Dac's not producing sound.

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Paul Barker
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#1 Dac's not producing sound.

Post by Paul Barker »

This problem seems to blight me.

I've had three reasonable quality DAC's two ak4396 based and the Beresford Bushmaster.

With three different Spdif converters all three DAC's have gone to a stoney silence.

Then I go and buy a cheap DAC and all is well.

I was hoping it was the Ubuntu I was using or the computer with it on, as it happened on Windows too.

So I thought I'd revisit my digital now I have a MacBook Air. But no, the problem persists.

are DAC's all this fickle or have I just been unlucky with all three DAC's?

I did read somewhere the Beresford was reluctant to turn output from some spdif's into music.

Perhaps I need to spend more on usb to Spdif converter, but by the time you do that you can get a Dac that takes usb input that reviews well.

Trouble is have no belief in this stuff as it cost me plenty with zero music resulting x3 in DAC's x3 in Spdif . Would rather spend the money on cartridges.
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Paul Barker
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#2 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by Paul Barker »

It was only when I read in a TNT review I discovered muting occurs elsewhere than just in my house, never seem to read any mention of it on the web, but it has plagued me either intermittent or permanent all the time I have tried DAC's.

Either I am alone in this or everyone else is scared to talk about it.
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rowuk
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#3 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by rowuk »

I had this problem from time to time when the soundfile had greater resolution than the DAC could transform. With the Focusrite Forte, it now covers all of the resolution files that I have, but with the old Focusrite Saffire 24, I had this problem regularly.
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#4 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by Paul Barker »

Thank you for that experience? May have a bearing.
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The Stratmangler
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#5 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by The Stratmangler »

rowuk's post has bells ringing with me Paul.
You haven't been playing with 24/96 files and ASIO or WASAPI have you?

The other ones is which media players have you been using?
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#6 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by Paul Barker »

I was using flac previously but today it was itunes on the Mac which wouldn't play except through a really cheap cruddy DAC which demonstrates the usb to spdif converter wasn't the problem, but the better quality DAC's. Initially the Beresford worked then it just went off, though it's lights still indicated a signal was present.

I have no idea about these things from my perspective it is a waste of all my hard earned money. But when I first got the Beresford and it became fickle I googled it and there were other experiences related which said it was fickle about giving an output. A Google of the issue today like most google searches no corroberation. Google went down the pan many years ago and hasn't emerged as a diy non advertising search engine yet, and probably never will. The internet is in some ways better and in many other ways worse than 15 years ago.
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#7 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by The Stratmangler »

Which model Beresford do you have?
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#8 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by Paul Barker »

Paul Barker wrote: Beresford Bushmaster.
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#9 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by The Stratmangler »

Ah, my experience with one of them was not a good one.
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#10 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by Paul Barker »

Ah.
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#11 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by The Stratmangler »

The one I had didn't play very well with a Squeezebox Touch.
It had issues properly locking onto the signal.
I sent it back and got a refund.
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#12 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by pre65 »

Mine is a Bushmaster II and works well via all 4 inputs, but then I've never had a problem with any DACs, even the cheap Ebay AK series.
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Paul Barker
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#13 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by Paul Barker »

Image

While my Bushmaster is away with Stanley having its firmware updated, and before I found out he was going to offer this service, I had won this Spitfire DAC and upgrade power supply.

I put in the foreground the chronically cheap DAC I have had no choice but to use for the moment.

The chronically cheap DAC sounds leagues ahead of minijac audio out to power amp.

The Spitfire sounds leagues ahead of the chronically cheap DAC.

But as seems to be the fashion in my house it has a tendency to not always lock onto the optical input. The chronically cheap DAC has never failed to lock on.

However the Spitfire is ever so nice sounding and the loss of lock or whatever the terminology is for this type of DAC behaviour, can be forgiven.

Anyway I think I'll keep the Spitfire and not send it back on the basis of the osccasional misfire.

It must be me!
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andrew Ivimey
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#14 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by andrew Ivimey »

Dodgy lead. ..

I have a friend who thinks he fucks up seiko watches. Now where's the logic/ science behind that.
Philosophers have only interpreted the world - the point, however, is to change it. No it isn't ... maybe we should leave it alone for a while.
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Paul Barker
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#15 Re: Dac's not producing sound.

Post by Paul Barker »

andrew Ivimey wrote:Dodgy lead.
Not dodgy when used on the cheap DAC
"Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am not yet completely sure about the universe." – Albert Einstein
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