Head-Fi's Sponsors
(Premier Sponsors bolded) |
|
|
Can Jam '09
(2009
International
Head-Fi Meet)
Impressions,
Reviews, Photos |
Can
Jam '09 graphic
courtesy of Edwood
Click on the links below
for Can Jam '09 photos,
impressions and reviews:
blubliss
1,
2,
3
dallan
1,
2,
3,
4
santacore
1,
2
nhat_thanh
1, 2
vpivinylspinner
1,
2,
3
amb
1
augustwest
1
eaglejo
1
johnsonad
1
shellylh
1
Jon L
1,
2,
3,
4
Germancub
1
zippy2001
1
IPodPJ
1
bhd812
1
Edwood
1,
2
abellaw
1,
2
minidiscs
1
atothex
1
HighLife
1
achristilaw
1
SiBurning
1,
2,
3,
4
SiBurning
5,
6,
7
LFF
1
Iron_Dreamer
1
doping panda
1
morphsci
1
ironbut
1
shaizada
1
jasper994
1,
2
jp11801
1
Uncle Erik
1
drubrew
1
(More impressions/photos
still being added.)
|
|
|
Head-Fi Blogs
and Facebook |
|
|
Head-Fi's Sponsors
(Premier Sponsors bolded) |
|
|
|
| Headphone Amps (full-size) Discussion of desktop headphone amps. |
11-23-2008, 04:43 AM
|
|
100+ Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Bay Area, CA, USA
Posts: 300
|
|
So I bought a fiber optic cable to connect my playstation, but it does not fit my zero. Do I need a mini-toslink adapter. One of those 3.5mm things?
|
11-23-2008, 05:21 AM
|
|
Junior Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 28
|
|
Does anyone know where ZERO's I/V converter circuit is?
|
11-23-2008, 05:27 AM
|
 |
Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 55
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by ciphercomplete
It only matters if you are going to do something like kernel streaming or ASIO. USB might not have enough bandwidth for ASIO so if you are going to go that route you should go with spdif without the usb conversion.
|
I don't think kernel streaming or ASIO will affect the output bandwidth. They are just ways to bypass the Windows KMixer, which contributes about 30ms latency into your output path, and it's not reducible. The bandwidth requirement for CD audio is 44.1K x 16 x 2, which is around 1.4Mbps, far from exceeding the limit of full speed USB 1.1 (12Mbps). So bandwidth should not become your major concern here. Budget USB/SPDIF converters tend to output mediocre SPDIF signal, mainly because of their cheap design and implementation. USB/optical devices also add another layer of AD/DA into conversion process, thus increase jitter. USB/coaxial converters are born better, IMO.
Last edited by x_lk; 11-23-2008 at 05:29 AM.
|
11-23-2008, 05:38 AM
|
|
Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 55
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by nauxolo
So I bought a fiber optic cable to connect my playstation, but it does not fit my zero. Do I need a mini-toslink adapter. One of those 3.5mm things?
|
I'm surprised that your Zero did not come with a optical cable. Zero accepts ordinary toslink, not the mini-type. So you don't need the adapter. Try turn the plug until it fits ...
|
11-23-2008, 05:46 AM
|
 |
100+ Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Singapore
Posts: 498
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by x_lk
I don't think kernel streaming or ASIO will affect the output bandwidth. They are just ways to bypass the Windows KMixer, which contributes about 30ms latency into your output path, and it's not reducible. The bandwidth requirement for CD audio is 44.1K x 16 x 2, which is around 1.4Mbps, far from exceeding the limit of full speed USB 1.1 (12Mbps). So bandwidth should not become your major concern here. Budget USB/SPDIF converters tend to output mediocre SPDIF signal, mainly because of their cheap design and implementation. USB/optical devices also add another layer of AD/DA into conversion process, thus increase jitter. USB/coaxial converters are born better, IMO.
|
thanks for the clarification. so assuming i wish to use the zero with a laptop without spdif out, the best option would be to get a usb/coax converter? how much would a really good one cost?
|
11-23-2008, 06:08 AM
|
 |
Headphoneus Supremus
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: S. FLorida
Posts: 3,260
|
|
Hello,
Do you guys know what the Volume control Pot's specs are. 50 or 100 KOhms?
__________________
<<<Les Garten>>> Leave the gun, take the cannoli -- Fat Clemenza circa 1950
Conversation with future Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing in 1969: Lessing: "You do still have gangsters [in Chicago], don't you?" Studs Terkel: "Yes, but these days they're mostly in business, or politics."
"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office" Aesop
Ich Bin Ein Europeaner!
JOIN TEAM Snake Oil
Head-Fi Feedback<<>> ebay Feedback<<>> Pink Noise Burn-In Tool!!
