryston.
2.) Upgrade to Windows Vista or 7, this gets rid of the kernel mixer which results in much better sound than XP could ever provide.
3.) Get rid of the Transport and get another USB converter that will support ASIO and/or kernel streaming, I suggest the HagUSB not because I use one but because Jim Hagerman is a brilliant designer and his stuff sounds great and just works. You won't need the USB converter with the Bryston so you will lose about half it's value reselling it.

The BDA-1 does up to 192K sampling where most USB to S/PDIF converters are stuck at 44.1 so hi-res music will not work with a converter. Windows XP was never designed to stream music so you will eventually need to change the OS to something newer so you might as well bite the bullet, upgrade the BIOS and the latest drivers for the netbook, buy more memory (RAM) if you don't have 4 GB installed and get Vista or 7 to run smoothly. This option would be my first choice to upgrading your sound.

[danman]

Funny thing is that everything sounds great regardless! When I "A B" the CD to the FLAC no one can hear a difference!

Actually I was never complaining about the sound only followed suggestions that would allow me to experiment. Vista is not an option for me in this case.

[WGH]

Then all is good. 

When I "A B" the CD to the FLAC no one can hear a difference!

But you should, that was the direction we were gently pointing to.

[danman]

I would love to have some sort of reference but all I got is all I know! I even used headphones to compare and the sound was the same to me!

I would still love to bypass right to my DAC but you say that is probably not possible with XP.

With the Bryston would I still not need my Transit to link the computer?

[WGH]

XP is not the roadblock, it is your DAC. In order to eliminate the Transit you will need a DAC that has a USB input like the Bryston:

"The BDA-1 features an impressive array of inputs for USB, COAX, OPTICAL, AES-EBU and BNC equipped digital devices."

As you have found out the quality of sound achievable using the Windows Direct Sound and the Transit is not bad at all, any changes as per operating system and USB converter would be incrementally small, but small things add up and become huge in the minds of audiophiles. Part of the fun is in the journey, what you have is really good but now you have a road map to even better sound in the future.

[Stu Pitt]

I don't believe the BDA-1's USB input will do hi-rez.  The other inputs will, but I think the USB is limited to 44.1 khz.

[brucek]

I loaded everything up and when I click on the ks transit option it tells me I have an error!! Won't work I guess. Only works with ds transit option

Danman, OK, so the Transit doesn't support Kernel Stream. My external USB soundcard does, so I thought it would work with yours.

I'm was just wondering why the Transit doesn't support Kernel Stream, and it's likely because they supply the ASIO driver in the regular driver you're using now, so Kernel streaming isn't required. Then it just hit me why ASIO is likely not working for you.

It's no doubt because you never loaded the ASIO foobar plug-in that is required before foobar will look for ASIO drivers. I forgot that it was an added plug-in that isn't loaded with a regular install.

Download it, and extract the foo_out_asio.dll from the zip file to the same foobar / components directory as all the other dll's. Then you'll likely see the ASIO:Transit selection in the Output pulldown...

And if your own ASIO driver doesn't work (which I'm sure it will), then you can load the ASIO4ALL driver. I have tried this with my XP machine with an internal soundcard with foobar and works great. It's a virtual driver and when loaded shows up in foobar as a sub-directory off the Outputs selection...

Let us know how it goes....

brucek

[WGH]

Even though I have a laptop, it is not the computer I use daily so I forget about some of its features. One hidden feature is it's ability to output S/PDIF through the sound out jack which would eliminate the Transit (if your Cambridge Audio also has S/PDIF in). If your mini has this ability then you could plug it directly into your DAC. You will need to find the mysterious and elusive custom digital cable.

The Dell manual for the mini 10v has this blurb:
Enabling S/PDIF Digital Audio in the Windows Audio Driver
1 Double-click the Volume icon in the taskbar.
2 From the Volume Control window, click Options→ Advanced Controls→Advanced.
3 Click the check box to enable S/PDIF Interface.
4 Click Close→ OK.

I have never tried this and don't know if would be better than what you use now, all the tech articles seem to be focused on USB these days. The S/PDIF output may have more jitter than USB but the BDA-1 has jitter reduction circuits.

[danman]

I loaded everything up and when I click on the ks transit option it tells me I have an error!! Won't work I guess. Only works with ds transit option

Danman, OK, so the Transit doesn't support Kernel Stream. My external USB soundcard does, so I thought it would work with yours.

I'm was just wondering why the Transit doesn't support Kernel Stream, and it's likely because they supply the ASIO driver in the regular driver you're using now, so Kernel streaming isn't required. Then it just hit me why ASIO is likely not working for you.

It's no doubt because you never loaded the ASIO foobar plug-in that is required before foobar will look for ASIO drivers. I forgot that it was an added plug-in that isn't loaded with a regular install.

