M-Audio 2496 question

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Steven Sullivan" <ssully@panix.com> wrote in message
news:cjccor$k6s$1@reader1.panix.com

> I've archived my CD collection lossless FLAC files,
> and I play them via a foobar2000 front end on my PC.

> The output to my home audio system is from an M-Audio 2496
> soundcard to the coaxial digital in of my receiver,
> via the coaxial S/PDIF output of the card.

> I'm curious to know,
> what actually happens to the audio in this
> sort of setup, between foobar decoding the
> FLAC file, and the sound coming from
> my speakers?

Not a lot that is very intersting or sonically significant happens. Nothing
in the bit patterns is changed.

>I understand that a D/A conversion
> takes place in the receiver, but is that the only place
> DA (or AD) conversion takes place in this path?

Yes.

> What is the M-Audio card actually doing?

Sending bits to the outside world from inside the PC box, via a coaxial
line.

The M-Audio card is converting parallel byte patterns from the PCI bus into
serial bit patterns on its coax output jack.