Environment:
PC Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit, Sonar X2 Studio, Line 6 POD X3 as external soundcard, KEF X300A active (USB) speakers connected to PC, Headphone connected to PODX3.
 
I would want to use ASIO or WDM Drivers with the setup, but if I choose ASIO in Sonar then the system scan detects my KEF X300A speakers (connected via USB to PC, the speakers are fully active and convert the digital USB stream) not to be compatible with that. The speakers work if i choose MME. How can I use my nice KEF X300A as a monitor/playback device and still use the POD X3 with ASIO (I mainly make guitar recordings) as an external soundcard ?
 
I came across "SoundPimp" which will make use of something called "ASIO4all Driver", but to tell you honestly I am lacking the knowledge of how all of this works together - believing that I am probably prone to messup things here myself. For normal playback on the PC (witout SONAR) I would like to use either SoundPimp or the Windows Media Player (like I do now, using the volume contol I have build in in the keyboard).
 
There must be a way to configure / setup all the components to allow me to satisfy all the requirements - so I am asking for your help here in the Sonar forum - well aware that this might not only be strictly a Sonar problem, but hoping that there may be some knowledgeable fellows around here. Thanks a lot for any support you may give.

mikerecord
Line 6 POD X3 as external soundcard, KEF X300A active (USB) speakers connected to PC, Headphone connected to PODX3...
...How can I use my nice KEF X300A as a monitor/playback device and still use the POD X3 with ASIO (I mainly make guitar recordings) as an external soundcard?
...There must be a way to configure / setup all the components to allow me to satisfy all the requirements...

Connect the POD X3 output to the KEF X300A input (either analog or digital, depending on whichever options are available on these devices).

Thanks for the idea.
 
The PODX3 has only one USB connection to the PC. Of course it has analog output, too (connection to an amp via cinch 2 X 6.35 mm)
 
The X300A has one USB connection for digital input and one mini 3.5mm cinch for analog Input. This analog input is for devices like iPODs etc. The analog input signal would then be internally converted to digital and to analog again before it is output to the build-in speaker-amps.
 
Therefore, connecting the X300A directly to the PODX3 would most probably not yield a very good sound quality. I would have to try if the concurrent connection via USB and analog is possible at all. After all I would like to use the speakers as well for ordinary playback from the PC. This will be only accomplished in an elegant manner using the USB direct input from the PC.
 
Is it not possbile to use the "Asio4all" driver which would then make it (perhaps) possible for the X300A to be used within Sonar as an Audio Output Device even when selecting ASIO as the driver setting ?

All speakers are analog. Just because it has its own USB connection wont prevent you from connecting via analog and the quality should be as good as your POD can produce. If you wish to use both devices the above advice by Kev is the best way. 

I just checked: The X300A may only be connected via USB *or" via Aux (which is the analog). This means that when I use the POD to feed the speakers in the proposed way I do not have to forget disconnecting the USB cable to the PC first.
 
The connection proposed by Kev999 is still a just acceptabel workaround. Because of the impedance of the analog input of the KEF and the output of the POD I need to use the headphone output of the POD. This all sounds not too much perfect  - nevertheless I will try it.
 
A conversion from analog to digital and back to analog is more likely to be inferior to a just digital to analog conversion - simply because of the additional conversion step.
 
I have approached KEF directly as well. The elegant way would be to use the PODX3 as the input sound card with ASIO and the KEF as the audio output device which is directly connected to the PC via USB. I have a feeling that this may be accomplished somehow. Until then I will use the analog workaround.
 
Thank you very much for your advice and consideration of my request.
 

Can't be done with a real ASIO driver. ASIO only permits one interface at a time (there are vendors that work around this limitation but they only provide a solution for their own hardware). The interface is responsible for both input and output. If you can get ASIO4ALL to work, you might get the result you want. ASIO4ALL presents itself as a single ASIO driver to the DAW but is actually wrapping WDM driver(s) from the interface(s) hiding them from the DAW. Not really a good solution but if it is what you want....

mikerecord
I just checked: The X300A may only be connected via USB *or" via Aux (which is the analog). This means that when I use the POD to feed the speakers in the proposed way I do not have to forget disconnecting the USB cable to the PC first.
 
The connection proposed by Kev999 is still a just acceptabel workaround. Because of the impedance of the analog input of the KEF and the output of the POD I need to use the headphone output of the POD. This all sounds not too much perfect  - nevertheless I will try it.
 
A conversion from analog to digital and back to analog is more likely to be inferior to a just digital to analog conversion - simply because of the additional conversion step.
 
I have approached KEF directly as well. The elegant way would be to use the PODX3 as the input sound card with ASIO and the KEF as the audio output device which is directly connected to the PC via USB. I have a feeling that this may be accomplished somehow. Until then I will use the analog workaround.
 
Thank you very much for your advice and consideration of my request.
 

This is where you don't understand the signal chain. The KEF has to convert to analog in order to power the speakers. Thats what I meant by all speakers are analog. If you use the analog out of the POD it will already be analog and will bypass D/A converter on the KEF. Impedance should not be a problem if the KEF has a amp which it has to have.   
 
No speaker can take a digital signal directly. Keep in mind speakers use watts to power them.

What John and Scook said.
 
However, you can retain the USB connection as well as the analog input. This way you could set the default Windows playback to the KEFs, while using the POD (routed to the KEFs) in Sonar. If you do try it this way, it would be interesting to compare the sound quality of a 24-bit WAV file played back in Sonar and in other audio software (e.g. Audacity or VLC Player).

scook
Can't be done with a real ASIO driver. ASIO only permits one interface at a time (there are vendors that work around this limitation but they only provide a solution for their own hardware). The interface is responsible for both input and output.

 
This is the crucial statement - thank you for this scook- and this I did not know. ASIO is for one interface at a time only. Therefore I may only connect the KEF to the POD if using SONAR while using the POD to record.
 
The KEF may not be connected using USB and analog at the same time - at least that is what the manual says.
 
However it is possible to play back a previously recorded track from SONAR via the KEF when changing the drivers to MME first. At least I thought I could do that one time I tried. I am in a trial and error phase with SONAR and do not know much about that although I had a previous version which was not used much. But I have 30 years experience in highend audio reproduction. This helps at times but not always. I therefore appreciate any helpful advice as a SONAR newbie. Thanks again to all of you.

All of this has nothing to do with Sonar per se. It is all about the hardware you are using. Personally I would stay with the headphones. I don't think the speakers are a good choice for monitors.  Get a pair of decent near field studio monitors and your mixes will improve.