2. digital
  3. 1442462195

Help with Empirical Audio Off-ramp 3

I've been using an Off-ramp 3 in my HT rig to stream Pandora via an old Dell laptop with XP. Since this Dell laptop has a slow processor with minimal RAM, the audio quality is poor. I'd like to move the Offramp 3 to my main rig to stream Tidal. To improve data flow, I purchased a used HP laptop with a much faster processor and much more RAM. This unit will be dedicated for internet audio streaming only. Instead of XP, this laptop has Windows 7 professional.

There's a problem. This laptop does not want to recognize the Off-ramp 3. I've tried a zillion variations: adding the device, plugging and unplugging all of the cables in different sequences and different ports. I've also tried 4 different USB cables of different lengths - all high speed and shielded. I've even uninstalled and re-installed the USB drivers as per Microsoft community recommendations. No luck!

On #8 here, it states that Windows 7 needs WASAPI and Foobar. Foobar 'help' is written more for geeks than a layman like me.

Can anybody offer suggestions? First, I'd like to get the laptop to recognize the Off-ramp 3. Then, I'd like to get audio out of my speakers. Do I need WASAPI? Do I need Foobar? Help!

BTW, now my old Dell laptop doesn't recognize the Off-ramp 3 either. LOL.
steakster

Showing 3 responses by almarg

almarg's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
almarg
9,670 posts
 
I found the following statement at this link, from 2008:
The Off-Ramp 3 uses the native drivers on your computer, so no driver must be loaded for XP, Vista or Mac OSX.
And I note that the drivers which can be downloaded from Steve's site are indicated as being for the Off-Ramp 5. Also, given that the quoted statement refers to Vista, I would expect that it would also apply to Windows 7.

Unfortunately, though, the fact that the old laptop no longer recognizes the Off-Ramp 3 either would seem to suggest the possibility that a hardware failure has occurred. One thing you might do, if you happen to have a multimeter, is to measure the voltage that is being put out by the external 12 volt DC power supply.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
almarg
9,670 posts
 
Glad I was able to help, Steakster, and thanks for the nice words.

Neither of the links you provided for the possible replacement power supplies works, however. I did find what appeared to be the item the first link refers to, though, and as you may realize (based on your wording) it is a 9 volt supply, rather than the required 12 volts. So let us know the links that were intended.

Also, of course, you'll want to verify that the replacement has a current rating that is at least as great as the rating of the original supply. And you'll want to verify that the center pin on the replacement has the same polarity as on the original, that being positive in most but not all cases.

Regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
almarg
9,670 posts
 
I don't see any issues with the Astron supply you ordered. The description of the other one, though (the TeraDak), is not particularly confidence inspiring because 1.8 amps x 12 volts = 21.6 watts, not 30 watts as described.

Enjoy! Regards,
-- Al
More to discover