I use Amazon HD but have been frustrated that the service has no API to use ASIO. I think I have a partial solution.
The problem is that in order to match the bitrate to source material, one has to go through layers of Windows Settings menus to set the bit rate for each song. If you just set Wndows to default to a high bit rate in playback, as I understand it, the playback involves upsampling or something similar to modify the signal if the source bit rate doesn't match the playback bit rate. Can you hear it? My experience is often it is very subtle, but once in a while I will hear something that just doesn't sound right at all. Hence, having to go through the windows menus to modify the bitrate all the time. Or just leaving it at 44.1... which isn't bad despite the downsampling or whatever, but not ideal.
However, I found that I can use ASIO with the firmware drivers supplied with my hardware. For my JDS labs DAC/AMP, the XMOS ASIO driver is supplied. For my Hidizs mobile DAC/AMP, I have a TempoTec ASIO driver. Either allows me to set sampling rate, Hz bit rate. Windows confirms that for either driver, changing the setting there changes the setting in Windows as well. Leaving either driver open on the PC desktop makes it much easier to change settings on the fly. However, neither driver re-sets the bit rate based on the source material automatically... which it should, methinks!
I am a noob on this subject. Am I interpreting things correctly?
The problem is that in order to match the bitrate to source material, one has to go through layers of Windows Settings menus to set the bit rate for each song. If you just set Wndows to default to a high bit rate in playback, as I understand it, the playback involves upsampling or something similar to modify the signal if the source bit rate doesn't match the playback bit rate. Can you hear it? My experience is often it is very subtle, but once in a while I will hear something that just doesn't sound right at all. Hence, having to go through the windows menus to modify the bitrate all the time. Or just leaving it at 44.1... which isn't bad despite the downsampling or whatever, but not ideal.
However, I found that I can use ASIO with the firmware drivers supplied with my hardware. For my JDS labs DAC/AMP, the XMOS ASIO driver is supplied. For my Hidizs mobile DAC/AMP, I have a TempoTec ASIO driver. Either allows me to set sampling rate, Hz bit rate. Windows confirms that for either driver, changing the setting there changes the setting in Windows as well. Leaving either driver open on the PC desktop makes it much easier to change settings on the fly. However, neither driver re-sets the bit rate based on the source material automatically... which it should, methinks!
I am a noob on this subject. Am I interpreting things correctly?