USB S/PDIF device with OEM Dolby Digital Live support

[naaitsab]

As the title suggests I'm looking for a solution for my audio setup for a while now. Which for some reason seems quite a challenge.
Currently I have an Asus Xonar D2x with modded UNI-Xonar drivers. This works like a champ for years now. No Windows update issues, driver hacks or audio issues. But I want to get rid of the card due to an upgrade to a big GPU taking up 4 PCI slots. Using a Marantz SR5005 receiver over optical S/PDIF. No specific intrest in EQ or "audio enhancers" outside of channel 'upscaling'. Using a Displayport monitor 1440p@144hz so can't use HDMI audio passthrough. Which is also a challenge on it's own to get working properly with DDL. I tried connecting the HDMI from the NVidia GPU to the receiver but that gave all kind of issues in games and Windows desktop as Windows sees it as a second monitor you can't disable. Otherwise you lose the sound "link".

I've tried a few things already:
-AAF drivers from this forum on my Realtek onboard chipset (Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra so a Realtek ALC1220-VB). This mostly works fine but it has multiple issues with video's that have specific codecs like AAC or DTS. I need to manually set the 'default format' in Windows Audio to 2 channel instead of Dolby Digital Live every time. This is very annoying of course. Also it has random hickups and stutters. I'm looking for a OEM solution that does not require driver hacking or issues with Windows Update (Windows 10). It's also an enthusiast project so if the owner decides to stop it's dead.

-Got a Startech S/PDIF USB adapter (icusbaudio2d) that I've returned. This can output the Dolby Digital test tone without issues but does not have any upscaling/APO onboard so it's useless for most applications unless it very specifically compatible or has the correct audio stream in the video file. I like the virtual 5.1 surround APO that the Xonar has, gives the music/movie a better experience. You can't select the DTS/DD option in the 'default format' like the OEM Realtek.

-Looked at the 'Creative Sound Blaster X4' as Creative is said to be one of the few mainstream brands that still have DD licensing in Windows 10/11. But SB's software is as far as I know and read online still far from the best. I also don't need the DAC part as I already have a Schiit Asgard USB DAC for my headphones. Which is not in the same league so definitely not going to ditch that one in favor of the X4. So this kinda feels like a waste of space and money with the possibly of rubbish bloated software.

-Dolby Digital software app in Windows. This just does not work, does nothing. Seems to be for Atmos specific only.

-Last option I came up with is to use a PCI-E X1 or M.2 to USB cable adapter and 3D print an enclosure for the Xonar for external use. Really not what I prefer as it's quite big and I'm not sure what the signal quality of these things is. Also needs a power source.

So bottom line, I'm willing to pay for a hassle free USB S/PDIF solution that needs to work with all popular games/codecs and preferable small. If someone has experience with a device that can do this please let me know.
Also not sure why Realtek and Microsoft haven't made a buyable DD/DTS codec option. Like the HEVC. That should fix these issues right away as it used to work out of the box with Realtek stuff.

 

[Zoomer88]

Hey! I've even registered just to post that: nobody cares about DTS:Interactive/DDLive anymore. Heck, too few even know today what's surround sound is. Even if they do, they'll simply go to the most available standard - HDMI with its uncompressed 7.1 PCM stream.

It's the same in Windows - just use HDMI or DP. By the way, from your description, I can't quite understand what's the problem with that if you do have a receiver? Can't use passthrough? Well, don't use it, use an additional HDMI connection for audio only (note, that you still need to activate secondary display, that's the rules of the game today because of HDCP).

Still want to go the way of DTS:C/DDL? Well first keep in mind, these streams are compressed and always add a delay (if often negligible).

Then finding a product which will boldly advertise such an encoder is almost impossible, and even if you manage that, what would stop the maker from dropping the encoder with the first driver update for the next Windows update? Just like Asus did with their USB Xonars? By the way, one of their products even has a nifty hardware DDL/DTS encoder: Xonar U3. They simply haven't released any updated drivers after MS made some changes in Win10 1903 (or whatever was the version) which broke a lot of legacy audio drivers.

Still convinced you want to do that? Then you only need to wrap your head around the fact that the encoder is a simple APO service running in background and doing its job atop of the driver. The audio device itself and its drivers could be anything. The only thing preventing the APO from running on any device is, in layman terms, a built-in whitelist. If the audio device or specific driver is not listed there (or has some kind of mechanism requiring a proper handshake) then the APO remains hidden - even if it is properly installed and running.

