Spare Tire
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 12, 2006
- Posts
- 234
- Likes
- 12
Hi everyone, i just recieved the DA 2.03e. The manual is puzzling me with regards to the upsampling buttons. Here's what the manual says:
Fs-AUTO: When the "Fs-AUTO" is on, it is the condiction of random frequency.[sic]
88.2KHz: When the "88.2KHz" is on, it is the condiction of random frequency: the signal frequency is 44.1Khz the output frequency is 88.2KHz.[sic]
96KHz: When the "96KHZ" is on, it is the condiction of random double frequency: the signal frequency is 48Khz the output frequency is 96KHz.[sic]
That's what's written word for word. Now, what that COULD mean is:
1. both 88.2 and 96.0 will upsample any frenquency by x2 (they do the same thing)
2. both 88.2 and 96.0 will upsample only 44.1KHz and 48KHz to 88.2 and 96.0 respectively
3. 88.2 upsamples anything to 88.2 only and 96.0 will upsample anything to 96.0 only
4. Fs-AUTO resamples everything to 44.1KHz
5. Fs-AUTO resamples everything to 48KHz
6. Fs-AUTO does not resample
Moreover, the dac is said to support up to 192KHz signal, but i can't very that since i don't have anything that outputs at more than 96 right now.
I've tried to verify some of these with hypothesis by using the upsampling function of foobar. However the DAC uses native USB Audio driver from windows and foobar cannot make it go through Kernel Streaming, so i cannot guarantee the signal will go through at that sample rate.
Here's what i've heard using foobar resampler to try replaying a 44.1KHz file (udial) at various sample rates, i did this with the front phone out to my grado SR-60, since the DAC didn't come with any RCAs and i don't have any handy to plug into my staxes.
UPDATE 4: In light of recent findings that the USB can only output 32-48kHz 16bit, all the observations i made that weren't in that range were being resampled by windows before being fed to the DAC. That explains why everything above 48 sounded the same as 48. I've set up ASIO4ALL to play with foobar and these are the results. Everything that was not in the range of 32-48kHz prompt a popup error and would not play.
with the DAC set to Fs-AUTO:
32000: normal
44100: normal
48000: normal
with the DAC set to 88.2KHz:
32000: some static in the left channel, sounds like a geiger counter
44100: whacky electronic stuff in the last 3 tones, like a UFO (lets call it w1)
48000: whacky electronic stuff in the last 3 tones, like a police syren thing (w2), surprisingly no geiger counter noise
Asside from udial, but udial included, all the music have a very slight aura of metalic ring around them. It's more evident with udial, a lot less evident with complexe music.
with the DAC set to 96.0KHz:
32000: normal like Fs-AUTO
44100: geiger counter static in the left channel only, sounds radioactive, also some pops in both channels, whacky electronic police syren but different from last one (call it w3)
48000: no geiger static, just isolated pops in both channels, whacky electronic phaser blast (call it w4)
Aside from udial, when i play music with the DAC set to 96.0KHz and foobar not resampling (effectively 44.1KHz) i get the radioactive geiger counter pops in the left channel. It is VERY evident and totally unbearable. Additionnally, there is the same metalic ring as with 88.2, a little more of it.
From all the hypothesis i have above, i can conclude some of these things:
1. Not true since 88.2 and 96 sound different.
2. Not true since 88.2 and 96 on the DAC sounded different with different foobar resamplings, especially at the 3 middles sample rates of 32kHz, 44.1kHz and 48kHz.
3. Not true, if 88.2 on the DAC only resampled to anything to 88.2 then Fs-AUTO with foobar at 88200 should sound the same as the DAC at 88.2 and foobar not resampling but it is not the case, same goes for 96 (this conclusion supposes that the DAC upsampling 44.1 signal to 88.2 and foobar upsampling 44.1 signal to 88.2 sound the same, which isn't necessarily the case, so you could debate this conclusion).
If the we suppose that foobar's upsampling and the DAC's upsampling might sound slightly different then this is the only plausible explanation, considering hypothesis 1 and 2 are (sonically) without doubt false.
So hypothesis 3 is a maybe.
4. Probably false, since withing Fs-AUTO, different foobar resampling gives different sound. If Fs-AUTO resampled everything to 44.1kHz, then all foobar resampling should sound the same.
