Ending the Windows Audio Quality Debate

[MaxwellsEq]

i lowered the gain from the player, but listening music is not the only thing i do
View attachment 370677
While i dont get the crazy -30dB now, i don't see that bar moving now

What exactly do the '' dissable all enc '' if i dont have any check box below? i still get the cleaner -170dB bitperfect thing mentioned by DDF? ty
EDIT: I did say '' i dont get the crazy -30dB '' but i noticed APO EQ is not working now when i use the dissable all enc... ?

Have you tried sndvol.exe?

Or Win G has the GameBar mixer

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

Have you tried sndvol.exe?

Or Win G has the GameBar mixer

i have no idea whats sndvol.exe, but for what im seeying, i can't dissable all enc and using apo EQ at the same time

 

[Jimbob54]

i have no idea whats sndvol.exe, but for what im seeying, i can't dissable all enc and using apo EQ at the same time

In windows settings if you disable all enhancements it disables EAPO. Thats different to the instructions in the first posts.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

In windows settings if you disable all enhancements it disables EAPO. Thats different to the instructions in the first posts.

So if, i have the box uncheck but all effect off, i still get the nasty noise? even if i install original APO and the other stuff?
EDIT: how i will lower the pre amp -4dB if i have to dissable APOEQ?
Im lost now

Install Equalizer APO and use it to disable original APOs and set EAPO's preamp gain at ~ -4 dB

So why im going to dissable all enc if im going to use APO
---

Summary Recommendations:

• Install Equalizer APO and use it to disable original APOs and set EAPO's preamp gain at ~ -4 dB to avoid upsample overs, filtering induced peaks, and the Windows CAudioLimiter
• Turn off Windows system sounds and enhancements

Turn off the windows enc will dissable APO, why you would set the pre amp -4dB if the apo is going to be dissable due to the turn off windows enc?

 

[MaxwellsEq]

i have no idea whats sndvol.exe, but for what im seeying, i can't dissable all enc and using apo EQ at the same time

sndvol.exe is the original (Windows 7?) mixer. It's still part of Windows 11, but hard to find in the GUI, like resmon.exe or "control admintools" etc.

 

[Sokel]

So if, i have the box uncheck but all effect off, i still get the nasty noise? even if i install original APO and the other stuff?
EDIT: how i will lower the pre amp -4dB if i have to dissable APOEQ?
Im lost now

So why im going to dissable all enc if im going to use APO
---


Turn off the windows enc will dissable APO, why you would set the pre amp -4dB if the apo is going to be dissable due to the turn off windows enc?View attachment 370684

What player do you use in windows?
Cause if you use something exclusively (like foobar for example) you don't need APO.
Just install Mathaudio plug-in (the headphone free version has all you want and you can also use for speakers,the speaker version (also free for foobar) measures and then you define your curve more broadly) .

Good thing is that it works with ASIO or WASAPI exclusive so you leave all other windows crap out.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

What player do you use in windows?
Cause if you use something exclusively (like foobar for example) you don;t need APO.
Just install Mathaudio plug-in (the headphone free version has all you want and you can also use for speakers,the speaker version (also free for foobar) measures and then you define your curve more broadly) .

Good thing is that it works with ASIO or WASAPI exclusive so you leave all other windows crap out.

Apple music, but i also use the pc for everything not only listening music, i need apo for room correction anyways.



Btw, if i do all the steps but i have the box like this:

I am still getting the noise from windows? even if i installed the original apo and etc?

 

[Sokel]

i need apo for room correction anyways

That's what math audio mainly does.
But if Apple music,no,forget I ever posted it

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

That's what math audio mainly does.
But if Apple music,no,forget I ever posted it

so a solution is using fobar 2000 with math audio instead of apple music? i just cant xD

 

[Jimbob54]

So if, i have the box uncheck but all effect off, i still get the nasty noise? even if i install original APO and the other stuff?
EDIT: how i will lower the pre amp -4dB if i have to dissable APOEQ?
Im lost now

So why im going to dissable all enc if im going to use APO
---


Turn off the windows enc will dissable APO, why you would set the pre amp -4dB if the apo is going to be dissable due to the turn off windows enc?View attachment 370684

Why are you disabling all enhancements in Windows? Who has told you that is what is required?

The thrust of the first few posts is to use EAPO even if you dont use it for EQ- by setting a preamp reduction generally to avoid the Windows limiter kicking in. You can also (within EAPO) disable any other APOs linked to your DAC or whatever- which would disable anything else that might be causing nastiness in playback.

From the first post- screenshot with EAPO- uncheck the "Use original APO" boxes for whatever your DAC is called

 

[dasdoing]

What do the '' loudness eq '' ? in downs adv options

It's a peak compressor.
though by the description it might even be a LUFS compressor

 

[daftcombo]

So if, i have the box uncheck but all effect off, i still get the nasty noise? even if i install original APO and the other stuff?
EDIT: how i will lower the pre amp -4dB if i have to dissable APOEQ?
Im lost now

So why im going to dissable all enc if im going to use APO
---


Turn off the windows enc will dissable APO, why you would set the pre amp -4dB if the apo is going to be dissable due to the turn off windows enc?View attachment 370684

Disable all but EqualizerAPO.

