Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

[Lenrd]

First off let me state that db Power Amp, DMC and Power Pack are hands down the BEST music applications I have used on my computer, bar none. The ease of use and the quality of ripped CD's is YEARS above anything else.
This applies to Db Power Amp on my computer (sort of) but also other things as well. I've sort of reached a breaking point on my machine and have received no response from customer support elsewhere, and am hoping that perhaps someone on the board may have been encountering a similar (or same) situation and may be able to help me work this out. Ok, here goes.

I have an Athlon XP2000+
512 DDR PC 2100
Gigabyte motherboard
two drives totally 90 Gig
nVidia GeForce 440mx
Logitech 640z 5.1 speakers
and (the bane of my computing existence since I have received it)

a Soundblaster Audigy2 Platinum

Since receiving and installing this sound card a few months ago, I have had extreme problems in playing sound files. Using other apps, such as iTunes for Windows (using an iPod and HAVE to have it for Audible.com files [audio books]) the sound will garble about 10 seconds into a track and distort if it is playing from the hard drive. If it is playing from a CD it is ok. Same goes for anything on the iPod drive.

I had the same problem with dm Power Amp when I first installed the soundcard some months back, but for some reason it had stopped. It was only when I was looking at the "Amp" settings on the player control panel earlier that I realised I must have switched it to "DirectX" instead of "WaveOut". When I switched it back to WaveOut earlier this evening, the music sounded better HOWEVER it would also eventually click and distort the track and garble it all up (not in ten seconds but within about 5 minutes). It will lock up my sound wave output so badly that it shuts down system sounds like startup sounds and bells and dings and such and the only way I can resolve it is to restart the system.

If I switch the Poweramp back to DirectX output the music will play again, but again, it sounds a bit muddy. But when it is switched to said DirectX output there are NO problems with sound playback. I can let it go for days and run whatever the Hell else I want to on my system - no problems at all.

So getting down to brass. First off, What is the DirectX output on the Amp anyways? I obviously must have switched it to that at one time in the past, and while it has worked like a champ, the sound spectrum doesn't seem as good as when I have it set to "Wave Output"

Secondly, has any one heard of this happening with the Soundblaster Audigy2 Platinum ? I have attempted all the things I have found online already (disableing all unused serial and parallel ports, moving the card to the farthest PCI slot, uninstalling and reinstalling) and it has been all to no avail.

While I know this isn't completley about PowerAmp specifically, I have read the forums here and you all seem to know much MUCH more about what you are doing than I obviously do. Furthermore, frustraion has set in deeply and I am close to putting my foot through the G** Damned case and calling it a day. While I am sure the initial feeling would be very cathartic, in the long run I believe that would only be a fleeting feeling of euphoria followed quickly by regret. I've attempted contacting Creative Labs but I only get automated responses from them telling me to do the exact same thing I have already done.

Mainly, it is the fact that I like and recommend the Power amp and converter programs so much because I think it is the best damn thing I have used. So much that I appeal to any and all of you for your wisdom in such matters. If I have posted this in the wrong place, please accept my apoligies.

I hope someone out there can help, or at least point me in the right direction.

Thanks for your time.

[Spoon]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

I would try the KxDrivers for this sound card:

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=3345

[RossRoy]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

Yes, the KX drivers would help, they offer much more quality, and I don't know if it's the placebo effect or what, but it seems the sound has much more of "bang" than with the Creative drivers.

But, if you want to stick with Creative, for whatever reason, you could try forcing Windows into Standard PC mode instead of ACPI. ACPI mode makes just about everything use the same IRQ (9 or 11 usually) so basically you have a system with 16 nice IRQ to choose from, but Microsoft, in their infinite *cough* wisdom *cough* chose to make every PCI/AGP device use the same IRQ. So while you do have 16 IRQ available for your hardware devices, you end up with not even half of them used, and 4-5 devices per IRQ, which of course will create problems. The only way to correct that, is to force Windows into Standard PC mode and have the BIOS on your motherboard assign the different IRQ.

Well, if that last bit was too technical for you, just tell me what version of Windows you are running and I'll point you to a page that explains how to disable ACPI.

Disabling ACPI is also recommended when using the KX drivers, BTW.

[Lenrd]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

Thank you both for your suggestions.
Where would I find the KX Drivers? When I clicked on the hyperlink in the message it only opened up another page on the forum where someone was describing a problem with the KX Drivers, not the download itself.

When I went into the system manager and checked the IRQ settings, it shows the Creative on IRQ 16, if that means anything.

I'm using Windows XP Home.

Anxiously awaiting your response. And once again, much thanks for your help

[RossRoy]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

The KX drivers are available on http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/index.php?skip=1

[Lenrd]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

ACPI
I found and downloaded the drivers and they work MUCH better. With iTunes specifically, I let the program run music for around an hour, and while the program STILL peaks the CPU usage around 10 seconds into the track, followed by a slight pause, it DOES continue to play instead of getting all garbled up. Running other apps on the machine in toto made it a bit more sketchy, but on the whole the new drivers worked.

When I use dm poweramp however, it sounded FREAKING FANTASTIC!!!!!!! Seriously man, my computer hasn't sounded this good. While I have noticed some minor clicks and pops opening windows or apps on my machine here and there, overall the experience has been very VERY successful. God bless you guys. When I wrote last night on the board, it was literally a last ditch effort on my part.
The interface on the new drivers seemed a bit overwhelming to me at least initially. I will look for instructions online somewhere. At first it was only playing through the rear two speakers, but when I switched to 5.1 channel sound, it came on like a champ.