The different sound might be imputable to the foobar resampler (and it certainly might) so perhaps i should try a file with a different native sample rate. But then again, the equipment used to record that some, or the mastering process, or whatever, would have made different sample rates sound different too. Perhaps try it out with two files of native sample rates that are very very high, where people say it becomes overkill and the differences become irrelevant. Anyways, this one is inconclusive.
5. Inconclusive for the same reason as 4.
6. Inconclusive for the same reason as 4, but i think this one is probably true. Maybe you could tell without a doubt if you looked at the actual circuit, but i know nothing of such.
There you have it, i'm still as confused as ever about the upsampling. Anybody care to help me figure out what the heck is going on, please do. Another thing, about the "geiger counter radioactive pops", there isn't any audible with the 88.2KHz upsample, even if it's slightly more harsh and sharp and the soundstage sound a bit deeper because the echoes are sharper. But with the dac set to 96.0KHz, we get this radioactive pops in the left channel with any imput at 44.1KHz. I don't know why, it really pisses me off. I'll contact the seller (obad_imports) see if he can reproduce the problem or if i just have a defective unit. Since i guess i'm the first on Head-Fi with this unit, nobody can help me, and i doubt people will buy if they hear this problem from me. I'd ask eddie too but i didn't buy the unit from him so it'd be abusing....
I still haven't tried them out with my Staxes, which i listen most of my music with, so i can't really tell about the sound quality, but so far, it sounds nice enough. Haven't done extensive comparative listening against the Sonica yet so i can't tell about that either, just off the top of my head i think it is a bit better (sure hope so! given the price difference).
UPDATE: I installed ASIO4ALL and saw that the windows usb audio driver only supports sample rates from 32-48kHz 16bit. Anything outside of that range dies. Major bummer.
UPDATE 2: I tried to load my sonica with microsoft's USB audio driver and in ASIO4ALL, it says "USB Audio Device" and gives the correct frequency range support for the sonica, that is from 8-96kHz 24bit. The citypulse displays "USB Audio CODEC" instead of "USB Audio Device". Does anyone know what this means? Please help.
UPDATE 3: Kernel Streaming in foobar gives a popup error at 24 and 32bits, 16bit doesn't popup any error but doesn't play.
UPDATE 5: The official stance (from eddie) is that upsample to 88.2 from 44.1 only, and to 96 from 48 only.
Fs-AUTO: When the "Fs-AUTO" is on, it is the condiction of random frequency.[sic]
88.2KHz: When the "88.2KHz" is on, it is the condiction of random frequency: the signal frequency is 44.1Khz the output frequency is 88.2KHz.[sic]
96KHz: When the "96KHZ" is on, it is the condiction of random double frequency: the signal frequency is 48Khz the output frequency is 96KHz.[sic]
That's what's written word for word. Now, what that COULD mean is:
1. both 88.2 and 96.0 will upsample any frenquency by x2 (they do the same thing)
2. both 88.2 and 96.0 will upsample only 44.1KHz and 48KHz to 88.2 and 96.0 respectively
3. 88.2 upsamples anything to 88.2 only and 96.0 will upsample anything to 96.0 only
4. Fs-AUTO resamples everything to 44.1KHz
5. Fs-AUTO resamples everything to 48KHz
6. Fs-AUTO does not resample
Moreover, the dac is said to support up to 192KHz signal, but i can't very that since i don't have anything that outputs at more than 96 right now.
I've tried to verify some of these with hypothesis by using the upsampling function of foobar. However the DAC uses native USB Audio driver from windows and foobar cannot make it go through Kernel Streaming, so i cannot guarantee the signal will go through at that sample rate.
Here's what i've heard using foobar resampler to try replaying a 44.1KHz file (udial) at various sample rates, i did this with the front phone out to my grado SR-60, since the DAC didn't come with any RCAs and i don't have any handy to plug into my staxes.