So now what you have to do is simply circumvent it. You can do that easily with APO Driver. It includes patch for DTS Connect APO. No need to hack any drivers for any specific device.

Run the latest installer, choose the DTS Connect APO. After that, run the installed FX configurator, select your SPDIF device and click the Product config tool button. This allows you to spoof your device with the one the APO will recognize. Choose DTS Connect SPDIF and et voilà. You now have a SPDIF device which has a DTS Interactive as an output format in Windows audio control panel (mmsys.cpl).

No need to install anything else. Those control panels and tabs with ugly space themed wowwow icons and backgrounds - a proper clownfest.

OTOH, if you're into those supahdupahupscalers, you might check other installable options in the FX Configurator installer.

Oh, and by the way, the DTS Connect APO has the DTSNeoPC option enabled. It's a somewhat weird upscaler which majorly harasses the center channel. I'm not sure who at DTS though this would be a great idea. You can easily disable it in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Analog Devices\DTSAPO. Just set the DTSEnableNeoPC to 0. It'll stick until you decide to reinstall the audio driver.

Now, you're reading this and like "Why would I need to crack, patch or somehow modify anything. I just want me some surround sound!" Well, that's audio. Audio is always in that mysterious waters of sky high costing licenses, their convoluted terms and unfair competition - always putting forward that secret sauce which is often an EQ preset . There's also audio-*ahem* enthusiasts with their gold-plated audio cables and inhumane listening abilities. It's the world we live in and that's no HEVC for you.

Edit: everything I wrote might seem as off-topic, but still the point is that DTS:C/DDL support is awful, and I don't exactly know what's the licensing terms for the Windows device drivers, but I can deduct it's also pretty bad, otherwise we would have all the devices running with encoders, if they have SPDIF. So I think it's of no use to go searching for that one holy grail device. It will lose the encoder in the next year or so.

 

[Kraven]

Zoomer88,

Fantastic write up, just having a little trouble with my Logitech Z906's which only have SPDIF input.

1. "Run the latest installer", do you mean the latest "DTS-X Ultra.7z" ?

2. When I run the FX Configurator, and select "[Active] Realtek Digital Output (AAF DCH Optimus USB Audio).....", and press the "Product Config Tool", the "Products" list is empty for any of the 3 options "3rd Effects Only", "3rd Effects with Realtek Effects for Realtek UAD" or "3rd Effects with Realtek Effects for Realtek HDA Driver (Legacy)", as such I can’t select DTS Connect?

Am I missing something ?

 

[Zoomer88]

Ah yes - the classy Z906. The thing is that the only reason DDL and DTS:C is even mentioned these days is thanks to these half-cinema half-pc sound systems from yesteryear (well, that and also the limitation of the HDMI ARC which is a SPDIF in disguise).

Now that I know more about your setup and requirements, I can give you some hints.

Judging by this Optimus USB audio thing, you're using a repack of a repack of a hack with tons of questionable features included. The problem is that your system might currently be in some weird in-between state with different registry tweaks and driver hacks applied all over the place. Since I'm not intimately familiar with that specific solution, I'd recommend the following:

First, run any obvious uninstallers or roll-back methods mentioned by the author. Then make sure the system has either default (Windows HD Audio device) or some official realtek drivers installed. I'd opt for the default driver package available on the realtek's website. It should be fine as long as your ALC codec has no fancy features or bogusware control panels which could potentialy be in conflict with DTS APO.

Then you need to find the "APO Driver" - that's its name. The latest version currently is 2.10.6 It's some chinese thing, a kind of Swiss knife for modifying system endpoints and running all kinds of 3rd party APO software - it even contains them in its installer (and patches too). All these hackspacksrepacks use that tool in some capacity. Note: I don't know how reliable the source is, so I don't want to promote it, hence no links. At the moment it doesn't look suspicious to me, but there are people on this forum running around and claiming the contrary.

So after you've got everything installed as I described in the previous post, you need to choose the proper endpoint in the "Endpoints" menu (it's the topmost menu of the FX Configurator and you need to select your SPDIF - that's important), then click that "product config tool" button and select "3rd Effects Only" in the top dropdown menu and then "DTS Connect (SPDIF)" in Products dropdown menu.