In other words, first: disable all Windows enhancements, then second: enable a -4dB preamp in EqualizerAPO. Then don't touch the Windows enhancements settings again otherwise you would disable EqualizerAPO.

In addition, in EqualizerAPO you can disable original APOs.

 

[Philbo King]

Wasabi is good too (with ginger & soy sauce)

 

[Emlin]

Wasabi is good too (with ginger & soy sauce)

Umami as well, then.

 

[Taralius]

I decided to experiment with windows 11 and made 3 clean installs during the last 4 months.
Each time the sound enhancements option was completing missing from windows sound settings of my Topping E30 dac. No matter what I tried the option was simply not there.(while the disabled built in speakers of my monitor had the option to enable/disable windows enhancements via windows settings)

The workaround I found, thanks to this guide, so to activate the option and be able to untick the sound enhancements box is the folowing:

-I install EQ apo
-I don't change a single option of the software(most probably I don't even launch it)
-I open windows sound setting and then I have the sounds enhancements option under my Topping e30.
-I untick the box

And I never run again EQ Apo(I think it will not even run with sound enhancements disabled). I don't know if I can even uninstall it after I concluded above mini procedure, but the fact it takes some space on my hard drive does not bother me. What I know is I can now see sound enhancements box is unticked, while before installing eq apo I had no clues on whether it was enabled or disabled.

I have a lot of questions and doubts that what I do has an effect, or at the end of the day I simply install another program which add entries to win registry and takes some space on my hard drive for no added value.

I have the impresion though that after installing EQ apo and disabling sound enhancements, my sound quality is superior.
And this can only be justified if sound enhancements are enabled by default on windows 11. No matter I don't see the option.
But if that is not the case, then the sound quality improvements I hear is pure placebo and installing EQ apo is completely unnecessary for my usage scenario. As I don't use the software to eq my sound, but only because it makes sound enhancements option pop up and gives me the option to disable it.

What do you think? Is what I do meaningless?
If not, can you think of another way making the option appear? Without installing EQ apo? I can understand the option is missing when you have a sound card/dac not supporting the feature. But if your hardware supports it, then having to use a 3d party software in order to enable/disable it is at least uncommon.

 

[Grooved]

I decided to experiment with windows 11 and made 3 clean installs during the last 4 months.
Each time the sound enhancements option was completing missing from windows sound settings of my Topping E30 dac. No matter what I tried the option was simply not there.(while the disabled built in speakers of my monitor had the option to enable/disable windows enhancements via windows settings)

The workaround I found, thanks to this guide, so to activate the option and be able to untick the sound enhancements box is the folowing:

-I install EQ apo
-I don't change a single option of the software(most probably I don't even launch it)
-I open windows sound setting and then I have the sounds enhancements option under my Topping e30.
-I untick the box

And I never run again EQ Apo(I think it will not even run with sound enhancements disabled). I don't know if I can even uninstall it after I concluded above mini procedure, but the fact it takes some space on my hard drive does not bother me. What I know is I can now see sound enhancements box is unticked, while before installing eq apo I had no clues on whether it was enabled or disabled.

I have a lot of questions and doubts that what I do has an effect, or at the end of the day I simply install another program which add entries to win registry and takes some space on my hard drive for no added value.

I have the impresion though that after installing EQ apo and disabling sound enhancements, my sound quality is superior.
And this can only be justified if sound enhancements are enabled by default on windows 11. No matter I don't see the option.
But if that is not the case, then the sound quality improvements I hear is pure placebo and installing EQ apo is completely unnecessary for my usage scenario. As I don't use the software to eq my sound, but only because it makes sound enhancements option pop up and gives me the option to disable it.

What do you think? Is what I do meaningless?
If not, can you think of another way making the option appear? Without installing EQ apo? I can understand the option is missing when you have a sound card/dac not supporting the feature. But if your hardware supports it, then having to use a 3d party software in order to enable/disable it is at least uncommon.

The first thing I see is that you didn't specify how you play music.
For example, let's say you only play music with Foobar, you would just have to use the ASIO output to your Topping E30, and having this option enable or not (even if you don't the option) wouldn't change anything

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

What do you think? Is what I do meaningless?

Yes.

Like Groove stated:
Grab Foobar2000, use ASIO -> Case closed.
As long as Foobar is the only application playing and volume is set to 100%, you'd get bit perfect playback.

 

[Taralius]

I listen music via Tidal exclusive mode and my web browser(web radios).

What I would like to explain is why sound enhancements are not there after windows installation, and they appear only after I install EQ apo.

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

I listen music via Tidal exclusive mode and my web browser(web radios).

What I would like to explain is why sound enhancements are not there after windows installation, and they appear only after I install EQ apo.

Most likely driver dependent. I guess the class compliant driver from Windows doesn't have the enhancements and the EQ APO driver has them.

 

[Taralius]

So I can consequently assume that sound enhancements are disabled by default(since they miss from the driver) and installing EQ apo so to make them available and disable them is an unnecessary step I don't have to take for my future win installations.
I will just need to install windows+topping driver and I can be sure windows enhancements are disabled.