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Quality on different optical outputs

danalog
By danalog
in Audio
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Go to solution Solved by AbydosOne,
5 minutes ago, danalog said:

Theoretically it should be lossless and theoretically there shouldn't be interference on digital audio, but I want to be 100% sure that a crappier soundcard won't actually affect ability to make a bit-perfect digital copy.

Assuming the interfaces/drivers aren't doing any processing to the audio, I would expect them all to be bit-perfect.

 

Because of the ways that Windows handles audio, I'd be suspicious of expecting it to be perfect as compared to the original file, though...

Posted

This is a really dumb question but I want to verify that quality will be identical across any sound card with SPDIF/digital output? Of course some are capable of higher bitrates but what I mean is, will the quality on a $250 Sound Blaster card be the same as the onboard audio of a 2006 Dell Studio PC if they're both set to 16 bit 48khz? Theoretically it should be lossless and theoretically there shouldn't be interference on digital audio, but I want to be 100% sure that a crappier soundcard won't actually affect ability to make a bit-perfect digital copy.

Thanks!

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Posted

digital output is digital output, it's ones and zeroes. in the same way that every flash drive you use to transfer an MP3 file will make the same resulting file on your USB-enabled radio (anyone remember those?)

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5 minutes ago, danalog said:

Theoretically it should be lossless and theoretically there shouldn't be interference on digital audio, but I want to be 100% sure that a crappier soundcard won't actually affect ability to make a bit-perfect digital copy.

Assuming the interfaces/drivers aren't doing any processing to the audio, I would expect them all to be bit-perfect.

 

Because of the ways that Windows handles audio, I'd be suspicious of expecting it to be perfect as compared to the original file, though...

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3 hours ago, danalog said:

This is a really dumb question but I want to verify that quality will be identical across any sound card with SPDIF/digital output? Of course some are capable of higher bitrates but what I mean is, will the quality on a $250 Sound Blaster card be the same as the onboard audio of a 2006 Dell Studio PC if they're both set to 16 bit 48khz? Theoretically it should be lossless and theoretically there shouldn't be interference on digital audio, but I want to be 100% sure that a crappier soundcard won't actually affect ability to make a bit-perfect digital copy.

Thanks!

To your ears or to measuring equipment? Different dacs have different characteristics. They "sound" different. Can you hear it? Probably not. Can it be measured? Yep.

 

Sorry, jumped the gun, this would be pre-dac.

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