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MARANTZ GUIDE TO PC-AUDIO

Contents: Introduction

• Introduction As you know, in recent years the way to listen to music has
changed. There has been a progression from the use of physical
• Digital Connections media to a more digital approach, allowing access to unlimited
digital entertainment content via the internet or from the library
• Audio Formats and TAGs stored on a computer. It can be iTunes, Windows Media Player or
streaming music or watching YouTube and many more. The com-
• System requirements puter is a centre piece to all this entertainment.

• System Setup for PC and MAC The computer is just a simple player and in a standard setup the
performance is just average or even less.
• Tips and Tricks But there is also a way to lift the experience to a complete new
level of enjoyment, making the computer a good player, by giving the
• High Resolution audio download responsibility for the audio to an external component, for example a
“USB-DAC”. A DAC is a Digital to Analogue Converter and the USB
• Audio transmission modes terminal is connected to the USB output of the computer.

Doing so we won’t be only able to enjoy the above mentioned

standard audio, but gain access to high resolution audio too,
exceeding the CD quality of 16-bit / 44.1kHz. It is possible to enjoy
studio master quality as 24-bit/192kHz recordings or even the
SACD format DSD with a bitstream at 2.8MHz and even 5.6MHz.
However to reach the above, some equipment is needed which
needs to be set up and adjusted. This document will guide you
through this journey to PC-Audio. It will provide you with the
information you need to get a good understanding for the topic.
As a reference product we will use the Marantz Reference Network
Audio Player NA-11S1 with USB-DAC.

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The NA-11S1 has been designed to give you access to a wide other digital inputs
range of music from a variety of different sources such as:
As you will discover, there are two different USB ports on the
• Internet Radio via your internet connection. NA-11S1. The first of these (USB-A) is conveniently placed on the
• all your music stored on a PC / Mac or NAS (network attached front so you can plug in a USB key, a Smartphone or a portable
storage) drive through to your home computer network. HDD. This is a synchronous connection and is the simplest method
• (stream) your music stored on an iDevice or in an iTunes library of implementing USB audio from portable devices.
by using AirPlay.
• files stored on a Smartphone, USB stick or a Portable
Hard Drive via the front USB-A connection. This is a USB-A port.
• files stored on your computer by a direct connection of the
PC / Mac via the rear USB-B connection.
The Second USB-B port on the rear panels is for connecting a
In this document we will mainly focus on the last option on the list, PC or Mac directly, and supports not only PCM signals up to 192
the USB-B connectivity as this is the recommended way for music kHz/24bits, but also DSD 2.8MHz and 5.6 MHz for maximised
lovers to enjoy their music in the best quality possible. The player versatility. This counts for the NA-11S1. Other USB-DAC’s might
acts as a DAC – Digital to Analogue Converter (in fact it replaces not support all resolutions. Additionally, for the NA-11S1 a newly
the soundcard of your PC / MAC) and directly converts the digital developed Ground/Signal isolator technology helps to reduce PC
music signal to analogue domain to hand it over to the amplifier. noise for the highest quality sound.