The sound on iTunes by comparison, sounds muddy in comparison to playing through PowerAmp, which sounds much much better. Any ideas why that would be since (I assume) they are going through the same output?

There are a couple of interfaces on iTunes that I think are kind of neat, especially in conjunction with the iPod (keeping track of the number of times each song is played, rating system, etc). But overall the interface seems to not give you much "choice" in terms of settings, which I don't like. While I'm no expert (obviously) I'm not a total moron either. Unfortunately since I am using the iPod for audible.com audiobooks, it looks like I am stuck with it at least where transferring files go. I'll ask about Sveta on another post since I know it doesn't belong here.

Furthermore, it seems obvious that many other people have experienced the frustration with Creative that I have had, which is legion. I mean someone was fed up enough that they wrote their own drivers (and whomever you are, my hat is off to you). What the Hell is wrong with them to where they would release a card and drivers that

Finally you mentioned something about disabling ACPI. I'm running Windows XP home. I figured if it is reccommended for KX, so how would I go about doing it?

Thank you all again, you really truly did make my day on this.

[RossRoy]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

Disabling ACPI is not an easy task, but it would probably rid you of the clicks and pops you hear when opening windows and doing other tasks. What happens is you sound card probably shares the same IRQ as your video card.

Have a read there

http://www.tweakersasylum.com/tapages.php?filnavn=Guides/ACPI/ACPIRedux/00000001.htm

This should give you all the information you need about what the problem is, and how to resolve it.

Be advised that you may have to reinstall Windows, so make sure you have backups of everything that's important for you.

[Spoon]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

>The sound on iTunes by comparison, sounds muddy in comparison to playing through PowerAmp

Shouldn't really be a difference, although I can notice a difference between DirectX output and Waveout (dAP options Menu >> Amp >> output to) - at least I could do when I had a SoundBlaster live installed.

[RossRoy]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

Out of curiosity, what soundcard do you have now Spoon?

[Spoon]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

Terratec Aureon Space 7.1, I posted the quality results on AudioSense, not bad - their drivers could be better...

[Unregistered]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

[Thanks again for your information. Had a couple of weird questions that don't necessarily apply to dp stuff, but since you were the guys who answered my last question I figured I would ask you since you seem to know more than anyone else online.

I had to reinstall the KX drivers last week on my system when for no apparent reason I lost all the sound in the 4 satellite speakers. Sound was only coming out of the center speaker and subwoofer. And then only the subwoofer when I did the test.

Anyways I reinstalled the drivers and now it is set incredibly LOUD. I don't mean the volume on the computer in the control panel. For example on db Power amp I have it only turned up 2 and one quarter "rectangles" on the Music collection player. Furthemore, the speakers that I am using are manually turned up to only about 35% on the knob (Logitech Z640 speakers). I've attempted to change the master volume controls on the control panel in KX as well as the system volume controls, but no go on it. I can't really turn it up much past this because it gets too loud (I'm using the computer at my workplace as a sort of jukebox so I can't have it abrasively loud since I won't be able to hear the customers)

Additionally, I was telling you the other day about the distorted sound in iTunes at about 10 seconds into any given track. While KX has helped that CONSIDERABLY in that there may be a gap in the music, it WILL continue to play. Times before, it would distort and then I would no longer get any sound at all.


Well the weird thing is last night I had my computer at home and had a cheap pair of speakers (just 2 speakers) hooked up into the second port of the Soundblaster Audigy2 card. I only plugged them in for reference to listen on the computer, not for long term listening.

The weird thing I noticed was that there was NO sound distortion at ALL while using these speakers. And again, I don't mean like flutter in the speakers, I mean the clicks and gaps in the sound as it comes from the comptuer. So for the hell of it I opened up itunes and let it play for about 10 minutes, and while the system resources still peaked out at 100% 10 seconds into any track, there was no skipping or stuttering on playback. I spot checked the other connectors on the sound card (replugging the single 8vmini into the subwoofer port and the rear speaker channel and again had none of those annoying clicks and sound gaps that seem so prevalant when I am using this computer at work.

So could it be something with the speakers I am using here at work? I mean on the surface I wouldn't think so since all they are are, well, speakers with 8v mini plugs that go into the soundcard. But on the other hand, I didn't experoence any of those annoying symptons at home when I was playing music.

I dunno. It's been baffling, to be sure.
as always thanks for any suggestions. You guys are the greatest. If you lived in my hometown, I'd buy you a beer

[Spoon]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

Can you take your speakers home?

[Lenrd]

QUOTE=Spoon]Can you take your speakers home? [/QUOTE]

LOL - I thought about it but I'm at work more than I am at home, really. Additionally, with the 5.1 speakers here at work, I can enjoy playing music more that way (and the customers seem to also) - the speakers that I have at home are the nondescript 2 speaker model that you can buy for 10 bucks or so.

Which is why it is so annoying that the programs WORK on the crummy speakers, but not on the GOOD speakers.

It's really baffling. I've not a clue as to why it is dong that.....

[RossRoy]

Re: Sound Distortion with Audigy2 in Computer

Maybe your 5.1 speakers need replacement? Maybe you have a defective unit?