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Alien DAC v1.1 Construction Thread - Page 8

post #106 of 1560
7/25/06 at 9:06am
Does anyone know if recabling the USB cable will help in SQ?
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post #107 of 1560
7/25/06 at 9:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitewind
Does anyone know if recabling the USB cable will help in SQ?
Without knowing the USB spec - i doubt it. I would imagine the digital data would be wrapped up within the USB protocol and as thus jitter and all that jazz would not be a problem.

Rob.
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post #108 of 1560
7/25/06 at 10:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitewind
Does anyone know if recabling the USB cable will help in SQ?
I don't think so. It is only 1's and 0's. It is good to have a well built cable, but that applies to all cables, not just USB.

For the interconnect from USB DAC to amplifier, I wouldn't spend more much as well, because this DAC is not really high end!
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post #109 of 1560
7/25/06 at 10:39am
The Ferrites I used are spec'ed at 75ohm. The Alien specifies 600ohm ferrites. Would there be any difference in the sound quality?

Thanks
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post #110 of 1560
7/25/06 at 10:49am
0 and 1, maybe. But 0 and 1 at a particular timing. The clock used for the conversion process is derivated from the timing of the USB packets.

However, unlike for spdif, we don't quite know how the transfer and receiving interface impacts the re-created 1KHz USB clock. It makes it quite useless to play with USB cables.
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post #111 of 1560
7/25/06 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00940
0 and 1, maybe. But 0 and 1 at a particular timing. The clock used for the conversion process is derivated from the timing of the USB packets.

However, unlike for spdif, we don't quite know how the transfer and receiving interface impacts the re-created 1KHz USB clock. It makes it quite useless to play with USB cables.

I see your point, but do you mean that a cheap usb cable would interfere with the correct timing?
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post #112 of 1560
7/25/06 at 11:55am
It might... or not. Really I wouldn't worry too much about it. Keep them short and that's it.
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post #113 of 1560
7/25/06 at 12:02pm
In that case, what do you recommend if your PC is remote - about 15-20 feet away - and you're running a wireless keyboard and mouse with a monitor extension? Extend the USB or extend the patch cords? USB was my first guess, now I'm not sure.
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post #114 of 1560
7/25/06 at 12:20pm
It's about as clear as black magic. USB specs say that you can't get further than 5 meters with an usb cable. You can go further with active extender. Since we want the device to receive a USB signal as good as possible, I would use a max of 5feet.
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post #115 of 1560
7/25/06 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitewind
The Ferrites I used are spec'ed at 75ohm. The Alien specifies 600ohm ferrites. Would there be any difference in the sound quality?
I recommend installing 600R ferrites. There would be measurable difference.
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post #116 of 1560
7/25/06 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitewind
Does anyone know if recabling the USB cable will help in SQ?
USB cable does affect sound quality. I would say it is the last 1%. Expensive super cables are not always better choice than cheaper ones. In my case, no name cable that came with my Epson printer performed better than touted Profigold.
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post #117 of 1560
7/25/06 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alf
USB cable does affect sound quality. I would say it is the last 1%. Expensive super cables are not always better choice than cheaper ones. In my case, no name cable that came with my Epson printer performed better than touted Profigold.
This is like massive victory for the common man.
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post #118 of 1560
7/26/06 at 5:51pm
After reading the entire thread I have a few questions for you guys.
Between the REG101 and REG102, which one is preferred?
As I've stated before, I'm going to be using an external regulated PSU, but I'm wondering if it's detrimental to regulate twice. 5.7V is what I'm planning to set the PSU at.
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post #119 of 1560
7/26/06 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mb3k
After reading the entire thread I have a few questions for you guys.
Between the REG101 and REG102, which one is preferred?
As I've stated before, I'm going to be using an external regulated PSU, but I'm wondering if it's detrimental to regulate twice. 5.7V is what I'm planning to set the PSU at.

I only know what I've read from the datasheets. REG102 handles higer current- 250ma vs 100ma for REG101, but REG101 has slightly better noise specs. My experience is limited to my REG102's- they are absolutely dead quiet - sitting in their ASD bags in a box :-)

I would think there might be a marginal benefit to REG101.... Maybe someone who has actually fired both these variants up can comment.
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post #120 of 1560
7/26/06 at 6:35pm
Ohhhhhh, Mouser now stocks Os-Cons?

When did that happen?
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