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How do I optimize J.River with quality sound card

I've been doing a bunch of reading on this site and it's been very informative. I'm trying to wade into the PC audio arena and I would like to do so initially on a small budget.

I currently have a two channel setup with a Rotel CD/integrated amp and Linn speakers. I do not have a stand alone DAC and I would like to set up my PC using a quality sound card initially. I read a good article in the Absolute Sound on the subject and the author used an Echo/Mia Midi soundcard and Foobar2000.

I purchased an Echo Gina sound card which has an internal PCI card with a breakout cable to an external box. The external box has a DAC and both analog and digital I/O connections.

After messing around with Foobar, I find the user interface a little lacking. I think J.River is easier to use and I would like to use that as my software.

So, the question is what steps must I take to use J.River and bypass the KMixer in WinXP. Most of the other posts on this subject reference setup with USB DACs. I may go that route one day, but not yet.

Thanks to all in advance. This is a great site.
bmdduck

Showing 6 responses by bmdduck

bmdduck OP
99 posts
 
Thanks,I'll give it a try.
bmdduck OP
99 posts
 
Thanks Bigamp.

One follow up question...I downloaded the free J.River jukebox program. Does your advice apply to that version or to the version selling for 39.95 on the J.River site? Are there any worthwhile advantages to the pay-for version?
bmdduck OP
99 posts
 
Thanks for the clarification. I think the media center is around 39.95 so I think I'll just purchase that version.

I was reading some info on Benchmark's site and it sounds like you can defeat the KMixer by optimizing WinXP settings (turning sound off, volume full, setting word length and sample rate, etc).

If you make those settings you might not need the ASIO driver. Something to experiment with, I guess.
One other question, I added the Echo Gina, should I also remove the original sound card? Or does setting ASIO for output on J.River know to use the Echo?

Thanks
bmdduck OP
99 posts
 
Is there any way to bypass the KMixer in iTunes like in J.River? Or can anyone provide more detail on how to bypass the KMixer in the Windows control panel?

Is seems like if you can bypass the KMixer in the control panel then you are free to use iTunes or any other program. It seems like that would eleviate a major limitation of Windows vs Mac.
bmdduck OP
99 posts
 
Thanks to everybody. I plan to download JRiver MC 12 then see if it recognizes an ASIO driver for my Echo card. I think the ASIO driver was included with the software.

By the way, can anyone define ASIO?
bmdduck OP
99 posts
 
I finally downloaded the MC 12 version. In the player output options, it shows direct sound and ASIO as choices. Since I have not downloaded any other drivers such as ASIO4ALL I assume that must be the driver that came with the Echo.

Also in the output options, when I choose that device it brings up several Echo GINA choices. Analog 1-2, 3-4, etc and digital outputs. The external box for this sound card has several analog outs (using it's internal DAC) and also digital outs. I assume this means simply which connection I plan to use and not what driver is being used. Does this sound correct?

I still need to get a 1/4 inch to RCA cable to connect the device to the stereo and load some music into the computer. After that I'll do some comparisons using different settings. It's been some effort getting this set up, but I'm getting pretty excited to get it going!
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