[sling5s]

Quote:

You know what the ODAC sounds like to me? The old PS1 SCPH-1001! The one with RCA jacks.
All my harsh and fatiguing tracks that were awful on my 5 other CD players are now quite listenable, just like on the ODAC.
Maybe this idea people have about the 1001 being so good is really no lie. 1001 is perhaps warmer and not as detailed, but pretty close.
I was listening to that with my Q701 and modded HD-600 and loved every minute of it. Now I just need to find out if there's a way to use a remote with an adapter of some sorts.
Probably not.
 
It seems most people imagine the ODAC as some analytical detail monster, but not for a second has it ever sounded that way. OK, sure when it wasn't functioning correctly

 
Here's another huge mystery for me I can't figure out...
 
When I had my HRT MSII the difference between the E9 and Micro Amp was huge. It's as if the E9 wasn't really all that revealing of the true signature of the HRT MSII and the Micro was. On my Micro it's as if I was only hearing the DAC.
When I get the ODAC, both of the amps now sound much, much closer in sound. Guess it's all about synergy or something. Maybe the E9 really isn't as transparent or as revealing of what's connected to it? No idea..

I think I know what you mean but the PS1 SCPH-1001 is much more vinyl tube sounding, it's got this weird tube like holographic 3D quality that is very unique and addictive.  It's also very midcentric and slightly grainy. The ODAC has much more smoother and fuller and has much more bass.  I think they are similar in that they are both soft or recessed in the treble.  Having said that, I don't know if it's the ODAC or the O2 because mine is a O2+ODAC combo.
So you maybe right for all I know. 

 

[adydula]

I was sent MicroTik 5VUSB Power Injector and the 5V 2A Power Supply terminated with a 1.3 x 3.5mm barrel connector

 from silchomd.
 
I checked out the wiring from the USB connector that inserts into a pc to the other end of the cable where the ODAC cable would be attached,
 
All 4 wires are straight wired thru, Ground, Vcc, and D- and D+.
 
The power jack has the correct polarity and allows the 5v 2a supply to connect and make a secure connection. When plugged in the DC will ride along with the DC USB power from the PC. This I do not like.
 
That said I did test it and it did work. The ODAC was powered up, music played from the O2 and there were no observed negative issues with sound or any PC USB error messages or enumeration.
 
I would prefer a solution that would isolate the power supply from the PC supply, its not a good idea to hook up multiple power supplies to a circuit unless precautions are taken.
 
A powered USB hub that is isolated would be a better solution to me.
 
All that said, I cut up a few USB cables to insert an ammeter and a voltmeter to actually see what the ODAC is drawing for current and any effect on the PC USB 5 volts.
 
Well, the max current I measured was 50.5 milliamps, connected to the O2 Amp and not connected to the amp. The current draw did not change at all with volume changes on the amp.
 
The voltage was 5.03 vdc before the ODAC was powered and 5.03 with the ODAC powered.
 
The PC was an older gateway desktop tower with a USB 2.0 port.
 
The USB power was not even phased with this minmal load.
 
100 ma is the unit spec for a single USB port for 2.0.
 
So I am very doubful that any PC out there could not provide the power for an ODAC.
 
If your having an issue with a dac, an odac I would look elsewhere for issues....like settings in the Operating System, device drivers, pre-buffering settings etc.
 
The truth is in the pudding!!
 
All the best
Alex

 

[BLACKENEDPLAGUE]

Quote:

4chan have we?

mah boy, what is this 4chan you speak of?

 

[LoveKnight]

Thanks very much for all of your measurements of ODAC, adydula. I am not good at English but I read your post and guess that ODACs do not have any problems of power management or power lacking. Now I am happy to purchase an ODAC. Thanks again!

 

[zilch0md]

Alex,
 
Yes - thank you for taking the time to test the external power supply and MicroTik "power injector."  It is strange that they didn't isolate the "injected" power from the USB port's power, but going on your measurements, it seems that the ODAC would have no problem getting the power it needs from the vast majority of USB ports - in that it draws only 50 mA.
 
Mike

 

[sulla138]

Thanks for the info about the power injector. I was interested in it as a solution for the iPad CCK setup. I wonder if there is any downside to using it with an iPad.

 

[sulla138]

I have been using the ODAC/ O2 with a USB powered hub I had laying around. It works great it is just messy. I don't know if the hub is isolated.

 

[zilch0md]

Hi sulla138,
Quote:

I have been using the ODAC/ O2 with a USB powered hub I had laying around. It works great it is just messy. I don't know if the hub is isolated.

 
When you say your hub is "USB powered," are you saying that it does not have an AC adapter that plugs into a wall outlet?  
 
