Audial USB on Windows: Moving to native driver support

#1 · 11 June 2026, 11:42 AM

Quote from Pedja on 11 June 2026, 11:42 AM
This may not be entirely unexpected, and now it is time to announce that we are discontinuing Audial USB Windows drivers.

Back in 2010, a custom Windows USB Audio Class 2.0 driver was necessary, and it was interesting to stay in that part of the game for a while. Yet, our rather old version 1.26, based on Thesycon, remained our main recommendation all this time. And it worked well, outlasting several Windows versions.

These days, however, Microsoft has started enforcing its WHCP drivers policy. And we have seen how this may look in practice. It may occur suddenly and with no previous warning: the driver could be disabled by the system, with only a small pop-up window with this information. It does not matter if the driver was properly signed, properly installed (and is still freshly installable), and it was not causing any apparent problem.

Obviously, the WHCP certification would be the formal way to proceed, but we will not go that way. Not only because our favourite version 1.26 is a bit aged to pass that procedure, but also because today's environment is clearly different. Windows has had a native USB Audio Class 2.0 driver for 9 years now, and it includes an exclusive mode, multichannel operation, and now also supports Fs up to 384 kHz.

One cannot know for sure what the future will bring, and we might go back to the dedicated Windows USB driver one day, especially if specific features become necessary. But for now, we will concentrate on some other parts of the work.

Now, what does this practically mean?

Audial DACs will work with the native Windows UAC2 driver. The multichannel devices, however, may experience problems binding all modes of operation to it. As a result, Windows may "fallback" into a kind of safe audio mode, offering 2-channel 44.1 kHz as the only option. You can check this in the Windows Settings -> System -> Sound -> Audial USB Audio 2.0.

Consequently, for the previously shipped devices with 4-channel USB firmware, we have provided an update, version 3.85, which forces the recognition of all formats. If you still use the Audial driver, you can apply the update file the classic way, from the control panel (Start -> Audial -> USB Audio 2.0 Class Driver Control Panel -> Firmware Upgrade -> Browse -> Start Firmware Upgrade -> Finish). The update to the 3.85 file is compatible with Audial S5, S5b, AYA 5, and USB board Mk3 with 4-channel Philips simultaneous data output. The download link is below, but please note that you will have to log in with the customer's account to access the file. Also, before starting the procedure, it is good to read the complete information about the firmware update procedure (and how to revert to the factory image), available at the appropriate unit page download area.

S5 / AYA 5 USB board Mk3 f/w change to version 3.85 (4-channel)

On the other side, the units with 2-channel USB firmware should work fine. The Windows setting may only lack the 16-bit options, and if you miss them, you can move to firmware version 3.84. The link to the update to the 3.84 file is below.

S5 / AYA 5 / USB board Mk3 f/w change to version 3.84 (2-channel)

You can normally use either of these files to migrate from any previously installed firmware on these devices, and also to move from 2 to 4 channels, or vice versa. You can install the updates multiple times (no need to revert to the factory image in between), and you can also migrate from 3.85 to 3.84.

These two update files will cover most cases associated with the move to the native Windows driver. Some migrations, however, are still not covered, say the migration from or to the USB board Mk3 with 8-channel I2S firmware. We also made some AYA 4 units with a 4-channel USB stage and 11.2896 / 12.288 MHz master clocks, and these will require their own solutions. So, we will work to provide additional files, but if you need something quickly, please let me know, and I will check the options.

Of course, the update from the Audial driver control panel will be possible only if the Audial driver is working. Otherwise, the firmware could be updated with a separate standalone application, which we will provide shortly.

This may not be entirely unexpected, and now it is time to announce that we are discontinuing Audial USB Windows drivers.

Back in 2010, a custom Windows USB Audio Class 2.0 driver was necessary, and it was interesting to stay in that part of the game for a while. Yet, our rather old version 1.26, based on Thesycon, remained our main recommendation all this time. And it worked well, outlasting several Windows versions.

These days, however, Microsoft has started enforcing its WHCP drivers policy. And we have seen how this may look in practice. It may occur suddenly and with no previous warning: the driver could be disabled by the system, with only a small pop-up window with this information. It does not matter if the driver was properly signed, properly installed (and is still freshly installable), and it was not causing any apparent problem.

Obviously, the WHCP certification would be the formal way to proceed, but we will not go that way. Not only because our favourite version 1.26 is a bit aged to pass that procedure, but also because today's environment is clearly different. Windows has had a native USB Audio Class 2.0 driver for 9 years now, and it includes an exclusive mode, multichannel operation, and now also supports Fs up to 384 kHz.

One cannot know for sure what the future will bring, and we might go back to the dedicated Windows USB driver one day, especially if specific features become necessary. But for now, we will concentrate on some other parts of the work.

Now, what does this practically mean?

Audial DACs will work with the native Windows UAC2 driver. The multichannel devices, however, may experience problems binding all modes of operation to it. As a result, Windows may "fallback" into a kind of safe audio mode, offering 2-channel 44.1 kHz as the only option. You can check this in the Windows Settings -> System -> Sound -> Audial USB Audio 2.0.

Consequently, for the previously shipped devices with 4-channel USB firmware, we have provided an update, version 3.85, which forces the recognition of all formats. If you still use the Audial driver, you can apply the update file the classic way, from the control panel (Start -> Audial -> USB Audio 2.0 Class Driver Control Panel -> Firmware Upgrade -> Browse -> Start Firmware Upgrade -> Finish). The update to the 3.85 file is compatible with Audial S5, S5b, AYA 5, and USB board Mk3 with 4-channel Philips simultaneous data output. The download link is below, but please note that you will have to log in with the customer's account to access the file. Also, before starting the procedure, it is good to read the complete information about the firmware update procedure (and how to revert to the factory image), available at the appropriate unit page download area.

S5 / AYA 5 USB board Mk3 f/w change to version 3.85 (4-channel)

On the other side, the units with 2-channel USB firmware should work fine. The Windows setting may only lack the 16-bit options, and if you miss them, you can move to firmware version 3.84. The link to the update to the 3.84 file is below.

S5 / AYA 5 / USB board Mk3 f/w change to version 3.84 (2-channel)

You can normally use either of these files to migrate from any previously installed firmware on these devices, and also to move from 2 to 4 channels, or vice versa. You can install the updates multiple times (no need to revert to the factory image in between), and you can also migrate from 3.85 to 3.84.

These two update files will cover most cases associated with the move to the native Windows driver. Some migrations, however, are still not covered, say the migration from or to the USB board Mk3 with 8-channel I2S firmware. We also made some AYA 4 units with a 4-channel USB stage and 11.2896 / 12.288 MHz master clocks, and these will require their own solutions. So, we will work to provide additional files, but if you need something quickly, please let me know, and I will check the options.

Of course, the update from the Audial driver control panel will be possible only if the Audial driver is working. Otherwise, the firmware could be updated with a separate standalone application, which we will provide shortly.