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I have a DELL AC511M sound bar that plugs into a USB port of my Windows 11 Pro laptop. Breakaway Audio Enhancer seems to have a problem during setup. Does there exist compatibility issue? Thanks in advance.
Hi. It’s possible that there could be a compatibility issue. Some devices don’t support Windows Kernal Streaming, which the setup defaults to. However, once it’s actually installed, the API can be changed from KS to MME.
Without more detail, like what’s happening exactly, our ability to help will be limited.
If you have KS selected for output, the device may not show in the list. You may have to select Direct Sound or WAV for the device to appear. I send my laptop output to a Bluetooth capable amplifier, and need to select WAV for it to show.
Yes. Sorry, I keep forgetting it’s DirectSound in BAE, not MME. Apparently, the issue I’m remembering about the installer must have been fixed with 1.42 or something. You can in fact choose Expert Mode in the installer to choose an API other than KS, in case your device has no KS capability.
Ok. I think I have tried everything reasonable.
I have tried KS, DS, and Wave for the expert mode Interface making sure the Audio Device always points to my DELL AC511 USB SoundBar, which is listed as one of the available devices. My default sound device points to Line 1 (Breakaway Pipeline) which has been directed to my DELL AC511 USB SoundBar in the expert mode. But I can only hear a low-volume audio playback through my laptop audio device Realtek HD Audio output and not my DELL AC511 USB SoundBar.
I thought the laptop audio device could be causing a problem, so I also tried disabling my laptop audio device Realtek HD Audio output in the device manager and rebooting my laptop; but to my surprise, I could still hear the same low-volume audio playback through my laptop audio device Realtek HD Audio output (even though it has been disabled in the device manager). Breakaway Audio Enhancer still lists Realtek HD Audio output as available even though it has been disabled in the device manager and after a system reboot.
Here’s additional info:
The only time I could get to hear the test tone through my DELL AC511 USB SoundBar was in Step 1 in the Breakaway Audio Setup Wizard.
Safe mode (checked or unchecked both ok)
Dell AC511 USB SoundBar
Test (checked; and I could hear the test tone through my DELL AC511 USB SoundBar)
In Step 2 in the Breakaway Audio Setup Wizard, the test tone is a very low-volume playback on the laptop device Realtek HD Audio even though DELL AC511 USB SoundBar has been selected in Step 1.In the expert mode, the test tone always fails to play back on my DELL AC511 USB SoundBar even though it is always listed as an available audio device and has been selected. The playback is always through the laptop device Realtek HD Audio.
OK, let’s go right back to basics.
I assume that you are selecting Pipeline 1 because your playout software needs to be redirected through VAC? If so, that should be the input option. Do you have the right VAC setup? For instance, if your soundcard is 24 bit, you may have to change the default parameters to include 24 bit (I think it defaults to 16 bit). If you play music with Pipeline 1 selected, you should see the little bar graphs move in VAC.Now, at this stage, leave the sound bar out of the equation, and we’ll try to get everything working to your local speakers. This should be super easy, simply by selecting Pipeline 1 as input, Realtek as output. Use the wizard as this will make some intelligent guesses about buffer sizes. These can be tweaked later.
Once you have everything working and you can hear music through your laptop speakers, go back into the settings and select your soundbar instead. If the audio path is already working, any problems encountered will be related to the soundbar.I have been using Breakaway Audio Enhancer since 2012. I always make sure my default audio device is Breakaway Pipeline. Before I purchased DELL AC511 USB SoundBar recently, I have been using Breakaway Pipeline -> Realtek HD Audio with no problem. With the new soundbar, while the test tone does play well in Breakaway Audio Setup Wizard: Step 1, I can only hear a very soft-volume test tone elsewhere, including Setup Wizard: Step 2 after a successful test in Step 1, and in expert mode with Output set to DELL AC511 USB SoundBar and all kind of parameters (KS, DS, Wave, etc). Like I said before, under the expert mode of the Setup Wizard, the output is explicitly set to DELL AC511 USB SoundBar and the test tone actually plays through Realtek in very soft volume.
I am inclined to say there is a software issue in Breakaway Audio Enhancer. In a few days, when the opportunity comes up, I will try uninstalling BAE and reinstalling it.
Uninstalling BAE, rebooting, and reinstalling BAE did the trick. It’s been so far so good. Thanks to everyone who has responded.
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