PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

AmigaOne X5000 platform specific issues.
Roland
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by Roland »

nbache wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 1:04 pm If I were you, I'd create another boot partition and install OS4 on it without adding the Enhancer, so you can always boot that and check in cases like this.
I already have such 'zero' partition, plus a partition having the contents of OS4.1 Install CD... In addition to ordinary OS-backup partitions which are more up-to-date. I use them usually before doing major updates. With Linux it is even more important to have the basic installation backed-up as it is practically impossible to recover the system manually after an unsuccesful update. AmigaOS is much easier case...
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nbache
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by nbache »

So do you have the distortion when booting from that OS4-only partition?

Best regards,

Niels
Roland
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by Roland »

nbache wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 4:17 pm So do you have the distortion when booting from that OS4-only partition?
Yes. But in order to get ANY sound out via Envy24HT on that basic OS4, I had first to remove the DEVS:Audiomodes/CMI8738 file. Unless, the sound was always directed to the 'defective' CMI card (which I need for Linux), independently of what I had chosen in 'AHI' (deleting ahi.prefs did not help that). I guess the Enhancer 'Sound' was meant to solve that kind of peculiarities...
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by nbache »

Okay. So at least we now know it is not caused by the Enhancer components.

I have never used a CMI8738 based audio card, so I can't help much there, but I have had several different Envy24HT cards without this sort of trouble (in the X1000). Not sure what I have in the X5000, I can't use it at the moment (waiting for a new KVM switch).

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Roland
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by Roland »

Roland wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 3:58 pm I have currently an Envy24HT PCI-e card, and the sound quality is unacceptably bad with OS4.1/Enhancer software (e.g. in human speak ordinary 's' sound comes out as 'shshrr'!) and it does not work at all with Linux (long known but never fixed issue). With MOS 3.12 the sound quality is good, though, so the card itself is ok - issues with OS4.1 are only due to software.
I removed now my Envy24HT and replaced it with a SoundBlaster Live! (PCI) SB0060... But the sound quality problem I described above is still present! And again, with MorphOs, and also with Linux there is not any problem in the sound quality with the same sound files.

As the device driver used by Soundblaster is different from the one used by Envy24HT, the problem must be caused by something else. Any idea...?

I was thinking... Would there be anyone who would volunteer to test a small .mp3 file (with human voice) in his/her Amiga, just to check that the problem is not anyhow reated to the file format and how AmigaOS handles it...?
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Raziel
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by Raziel »

@Roland

Not before the end of the coming week, but sure, I could do some tests...
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Paul Zager
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by Paul Zager »

https://www.newegg.com/en-labs-pcie51so ... CJFBM32680

This card just arrived today and I put it in my 5000 tonight. It was literally plug and play. Newegg says it is now shipping from the US instead of directly from China, like mine was.
I was thinking... Would there be anyone who would volunteer to test a small .mp3 file (with human voice) in his/her Amiga, just to check that the problem is not anyhow reated to the file format and how AmigaOS handles it...?
Now that I have sound, I'd be happy to try out your file.

Paul
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Roland
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by Roland »

@Raziel, Paul

Could you please listen this Youtube video about a minute from the beginning: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zCFFwVZtIGo
It should run in the latest Odyssey (beta7). The 's' sounds used by the speaker are ordinary (clear) ones but in my system they come out as something like 'scchhff'. Listened under MOS and Linux they stay clear. Thank you!

PS. Paul, have you checked the version of the 'bridge' chip on your new CMI8738 board...? The version 1 is defective and causes problems. You can check it with 'Ranger' (viewtopic.php?p=40052#p40052) or with a small utility made by 'Cyborg': download/file.php?id=2018
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Paul Zager
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by Paul Zager »

Roland,

Turns out that Cyborg's test shows it as a version 1. And when I tried to play the video, the sound was bad.

I bought this card because the picture showed the bridge chip with a Rev. 00x2. When it arrived, it didn't have the chip that showed in the picture.

Back to the (sound card) drawing board.

Paul
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Roland
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Re: PCI-e soundcards for X5000?

Post by Roland »

Paul Zager wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 6:35 pm Turns out that Cyborg's test shows it as a version 1.
I'm sorry to hear that... :-(
And when I tried to play the video, the sound was bad.
Thank you for testing it! So this sound quality problem seems to be present generally in OS4.1, not just in my system.
I bought this card because the picture showed the bridge chip with a Rev. 00x2. When it arrived, it didn't have the chip that showed in the picture.
Also I ordered a couple of years a CMI8738 (directly from China), and it was Rev 1, too. I noticed that almost all the mailorder houses use exactly the same picture with the rev 2 chip, which is very misleading! But I emailed a reclamation to the company and got a full refund from them. I then tried to ask in forehand from some companies which revision they really have, but most of them were not able to tell it. So, I gave up with CMI...
Back to the (sound card) drawing board.
I think you should first send a reclamation to Newegg and ask for refund or replacement, if they happen to have also Rev 2 boards in stock.
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