UPDATE 4: In light of recent findings that the USB can only output 32-48kHz 16bit, all the observations i made that weren't in that range were being resampled by windows before being fed to the DAC. That explains why everything above 48 sounded the same as 48. I've set up ASIO4ALL to play with foobar and these are the results. Everything that was not in the range of 32-48kHz prompt a popup error and would not play.
with the DAC set to Fs-AUTO:
32000: normal
44100: normal
48000: normal
with the DAC set to 88.2KHz:
32000: some static in the left channel, sounds like a geiger counter
44100: whacky electronic stuff in the last 3 tones, like a UFO (lets call it w1)
48000: whacky electronic stuff in the last 3 tones, like a police syren thing (w2), surprisingly no geiger counter noise
Asside from udial, but udial included, all the music have a very slight aura of metalic ring around them. It's more evident with udial, a lot less evident with complexe music.
with the DAC set to 96.0KHz:
32000: normal like Fs-AUTO
44100: geiger counter static in the left channel only, sounds radioactive, also some pops in both channels, whacky electronic police syren but different from last one (call it w3)
48000: no geiger static, just isolated pops in both channels, whacky electronic phaser blast (call it w4)
Aside from udial, when i play music with the DAC set to 96.0KHz and foobar not resampling (effectively 44.1KHz) i get the radioactive geiger counter pops in the left channel. It is VERY evident and totally unbearable. Additionnally, there is the same metalic ring as with 88.2, a little more of it.
From all the hypothesis i have above, i can conclude some of these things:
1. Not true since 88.2 and 96 sound different.
2. Not true since 88.2 and 96 on the DAC sounded different with different foobar resamplings, especially at the 3 middles sample rates of 32kHz, 44.1kHz and 48kHz.
3. Not true, if 88.2 on the DAC only resampled to anything to 88.2 then Fs-AUTO with foobar at 88200 should sound the same as the DAC at 88.2 and foobar not resampling but it is not the case, same goes for 96 (this conclusion supposes that the DAC upsampling 44.1 signal to 88.2 and foobar upsampling 44.1 signal to 88.2 sound the same, which isn't necessarily the case, so you could debate this conclusion).
If the we suppose that foobar's upsampling and the DAC's upsampling might sound slightly different then this is the only plausible explanation, considering hypothesis 1 and 2 are (sonically) without doubt false.
So hypothesis 3 is a maybe.
4. Probably false, since withing Fs-AUTO, different foobar resampling gives different sound. If Fs-AUTO resampled everything to 44.1kHz, then all foobar resampling should sound the same.
The different sound might be imputable to the foobar resampler (and it certainly might) so perhaps i should try a file with a different native sample rate. But then again, the equipment used to record that some, or the mastering process, or whatever, would have made different sample rates sound different too. Perhaps try it out with two files of native sample rates that are very very high, where people say it becomes overkill and the differences become irrelevant. Anyways, this one is inconclusive.
5. Inconclusive for the same reason as 4.
6. Inconclusive for the same reason as 4, but i think this one is probably true. Maybe you could tell without a doubt if you looked at the actual circuit, but i know nothing of such.
There you have it, i'm still as confused as ever about the upsampling. Anybody care to help me figure out what the heck is going on, please do. Another thing, about the "geiger counter radioactive pops", there isn't any audible with the 88.2KHz upsample, even if it's slightly more harsh and sharp and the soundstage sound a bit deeper because the echoes are sharper. But with the dac set to 96.0KHz, we get this radioactive pops in the left channel with any imput at 44.1KHz. I don't know why, it really pisses me off. I'll contact the seller (obad_imports) see if he can reproduce the problem or if i just have a defective unit. Since i guess i'm the first on Head-Fi with this unit, nobody can help me, and i doubt people will buy if they hear this problem from me. I'd ask eddie too but i didn't buy the unit from him so it'd be abusing....
I still haven't tried them out with my Staxes, which i listen most of my music with, so i can't really tell about the sound quality, but so far, it sounds nice enough. Haven't done extensive comparative listening against the Sonica yet so i can't tell about that either, just off the top of my head i think it is a bit better (sure hope so! given the price difference).
UPDATE: I installed ASIO4ALL and saw that the windows usb audio driver only supports sample rates from 32-48kHz 16bit. Anything outside of that range dies. Major bummer.
UPDATE 2: I tried to load my sonica with microsoft's USB audio driver and in ASIO4ALL, it says "USB Audio Device" and gives the correct frequency range support for the sonica, that is from 8-96kHz 24bit. The citypulse displays "USB Audio CODEC" instead of "USB Audio Device". Does anyone know what this means? Please help.
UPDATE 3: Kernel Streaming in foobar gives a popup error at 24 and 32bits, 16bit doesn't popup any error but doesn't play.
UPDATE 5: The official stance (from eddie) is that upsample to 88.2 from 44.1 only, and to 96 from 48 only.