But first let’s dig a bit more into the different ways of accessing
music to get a better understanding and clarify some terminology. This is a USB-B port.
When you finish the document you will have all the information you
need to get the best audio performance from your PC-Audio and,
specifically, from the NA-11S1. Using this connection will bypass your PC audio board (soundcard)
to directly access the high quality DAC of the external player. There
are other technologies to it, such as “asynchronous mode” and
“bit-transparent mode”, but this will be explained at a later stage
dIGItAL ConnECtIons when we are going to explain how to use this connection and how
to get the best audio quality. Another big benefit of this PC to DAC
LAn-Local Area network connection is that there is no file limitation, as everything playing
on your PC / Mac media player will be reproduced by the NA-11S1,
Let’s start off with the LAN connection and it possibilities. You most as long as it is a stereo signal in PCM or DSD.
probably are already familiar with it so we will just touch on it.
The LAN connection gives you access to the internet via the router
and to all the PC, Mac or NAS-Drives located in your network. You
can directly access more than 10,000 internet radio stations and
Podcasts, and stream music stored on your PC / Mac and also from a Just to complete the list of digital inputs we need to mention here
NAS drive. All your downloaded or locally ripped music is accessible. the optical and the coaxial digital connection. By these the NA-11S1
It is also important to know that there is some limitation to the file can be used as high end DAC as well for other devices with this
formats. It is most common that the following files can be handled by type of digital output, for example an Apple TV or other device, to
network players: MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, FLAC and by better players dramatically increase their audio performance. On the image below
the high resolution ALAC, FLAC HD and also WAV files. you can see these inputs together with the USB-B input on the right.
In addition you will have direct access to internet streaming services
such as Spotify and last.fm, and you can use AirPlay to stream music
from an iDevice or iTunes. Android smartphones will use the DLNA
capability here.

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Audio Formats and TAGs However, as memory size is no big issue anymore and internet
speed is high, there is no good argument left today to go for data
Let’s first make a quick review of the most used audio reduced formats as shown above. So let’s have a look at the below
format. no-data- reduced formats and you will recognise a trend to even
exceed the quality level which a standard CD can deliver, by new
For this we need just to step back to the original digital audio source audio formats downloadable from the internet.
on the market, the CD. To get the analogue audio signal stored on a
CD it needs to be digitized and this is done with a technology called Here are the most common Lossless compression formats:
PCM signal (Pulse Code Modulation). For the CD the PCM signal is
fixed to a 44.1 kHz sample frequency and 16bit resolution, so it is ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) 24bit/96kHz max (most used is
often referred to 44.1 kHz/16bit. Packed with a special algorithm this 16 bit/44.1 kHz)
information is stored on a CD. If you store it on a computer the format
will change to be compatible with the PC operation system. WMA Lossless (Windows Media Audio Lossless) 24bit/96kHz
(most used is 16 bit/44.1kHz)
On a PC, the equivalent of PCM from a CD gets the file extension
.WAV (Waveform Audio File Format WAVE/WAV). On a Mac this will FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), it’s an open source codec
be .AiFF (Audio Interchange File Format). GNU GPL; often used is 16 bit/ 44.1kHz, but 24bit/88,2kHz and
However the files require a big memory space. Therefore formats 24bit/96kHz gained a lot of popularity lately. And for high definition
have been introduced to the markets which compress audio to reduce audio there is FLAC HD with 192kHz/24bit.
the memory space required. Some are lossy (data reduced - lost)
others just compress the file, but keep the original quality – lossless These 3 are lossless compression formats and also include the
formats. useful tag functionalities.

