Windows Pc Computers - Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB User Manual

NOTE: not all USB connections on a computer are equal. USB does not have a guaranteed
latency mode, so for a real time task like audio delivery, it is important to connect the Alpha
USB interface to a lightly loaded hub. All USB devices and where they are connected can be
seen under "About This Mac" under the Apple Menu. Click on it, and then on "More Info",
which launches the system profiler. Click on "USB" under Hardware to see the full list.

Windows PC Computers

Microsoft has not yet supplied a driver conforming to the USB 2.0 High Speed audio interface
standard. Therefore Microsoft Windows PC's require the Alpha USB Windows driver which
works with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10. Vista is not recommended. Windows 7, 8 and
10 function well as an audio server and are preferred over XP.
To install the Windows driver, insert the Alpha USB Windows Driver CD, view its contents,
open the AlphaUSB_Windows_Driver_1v26b folder, and run setup.exe.
NOTE: For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10, the 1v26b version of the Alpha USB Windows driver
will install and operate without issues but Windows 7 compatibility mode must be used
for the installation.
Using Windows 7 compatibility installation mode:
Right click on the driver's setup.exe icon, select Properties from the contextual menu then
click on the Compatibility tab. In the Compatibility section, select the Run this program in
compatibility mode for: check box and select Windows 7 from the drop-down list. Click on
the OK button and then run setup.exe.
Follow the onscreen instructions, which include connecting the Alpha USB to a USB port, and,
usually, exiting any Microsoft Wizard that tries to do things automatically. During the
installation two dialog boxes may appear warning that Microsoft has not blessed the software.
Click on the Install Anyway button in both cases.
Windows compatible music players such as JRiver Media Center should be used to provide
bit-perfect output. Windows Media Player is not recommended.
For Windows XP, ASIO must be used to connect the music player to the USB output to get bit
perfect data. The Alpha USB ASIO driver identifies itself as "TUSBaudio ASIO driver" in the
music player's output select setup dialog. A "Kernel Streaming" output may also appear. Do
not select it. Kernel streaming is an experimental protocol that is only loosely specified, and it
does not work with the Alpha USB. JRiver Media Center, Media Monkey and Foobar all
support ASIO for Windows XP.
For Windows 7, 8 and 10 the preferred connection is WASAPI. It provides low-overhead, bit-
perfect data output with automatic sample rate switching, and works very well. Media Monkey
3 does not support WASAPI so JRiver Media Center should be used with Windows 7, 8 and
10. When using JRiver Media Center 15 or later, WASAPI - Event Style output mode should be
used.
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