[ted betley]

Elias can the benchmark be used with asio that has 24/192 capabilities? I currently use with asio4all which was free and works well but only up to 24/48. I would like to try to use some 24/96 and 24/192 downloads but cannot with asio4all

 

[EliasGwinn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matias /img/forum/go_quote.gif They are not in the signal path, ok, but they are directly feeding all the analog section's power. Don't ask me the technical stuff. Use your ears instead.

Actually, the fuses aren't directly feeding the analog circuitry either. After the AC is delivered through the fuses, it is heavily filtered and regulated with our power supply circuitry.

Thanks,
Elias

 

[Dreadhead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ted betley /img/forum/go_quote.gif Elias can the benchmark be used with asio that has 24/192 capabilities? I currently use with asio4all which was free and works well but only up to 24/48. I would like to try to use some 24/96 and 24/192 downloads but cannot with asio4all

I will let Elias deal with the Benchmark question but asio4all supports 24/96 if the device it's attached to supports it. I listen to 24/96 all the time on my through optical out of a m-audio transit (up to 24/96). My stand alone digital equalizer even confirms that the data is 24/96.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[EliasGwinn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsckwan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is it possible that the 2 input could sound different with coaxial sounding a little bit louder or better?

Have you checked all the volume controls in your computer? What operating system are you using? Windows, Mac?

Thanks,
Elias

 

[EliasGwinn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ted betley /img/forum/go_quote.gif Matias: question I have a usb benchmark with asio4all which limits me to 24/48 going to the dac. How do you find juli--any problems or difficulties? Is the digital out good (what are you using-toslink or spdif)? Have you tried some of the 24/96 and 24/192 downloads?

The DAC1 USB is capable of up to 24/96. Is ASIO4ALL limited to 24/48?

Thanks,
Elias

 

[ted betley]

yes I believe so. I can play 24/96 flac but not wav files

 

[EliasGwinn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ted betley /img/forum/go_quote.gif Elias can the benchmark be used with asio that has 24/192 capabilities? I currently use with asio4all which was free and works well but only up to 24/48. I would like to try to use some 24/96 and 24/192 downloads but cannot with asio4all

Well, this answers my previous post

The DAC1 USB is capable of 24/192 with all digital inputs EXCEPT USB. USB is limited to 24/96.

If you have an ASIO-based computer interface that transmits digitally at 24/192, then the DAC1 will work great with it. (assuming that the hardware and/or the software associated with it does not mangle the digital data).

Thanks,
Elias

 

[Matias]

ted betley, indeed, 24/192 through SPDIF works great here. Maybe I'll try those new HRx later.

EliasGwinn, even though the analog section is heavily filtered, as well as the USB implementation is supposed to be bit-identical and jitter-free, my ears tell me otherwise.

I would be great if you could measure those differences and see it for yourself.

 

[Matias]

03lab,

My DAC1 USB stays warm after the 15s power-off too, burning away electricity and raising my power bill, definitively not an eco-friendly solution. The only way to completely shut if off, that is, not staying warm afterwards, is disconnecting the AC cable!

Doing it everyday is sure to wear off the connection, and so you have to decide between energy saving versus equipment life-time. No comments...

Quote:

Originally Posted by 03lab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Finally managed to get a DAC1 Pre for under $2500 ( ) and it does sound great, but I was wondering if it's normal for the DAC to get very warm even if it is just plugged in but turned off?

 

[Crowbar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matias /img/forum/go_quote.gif 03lab, My DAC1 USB stays warm after the 15s power-off too, burning away electricity and raising my power bill, definitively not an eco-friendly solution. The only way to completely shut if off, that is, not staying warm afterwards, is disconnecting the AC cable! Doing it everyday is sure to wear off the connection, and so you have to decide between energy saving versus equipment life-time. No comments...

Do you drive or take the bus or another gasoline or diesel using vehicle? A liter of gasoline is 9,000 watt-hours, 11,000 for diesel. Using a vehicle to go a single kilometer pales in comparison to electronic equipment's standby power for a whole day.

