I need some kind of fairly decent audio output from a laptop for REW. The Built-in audio on my Asus laptop computer (the i3 "SonicMaster" model from a few years back) is horrible, I can hardly get it below 3% THD, and it's full of spikes and noise. Then I was unable to get my old Emu 0404 to work at all on this Windows 10 computer, even with the last drivers from Emu (which were beta drivers for Windows 7). So I ordered the new cheapie winner recommended AudioScienceReview.com (I'm a fan of Amir who does the best measurements of all, and finds the cheapie gems as soon as they appear, not being hung up on the dross from the usual sources, though I think he exaggerates the importance of various kinds of technical performance, but then so do I) the XtremePro X1.
In this case, I plugged it in, and Windows immediately recognized and installed some driver for it. Sometimes Windows immediately makes it the new default "Speaker" output when it is plugged in, other times I have to use the Windows Mixer to select the XtremePro, it helps if no audio application is running to change from built-in Realtek audio to the USB Dac.
I find the little black cable that comes with the XtremePro isn't necessary to make the DAC work, but it IS necessary to get the DAC to work reasonably well. Distortion at 1kHz was above 1% without the little black cable, and 0.2-0.33% with the cable. I suspect the cable reduces some HF noise on the power line or isolates the ground. I am using ungrounded and full balanced input into my 1700B analyzer.
The lower distortion 0.2% is at approximately 1V output, -9dB on the REW generator control panel. Distortion rises to 0.33% at the full -3dB.
Frequency response falls by 0.1dB at 20Hz and 20kHz relative to 1kHz, and about 0.3dB at 10Hz.
Not as good as I'd like, perhaps related to the USB on this little laptop, but certainly good enough for acoustic measurements within the standard audio range 20-20kHz, and with some care down into the infrasonic as well. This notebook would not be useable for audio experiements without something at least this good (despite the name SonicMaster...). I suspect it would be good into the near ultrasonic as well, but I didn't notice the sampling rate adjust on REW until after I'd shut down the analyzer.
(Note: It's still possible that performance defects are due to the laptop I'm using and the tests were done with power connected...a further issue and a retest is in order. However, I just broke the input terminals on my 1700B !!!)
While the Dac is good for the money, and drivers were installed automatically by Windows 10, the "Quick Installation Guide" is quite funny. It's a single page, double sided, in multiple languages, which actually says nothing at all about installation. The short sections are entitled Capabilities, Features, Environmental Information, Declaration of Conformity.
In this case, I plugged it in, and Windows immediately recognized and installed some driver for it. Sometimes Windows immediately makes it the new default "Speaker" output when it is plugged in, other times I have to use the Windows Mixer to select the XtremePro, it helps if no audio application is running to change from built-in Realtek audio to the USB Dac.
I find the little black cable that comes with the XtremePro isn't necessary to make the DAC work, but it IS necessary to get the DAC to work reasonably well. Distortion at 1kHz was above 1% without the little black cable, and 0.2-0.33% with the cable. I suspect the cable reduces some HF noise on the power line or isolates the ground. I am using ungrounded and full balanced input into my 1700B analyzer.
The lower distortion 0.2% is at approximately 1V output, -9dB on the REW generator control panel. Distortion rises to 0.33% at the full -3dB.
Frequency response falls by 0.1dB at 20Hz and 20kHz relative to 1kHz, and about 0.3dB at 10Hz.
Not as good as I'd like, perhaps related to the USB on this little laptop, but certainly good enough for acoustic measurements within the standard audio range 20-20kHz, and with some care down into the infrasonic as well. This notebook would not be useable for audio experiements without something at least this good (despite the name SonicMaster...). I suspect it would be good into the near ultrasonic as well, but I didn't notice the sampling rate adjust on REW until after I'd shut down the analyzer.
(Note: It's still possible that performance defects are due to the laptop I'm using and the tests were done with power connected...a further issue and a retest is in order. However, I just broke the input terminals on my 1700B !!!)
While the Dac is good for the money, and drivers were installed automatically by Windows 10, the "Quick Installation Guide" is quite funny. It's a single page, double sided, in multiple languages, which actually says nothing at all about installation. The short sections are entitled Capabilities, Features, Environmental Information, Declaration of Conformity.
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