Metadata - TAGs All above are PCM – Pulse Code Modulation – Signals; however
there is another very interesting audiophile format called DSD.
Beside the need for large-size memory, there is another disadvan-
tage of WAV files. WAV can only carry very limited metadata’s DSD or Direct Stream Digital is a one bit recording format and
(tags). However, tags are very useful as these contain information is used on SACD – the Super Audio CD offering much higher resolu-
about the artist, title, album, cover art, etc., in other words, every- tion than standard audio CD. By that, it gained a reputation as an
thing that is needed to build up and maintain a music library easily. audiophile medium.
The WAV format isn’t the best choice to do so. That’s why it isn’t so
often used even though the quality is like the original CD. If you store the information of an SACD on you PC or download a
Other formats that do support tags are listed below and are pre- file from the Internet, you will find two file extensions: DSF and DFF.
ferred over WAV, but we have to be careful because of the quality. DSF has the ability to hold metadata (TAG) and DFF doesn’t. Both
Let’s start from the Lossy audio compression formats that are used can be played back on your computer running a supporting media
most, due to their small size and ease-to-exchange on the web. player. To transfer the digital audio signal via USB, a technol-
However as “lossy” already tells you, they don’t offer same quality ogy will be used known as DoP – DSD over PCM. DoP is an open
as WAV. Standard Method for transferring DSD Audio over PCM Frames. On
the DAC side the signal will then be converted back from PCM to
MP3 is a data reduced (lossy) audio compression format that saves the original DSD stream without any loss. It’s just a way of sending
a lot of space but also decreases the audio quality. It’s available in data in an already known standard. There are two types of resolu-
different compressions like 96kbs (kilobits per second), 128, 192 tion available. These are 2.8MHz as used on SACD, but as well
and 320 kbs. The higher the number, the better the quality. 5.6MHz, so double the resolution. Files will be marked as
DSD2.8 / DSD64 or DSD5.6 / DSD128. The 64 or 128 just mark
AAC the most used for iPod’s, iPhone’s and iTunes is also a com- the multiple of the standard CD sample frequency.
pression format, and also lossy format.
You remember? Correct 44,1kHz. 64 x 44,1khz = 2.8MHz and 128 x
WMA is the Microsoft Windows Media Audio Format and it’s also 44,1kHz = 5.6MHz.
a compressed and lossy format. All are used because of lower data,
less memory required and faster transmission when downloading
from the internet.

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usB-B ConnECtIon In dEtAIL systEm rEQuIrEmEnts

High End audio dAC mode through usB-B port. In order to enjoy the best sound we will now explain how to make it
happen.
First of all this port is using the most advanced technologies to get
the best sound from your audio files. There is no limitation by the List of equipment
NA-11S1 audio DAC, as it handles 2ch PCM and DSD by DoP
provided by the PC / MAC. You can enjoy any file stored on your Audio Files, PC, Media Player on PC, USB-DAC cable, Driver for
computer and which can be played back by the media player on USB-B DAC, USB-B DAC
the PC, as long as it will be outputted via the USB-A connection
on the PC. The USB-B port is on the player, here the NA-11S1.

PC / Mac A Player JRiver or Audirvana A good USB-A to USB-B Cable

The USB cable pointing to the Marantz needs to be a USB-B type one.

A quick overview of the usB-B possibilities: Marantz NA-11S1 Driver NA-11S1

1st It will bypass the audio board of your PC / Mac in order to avoid all
digital noise from your PC / Mac the music files

First we need high end audio files like Flac HD and DSF (DSD). In
2nd It will also be able to bypass the audio mixer in your computer
case you don’t have any yet you can work with standard files too.
which is a source for distortion.
It is not just limited to FLAC HD or DSF as we explained before. All
Ex: The mixer is the DSP of the PC where all sound from any software
formats can be played. However for the best quality you can get
will be mixed together and sent to the speakers, but in order to achieve
high definition files downloaded from the internet. At the end of
this mixing the DSP has to convert all different formats coming from
the document we will list some web sites offering such high end
different software. This this will heavily modify the audio file and lower
audio tracks.
the sound quality. When we bypass the audio mixer, the original audio
file will be outputted bit-perfect – no modification to original signal then we need a so called bit-perfect player
happens.
A common thinking is that digital is equal to digital, however this
3rd The asynchronous mode as available on the NA-11S1 will give is only the case if the data in the received file is “bit-perfect” to
control over the timing of audio data transmission to the receiver side the playback file. However, this often not the case if you are using
(USB-DAC), thereby minimising jitter for best audio performance. a PC as a source. In a PC the data signal has to pass many stages
of input and output before the signal will be outputted via the USB
4th It’s compatible with all file formats including DSD via DoP connection to the USB-DAC.
(all the formats that your PC software player can read). This differs First, the computer will use the on board DAC (Digital Audio Con-
by USB-DAC specification. verter). All computers have an internal DAC, generally of poor qual-
ity, simply because the primary purpose of such a machine does not
For all these reasons, it is worth spending some time to investigate offer any guarantee in terms of quality sound reproduction. This is
these new possibilities, as more and more serious music companies why music lovers often use an external DAC. However it is not all
offer High End Audio tracks like FLAC HD in 24bits/192 kHz and DSD about an external DAC.
files in 2.8Mhz / 5.6 MHz for download. This allows us to listen to music
files with the same High End quality that we had on Super Audio CD’s. The OS “operating system” running on the computer itself contains
a set of functions responsible for processing audio streams more
or less “neutral”, ideally without altering them. This software layer
should not interfere with the characteristics of the signal, but in
practice this is not the case, so one source of distortion. And
ultimately, the incoming signal to the DA converter may be very