 

[yourmando]

A question for Elias:

I've been meaning switch from using the rca outputs to using the XLR so that I can pad down the output volume. Unfortunately, most of time I find the volume know at around 9 o'clock at critical listening levels, sometimes even less (and more so when I have music at a 'work' volume). I'd rather have the volume closer to 12 o'clock during critical listening. I know I can use a special XLR to RCA cable with a floating pin. There's also the option of using a normal XLR cable and a Jensen xlr to rca transformer box, which also brings the "Pro" +4dBu signals to "Consumer" -10dBV signals. Can you help me decide which route to take?

Ordinarily, I would just go with a short length of the XLR cable with the floating pin and connect it to my existing RCA cables. But the other day I noticed some loud hum from the listening position. I use the dac1 usb as my preamp, and it's the only thing connected to my speakers (no cable box or other sources). I finally narrowed down the problem--if I plug the dac1 usb into a different wall socket from the other components, the hum mostly goes away. (Still audible from near the speakers, but I don't mind that). The 2 different wall socket situation is not ideal because I have 2 power strips coming in across different sides of the room. A bit messy. And my options are limited because I need the dac1 in a certain position to be near the volume control and headphone out.

So I thought the Jensen solution might kill 2 birds with 1 stone: 1) eliminate hum in cases where I need to plug into the same power strip from the same wall socket (I'm not sure if this is true), 2) allow me to convert to rca w/o a special cable, and bonus 3) give me more room to pad down, since it pads down to bring signals to a consumer level, and then I can pad down again using the internal xlr jumper if I need to. The drawbacks are cost, added distortion (not sure if it would ever be audible), and the fact that it might not have the intended effect on hum.

The setup: DAC1 USB to Linkwitz Lab Orion+ (dac1 rca interconnects to active crossover, and from there multiple rca interconnects to the amp channels...). (And of course the headphone out, but I've never had hum or other problems with that.)

The Jensen transformer:

JENSEN TRANSFORMERS, INC. - ISO-MAX® PC-2XR Stereo "Pro" to "Consumer" Converter / Isolator

Thank you,
Armando

 

[poo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EliasGwinn /img/forum/go_quote.gif The DAC1 USB is capable of 24/192 with all digital inputs EXCEPT USB. USB is limited to 24/96.

DAMN! I didn't realise that (or at least forgot). Is that a limitation of USB within the DAC1, or USB in general? Can I ask for a simple explanation as to why this is the case? Something to do with bandwith?

 

[erotisches]

One question, if my PC is also a source for home theater, can dac1 be used simultaneously with the sound card? I also need digital out for the surround channel whereas ,if all output is fed through dac1, I will only have 2ch output. Digital output would be nice too

ahhh I'm so greedy.
Sorry if this is answered in FAQ, I admit that I haven't read it.

 

[Bostonears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matias /img/forum/go_quote.gif My DAC1 USB stays warm after the 15s power-off too, burning away electricity and raising my power bill, definitively not an eco-friendly solution. The only way to completely shut if off, that is, not staying warm afterwards, is disconnecting the AC cable! Doing it everyday is sure to wear off the connection, and so you have to decide between energy saving versus equipment life-time. No comments...

According to the specs, the DAC1 uses about 8 watts of energy in standby. That works out to about one kilowatt hour every 5 days, which in most places would cost less than $1 a month on an electric bill.

Nevertheless, if you want to disconnect the DAC1 when not in use, a better way than actually pulling the plug would be via a switched outlet on a power strip or AC conditioner. Personally, I would like to see Benchmark put a real power switch on the DAC1, or a 12 volt trigger that would permit lower standby power consumption (possibly under 1 watt).

 

[bsckwan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matias /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bostonears, analog outs and headphone jacks both. bsckwan, I said that too some time ago. Correct bit-transparent SPDIF sound better/cleaner then the USB implementation.

I've been comparing the following 2 configuration:

1.) Mac OS X 10.5.3 with iTunes 7.6.2 playing AIFF files --> (via USB with 24 bit / 44.1 kHz setting in Audio Midi and standard USB cable) Benchmark DAC1 PRE
2.) Sony DVP-S9000ES --> (via coaxial) Benchmark DAC1 PRE

I wanted 1. to sound better but 2. always end up sounding cleaner.

I thought 1. is suppose to be bit transparent.

A question for Elias,

Is there anyway to improve on 1 and whether this is usually the case with DAC1 - SPDIF better then USB?