View Full Version : Foobar 2000 help
hello there. I have successfully set up a wireless desktop computer in my music room and everything is working just about right.
My problem is that I get allot of distortion when playing my music files through Foobar2000.I have turned the gain down which helped allot but I still get distortion during the louder parts of the track. It sounds like my driver is vibrating making a low distorted hum and lasts for a beat
i am using Windows 7 and have installed the wasapi drivers for foobar. current output is set to WASAPI spdif (Cmedia pci audio)with the output format set to 16bit( doesn't work if I turn up to 24 bit).
the soundcard i am using is from Maplin and uses the c media cmi-8738 chip. it has optical and coaxial out.
strangely this also happens direct through the usb as well ( I change the foobar output). I do not get this distortion when playing through my CD player.
all my music is going through a Beresford Caiman with Gator.
I am hoping its just the settings i need to re jig
just to clarify the vibrating sound. It is like a shot low saxophone note. almost like my speakers have reached their limit.
Hmm, i should be able to help here, but tbh I don't have a clue why foobar would do this.
Only replied to show someone was paying attention. :eyebrows:
Stratmangler
12-10-2011, 20:31
If you dig around in the control panel you might find another set of volume controls, and you'll be able to set your maximum output level there.
Have you tried another digital source into the same spdif input on the Caiman? (if it is coax, could you try the other input?)
Also, have you tried another player (or something like Spotify) from the laptop, and do you get the same problem?
Just trying to isolate if it is definitely foobar, and not a generic problem either with the DAC or laptop...
Stratmangler
12-10-2011, 21:26
Just trying to isolate if it is definitely foobar, and not a generic problem either with the DAC or laptop...
What laptop?
What laptop?
Soz - desktop.
Stratmangler
12-10-2011, 21:43
If the OP goes to Start/Control Panel/Sound Speech and Audio Devices/Sounds and Devices/Audio he should be able to get to the main volume control panel and turn things down - thecontrols are probably all set to maximum.
ill try that. post in the morning with results :)
you were right guys.I tried my old CD player as the source again and the same thing happened. The distortion comes out of the left speaker only. does this mean i have a dodgy driver or could it be something else.
i cant see any visible cracks,tears or seems coming loose
Hi Dave - was that with the CD player direct into the amp, bypassing the DAC? If not, try that. If it is still happening, then it will either be the speaker, or the amp. Swap the speakers left to right, and if the distortion moves to the right, then you know it is the speaker not the amp.
Once we know which it definitely is, then we can take it from there.
kininigin
13-10-2011, 09:45
About 15yrs ago,i bought some tannoy mercury M1 speakers from new and one of them had a distortion/vibrating sound coming through when playing music that had alot of upper/lower bass.
Turned out to be something to do with the manufacturing of the speaker.If i remember correctly is was something to do with over use of glue,although i could be wrong.
Are the speakers new dave?
Thanks Alex. I first tried swapping the speaker wires over and the effect changed to the other speaker. i then bypassed the Beresford dac and the distortion has gone. i turned the amp up a bit more to see if the distortion came back but its still clear. does that narrow it down to the dac?
Stratmangler
13-10-2011, 11:40
Sounds like you might be getting too much gain from the Caiman/Gator.
Thanks Alex. I first tried swapping the speaker wires over and the effect changed to the other speaker. i then bypassed the Beresford dac and the distortion has gone. i turned the amp up a bit more to see if the distortion came back but its still clear. does that narrow it down to the dac?
Yes - I think that confirms it is the Caiman or possibly (probably?) the Gator board. What amplifier have you got? Some people have had problems with the gain of the Gator into their amplifiers (myself included - and I suspected this might be the case, which is where my line of enquiry was going! ;)) In my case, it was only a very small amount, and not restricted to one channel, so it sounds a bit more serious with yours. Possible that there is a fault, or perhaps the Gator board itself has come slightly unseated from the mounting sockets. Is it new? I'd be inclined to get in touch with Stan himself if it is, as I am sure he can help. (I'm sure he will try and help even if it isn't new!)
Assuming it isn't new (older than 12 months and out of warranty) and you're happy to open it up, have you got the original Caiman board? If so, swapping that back in would confirm or otherwise that it is the Gator. Another possibility if you don't have the original board is to put a couple of caps in the sockets to do the "Passive Mod" and see if it cures it - but let's not "go there" until you've confirmed the situation re. age etc. (Also, have you tried the headphone socket on the Caiman, and how does it sound?)
Stratmangler
13-10-2011, 12:04
Yes - I think that confirms it is the Caiman or possibly (probably?) the Gator board. What amplifier have you got? Some people have had problems with the gain of the Gator into their amplifiers (myself included - and I suspected this might be the case, which is where my line of enquiry was going! ;))
Yeah, ok.
You don't need to rub it in :rolleyes::lolsign:
I Bought the caiman when it first came out as i did the Gator board. Luckily i still have the old caiman board so i will slot that in and see. this problem occurred when i used my computer as a source. prior to this i have used CD and SB Touch without problems.
my Amp is a 41hz amp 7 professionally made to my requirements at the time. its a monster really capable of around 300 watts per channel. not that i push it.
BRB after this little test
swapped out the Gator for the original board and all is ok. But that got me thinking. Because i am using Foobar that is supposed to be better quality than a CD player and using the Gator which is better quality. could that sound i hear be from the mp3 I am playing.
If it is i feel very stupid :)
looking for a flac comparison
If it is just ONE track... then very possible! :D How about Spotify, or even a good quality You Tube clip - does it do it with those? But let's see how the FLAC experiment goes...
:popcorn: ;)
just played Floyd, Pearl Jam, Kravitz and Adele. All play perfectly. Who ever said 256k mp3 was good blah.I feel a little stupid now:doh:
Thanks for all the help Alex. we got there in the end.
All's well that ends well, then! That said, I'm surprised the MP3 was THAT bad, you usually notice a general drop in quality, but not to the degree that you get distortion. Was it any MP3, or just a particular one or few, out of curiosity?
it was Eva Cassidy- autumn leaves 256k mp3. sound great until about 2 min20 when the instrumental bit starts. big distort around 2min 40. its not a great recording. there is allot of hiss in the background.
Edit. Yes it is live, its the some one on youtube. shame she did not get around to recording it in the studio before she died
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