Foobar/ Wasapi Accepts IFI USB As Source but no other USBs

2023-12-02 19:27:37

My new Aune X8 anniversary won't play from USB. My IFI Zendac V2 auto connects USB perfectly every time and will play in Windows Media Player and From WASAPI/ Foobar 2000. The X8 seems to pair USB and shows up in the windows devices as Aune X8 but doesn't play. It does play from Windows Media if I first connect another USB device such as the TeraLink USB interface and send optical to the X8, although it sounds terrible with the stock opamp by comparison to the IFI (I have a top of the line double Sparkos Pro discrete opamp waiting but I am not going to even touch the screws to open the hatch if it seems like I must give up and send the X8 back). Or maybe it's the optical. The Zendac V2 doesn't have optical and the X8 isn't working on the USB, so, apples to apples is not possible. It did play from Windows Media Player via USB when I first connected it, but not from WASAPI, even though it does show up as a WASAPI device in Foobar every time. So, I went to Aune and downloaded a "USB driver" from the X8 page, and now it won't play anywhere from USB. The TeraLink and Douk USB converters shows up in Foobar devices but also similarly won't play and throws the same message "no device".

Note... Comparing the IFI Zendac V2 between Windows Media Player and WASAPI/ Foobar2000... WASAPI absolutely KILLS IT with much better see through transparency and detail. Even if it strangely has a noticeably lower level than the Windows Kernel mixer it is avoiding with everything on 100%

Re: Foobar/ Wasapi Accepts IFI USB As Source but no other USBs

Reply #1 – 2023-12-03 12:27:03

So, I did get the Douk Audio USB to SPDIF convertor to connect as shared to WASAPI so now I can at least listen to the Aune X8 and Sparkos Pro opamps in Foobar. Hopefully someone at Aune will get back to me as to why the X8 USB mostly fails to show up anywhere so I can hear it without the extra components in the path.

Re: Foobar/ Wasapi Accepts IFI USB As Source but no other USBs

Reply #2 – 2023-12-03 13:56:41

Just in case any digital filter experts are interested, here are the impulse responses of the various filters in the Aune X8 XVIII that can be selected. I tend to prefer the Minimum Phase filters over the Linear Phase filters and have settled on the hybrid for now.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/aune-x8-my-overview.42576/#post-1612963

Re: Foobar/ Wasapi Accepts IFI USB As Source but no other USBs

Reply #3 – 2023-12-04 03:26:33

These instructions were posted by another user on Head-Fi. Thanks a million. This had been costing me too much time.

http://aune.hifidiy.net/aune_en/X8_XVIII/auneUSBdacGuideEN.pdf

I followed it all through the settings and now the Aune X8 USB works for everything as it should. It was a battle unlike the other three USB components I have that all started working as soon as I plugged them in.

The good news is the X8 USB is working in WASAPI now.
The bad news is the Douk Audio USB to SPDIF converter sounds better than the X8's USB
The good news is that the Douk costs $60 and is the size of 2 match books and USB powered. And my cheap DIY Belden Cat 6E digital RCA cord sounds good enough to outperform the X8's USB (and the toslink from the Douk)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085XPRSGM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details