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different than it was initially. In addition, there are various interfer- The goal is to use the Bit –Perfect mode also known as “Bit-
ence phenomena due to the mixer that allows different programs transparent” mode. This means that all the data of the audio file
to play sound at the same time (mail coming in when you listen is exactly the same as received in the NA-11S1. Note this is not
to music for example) and it’s also related to the environment and possible with any USB-DAC. The DAC, here the NA-11S1, needs to
highly disturbed electrical computer. support this too.

Let’s have a look to the complete chain. 2nd We also need a driver for the nA-11s1 (only for PC)
A lot of devices which can have an influence. For a PC, the driver is very important and you need to install it
before connecting your NA-11S1 to your computer. For Mac opera-
tion there is no dedicated driver installation required, at least not
Of course: not to forget about the cable between PC and external DAC. for the NA-11S1. However this might be different for other USB-
The first 5 boxes represent the PC while the last box is the USB-DAC. DAC devices.

The Driver will allow the NA-11S1 to control the clock, so the
 
rhythm in which it receives the audio information. This is called
Media  
Player
Mixer
Windows Kernel Driver
PCM  
stream  via   NA11S1 Asynchronous mode and is needed to avoid Jitter, which dete-
Sounds USB
riorates the signal quality. It will also give important information to
the PC about the specification of the connected USB-DAC. Once the
driver is installed on the PC the USB-DAC (here NA-11S1) can be
directly selected in the software media player as the output device
1. media player – software running on your computer to play (soundcard).
back the audio files
2. mixer – this one will add the Windows Sounds to the original 3rd there is a need for a good usB cable to connect the player
signal (if not by-passed) to your Computer. It is not recommended to use a cable longer than
3. Kernel – handling all the process to transfer the digital audio 5m. And the quality of shielding will also have some influence
signal on the sound quality. It is recommended to test several cables to
4. driver – ensures the audio signal will be properly transferred optimise performance.
to the USB output in asynchronous mode (USB-DAC defines the
clock and timing of the audio package sent)
Audio handling inside a PC

To better understand this, take a look at the audio-handling dia-

gram below – From the Media Player the audio will be send by
1st we will need a bit-perfect is a player that will allow send-
Direct Sound, the default setting, through the Mixer, while Kernel
ing the complete data bit-to-bit without skipping or modifying any
Streaming and Wasapi Event Style bypasses it. The dedicate driver
of the original data. So we will get the integer signal from the
installed will allow the NA-11S1 to take the lead for the data re-
original file. Standard media players such as iTunes and Windows
quest – this is called Asynchronous Mode.
Media Player do not support bit-perfect transmission. Furthermore,
they have limitations on the playable file formats.
 
Direct  
That’s why we recommend players like jRiver Media Center 18 for Sound Asynchronous
(DS)
PC (MAC is in beta testing phase) and Audirvana (time being Mac
only). Other software media players are available on the market, Media  
Mixer PCM  
Windows Kernel Driver stream  via   NA11S1
but we like to focus on these two for now as they support not only Player
Sounds USB

PCM-Signals but DSD streaming via DoP as well.

