WMP enhancements and external DAC

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I pretty well play all my music from my Vista laptop using Windows Media Player 11 plugged into my Hi-Fi from the headphone socket.

I find the WMP enhancements very useful. The Graphic Equaliser knocks off some harseness in the medium upper range caused, I believe, by my speakers. SRS WOW TruBass helps to drive my inactive sub-woofer. A touch of WOW Effect seems to help as well.

I am thinking of getting an external USB DAC, possibly a DACMAGIC which I might be able to pick up cheap now that the PLUS model is out.

My question is will I still be able to use the WMP enhancements using an external DAC? I guess that I would as I assume that they manipulate the digital signal long before they get near a DAC, internal or external. However, I would like to be certain before spending any cash. Can anybody help?

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes that works, regardless of whether you connect the DM via optical/spdif or usb. The WMP plugins alter the audio bitstream before it's fed to the sound card, so they are independent of how the sound leaves your laptop.

But I have a suspicion that you're using the enhancements to compensate for the low quality of the headphone socket, not the speakers. The DM should not need that kind of trickery (although, if your speakers are the cause, the DM will probably accentuate that).