[rush1]

Thought of selling mine, but then I tried a simple use for the dac mini... I think I it will stay for awhile...

 

 

 

[zilch0md]

  Thought of selling mine, but then I tried a simple use for the dac mini... I think I it will stay for awhile...

 

 

 
Wow!  The DACmini CX is standing proud in that rig!   I don't know what kind of amp or speakers you have - they're beautiful - but I also love the fact that you are using Tidal HiFi > iDevice > CCK as your source.  I've been doing this myself ever since Tidal HiFi was first offered and I love how "silent" the iDevices can be when a USB signal is pulled from them this way - compared to power-noisy laptops and PCs.  
 
Another plus with the DACmini CX is that it supplies its DAC with very clean power, without requiring 5V power from the USB input - which also makes it a "perfect" for use with Tidal HiFi > iDevice > CCK, as the iDevices cannot supply 5VDC power to a USB-powered DAC.
 
All-in-all, you have a very smart combination of components here!  Tell us about the amp and speakers, please.  
 
Thanks,
 
Mike

 

[rush1]

   
Wow!  The DACmini CX is standing proud in that rig!   I don't know what kind of amp or speakers you have - they're beautiful - but I also love the fact that you are using Tidal HiFi > iDevice > CCK as your source.  I've been doing this myself ever since Tidal HiFi was first offered and I love how "silent" the iDevices can be when a USB signal is pulled from them this way - compared to power-noisy laptops and PCs.  
 
Another plus with the DACmini CX is that it supplies its DAC with very clean power, without requiring 5V power from the USB input - which also makes it a "perfect" for use with Tidal HiFi > iDevice > CCK, as the iDevices cannot supply 5VDC power to a USB-powered DAC.
 
All-in-all, you have a very smart combination of components here!  Tell us about the amp and speakers, please.  
 
Thanks,
 
Mike

Hi Mike, Thank you for the kind words... The amp is Tube Lover 845 single ended integrated with 25 watts, I am currently using nos telefunkens to sweetened it up

. As for the speaker they are Vienna Acoustic Haydn Grand Symphony in Rosewood.
 
Actually in the photos, I was playing via iTunes, Tidal isn't available yet in where I live, they said its coming soon. I certainly hope it does, so I can stream in higher quality sounds... But playing via Apple Music and Spotify is much pleasure already.
 
I agree with you, Centrance doesn't need power from USB, thus a perfect match with idevices. More over I can "remote controlled" it with my other idevice. All in all, the Centrance does hold up in this small system, it sounds so musical and unfatiguing.

 

[jisu]

   
The only thing that works for me is to shut off/unplug.
 
To be fair though, the Dacmini is not unique in this problem. I have had many usb dacs that glitch out due to sleep mode. It seems to happen most with those that also have external power units. I suspect (but could be entirely wrong) that this is because the usb receiver chip still receives its power directly from the usb cable while the rest of the dac has its own power supply. So upon sleep mode part of the data chain goes poof, the rest of the dac glitches out, and booting the computer back up doesn't do anything because you can't restart a broken connection. So you need to hard reset to get it back working again.

Interestingly, mine starts working again once the PC is turned back on.
 
Quote:

  Shutting off the power-saving mode might help.
 
I rarely have any issues with mine these days. I always move the switch to standby before shutting my computer down, and that seems to skirt the problem entirely.

 
Sorry I should have clarified, the issue remains regardless of sleep mode, turning off the PC, and even switching the DACmini to standby beforehand. 

 

[Bostonears]

On many PCs, only certain USB ports retain power during sleep mode, and in some cases the BIOS will let you configure whether or not ports retain power.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Hello. I'm thinking of getting a DACMini PX to use as a DAC with the Liquid Carbon and as a speaker amp for my MartinLogan LX16 speakers (near field). My alternative is the Oppo HA-1 with some sort of external class D amp or possibly an Emotiva A-100, if I can find one at a decent price. Another alternative is a Sony UDA1, again, if it can be had at a good price.
 
How is the PX as a DAC and speaker amp? Are there any concerns about it's older USB implementation? Anyone herd any news of an upgraded model?
 
Many thanks,
 
Allan

 

[Armaegis]

The PX is a fine all-in-one unit. The dac is perhaps a little outdated, but honestly most will not be able to tell in the slightest. There's occasionally a usb blip that freezes the PX if you shut off your computer while it is on the usb setting, but making sure the PX is in standby mitigates this. There are no updates to the PX to my knowledge. There have been recent deals on the PX, so finding a used one at a decent price is not out of the question.
 
The HA-1 is a travesty to be avoided.

 

[Allanmarcus]

  The PX is a fine all-in-one unit. The dac is perhaps a little outdated, but honestly most will not be able to tell in the slightest. There's occasionally a usb blip that freezes the PX if you shut off your computer while it is on the usb setting, but making sure the PX is in standby mitigates this. There are no updates to the PX to my knowledge. There have been recent deals on the PX, so finding a used one at a decent price is not out of the question.
 
The HA-1 is a travesty to be avoided.

 
Thanks for the info.
 
We will have to agree to disagree on the HA-1. I find it great, as do many others. 
 
If the pro iCan had speaker terminals, I would seriously consider it and a decent DAC from Schiit. The Rag to just too huge.
 
I hope CEntrace updates the PX as it's one of the few left that does what it does, but maybe the work is moving to active speakers ;-(

 

[Armaegis]

NAD D3020 (or D7050) and NuPrime IDA-8 are two other all-in-one options to consider.

 

[Allanmarcus]

  NAD D3020 (or D7050) and NuPrime IDA-8 are two other all-in-one options to consider.

Thanks. I have a D3020. No pre-out, so no way to use it as a DAC for a real headphone amp. It appears the IDA-8 has the same limitation. As do many of the similar Teacs and Denons.
 
So fat the Sony UDA1 and the PX are the only desktop DAC/Amps (meaning relatively small footprint). The Sound Blaster X7 also looks like it's a DAC, speaker amp, and has a line out. It's just so... not audiophile

 

[Armaegis]

Er... the IDA-8 does actually have a pre-out.

 

[Allanmarcus]

  Er... the IDA-8 does actually have a pre-out.

Whoops! I saw "sub out" and got confused. Many thanks.
 
update: Umm, the manual says that out is specifically for a sub. Odd.
 
reading more. it appears to only have variable output on the RCA out. not great for my needs, but not a show stopper. I would prefer fixed. 
 
So, anyone want to venture a comparison between the IDA-8 and the PX?

 

[Armaegis]

I own both and would say the IDA-8 is a step up in all aspects except size and noise floor. The NuPrime also leans a bit to the warmer side.
 
I've used the "sub out" to feed headamps and power amps without issue.

 

[Allanmarcus]

  I own both and would say the IDA-8 is a step up in all aspects except size and noise floor. The NuPrime also leans a bit to the warmer side.
 
I've used the "sub out" to feed headamps and power amps without issue.

Si if I got the PX , connected speakers and headphone amp to the line out, if I wanted to listen to headphones I would turn not he PX, turn the volume to 0, and then just use the headphone amp.
 
If I got the IDA-8 I don't see how that would work with variable output for the line out.

 

[Armaegis]

Yeah that sounds about right with the PX, provided you get the one with the fixed line out (it's an option to buy them with variable lineout, which is what mine has).