I Changed My Windows Desktop to a PIC of the Audio-GD REF 1
Witness the Birth of the Phoenix Phoenix
|
11-23-2008, 06:20 AM
|
|
Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 55
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by athenaesword
thanks for the clarification. so assuming i wish to use the zero with a laptop without spdif out, the best option would be to get a usb/coax converter? how much would a really good one cost?
|
USB Off-Ramp Turbo-2 ~$1000 ... I guess you don't want to spend 10x Zero price on a converter 
Unfortunately, all USB sound cards I know with a coaxial output cost $200+. If you don't mind their high price tag, either M-Audio or EMU will serve the purpose very well, IMO. Personally, I use a modified SIIG USB SoundWave 7.1. I opened its shell and added a male RCA plug to directly couple CM102's SPDIF output to Zero's SPDIF input - no SPDIF cable required, yeah! It costs me less than $20  I know it's a rather crappy sound card, but to my ears, CM102's digital output sounds exactly the same comparing to the SPDIF from my M-Audio AP192 (~$150).
Last edited by x_lk; 11-23-2008 at 06:23 AM.
|
11-23-2008, 06:23 AM
|
|
100+ Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Singapore
Posts: 498
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by x_lk
USB Off-Ramp Turbo-2 ~$1000 ... I guess you don't want to spend 10x Zero price on a converter
Unfortunately, all USB sound cards with coaxial output I know cost $200+. If you don't mind their high price tag, either M-Audio or EMU will serve the purpose very well, IMO. Personally, I use a modified USB SoundWave 7.1. I opened its shell and added a male RCA plug to directly couple CM102's SPDIF output to Zero's SPDIF input - no SPDIF cable required, yeah! It costs me less than $20 I know it's a rather crappy sound card, but to my ears, CM102's digital output sounds exactly the same comparing to the SPDIF from my M-Audio AP192 (~$150).
|
lol issit possible to mod the zero with a usb then hahah
|
11-23-2008, 06:26 AM
|
 |
100+ Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Porto, Portugal
Posts: 439
|
|
HA USB TO SPDIF (coax) 2902
Cheap and does what is required. 
__________________
PC (WASAPI) → AMB/Mr.X γ1 (W.I.P) → Pure Silver m-RCA D.I.Y → Millett Hybrid MiniMAX D.I.Y (W.I.P) / AMB Mini³ D.I.Y → Sennheiser HD-650 / Grado RS-80
|
11-23-2008, 06:28 AM
|
|
Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 55
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by athenaesword
lol issit possible to mod the zero with a usb then hahah
|
I was thinking of putting the USB sound card inside Zero - it's tiny and bus powered, so should be very doable. But I didn't bother drilling the back of Zero, leaving it outside for now ...
|
11-23-2008, 06:30 AM
|
|
100+ Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Singapore
Posts: 498
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by x_lk
I was thinking of putting the USB sound card inside Zero - it's tiny and bus powered, so should be very doable. But I didn't bother drilling the back of Zero, leaving it outside for now ...
|
putting the soundcard inside the zero!? how would the soundcard be connected to the zero then?wouldn't there still be an spdif connection?
|
11-23-2008, 06:40 AM
|
|
Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 55
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by athenaesword
putting the soundcard inside the zero!? how would the soundcard be connected to the zero then?wouldn't there still be an spdif connection?
|
The connection is still through SPDIF. I guess a better way would be using a USB receiver chip capable of output I2S, then route I2S directly to AD1852 - bypassing CS8416 altogether, it'll be a huge and risky mod though ...
|
11-23-2008, 06:52 AM
|
|
100+ Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Bay Area, CA, USA
Posts: 300
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by x_lk
I'm surprised that your Zero did not come with a optical cable. Zero accepts ordinary toslink, not the mini-type. So you don't need the adapter. Try turn the plug until it fits ...
|
haha im dumb
i didn't know the thing was a cover... i had to pull it out. oops
|
11-23-2008, 07:51 AM
|
|
100+ Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Singapore
Posts: 498
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by x_lk
The connection is still through SPDIF. I guess a better way would be using a USB receiver chip capable of output I2S, then route I2S directly to AD1852 - bypassing CS8416 altogether, it'll be a huge and risky mod though ...
|
oh... there goes my hopes of having a USB zero.
|
11-23-2008, 08:14 AM
|
 |
Head-Fi'er
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 87
|
|
It seems to me that this Zero DAC is in the same relative pricerange as an LD Mk2....If I am using my Hd580's, would it be more beneficial to purchase this Zero and use it as both a DAC and an amp? Or would the LD MK2's superiority as an amp surpass that utility?
I might end up buying both of them and using Zero as the source.
Just some opinions please.
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 06:32 PM.
|
