Geek Pulse: Geek desktop DAC/AMP by Light Harmonics
Aug 31, 2021 at 6:11 PM Post #13,696 of 13,800
Sorry for the late reply. Hey! It's summer!

AFAIK, Native DSD256 support/capability was given only too Pulse Infinity (EX and Signature) thru a FW update. All other Pulse variants are upto DoP 128 @ USB and DoP 64 on other conncections only.

So correct on setting UAPP at DoP.
 
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Aug 31, 2021 at 6:45 PM Post #13,697 of 13,800
Sorry for the late reply. Hey! It's summer!

AFAIK, Native DSD256 support/capability was given only too Pulse Infinity (EX and Signature) thru a FW update. All other Pulse variants are upto DoP 128 @ USB and DoP 64 on other conncections only.

So correct on setting UAPP at DoP.
Thanks!

Any idea on how to set "native DSD" in UAPP and make it work when running UAPP on an Nvidia Shield Pro android TV box with the Pulse (and when not on Windows (so can't use ASIO))?

(Though I may not need to set "native DSD" in UAPP if I can get DSD128 over DoP (which I seem to be getting now).
 
Sep 1, 2021 at 3:47 AM Post #13,698 of 13,800
Geek Pulse is native DSD 256 capable. But for it to workl it needs to be activated thru a FW update. Manipulating thru playback software settings will not work AFAIK.

In your case, selecting "native DSD" in UAPP results to upsampling hence the display on your Pulse "384khz". One way to confirm this is thru UAPP (see below).

On me, as I have remembered before the FW upgrade, I set UAPP always in DoP. NEVER in native DSD. Since it was my understanding that DSD implementation WAS ONLY in DoP.

However, when Native DSD FW was introduced, DSD256 could not be displayed properly during playback on Geek Pulse. Especially coming from PCM. It will display only 384khz. Only way to confirm it is thru software. For UAPP its is displayed under file information during playback: Output: "USB DAC or Direct" following what UAPP "thinks" the bit rate DAC is playing. And the information found in the file.

IMG_20210901.jpg

For example in this picture UAPP is playing a DSD256 file on a USB DAC. So it displays the following information:
Output: onthis case USB DAC Data/Bit Rate: DSD 11.2MHZ File Information: DSF DSD 11.2 Mhz 1bit

But who knows! Try tickering the settings and see the display. But my advice is, stick with DoP in UAPP.
 
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Sep 1, 2021 at 12:43 PM Post #13,699 of 13,800
Thank you for this info. I'm guessing that at this point it might be difficult (or impossible) to get the firmware update that would enable my Geek Pulse S fi to handle native DSD 256. If there is a way to get the update, I'd love to apply it to my Pulse.

I seem to recall also that the updates can only be applied through the use of a windows machine, and I'm guessing that's still true today.

Do you (or does anyone) know how I might get the native DSD256 firmware update?
 
Sep 1, 2021 at 1:23 PM Post #13,700 of 13,800
I thought Geek Pulse can't do native DSD256? i've just put 4x DSD in native format in jriver and it actually plays it.
Though in the geek dac the samplerate is now gone but in the lh labs driver it correctly says 11289600hz.

Weird because i can only use DoP and DSD128 with HQplayer.
I realize I'm responding to a post that was made five years ago, but might I ask exactly which Geek Pulse you're getting native DSD256 on?

Can native DSD 256 be attained on a Geek Pulse S fi, which is what I have? (I would have to be using the jriver software for this, obviously.)

Also, could you say which firmware versions you're doing this with. Thanks!
 
Sep 1, 2021 at 2:41 PM Post #13,701 of 13,800
Thank you for this info. I'm guessing that at this point it might be difficult (or impossible) to get the firmware update that would enable my Geek Pulse S fi to handle native DSD 256. If there is a way to get the update, I'd love to apply it to my Pulse.

I seem to recall also that the updates can only be applied through the use of a windows machine, and I'm guessing that's still true today.

Do you (or does anyone) know how I might get the native DSD256 firmware update?
The problem you will have is LH Labs ceased as an entity, and the firmware they were handing out were said to be specific to only certain "batches" of serial numbers, with no further clarification as to why, or which version belonged to which batch of serial numbers.

So you'd never know if a particular firmware that you might get your hands on was the correct one for your "batch".

Yes the firmware updates were only available through the use of a Windows computer, and that is still true today.

I realize I'm responding to a post that was made five years ago, but might I ask exactly which Geek Pulse you're getting native DSD256 on?
I would guess he was referring to the use of a Windows ASIO driver for that.
 
Sep 1, 2021 at 3:14 PM Post #13,702 of 13,800
The problem you will have is LH Labs ceased as an entity, and the firmware they were handing out were said to be specific to only certain "batches" of serial numbers, with no further clarification as to why, or which version belonged to which batch of serial numbers.

So you'd never know if a particular firmware that you might get your hands on was the correct one for your "batch".

Yes the firmware updates were only available through the use of a Windows computer, and that is still true today.
So basically you're saying there's no way to get a working firmware today that will upgrade a Geek Pulse to DSD256, given that LH Labs went belly-up long ago. No wonder so many folks have been selling off their various Geek DACs. Thanks for the clarifications.
 
Sep 3, 2021 at 3:06 PM Post #13,704 of 13,800
Presto-Change-o: My Geek Pulse S fi appears to have up and died on me. At least I think it died. When I turn it on, it displays only "96kHz" (though I can go through the menu settings), and does not go through its standard start-up routine a few seconds after power-up. Also it doesn't take over the audio from the Nvidia Shield Pro Android TV box that is its audio source.