Download it, and extract the foo_out_asio.dll from the zip file to the same foobar / components directory as all the other dll's. Then you'll likely see the ASIO:Transit selection in the Output pulldown...

And if your own ASIO driver doesn't work (which I'm sure it will), then you can load the ASIO4ALL driver. I have tried this with my XP machine with an internal soundcard with foobar and works great. It's a virtual driver and when loaded shows up in foobar as a sub-directory off the Outputs selection...

Let us know how it goes....

brucek

I will give this a try as I am gone right now (again!!) but sounds like a plan! I am open to learning anything at this point.

[danman]

Even though I have a laptop, it is not the computer I use daily so I forget about some of its features. One hidden feature is it's ability to output S/PDIF through the sound out jack which would eliminate the Transit (if your Cambridge Audio also has S/PDIF in). If your mini has this ability then you could plug it directly into your DAC. You will need to find the mysterious and elusive custom digital cable.

The Dell manual for the mini 10v has this blurb:
Enabling S/PDIF Digital Audio in the Windows Audio Driver
1 Double-click the Volume icon in the taskbar.
2 From the Volume Control window, click Options→ Advanced Controls→Advanced.
3 Click the check box to enable S/PDIF Interface.
4 Click Close→ OK.

I have never tried this and don't know if would be better than what you use now, all the tech articles seem to be focused on USB these days. The S/PDIF output may have more jitter than USB but the BDA-1 has jitter reduction circuits.

My Cambridge is well equipped! It has both Toslink and SPDIF inputs!

Now I have two different opinions that I can try but yeah.......where am I going to get that kind of wire>>>>????? AND are you talking about the speaker/headphone output on the Dell?

[danman]

Thank you both for your share of knowledge! Keep it coming.

[WGH]

Now I have two different opinions that I can try but yeah.......where am I going to get that kind of wire>>>>????? AND are you talking about the speaker/headphone output on the Dell?

That is why the cable is elusive, think of it as the ivory billed woodpecker of cables. On my laptop the S/PDIF jack is the headphone output, on yours I don't know. Perhaps a call to Dell is in order. 

[danman]

There is only a mic input and a speaker output so I gather that would be it!

[danman]

I loaded everything up and when I click on the ks transit option it tells me I have an error!! Won't work I guess. Only works with ds transit option

Danman, OK, so the Transit doesn't support Kernel Stream. My external USB soundcard does, so I thought it would work with yours.

I'm was just wondering why the Transit doesn't support Kernel Stream, and it's likely because they supply the ASIO driver in the regular driver you're using now, so Kernel streaming isn't required. Then it just hit me why ASIO is likely not working for you.

It's no doubt because you never loaded the ASIO foobar plug-in that is required before foobar will look for ASIO drivers. I forgot that it was an added plug-in that isn't loaded with a regular install.

Download it, and extract the foo_out_asio.dll from the zip file to the same foobar / components directory as all the other dll's. Then you'll likely see the ASIO:Transit selection in the Output pulldown...

And if your own ASIO driver doesn't work (which I'm sure it will), then you can load the ASIO4ALL driver. I have tried this with my XP machine with an internal soundcard with foobar and works great. It's a virtual driver and when loaded shows up in foobar as a sub-directory off the Outputs selection...

Let us know how it goes....

brucek

Ok done!! I think it is working but it is not listed in my output menu but on a separate one divided (added to the output component) left and right. However the sound does seem better but maybe my ears are cleaner!!

The only thing is that the volume seems higher and my preamp is barely past
7:00 but no distortion or any funny noises.

Seems good but how would I really know it is activated properly?

[danman]

Just noticed the occasional blip and blurp every now and then! Is there something I am not doing right?

I configured it and it is now in my output menu. Seems better but a little unstable I think.

[danman]

I put the output back to the DS Transit and no more unstable blips! I guess something is not compatible!

[brucek]

I configured it and it is now in my output menu. Seems better but a little unstable I think.

Interesting, the ASIO shouldn't be any less or more stable than the WMD driver. It can definitely be louder since it bypass any volume controlling in the K-Mixer. It should be better sounding as it is a bit for bit copy of your source Flac file.

I have no idea why it's more unstable. XP is horrible with audio, and loves to 'hitch' every time it has another task to perform - especially on single CPU computers. Vista has XP beat for audio - it also adjust priority for those type of tasks...

Anyway, you were successful.

...it is not listed in my output menu but on a separate one divided (added to the output component) left and right. However the sound does seem better but maybe my ears are cleaner!!

You should just show one component in the configure box (in the separate directory added to output). The single addition will have a left and right channel assignment.
Then you select the ASIO: Transit option in the Output directory.

Are you using the resampler I suggested. It takes quite a bit of CPU workload... Maybe the smaller CPU in the netbook can't handle it.

brucek