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γ1 (gamma 1) DAC thread - Page 7

post #91 of 159
4/11/09 at 10:31am
okay but I'm still unsure how will this work all together in windows.
yes, there's an integrated soundcard on the motherboard, which has spdif outputs.
are these outputs already proccessed by the motherboard or I don't know..
this is what I'm trying to figure out. along with the question of the volume control thing in windows.
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post #92 of 159
4/11/09 at 2:16pm
Using USB or SPDIF you bypass the onboard soundcard and the Gamma takes over that job (as an external soundcard). You configure windows sound setup to use the USB/SPDIF device, wndows will recognize the DAC and you set that as your default soundcard.

When playing music, the signal is fed to the DAC just like it would with the internal soundcard and the volume control works the same as before. All you're doing it telling windows to use an external soundcard (DAC) instead of the internal one.

It's pretty much the same as adding a creative soundcard to your system, you let the system know which one you want to use and the rest is totally transparent.
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post #93 of 159
4/11/09 at 5:27pm
thanks for clearing up this confusion smeggy

this is how it should work normally, but who knows when it comes to windows....

thx again man
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post #94 of 159
4/11/09 at 6:39pm
Its no problem, I set mine up just like that, told my media player (Media Monkey) which output device to use with my driver and off it went
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post #95 of 159
4/11/09 at 8:37pm
and you use usb or optical ?
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post #96 of 159
4/12/09 at 4:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by selkin View Post
and you use usb or optical ?
Either will work just by plugging and playing!
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post #97 of 159
4/12/09 at 10:39am
thx
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post #98 of 159
4/12/09 at 6:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anoobis View Post
Thanks for the confirmation.

I quick search also shows that only much more expensive USB implementations ( >> $500) do better than 16bit/48kHz, so it's a non-issue for me at present.
M-audio transit is what I plan to use with mine. 24/96 optical from USB, cost ~$70. Also requires drivers to be installed, but I'll just use the USB input when not using my transport.
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post #99 of 159
4/13/09 at 3:07am
When used as a USB DAC, the full configuration y1 doesn't allow me to use Window's main volume control. That's a non-issue for me, since either way, I would just use the volume control on my amp. I'd only care about that if I was planning to plug headphones directly into the DAC, which I don't really ever intend to do.

edit: Just tried plugging the K701 directly into the DAC. The bass just disappeared. It's definitely meant to be amped
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post #100 of 159
4/13/09 at 4:05am
Quote:
When used as a USB DAC, the full configuration y1 doesn't allow me to use Window's main volume control.
Is it set as the default device in Windows?
(if not the mixer will not do anything because it will be trying to control another device)

Quote:
It's definitely meant to be amped
The Gamma 1 DAC is meant to drive a high impedance loads.
You could install larger C24D and C25D capacitors if you wish to drive low Z headphones directly but then you are dependent on either the media player or the Windows mixer to control the volume......
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post #101 of 159
4/13/09 at 4:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by deaconblues View Post
When used as a USB DAC, the full configuration y1 doesn't allow me to use Window's main volume control.
But the volume control window's "Wave" slider (under Windows XP) or the application-specific slider (Vista) should work. That is, if you're not using ASIO4ALL or WASAPI (Vista). Also, you must make sure that the Volume control panel is set to control the proper device (in case the γ1 is not the default).

Quote:
Just tried plugging the K701 directly into the DAC. The bass just disappeared. It's definitely meant to be amped
γ1 is not intended to be a headphone amp, even though the WM8501 DAC has plenty of output current capability. The output coupling caps in the γ1 are too small in capacitance for the K701. 22uF and 62 ohms = high pass fileter -3dB @ 117Hz.
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post #102 of 159
4/13/09 at 4:36am
I am looking to get one of these.

FWIR , Its USB DAC is limited to 16bit/48k due to receiving chip limitation.

But, it can output 24bit/96k if optical/ coaxial connection is used.

Am I correct ? Can it output 24/96 ?
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post #103 of 159
4/13/09 at 5:13am
Correct... the Optical and Coaxial S/PDIF inputs can "accept" a 24/96 signal.
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post #104 of 159
4/13/09 at 5:13am
If you use the coaxial or optical inputs, it can play 24bit/96khz audio. Those inputs are independent of the DAC's USB chip (PCM2707) and aren't subject to the limitations of the USB audio standard.
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post #105 of 159
4/13/09 at 5:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gurubhai View Post
FWIR , Its USB DAC is limited to 16bit/48k due to receiving chip limitation.
Correct.

Quote:
But, it can output 24bit/96k if optical/ coaxial connection is used.
More correctly, it accepts up to 24b/96k digital S/PDIF input through either the coax or optical connections. The output is analog, so "24b/96k" is not a relevant concept.
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