If it does not have an AC adapter, then your ODAC is using the same power that it would be using if you plugged it directly into the port that the hub is using.
 
If it does have an AC adapter, then your hub is not "USB powered" - and would indeed be isolated from the power that comes from your laptop or PC.
 
Alex found that the MicroTik 5VUSB Power Injector does not isolate the USB port power coming from the AC adapter power - it mixes them together in a parallel circuit, like putting two 5V batteries side by side, instead of end to end, to still give you 5V, but they are wired together.  This is extraordinary, as you would normally not want to blend the power from two sources, that way.   MicroTik should have designed their Power Injector to take the power exclusively from the AC adapter (using the USB port exclusively for data).   But it seems to work, nevertheless, and MicroTik sells it for use with their routers.
 
Mike

 

[adydula]

If the hub has an ac adapter it probably is isolated from the pc, but I always have my doubts...if you use a non-powered hub then the hub is pulling current from the PC...this I would avoid.
 
The only way to tell is look at a schematic....good luck there.
 
The other way is to pull the Vcc from the PC cable to the powered hub and see if the device attached to the powered hub works.
 
This is not easy to do. You have to cut into a cable etc and it gets messy....
 
One thing I forgot to say it that if you have a lot of USB devices already attached to the same USB hub or buss in the PC and are close to the 500ma USB spec...and then yo plug in the ODAC and your over the limit...things can go funny.
 
Depending on how the USB power source in the PC is designed...
 
Also I cant stress enough to check the PC OS settings and the player settings...
 
I have seen issues from PC to PC with differrent dac implementations....an asynch dac that works fine on one pc and not so fine on another that had to have settings changed in the media player (not the windows player in this case)...
 
Working with the manufacturer of one of these dacs, USB power came up and one of their possible solutions was to use a powered USB hub if the specific setting in the music player didnt solve the issue...
 
My issue was with intermittent pops and tics while playing any song in any format.
 
Also if being an audio 'nut' like i am...and striving for bit-perfect sound....I would only have my dac connected to a USB with nothing else on the hub. No way, no how....
 
The current testing I did was with ONLY the ODAC attached to a PC USB 2.0 port.
 
All the best
Alex

 

 

[zilch0md]

Alex,
 
Now, I'm thinking it would be better just to get a tiny powered hub, like this (despite my having wanted to avoid something this bulky):
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SAB34O
 
 

 
It offers three more ports than we need and it's larger than the MicroTik power injector, but there's a chance it would keep the AC adapter power isolated from the laptop's USB power.  Still, we can't make that assumption, as you say - it would have to be tested.
 
Thanks again for all of your advice - I like the idea of not using any other devices on the PC's usb bus while listening to music.
 
Mike

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

One thing I forgot to say it that if you have a lot of USB devices already attached to the same USB hub or buss in the PC and are close to the 500ma USB spec...and then yo plug in the ODAC and your over the limit...things can go funny.
 
Depending on how the USB power source in the PC is designed...
 
Also I cant stress enough to check the PC OS settings and the player settings...

 
Now that is interesting.  I know all my USB ports are employed  so that may be an issue to check out.
 
I know myself an purrin both used WASAPI via JRiver for our tests. 

 

[adydula]

The USB buss was not intended to power the world up!!
 
It has its limits and they are indeed published.
 
Some USB options designers know this and include walwarts when needed due to the limitations of the spec.
 
I see folks trying to power up portable electric heaters to keep them warm in the winter....."aint going to work!"
 
Alex
 

 

[sling5s]

This just can't be my imagination but the USB cable that comes with the O2+ODAC has a ferrite and I believe the ferrite filters the high frequencies. 
When I changed the USB (ferrite-less) cable, the high frequency came back.  At least to my ears.  
The treble is much better, not recessed as before and the bass has more snap, punch, do to the restoration of the treble balance.
 
Is it just me? 

 

[sulla138]

USB cables only carry zeros and ones no high frequencies for the ferrite to filter out. The high frequencies are on the other side of the odac. So I guess the difference you heard must be for some other reason.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

The USB buss was not intended to power the world up!!
 
It has its limits and they are indeed published.
 
Some USB options designers know this and include walwarts when needed due to the limitations of the spec.
 
I see folks trying to power up portable electric heaters to keep them warm in the winter....."aint going to work!"
 
Alex
 

 
You're joking right.  Using all the usb ports on a motherboard or a single underpowered one on a laptop is akin to plugging in a portable electric heater?  So the ODAC is the portable heater in your example then?  Do you know what 

even means?
Quote:

USB cables only carry zeros and ones no high frequencies for the ferrite to filter out. 

 
No, USB cables carry no 'ones' or 'zeros'.  They carry the same electrons every other cable carries.