You might also need to restart the Windows audio service (there's a button for that in the FX Configurator) or simply restart the PC.

So, to recap: 1. Install the APO Driver with the APO you're interested in (DTS Connect would be the best - no bloatware). 2. Configure your endpoint properly. 3. Restart your pc or audio service. 4. PROFIT!

You might get warnings from the Windows Defender about "patches" being run or some such as they're "unwanted". Well, duuh... It can even block them, depending on your system policy.

 

[Kraven]

I think I'm 90% of the way there!

Using an Asus motherboard with an onboard USB S1220 (ALC1220) and the latest Asus driver "Realtek USB Audio Driver V6.3.9600.2342 For Windows 10/11 64-bit.", and following your instructions, I've got it partially working.

1. Asus Driver - Works
2. APO Driver 2.10.6 - Works
3. Configuring endpoint via FX Configurator - Works (once I disabled the checkbox "Disable all Enhacments"

This enabled the DTS INTERACTIVE to appear as an option for "Default Format" in the REALTEK DIGITAL OUTPUT properties.

When I play audio, the DECODE light comes on the speakers, so it's definitely sending DTS over the SPDIF, hooray!!!

But, it's Stereo only, and the speaker config button in Windows is greyed out, so I can't select 5.1.

Working my way through this now.

Bizarrely, the Realtek control panel did not install itself, so I found a link to it for the Microsoft Store, but it does not show any 5.1 options ?!?!

Also, I am still seeing "AAF Optimus Effects" under Audio Enhancements, this wasn't removed by Driver Explorer or the AAF uninstaller, so there might be some legacy code still there.

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Additional post :

Zoomer88,

Thank you for the PM, which really helped.

As you recommend, in Chrome, I found and played the "Fraunhofer test with multichannel AAC:" and it worked!

So to test, I disconnected the front left & right speakers, and ran a game, Forza Horizon 4, and that worked as well in 5.1

VLC player is also working when playing a 5.1 DTS file, but strangely not with a DD 7.1 file.

But the following are still in Stereo only (ie. no surround or LFE) with surround playing back through front L&R speakers, so there still looks some app issues :

1. Tidal App
2. Plex via browser (edge & chrome) - weirdly, Plex Windows Media Player app works fine.
3. VLC Player with DD 7.1 files (I would expect it to decode and re-encode to DTS 5.1 using DTS Interactive)

Before I tried the above, which is probably not needed, I did delete the entire registry key for the REALTEK DIGITAL OUTPUT for the Render point, by navigating to

(Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\MMDevices\Audio\Render\)

I took the key from FX Configurator listed next to the endpoint, and deleted the entire sub-tree for it. Rebooted, and then I repeated DTS Connect config in FX Configurator. This rebuilt the tree. As before I did this, VLC was not working correctly.

As a test, I just performed a test on my Soundblaster Z with DTS Connect, and i'm getting the same test results. So it looks like i'm getting identical performance with my onboard SPDIF now as I was with Soundblaster Z DTS Connect.

 

[Zoomer88]

Congrats! I think you're already through and in fact everything's working. Windows simply doesn't have proper test tones for the DTS Interactive stream.

The SPDIF endpoint by this time should already be properly configured as a 5.1 sink, and all the apps should recognize that and be able to send 5.1 stream to it. You can check whether you have discrete channels by using this Fraunhofer test with multichannel AAC: https://www2.iis.fraunhofer.de/AAC/multichannel.html

Play the HE-AAC Channel ID - With H.264 Video. It's better to use Chrome as some browsers had problems with multichannel audio.

Oh and also if there's no audio being sent, DTS Interactive will stop the encoding and won't keep the endpoint alive. There are different workarounds, most of them involve sending "silence" to the sink. Google the "spdif keep alive" and chose the solution that suits you best. I would advise against using the "Listen to this device" method, though, it's not very effective (but still an option).

Oh, and again, don't forget about the DTSNeoPC. You might want to disable that depending on your preferences.

Ah, yeah, and the panel. Well, it's my understanding that they've axed it after the R2.80 version of drivers. You are now instead to use the Windows Store thing you've just downloaded. But it's barebones indeed. No wonder, it doesn't see custom stream options. There are ways to install the older panel with newer drivers, but I haven't tried that.

Glad, you've sorted that out and thanks for the detailed write up!