current ebay dac board

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 10:10 pm

Ta for the answers Neal and Nic.

Yeah, it'll be used with a Win7 Laptop and a EDO'd Touch, I don't have the MacBook anymore.

So, to get Hi Res out via USB on the laptop if I use a CM6631A USB->SPDIF converter with the correct driver installed and then feed the SPDIF o/p of the converter into a coaxial SPDIF i/p on (say) an AK4396 DAC I should be able to play hi res (24/192) flac files from the laptop yeah?

DTB

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 12:52 pm

Yep, that should work. Don't forget the Touch will play 24/96 over SPDIF natively so no need for the converter...unless you want to isolate the DAC from the Touch...

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 1:15 pm

Neal wrote:Yep, that should work. Don't forget the Touch will play 24/96 over SPDIF natively so no need for the converter...unless you want to isolate the DAC from the Touch...

Cool, ta Neal.

Yep, I use the downstairs Touch just with the ext DAC over SPDIF but upstairs (project HQ!) source-wise I use another Touch in addition to a Laptop. I also want to have Hi-Res playback when we go away on Hols with the Holiday amp and speakers so instead of taking the Touch/PSU/ext HD I can just take the Laptop (which goes anyway) loaded with hot toons and the USB/SPDIF convertor+DAC Combo. Sorted, I think.

I use an M-Audio Transit USB DAC here at work running LMS off the workshop PC with a 2TB ext HD full to FLACS and it works OK but reports it'll only play up to 24Bit / 44.1KHZ. I've installed the M-Audio Transit driver but no joy. Meh! See below screenshot.

DTB

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 2:38 pm

That seems odd Dave, I thought Windows supported USB audio class 1 devices out-of-the-box meaning it should support 24/96

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:14 pm

Neal wrote:That seems odd Dave, I thought Windows supported USB audio class 1 devices out-of-the-box meaning it should support 24/96

Yeah, odd innit. Is there a way to check the USB ports on a PC are healthy and running as they should be?

Sorry for the thread hijack our-Ed.

DTB

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:30 pm

That is interesting.

Just looked at mine, exactly the same properties window. (Windows Vista, Aero theme)

Internal or non-USB, up to 24 bits 192 kHz (studio quality).

For the USB adaptor, currently set to 16 bits 48 kHz (DVD quality [highest from a choice of 3]). This is Windows' own driver for USB. Unlike Dave's no options for how many channels.

Adaptor is a Citronic AC-1, 2 x phono in, 2 x phono out, plus vinyl EQ and level control on the input.

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:13 pm

I'll have to fire up my Windows PC dave and check, what's shown in windows device mangler, sorry manager for the audio device?

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 8:38 am

Nic, your enthusing about Sabre Dacs and ES9023 got me searching and chin scratching

I2S Sabre DAC. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hifimediy-Sab ... 1e802dc091

So cheap! If I'm reading that advert correctly it only accepts I2S i/p, there's an option for fitting an onboard Osc Xtal to support Asynchronous too.

Another search result brought up a pricier version ....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SABRE-HI-END- ... 3f2854f857

Same functionality but with SPDIF i/p too I believe?

Have you tried either by chance?

I've already plumped for a USB -> SPDIF converter with additional IS2 output too. Just in case I bite the bullet!

Neal wrote:I'll have to fire up my Windows PC dave and check, what's shown in windows device mangler, sorry manager for the audio device?

Will have a look in a bit Neal and report back. Ta's.

DTB

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:37 am

Device manager reports that the M-Audio Transit is 'unspecified'...

Erks!

See screenshot below.

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:52 am

Errmm .....

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 2:03 pm

Have you got the correct driver installed?

Maybe try removing / uninstalling the device and delete the driver. Then plug the device back in and see if Windows recognizes it with its native driver...

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 2:25 pm

Neal wrote:Have you got the correct driver installed?

Maybe try removing / uninstalling the device and delete the driver. Then plug the device back in and see if Windows recognizes it with its native driver...

Yep, correct driver according to M-Audio Website -> http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=sup ... ers&f=1219

I've just deleted and re-installed (from the link at the bottom of that page) the driver again and still no joy, still states its streaming at 44.1KHz! Doh.

See piccie below. I'm playing a known 24/96 track in Foobar, the Transit play's the track but reports incorrectly. Meh.

DTB

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Tue Feb 04, 2014 11:01 pm

Dave the bass wrote:
I use an M-Audio Transit USB DAC here at work running LMS off the workshop PC with a 2TB ext HD full to FLACS and it works OK but reports it'll only play up to 24Bit / 44.1KHZ. I've installed the M-Audio Transit driver but no joy. Meh!
DTB

Hope Ed doesn't mind a continued thread-jack but this is exciting news.... remember the odd problem with my M-Audio Transit not streaming 24/96 correctly? Have a read above if anyones interested for a recap... well, Sussed it yesterday, I've found as a result of my continued faffing about with the CMedia 6631a drivers and a USB->I2S converter I'm trying to get working (unsuccesfuly with I2S but fine with S/PDIF, more later). I've found my M-Audio Transit will only support 24 96 playback when the inputs are deselected... otherwise it max's out playback to 24 Bit/48KHz when the Transit Audio inputs are selected on the pop up screen in the tool-bar. If I turn them off I can then select 24/96 and off go but I can only make that selection when there's NO MUSIC being played vai the Transit!!!! Took me awhile to suss that one out, huzzah!

<sleeps soundly>

I2S long winded story tomorrow.

DTB

al newall · Post by **al newall** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:58 am

I don't think the cheap DAC boards have changed radically in the last few years.

The AK4396 board was probably superior to the Crystal Semi boards that Lampizator championed. But i reckoned the difference was mainly in presentation.

Vinyl lovers will probably prefer the AK4396. For me the easy going sound from this DAC gave the impression of being a little undynamic at times.

Now i have one of the later unmodded Crystal boards, and i think i prefer it.
Differences are audible but not worth fretting about. IMHO.

audio-talk

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