Azazelus

Is ASIO avalaible in YouP-Pax-Fiv2.31?
I've read recently that ASIO+Foobar2000(with Otochan plugins) is the best I can get from my audio system (A2 SB0240).
I know there is ASIO component in kX drivers, but this drivers seems to be little outdated (feb 2004).
Do you see any reason I should use Youp's drivers insted of kX (playing music and DVDs, no games or professional music edition)?

carnival

You have Asio support in Youp Pax drivers. These are modded drivers to use with audigy 4 software in audigy/audigy2/audigy2 zs soundcards. The Kx drivers are dedicated to "professional" recording cause they allow a very good DSP support. With Creative and Youp Pax drivers you'll have 24 bits/96 khz support. With the Kx drivers it will be fixed at 16/48. So, if you just want to listen to music and watch dvd movies you should pick the Youp Pax or the Creative ones. Personally, I'd prefer Youp drivers cause they seem to have better sound.

jiiteepee

For music, you can try for example "Native Instruments Traktor BeatPort Player" (free) --> it supports native ASIO (this is a very good sounding player --> deep bass and overall clear sound).
Also MixVibes 6 and "Native Instruments Traktor DJ Studio" have demos available, so you can try if these two makes any improvementsion music quality.

Your problem is the card --> only 16-bit/48 kHz mode available with ASIO --> resampling (not necessarily bad, if you got software resampling). I would buy another card, like M-Audio Audiophile 192, ESI Juli@, E-MU 0404, RME-card, Lynx -card, etc. for better quality.

Foobar2k has it's Kernel Streaming mode (WDM/KS) too (experimental). If it is implemented the way it should be, it should bypass windows kmixer --> works the way ASIO does.

SB0240 does not support 24-bit/96kHz resolution with ASIO driver mode (hard locked to 16/48 mode) --> 24/96 only with WDM and DirectSound driver modes.
If Youp drivers supports ASIO @ 24/96 (with SB0240) then the driver is not true ASIO, but works through WDM/KS (like Asio4All and ks2ASIO drivers does).
With newer Audigy 2 cards (Value, Zs) 24-bit/96 kHz ASIO mode is possible (with creative drivers too ofcource).

I also suppose you're wrong, when you say (if you meant it in this way) Youp ASIO drivers have better sound than some other ASIO drivers --> there is no mixer or any EQ adjustements on native ASIO driver mode, like it is on other driver modes (but not on WDM/KS) because, ASIO bypasses windows kmixer.
I suppose Youp has only modified the EQ.

The best is to use Creative own drivers in any case with Audigy -cards (Live! series cards are another story (supposeingly kx-drivers, Asio4all and asio2ks drivers were all made for Live! cards in the 1st place).

jiitee

carnival

I was talking about the SOUND quality, what comes to your ears, i'm not talking about mixers, equalizers or any other adjustments. That's why people use them, because their quality sound and the possibility to use audigy 4 software with an audigy 2 board. And you'll have an asio 24/96 driver available in an asio vst host like cubase. If it's true 24/96 i don't know. Even Creative guys can't really explain if the dacs resample it or not.

jiiteepee

The sound difference is made with equalization, not with driver itself. A driver (ASIO, WDM(/KS), DS, MME,...) is needed only for transporting data between your playersoftware and the soundcard (ASIO and WDM/KS have the most direct communication with hardware = best possible method, other ones uses windows soundsystem for the same job - If you like, you find some deeper explanation from MS support pages).
If the driver is well implemented, then it won't change a bit of this data. If it's not made by the 'rules' then it is EQ'ed or adjusted (eg. bits are changed, removed or added). Remember, we are talking about digital sources (eg. bits ("1" or "0") which have no "sound" with them).

Supposeingly Youp drivers (there seem to be 3 different packages available for different purposes) are pre-equalized on "hard level" (eg. on .dll level). The base EQ on every version is changed. If the quality you mentioned, comes from that, then why don't you just have an equalizator plugin and make it by yourself (on the software level)?

I think the THX -console is the only 'usable' software you get with Audigy 4 package (THX console comes with 2 ZS package too and this can be installed separately to older Audigy cards without need for full installation of this package).

What's the point, if you get something listed on your listbox but can't use it --> isn't it like you add program links to your Start menu but no programs there (maybe this is just for coolness).
BUT, if this card mentioned on 1st post (SB0240) is the best version of this series cards (platinum pro or eq.) then it may be possible there were support for 24/96 with ASIO --> I doubt since I once had a retail version of this card and it didn't (by the Creative, cards are basically the same).

If Creative support/forum staff don't/can't tell the truth, then you find it by searching the internet and get it all confirmed. You can also test it using RMAA by yourself.

BTW: Why not test your Youp drivers using RMAA .

jiitee

P.S.

Didn't noticed this earlier but, I think this is a really weird statement. Hoping the joke is on quotation marks .

jiitee

Azazelus

Well, I've been strugling with those drivers for two days.
Finally I managed to install YouP PAX and kX (not at the same time of coz) but couldn't install oryginal or beta creative drivers. This message appeared:
"Setup is unable to detect a supported product on your system. Please ensure that your poduct is properly installed byfore running this setup program."
even though I cleared all drivers and keys in registry (also used Driver Creaner).
I coundn't also install A4 ISO. After klicking next on YouP Audigy 4 ISO installation screen nothing happens (only the window is closed). It doesn't matter if I do this after or before installing drivers.
Strange thing, but it turns that I can't install creative drivers/software on creative sound card... Only modded versions.
I don't want to reinstall whole system (win 2003 Ent) but one day maybe I'll try...
If I'm being honest about drivers: as I compared recently PAX and xK I must admit that the second one is in my opinion MUCH better. Maybe If I had equalizer in PAX (but I couldn't install A4 ISO so I didn't have) maybe my opinion will be different. Because I don't play any games I'm staying wikt kXs waiting for 3538 ver.
Cheers.
Az