Quote:
I would suggest you test your Theta DAC with uDAC-2 coax output prior to purchasing the latter. I tried my Lavry DA-10 DAC with two different uDAC-2 on two different laptops -- none of the combinations worked. Spdif synchronization breaks every few seconds. NuForce support was not able to help me on this issue.
axw,
It is a bit prophetic that you made this comment because tonight I did have a problem with the uDAC-2. Although at first I did not suspect it.
Everything had been going fine for three days now using the uDAC-2 coax output to my Theta DAC when suddenly tonight it just stopped. At first I did not realize it was the uDAC-2 because iTunes simply would not play. By this I mean I could switch the iTunes play button from the play symbol to the pause symbol and back but the music wouldn't start and the timeline indicator would not move. The other iTunes functions were still working, I could move through the menu I just couldn't get it to engage. Thinking it was a software problem I repaired permissions, restarted the iMac. Nothing.
Then I noticed the Theta input signal light was not indicating a signal coming in. Forgetting about the iTunes weirdness I set up a transport to the Theta with a coax tossed in a disc and everything was fine. Thinking perhaps my Mac was the problem I went into the Audio MIDI Setup and checked out the menu there. Everything seemed fine. So I tried the uDAC-2 RCA outs and nothing no sound from the Mac and iTunes still would not play.
Thinking it was the Mac I started to unhook the uDAC-2 from the Mac using the USB cable first. When I did that iTunes started working again and I also got sound out of my Mac's system output. I plugged the USB cable back into the uDAC-2 and a few seconds later no sound and iTunes stopped along with its timeline indicator. unplug the USB and iTunes started again and music through the Mac could be heard.
So I switched out USB cables same problem. I switched USB ports. Same problem. I went to a USB powered hub. same problem.
Then I tried changing the format in the Audio MIDI Setup from 96000.0 Hz to 44100. Hz and things started up again. Back to 96000 and things stopped. This happens on both the coax out to the Theta and the RCA outs to the pre amp.
So I don't understand what is happening. And I was just starting to dig the uDAC-2. Anyone have an idea? Is this SPDIF Synchronization break?