I still have a working LH Labs Linear Power Suppy, however, and if in fact the Pulse is bricked, I'd like to be able to use the LH Labs Geek LPS with a new DAC, which would have to run off of 12-volt power, and would have to have a 12-volt power plug that I can plug the 12v LPS cable into. (Unless there might be some reason why using that LPS with a new DAC wouldn't be a good idea.)

Is anyone aware of quality DSD DACs out there that would fit this bill? Thank you one and all for any tips.
 
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Sep 3, 2021 at 9:21 PM Post #13,706 of 13,800
If you haven't tried to fully power cycle that POS, give it a go, it may manage to reset. Do that with the power to your amplifier off or volume turned to zero.

In looking at different DACs that accept 12vdc, you'd also need to be sure their current consumption is within the spec of the LH Labs LPS, which is 1.2 amps max.
Just tried that (left it off and unplugged for awhile, then plugged it directly into a power strip (avoiding the LPS) and switched it on. No luck. Actually I can still use the LPS with my Geek Out (on my computer; the Pulse was for use with an Nvidia Shield Pro and my TV). Thanks for the suggestion.
 
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Oct 25, 2021 at 7:47 PM Post #13,707 of 13,800
Announcing here I just gave up and bought a SMSL SU-9n. Received it on 2016 and enjoyed it as much as I could until 2021. Sound quality was always fantastic in my experience, and when I added the amp, it got better. It still works but now the display stopped showing sampling rates and I am basically trusting on JRIVER that it's doing what it's expected for it to do. I wish I could replace the XMOS chip and write the firmware code for it as I feel that would eliminate 99% of the performance stability issues I've experienced so far. Then replace the failing display that doesn't show sampling rate anymore and has uneven brightness, and it would still be a decent performing DAC. Sounds like a nice project to tackle if I had the skill, parts and tools to do so.
 
Nov 19, 2021 at 4:15 PM Post #13,708 of 13,800
Geek Pulse Xfi with no Knob volume control. I have lost Knob volume control after my Geek Pulse Xfi was turned off for a few weeks. I was able to use it before that using Driver 2.29. I can get the Geek Pulse Xfi to play using Music Bee with Win 10 64bit and both Drivers 3.26 and 2.29 by setting the Geek Pulse Xfi as the Sound default and setting the driver to 16bit 44 and Exclusive use - after a settings change in Music Bee and a reboot. However, I can only change the volume in Music Bee. Changing the Geek Plus Volume setting using its dial allows me to toggle between Knob Control and USB control. The Knob Control setting, while it changes (including using the Apple Remote) on the Xfi's display, does not make any volume change for the headphone volume. Music Bee's volume control works with either the USB or Knob Control set on the Geek Pulse Xfi. The volume isn't loud enough for my high Ohm headphones via the Music Bee volume control - but it used to be way more than enough. Any recommendation for the correct settings or procedure to get the Knob control back would be appreciated.
 
Nov 20, 2021 at 6:33 AM Post #13,709 of 13,800
Try also the volume slider on the LH Control Panel on your WIN 10..
 
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:52 PM Post #13,710 of 13,800
Try also the volume slider on the LH Control Panel on your WIN 10..
Thanks. I got the Geek Pulse Xfi working correctly with driver 3.26 in Win 10 64 on a Lenovo Yoga 260 - but I'm not sure exactly what worked. Likely it was turning it on twice once it had warmed up for a long time with a volume setting of +0 db (full power). There was a low "pop" on my headphones when it reset. There also appears to be some interaction between Win 10's other software like Smart Audio and the Geek Pulse USB interface. The process I used to get it all to work was to load the driver 2.92 onto another laptop and start the Geek Pulse Xfi with it. I played with those driver settings in the control panel and got the Sound Control icon for the Geek Pulse on the taskbar to play a louder or softer tone over my headphones while moving the volume slider. This implied the Sound Control panel was working with the Geek Pulse. I then moved the USB connection to my primary laptop running the 3.26 driver - and it still worked. This implied the Geek Pulse itself had been reset properly. To run Music Bee through the Geek Pulse, I had to disable all music enhancements and match 44khz in the settings in the Geek Pulse control panel settings. I also turned on the two options for Exclusive application control use below the music frequency settings in the Advanced controls. Music Bee won't work unless the Geek Pulse display matched the khz of the music file being played, it would not autoswitch without restarting. In Music Bee Preferences, I set the Player to WASAPI Exclusive with the Geek Pulse as the source and turned on "Increase the Buffer size" check box. After an "Apply" and "Save", I then exit and reload Music Bee. It then all works until you change something. If you make an Xfi setting change (such as change the gain), you have to reboot or remove the USB cable (see below). If it is not working - you get an Error Message in Music Bee which can be solved by resetting the Preferences, exiting Music Bee, removing the USB cable from the computer, reinserting the USB cable, then restarting Music Bee. Weew! Seems difficult but once you get it to work, it works. This resolved problems with the Geek Pulse Xfi appearing to be "bricked" or stuck on Mute (also solved by using the Apple TV remote), the khz on the display being stuck, the Volume Knob not working correctly, and the volume from the Geek Pulse not being loud enough from Music Bee despite the Control panel settings. I hope this info helps somebody whose Geek Pulse Xfi appears "bricked". Using the Xfi's balanced XLR output with FTM (femtoclock setting) to good headphones (balanced cable HifiMan HE560 planars) with 16 bit 44khz CD WAV files in unadulterated "bit perfect" WASAPI exclusive mode is the best sound I personally have ever heard on any equipment, including much higher end systems.
 

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