AAC or AppleLossless

Question for all you PC and iTunes users:

Do you have bit perfect playback? Or are you listening through kmixer, which upsamples everything to 48 kHz, then usually back down to 44.1 kHz again in the output device.

I have a fairly hi res 2 channel rig (Benchmark DAC-1/MC 2200/MC2102/Vienna Acoustics Beethovens) and can definitely hear kmixer. It is NOT subtle. It is bad.

I understand iTunes is soley a DirectSound/Waveout device, meaning (I think) that ASIO and KS output options are not possible with iTunes. Which means kmixer, baby. I have heard that some soundcards/USB adapotors {RME/M-Audio Transit} work, but no one has verified.

Anybody have a DEFINITIVE answer?

To test, you should be able to play a DTS encoded .wav file via iTunes to an HT Pre/Pro and have it decode properly. If it decodes, it is bit perfect. HDCD would be another way.

I have been unable to do this.

Which means that Apple Lossless, and iTunes are, for me, a non-starter. Big problem as I have multiple iPods, use iTunes, and would like to use apple lossless to rip my collection.

Damn.

Anybody have a workaround?
(Buying a MAC is not an option!)

Regards,

Tom

The big deal is that with a PC based platform running XP, I can't get decent quality out of iTunes because, as a directsound/waveout device, it goes through kmixer.

ASIO matters only because it is one way to bypass kmixer. So there is a sound quality difference with ASIO.

Since you are running an Apple iBook, you don't have the problem.

Racernet,
Understand, there are multiple ways of getting bit perfect from a PC, but iTunes is problematic.

As iTunes/QuickTime is a Directsound/Waveout device only, (so far as I can tell), kernel streaming and ASIO are not an option.

Do you know of a way to use either ASIO or Kernel Streaming with iTunes? That is the problem I'm trying to solve.

If you could test this I would be eternally grateful.

Tom

Chris - Thanks for the tip! Are you using a PC or a MAC? If it's a PC, then problem solved. If not, it's still worth trying out. I'm sure I can borrow an Airport for a day.

Mark - thanks for your kind offer to test sometime. Since the card is only $25, I'll get one to try. I'm currently using an M-Audio 410 and have another home for it. If I can't get an Airport to work, I'm defaulting to a setup like yours, and will re-rip my collection as .wav or with an openly available lossless codec.

Thanks again,

Tom