the answer to our prayers?? USB audio the holy grail??

Hey Guys, dont know how many of you have already seen this info. but recently Via has announced the Envy USB 2.0 receiver/controller. this device allows 8 x 24bit/192khz streams, with i2c, i2s, spdif etc etc. its not a USB receiver that can be harnessed for audio as a result of doing data, its an audio product from the ground up designed for pro audio production and hirez cinema content.

i've sent them an email asking for more info, datasheet and possible samples, not sure about driver support until I get that reply, but it sure looks promising doesnt it?? I may have to sign an NDA to get that info of course knowing today's climate

since the low bandwidth was really the main thing stopping me from being interested in USB for audio i'm quite happy for this announcement. has some nice implications for active crossovers too

anyone else know anything about it? or even better used it?

oh and no its not async, its isychronous with a twist. regardless they apparently have their own system of making sure all the bits arrive in the right order without getting lost along the way

yes lets hope that it isnt just licensed to some high end manufacturers leaving us to continue to drool over them, using a mess of proprietary proprietary hardware with proprietary software. with luck it wont even need a driver as such and will simply use USB 2.0 as a transport in combination with imbedded hardware control.

though I dont think that will be the case (that we will be denied access as DIYers) since they have made so many press releases.

make no mistake, this is a big deal IMO

indeed that is what async is, but its just another way of making sure everything arrives and is played in the right order. async just happened to be invented because the OG USB clocking is so crap and limiting, so they removed the part about being tied to the current usb audio implementation by turning it back into a transport protocol with the audio clocking taken care of by something that actually does a 'good' job that is not tied to the USB device

agreed, ethernet is already there, but then there has been technology capable of everything we want for ages, just nobody will let us at it

oooohhhh

yes, this is why I have emailed them and asked about such limiting factors before I waste any time on it; but I thought I would see if anyone here had already made that journey while I waited.

another old man in denial that his rig has not been eaten up and spat out??

actually no, i'm 35, grew up with LPs, saw Fleetwood Mac as a youngster, Pink Floyd live at boondal at 14 and lived and worked with DJ's through my teens, but sorry vinyl has its place, but it is but a distant memory fading further into the rear view; I have been using my mac as source since the mid-late 90's with various recording interfaces, only lately migrating more to feeding dedicated DACs with my RME via AES/BNC, I wont be turning back the clock to vinyl any time soon; computer as source is just far too convenient and the sound is pretty darn good as well IMO, with the right DIY or deep pockets

now thats not to say vinyl rigs cant sound the business, just not my business.