Sample rate for DAC

[adrichardson81]

Hi all

I've recently upgraded to an external USB DAC/headphone amp (ARCAM IRDAC-II). For music, I use Foobar configured for WASAPI, but I'm not sure what sample rate to enable for games and blu-ray.

The dac is 384kHz, so should I set Windows to mirror it (and presumably upsample any content), or set Windows to match the content? Am I right in thinking games and blu-rays are 48kHz, or are games hi-res these days?

 

[Yaayuh!]

Without creating a long popcorn thread going into padding it all out with zeros and adding upscaling with emptiness. The vast majority source is 16/44, so would generally set to 16/44 or 24/44 but as Wasapi will be doing it's thang and you're running some Blurays, potentially with TrueHD, then set to 24/96 and forget it.

 

[PapaLazaru]

I have a Marantz HD-DAC1 and the manual states whack it up to the max regardless, so it is always 'unlocked' at 192Khz.

 

[Rroff]

I'd say either whack it to max and forget or use 16/96 or 24/96 - I've found some games have problems with 192KHz or higher in Windows 7 not sure if that is the same in Windows 10 which has proper support for 192+KHz.

 

[PapaLazaru]

I'd say either whack it to max and forget or use 16/96 or 24/96 - I've found some games have problems with 192KHz or higher in Windows 7 not sure if that is the same in Windows 10 which has proper support for 192+KHz.

True, sometimes it goes weird, Discord just will not work with it at all for instance, though I only tied it a few times and went back to my gaming dac.

 

[Rroff]

True, sometimes it goes weird, Discord just will not work with it at all for instance, though I only tied it a few times and went back to my gaming dac.

I have a bit of a weird one with it on my main desktop - music, etc. works fine at 192KHz but about 30-40% of games either get no audio at all, go all screechy or randomly glitch and cut out or start popping/crackling, etc. no problem at all at 96KHz.

 

[adrichardson81]

Thanks guys. In that case I'll go with 96kHz and forget about it. I've had issues in the past going over 48kHz with some games in Win 10, but I'm pretty sure I've got them on my ipad/Switch now...

I don't suppose there's an easy way to tell what a game is actually outputting? The DAC software reports it accurately for WASAPI (so Foobar and PowerDVD) but not Direct Sound.

 

[JasonM]

Run my DAC's at either 44 or 48kHz, found if I set any higher sound is not correct and becomes to 'bright' and becomes less linear, noticed this effect on both a Pioneer Amp/DAC and also an Asus ST card, all of my sources are 44/48 that could explain.

 

[Rroff]

I don't suppose there's an easy way to tell what a game is actually outputting?

Most games initialise 16bit/44.1 or 48KHz buffers with 16bit/44.1 samples - or atleast are equivalent depending on compression.