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Topic: Directsound vs WASAPI vs ASIO (Read 200031 times) previous topic - next topic
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Directsound vs WASAPI vs ASIO

Reply #26
I came across this article a few years ago.
It does give a quick & dirty about the various architectures in windows over the years.

Re: Directsound vs WASAPI vs ASIO

Reply #27
It's an old thread but there has been some changes with asio vs wasapi.  With an ASUS essence stx, if use ASIO, it's louder than wasapi but not as much as before the Creator update from windows 10. Wasapi has a better sound now which can be hard to dicern when we don't have the right hardware to listen to it.  ASIO is still the best but Wasapi is VERY close behind.
Also because of the  " creator update" those who own a DAC can see that windows can play now 24/192 at the USB output. IT might be 32/196 but anyway, I've red that it has been changed since the creator update.  Cheers !

Re: Directsound vs WASAPI vs ASIO

Reply #28
Wasapi has a better sound now which can be hard to dicern when we don't have the right hardware to listen to it.  ASIO is still the best but Wasapi is VERY close behind.
Please adhere to this forum's "Terms of Service": TOS#8.

Re: Directsound vs WASAPI vs ASIO

Reply #29
It's an old thread but there has been some changes with asio vs wasapi.  With an ASUS essence stx, if use ASIO, it's louder than wasapi but not as much as before the Creator update from windows 10. Wasapi has a better sound now which can be hard to dicern when we don't have the right hardware to listen to it.  ASIO is still the best but Wasapi is VERY close behind.
Also because of the  " creator update" those who own a DAC can see that windows can play now 24/192 at the USB output. IT might be 32/196 but anyway, I've red that it has been changed since the creator update.  Cheers !

Okay...  Check your "drivers" if one of those methods is louder than the other...  As for better sound that's subjective.  Do you even know what you're talking about by the way?

I've been using WASAPI since I found out about it's existence with a Windows 7 era machine I no longer have.  I've been through almost every update of Windows 10 (Initial, November Update of 2015, Anniversary, Creators) and I've not notice any change to how WASAPI functions at all other than my mom's Windows 7 era laptop failing to stop playback after you pull out the headphones but that was going on with the initial update and is pretty much just a compatibility problem with either the hardware or drivers and not a change in how WASAPI functions.

Re: Directsound vs WASAPI vs ASIO

Reply #30
It's not unimaginable that sirius! indeed has differences between WASAPI and ASIO. Asus has a history of messing things up in drivers. In 2011 at least they hooked DirectSound and broke volume control and their WASAPI didn't have direct access to output but was doing something special instead.

Re: Directsound vs WASAPI vs ASIO

Reply #31
It's not unimaginable that sirius! indeed has differences between WASAPI and ASIO. Asus has a history of messing things up in drivers. In 2011 at least they hooked DirectSound and broke volume control and their WASAPI didn't have direct access to output but was doing something special instead.

I learned their monitors suck.  Couldn't get good color out of it and the color profile didn't even work on Windows 10 but was offered on their site for Windows 10, ended up sending it back and getting a monitor from a different brand around the same price.  Not surprised by that statement.  Maybe they like to "drive" people crazy.

Re: Directsound vs WASAPI vs ASIO

Reply #32
If you look closely at the Win audio architecture, you will notice that all Win audio uses WASAPI (including Direct Sound).

WASAPI can be used in 2 modes
Shared: you use the win audio (the mixer)
Exclusive; the win audio is bypassed, the media player talks straight to the audio device.

ASIO and WASAPI in Exclusive mode deliver the output of the media player 1 to 1 to the audio device.
If there is a difference in loudness between ASIO and WASAPI it is probably WASAPI is run in shared mode.
It is also possible that on receiving the data, the audio device does “something”, e.g. volume control, resampling, etc.
If there are differences in loudness between the 2 there must be some DSP going on.
Anyway, if you compare ASIO to WASAPI make sure it is WASAPI in Exclusive mode.
Check if your media player supports this and make sure Win is configured properly.


A simple test when using WASAPI.
Play something
Start a second stream
Hear them both it is shared mode
Hear only the first stream it is exclusive mode
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