Kernel  Streaming  
(KS)
Wasapi  Event  Style  
For the Bit-Perfect transmission we need to make some setting
on the computer and the Software Player to get everything working
together smoothly. These settings will allow us to bypass the Win-
dows Sound Mixer (see below graphic) and on Mac we will give Just for the PC environment the Media player, for example JRiver,
the priority to the audio sent to the player over any other sound. default setting is Direct Sound and uses the Mixer. So it is neces-
These settings will affect the Audio Output Mode and key tech- sary to change the setting to Wasapi “Event style” streaming.
nologies here are Kernel streaming and WAsAPI Event style, Wasapi stands for Windows Audio session Application Program-
beside others. ming Interface.

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Attention Wasapi is designed to work with Windows Vista and 1. Install the nA-11s1 usB driver on the PC
higher, but doesn’t work on Windows XP. For Windows XP Kernel
streaming needs to be used. But note; it doesn’t support dsd Download the driver from the www.marantz.com website, visiting
over doP. the NA-11S1 product site. Installation guidelines are attached to it.
Please follow accordingly.
AsIo is means Audio Stream Input / Output and is another method
to bypass the Audio Mixer and in addition the Kernel but we won’t notE: never connect the nA-11s1 before having installed
go into detail here. the driver. Operation will not occur correctly if connected to the
computer before the dedicated driver has been installed.
This mainly covers the PC. On a mac the Mixer is called Audio
Core and to bypass it there is a so-called “hog mode” available
which needs to be activated in the Media Player, like with Wasapi 2. Connect nA-11s1 by usB cable to the PC
or Kernel Streaming. It’s called here; “exclusive mode” and
“integer mode”. Connect the PC to NA-11S1 by a USB-A to USB-B cable and select
the PC input on the NA-11S1 by remote or input button on the front.
More information on these modes will be given at the end of the
Document.

sEtuP For PC And mAC

With above you have got the information to understand PC-Audio

The PC will automatically detect the new USB device and will show
well and we can start to show you by the example of jRiver Media
a graphic similar to below. Then you can proceed with step 3.
Center for PC and Audirvana for Mac how to reach the best audio
performance.

sEtuP For HIGH End AudIo WItH

JrIVEr mEdIA CEntEr on PC
The single steps to follow;

1. Install the NA-11S1 USB driver on the PC

2. (Windows 7 is recommended, Windows XP doesn’t support 3. Install jriver media Center
DSD streaming)
3. Connect NA-11S1 by USB cable to the PC The software can be downloaded as a trial version at the
4. Install jRiver Media Center www.jRiver.com site. After download just execute the installation.
5. Setup jRiver Media Center Restart your computer and open the Media Center software.
6. Enjoy

NOTE: Screen shots on your PC might look

different depending on software version.
However setup will be similar as described here.

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4. Setup jRiver Media Center

Open your Media Player and select tools à and Option

This will open below setup window

Select Audio then on the right Output Mode

Here you have to change the Mode to Wasapi Event Style. In
case of Windows XP please select Kernel Streaming. This is to
bypass the Windows Audio Mixer.

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Now click on the line just under: Output setting mode.

This will open a new window

In this setup box please select Marantz NA-11S1 as Audio device.

All outputted audio signals will be now send to the USB output
to which the NA-11S1 is connected to. The NA-11S1 is now your
soundcard for all music playback via the Media Center player.

Buffering: This doesn’t need to be changed, however if you experi-

ence drop outs while playing back your music you can try to im-
prove by adjusting the buffer size.

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For DSD streaming (DoP Mode) one more setting is required. Please
note this is only possible for Windows Vista and newer operation
systems. Windows XP doesn’t support this.

For Bitstreaming option please select Custom…

Just Select DSD over PCM only, as we don’t want to send any Enjoy
multichannel as Dolby Digital to our stereo player NA-11S1. Select PC input on NA-11S1 and start the music track on the Media
Player.
Please note the detail and check DoP format is on DoP and not on
Legacy.

