Stereo Tool

Hello.
I was reading this forum and I've found that a lot of people were able to get Stereo and even RDS work on modern onboard cards.
I have Gigabyte ga-p35c-ds3r with ALC889A. It supports 192 kHz, I can select it in windows 7 in speaker configuration and realtek manager, but it changes nothing - output is like 48 kHz. There's pilot tone and some distorted stereo when there's diffrence in high frequencies between channels (goed about 23 kHz), but that's all.
So, the question is, how to get this card working in something more than 48 kHz?
I also have Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI-E, it's hard to tell what it supports, but it's definetly has 96 kHz output, because Stereo works just fine, but there's some interchannel leakage (I think because of >48 kHz distorion), RDS is not working.
I'm using some noname FM transmitter, which comes with mono FM radio headphones by the way. Signal from stereo tool goes to it through Microlab M-1700's amplifier, because this FM transmitter has only 2 RCA input connectors and I don't want to cut them off. by results with Creative's card I can say that this amp doesn't distort signal significantly.

HI..

ALC889A is one of best chips from Realtek. Actually i had one OnAir on one of our transmitters. Also much better then ANY Creative Soundcard!!

What you need is to set samplerate to 192kHz in Realtek control panel, Start Stereo tool and turn ON FM and set Realtek for FM output .. etc. .. http://i.imgur.com/SiLco.png

Also .. your transmitter need to have pure mpx input. Connect L or R channel from realtek (i think "gray" is line out) to trasnmitter and be sure to measure not more then 75kHz modulation. More then that can always cause distortion(s).

Thank you very much (especially for screenshot)! It's not evident that SPDIF Out's sampling rate settings affect analog channels output. I've checked SPDIF Out's sampling rate (in windows 7 manager is a bit different http://i.imgur.com/C9tqB.png ) and it was 48 kHz, changed it to 192 kHz and even RDS is working Gray or green or other - doesn't matter (used "green").
That would've been pretty strange if ALC889A had only 48 kHz max sampling rate.

Yes, modulation width is the next question. As I understand (by using volume regulator on amp) - the louder (higher) MPX signal (sound + pilot tone + stereo + RDS) is - the wider modulation is and the louder sound in the end, but after some level extreme distorions (clipping) come out. I was unable to get good loud sound (like regular radio stations) still. By options in stereo tool I think that idea of creating so good sound as on professional stations is limiting peaks so MPX signal going to transmitter is as loud as possible in general, but that's max level is defined by modulation width. By using loudness settings to max, multiband compressor + AGC, source soundcard volume http://i.imgur.com/cIPbL.png and amplifier's before transmitter volume I was able to get sound quality near, but it's still a bit quieter and still has different freq response I think (basses are lower, for example). Am I right?

Yeah 889 is the best for now , but i see that there are chips ALC898 right now with more S/N ratio down to -110db ! WOW
But these MBoards are still very expensive . So one day we will test them too.

This is a big necropost (thanks doggy) ...

...but...

I did notice the comment about "any" Creative card. As I mentioned in the Haswell thread I made, the X-Fi "Xtreme Audio" was not an actual X-Fi, but a rebranded Audigy SE. It is undoubtedly inferior to even my card, XtremeGamer, which is one step up in price. That step is a doozie though...

Hans can better explain you about creative soundcards.
Once he told me about it (~4years ago), and i checked, i realized what's problem.
E-MU soundcards have same "thing" but much less noticable.

Probably whatever it was applied to the Audigy line. I've read some statements that indicated that Creative's people did not really work well with the E-mu people during that timeframe. The XtremeAudio is based on an already stripped-down Audigy card, the Audigy SE. It has the significantly weaker DSP unit, and does a lot more software tricks because it lacks the actual E-mu hardware (EMU20K1 or 20K2 chip). The XtremeAudio is bit-locked at 48k/16-bit.

Using the XtremeAudio as an example of an "X-Fi" is about as good of a comparison as comparing an low-volume / low horsepower in-line 4-cyl motor to a DOHC V-6 or V-8. I might have an entry-level "luxury" car (as of 1999), which is typically a heavier vehicle, but my 200 hp DOHC V-6 is going to dust a stock 135 hp inline-4.

For clarity, I'm *NOT* saying that the X-Fi sounds bad. It sounds great. It's just not suitable for MPX signals, because it changes the audio that comes out (At least the X-Fi Audio that I had did).

Yea it does not sounds bad..
And my problem, in that time, was bad DC offset especially recording.

Broadcasting is not my thing, so I don't know a lot about it. That said, the XtremeAudio is bit-locked, so using it for FM in the way you all are describing is likely not possible. I think it is possible with the other cards, but I am not completely certain. You do have to go into Audio Creation Mode and select bit-matched playback, I think.

This is an old thread, but it does go back to my concern about onboard vs. a discrete card. If it were between an XtremeAudio and the Realtek onboard chips, I'd say the onboard chips are likely better, simply due to the crippled nature of the XtremeAudio. From what I can tell though, the onboard chips should not be able to match the quality of actual X-Fi cards, as well as the newer Z-series cards (not Recon3d), at least as far as non-broadcasting uses.