Hey everyone, I wanted to check if my system is working correctly when using ASIO and Kernel Streaming modes.
My setup:
I’m on Windows 10.
I use an iFi Zen DAC V2 (recognized as “Plays with Audirvana”) and a FiiO K7. Both devices have the ASIO driver installed, and in the Windows sound settings, I’ve enabled “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device” and “Give exclusive mode applications priority”. Using 16 Bits 44.1 kHz.
I mostly use Qobuz (through Audirvana) to play my music.
Context:
When I use WASAPI (exclusive mode), it works as I’d expect. For example, when I’m playing music through Audirvana, Windows can’t produce any other sounds. If I go to YouTube and try to play a video, it either has no sound or just doesn’t load and gives me an audio device error. The Windows volume mixer doesn’t show any activity during this time (volume is at 100%, but no sound is playing). Everything seems fine here.
My question:
With both ASIO and Kernel Streaming, when I play music through Audirvana, Windows can still play YouTube videos with sound. If I’m only using Audirvana for music, the Windows volume mixer doesn’t show any activity (as expected). But as soon as I play something on YouTube, the mixer activates, and the music from Audirvana mixes with the sound from the YouTube video.
Can anyone confirm if this is normal? Specifically, is it expected that with ASIO and Kernel Streaming, the device can still play system sounds in the background while Audirvana (in exclusive mode) is playing music? I’m getting the same result with both the iFi Zen DAC and the FiiO K7.
Thank you so much! I’ve already solved the problem, and it’s related to the sample rate configuration in Windows. Here’s my explanation:
It is not normal for Audirvana to allow other system sounds while playing music in exclusive mode on Windows 10. If this happens, it indicates a configuration issue.
My Solution:
Change the sample rate of the audio device in Windows to a value that is not commonly used (e.g., 384000 Hz). This ensures that Audirvana can properly switch to exclusive mode correctly.
Explanation:
While troubleshooting, I noticed that every time a song changed in Audirvana, the audio device would “disconnect and reconnect” to enter exclusive mode. However, I was using a sample rate of 16-bit, 44.1 kHz in Windows, which is the same sample rate used for most of my music in Audirvana. When Windows and Audirvana use the same sample rate (e.g., 44.1 kHz), Audirvana may not always recognize the need to fully switch to exclusive mode. This allows system sounds to “leak” through, even when Audirvana is supposed to have exclusive control. By changing the sample rate in Windows to a less common value (e.g., 384000 Hz), Audirvana is forced to reset the audio device when switching to exclusive mode, but ensuring proper behavior.
Here’s what happened after the change:
WASAPI: Continued to work as expected, cutting off system sounds when Audirvana was in use.
Kernel Streaming: If system sounds were playing, Audirvana would not allow music playback until the device was free.
ASIO: Windows system sounds were cut off when Audirvana started playing music.
Steps to Fix:
Open Sound Settings in Windows.
Select your audio device and go to Properties.
Under the Advanced tab, change the sample rate to a higher value (e.g., 384000 Hz).
Restart Audirvana and test playback in ASIO or Kernel Streaming mode.
This solution has worked flawlessly for me, and I hope it helps others experiencing the same issue.