Now all settings are done and you can start to enjoy your
music. Congratulations!

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sEtuP For HIGH End AudIo WItH A setup box with general setting will be opened.
AudIrVAnA on mAC
1. USB driver installation
2. Connect NA-11S1 by USB cable to the PC
3. Install Audirvana
4. Setup Audirvana
5. Enjoy

Attention it is MAC iso PC this time.

NOTE: Screen shots on your MAC might look different depending

on software version. However setup will be similar as described
here.
Select the Audio system then select Preferred Audio Device click
1. usB-driver installation on Change
For Mac operation there is no dedicated driver installation required,
at least not for the NA-11S1. However this might be different for
other USB-DAC devices.

2. Connect nA-11s1 by usB cable to the PC

Connect the PC to NA-11S1 by a USB-A to USB-B cable and select
the PC input on the NA-11S1 by remote or input button on the front.

The Mac will automatically detect the new USB device.

3. Install Audirvana Select USB High Speed Audio, this is the NA-11S1. This will only
The software can be downloaded as a trial version at the appear if the NA-11S1 is connected and set to PC input.
www.audirvana.com site. After download just execute the
installation. Restart your computer and open the Audirvana
software.

4. setup Audirvana player

Open your Audirvana Music Player and select Audirvana Plus à
and Preferences

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On the Active Audio Device select DSD over PCM standard 1.0 so now let’s have a look on this screenshot for a final
This will authorise DoP functionality check:

At the top, USB High Speed Audio is selected.

Active audio Device is on the USB High Speed Audio plus Native
DSD over PCM (DoP) is activated and, as you can see, all the for-
mats that can be streamed are now shown in green
And we also have the Exclusive Access mode (hog mode) and
the Integer mode activated.

Now you are ready to enjoy your high end audio files.

Enjoy

Now please check that the Exclusive access mode is selected,

this is the hog mode that gives priority to the player and avoids
mixed sounds.
Also check for the integer mode, this is one step higher to by-pass
the UNIX mixer from the OSX

Here in the red part select Exclusive access mode;

Direct Mode and Integer mode.

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Tip And Tricks to get the best from Online portals for music downloads
your USB-DAC
Here just a list of some interesting portals for high resolution audio.
1. Select a good USB cable (sound will be strongly influ- More are out there and number is growing.
enced by the USB cable; interference & noise)
2. USB-Cable: Not longer than 5m, and the quality of Blue Coast Records http://bluecoastrecords.com/         
shielding will also have some influence on the sound Downloads NOW! http://downloadsnow.net
quality. Test several cables to optimise performance. 2L: www.2l.no/hires/index.html
Try adding a Ferrite Core as used on some network
MA Recordings:  http://marecordings.com  
cables.
Cybele Records: www.cybele.de     
3. We strongly recommend you to add a Ferrite Core on
your network cable to minimize noise interferences. David Elias: www.davidelias.com
Ferrite Core is shown below. Ototoy from Japan: 
http://ototoy.jp/feature/index.php/sound_and_recording
Wheatus:   http://wheatus.com/
HD Tracks: www.hdtracks.com
Highres Audio: www.highresaudio.com
Naim Music: www.naimlabel.com
4. For the PC / Mac an SSD hard disc is preferable – SSD Linn Records: www.linnrecords.com
stands for Solid State Disk and has, in comparison to
Qobuz:  www.qobuz.com
standard hard disc, no rotating elements inside. An-
other step to reduced interference. Sound will be even
smoother and more detailed.  
5. Use your PC or Mac only for Music listening. Kill all Free DSD Audio Downloads
unnecessary running apps. There is no need for a high
performance super-fast PC. Standard processor is just Blue Coast Records and AudioGate 
fine. http://audiogate.bluecoastrecords.com/
6. If you use Spotify streaming service, make sure you set
the data rate to 320kps – highest resolution. More can be found on
7. DSD playback. The NA-11S1 supports DSD2.8Mhz (64) http://www.audiostream.com/content/hd-music-download-sites
and DSD5.6Mhz (128). In case of DSD2.8 playback http://dsd-guide.com/where-can-you-find-dsd-music-downloads
“DSD 2.8224MHz” will be shown. For DSD5.6 it is
“DSD>2.8224MHz”, this >means bigger than 2.8.

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Windows: ASIO and ASIO4ALL

Audio transmission modes
ASIO means Audio Stream Input / Output and is another method to
Looking for bit perfect sound! – Audio transmission modes bypass the Audio Mixer and in addition the Kernel, to let the media
explain in details player directly talk to the USB-DAC. ASIO was built for XP but it
works on all OS. ASIO was created to overcome the USB Audio 1.1
Windows: direct sound limitations. On USB 1.1 only 48 kHz/16bit in direct sound mode was
possible, but with ASIO 96 kHz/24bit.
It’s the standard playback mode on a Windows PC.
ASIO is bit-perfect.
It goes thru the kernel mixer, that acts as an interface of the OS
kernel between the various sound sources in a PC (PC sound, MIDI,
players, etc…) and the sound card’s driver. All the various sources Mac OS: Core Audio
can produce sounds with different sampling frequencies; the kernel Core Audio is the Mac equivalent for the Windows Audio Mixer
mixer will resample all the various audio streams to a unique sam- and handles any kind of audio information – input and output. Core
pling frequency and allows them to be mixed before sending them audio works in floating point like WASAPI, a double conversion is
to the audio card. But this mix will be at a low frequency (standard necessary, on both player and driver side.
44.1 kHz). On top of this the mixer will add some treatment (dy-
namic compression, tone control, loudness control, etc…) so this Core Audio is not bit-perfect
will generate a low sound quality.

For this reason, we should avoid direct sound mode for the best
Mac OS: “hog mode”
sound quality.
The difference between Core audio and hog mode operation is
that Core audio allows more than one client to access the driver at
This is not bit perfect
the same time. The Core more mode will have the same issue that
we already see on the Direct Sound streaming in windows so we
Windows: kernel streaming will lose sound quality. To avoid this, on Mac we will use the “hog
Kernel streaming is the “audiophile” playback mode for Windows. mode”. The “hog mode” needs to be activated in the Media Player.
Standard players such as WMP or iTunes do not support this mode The mode will allow the player to get first priority when started and
at the moment, so a dedicated media player is required. The audio block all other audio devices, so in this case we will get the best
data will be sent from the media player directly to the USB-DAC, sound without any mixing processing.
by-passing the audio mixer. This will also need less CPU power. So
your PC will be more stable and generate less Jitter (less errors).
Now we have a so-called bit perfect sound. Kernel Streaming is MAC Integer/mode
often used on PCs running Windows XP. Addressing directly the HAL [AppleHAL_2] gives the possibility to
bypass the two main overhead
Windows: WASAPI
WASAPI (Windows Audio Standard API) was developed for Vista Processes of the above standard mode:
and Seven to replace Direct Sound. WASAPI isn’t intended to work • Mixing buffer
on Windows XP. Standard WASAPI will make use of the Windows • Float to DAC native format conversion
Sound Mixer and is not bit-perfect.
In Integer Mode the player software supplies a stream already
Windows: WASAPI Event Style formatted in the native DAC format.
WASAPI Event Style is the bit-perfect version of WASAPI and will
by-passed the audio mixer. The sound quality obtained using

WASAPI Event Style is comparable to Kernel Streaming mode.

WASAPI needs a bit more CPU power than plain kernel streaming.
But, WASAPI gives access to a bigger choice of players.

WASAPI Event Style is bit-perfect.

www.marantz.eu MARANTZ GUIDE TO PC-AUDIO | NA-11S1 | 05.2013 | 13