SPDIF--->USB
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:51 AM Post #46 of 76
It is 2019 and cocktailAudio appears to have a few solutions, albeit expensive ones.
  • cocktailAudio X35: (AES / Coax / TOSlink) input -> (USB / AES / Coax / TOSlink) output
  • cocktailAudio X45: (USB / AES / Coax / TOSlink) input -> (USB / AES / Coax / TOSlink) output
  • cocktailAudio X45Pro: (USB / AES / Coax / TOSlink) input -> (USB / AES / Coax / TOSlink) output
  • cocktailAudio X50D: (Coax / TOSlink) input -> (I2S HDMI / I2S RJ45 / USB / AES / 2x Coax / TOSlink) output (Caution: main pic shows X50)
  • cocktailAudio X50Pro: (Coax / TOSlink) input -> (2x I2S HDMI / I2S RJ45 / USB / AES / Coax / TOSlink) output
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 3:04 AM Post #47 of 76
So what's the cheapest 16/48 solution that requires a laptop? I'm looking for like a USB dongle with a coax spdif input.
Neither cheap, nor dongles, but here are some candidates:
They should show up as recording devices, providing access to their S/PDIF input.

There's also the Focusrite Scarlett 6i6, which is by far the cheapest, but I had some noise issues and the digital inputs are channels 5/6, thus requiring ASIO to access (i.e. a DAW of some kind), while two analog inputs are also exposed via WASAPI. Happy to sell you mine if you want to give it a shot.
The 18i8 also has optical inputs and outputs, but apparently only supporting ADAT (not S/PDIF), and no support for 176/192 kHz.

Edit: Focusrite has a submenu in its tray icon that I only recently discovered. It allows exposing the S/PDIF inputs via WASAPI, thus no longer requiring ASIO-enabled software for recording.

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Apart from a nasty bug that can occur when changing sample rates, the 6i6 allows for bit-perfect recordings.

The MUTEC MC-3+ USB meanwhile uses asynchronous sample rate conversion when being used as a USB recorder, and is therefore never bit-perfect when used this way.
 
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Apr 23, 2019 at 12:32 PM Post #48 of 76
Quote:

Originally Posted by leberserkfury /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Not sure if such a converter exists. Just go straight for USB if you want it.


Asked and answered above. Twice.

Please re-read above: Because the AEX does not output audio through its USB port.

I've posted three times now the reason for my question. If I wanted to just go USB, I would, but of course the AEX does not output audio as also noted above. WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS IF I CAN GO SPDIF--->USB WITHOUT A COMPUTER IN THE MIX. Why? Because I want to. Just go USB is non-responsive.

Hello Sir.

Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio has modified an Airport Express (at least in the past) to run the USB audio CODEC through the (what is normally) a USB printer port on the Apple Airport Express. I do not think that Gordon ever sold this to folks as an item that he normally sells. But I know that he has successfully done this.
From what I can tell, you might want to visit the Wavelength Audio website and contact Gordon and ask.

Cheers,
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 12:57 PM Post #50 of 76

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Apr 23, 2019 at 12:59 PM Post #51 of 76
Not too worried about the OP since it's been about 10 years since his request. I'm sure he found something.
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:02 PM Post #53 of 76
You want an interface with a USB output for sound? Why??
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:13 PM Post #54 of 76
You want an interface with a USB output for sound? Why??
This has literally been went over endlessly throughout this thread, painstakingly in cases.

It's not an interface with one (that would be a waste of money and cumbersome). I'm not sure what's unclear about a converter, besides the complication of it needing to serve as a USB host (which doesn't at all inherently require an operating system in order to serve as).

In any case, it shouldn't matter why as pertaining to someone who intends to give a different answer and otherwise is none the wiser.
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:14 PM Post #55 of 76
USB technology requires drivers to function. You won't find hardware with a USB port that outputs sound natively.

What is the piece of gear you want to connect to the ODAC? What do you use it for?
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:24 PM Post #56 of 76
The only thing that comes remotely close to what you want is this DAC: https://hifimediy.com/UX1-dac

That being said, it will only send USB audio out to a computer, with the right drivers installed, and it's also powered via the USB port, which is likely going to be a problem here.

There is more than likely a different setup/combination with the gear you have that can achieve what you're trying to ultimately do. Need to know more about the interface you want to hook up to the ODAC first though.
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:27 PM Post #57 of 76
USB technology requires drivers to function. You won't find hardware with a USB port that outputs sound natively.
USB Audio is a generalized standard. Many modern DACs don't require drivers anymore. I've used many different DACs with a simple USB OTG cable from my Android phone. No drivers were installed.
USB has nice classes like that for other devices as well, such as keyboards, mice, storage, etc. That's why I can use a random USB keyboard with my TV or a random USB stick with my BluRay player, etc.

In my case, I want a digital "hub" that combines my various digital audio sources (including TOSlink) and can then feed them to a DAC, or a DDC for further cleanup/reclocking. Most of the options for the latter are USB based, so that's how I need to send the audio.

I ordered a cocktailAudio X35, I will report back whether it indeed fulfills this purpose.
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:36 PM Post #58 of 76
USB Audio is a generalized standard. Many modern DACs don't require drivers anymore. I've used many different DACs with a simple USB OTG cable from my Android phone. No drivers were installed.
USB has nice classes like that for other devices as well, such as keyboards, mice, storage, etc. That's why I can use a random USB keyboard with my TV or a random USB stick with my BluRay player, etc.

In my case, I want a digital "hub" that combines my various digital audio sources (including TOSlink) and can then feed them to a DAC, or a DDC for further cleanup/reclocking. Most of the options for the latter are USB based, so that's how I need to send the audio.

I ordered a cocktailAudio X35, I will report back whether it indeed fulfills this purpose.

Of course drivers were installed, they just came pre-packaged with Android (an Operating System based on linux) to handle USB Audio, something that the ODAC is not going to be able to do.

Same for your TVs, there is an operating system involved, that looks up the type of USB device you connected and uses an automatically selected driver for it.

If you want several digital sources connected to a DAC, you'll need a computer of some kind in the middle, which is exactly what the cocktailAudio X35 is. Why bother spending $2K on this when you could do it with any cheap computer or just buy a professional DAC with may digital input options? For $2k I'm sure you can find a DAC that can do this for you.
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:56 PM Post #59 of 76
The only thing that comes remotely close to what you want is this DAC: https://hifimediy.com/UX1-dac

That being said, it will only send USB audio out to a computer, with the right drivers installed, and it's also powered via the USB port, which is likely going to be a problem here.

There is more than likely a different setup/combination with the gear you have that can achieve what you're trying to ultimately do. Need to know more about the interface you want to hook up to the ODAC first though.

There are plenty of devices which take digital input and work as an interface through USB to send to a computer. Obviously not the problem.

To answer your question directly, it is to pair it with a recording interface through which I can then monitor a mix using a good USB DAC instead of having to buy something much more expensive. Obviously the solution would also therefore have to be optimized for this application and hence be cheap.

I understand your point about drivers, but again, what's required is specific code, not necessary an entire operating system, for which I'm fairly certain you wouldn't need more than a DSP chip and a ROM chip if somebody put their mind to it.
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 2:59 PM Post #60 of 76
There are plenty of devices which take digital input and work as an interface through USB to send to a computer. Obviously not the problem.

To answer your question directly, it is to pair it with a recording interface through which I can then monitor a mix using a good USB DAC instead of having to buy something much more expensive. Obviously the solution would also therefore have to be optimized for this application and hence be cheap.

I understand your point about drivers, but again, what's required is specific code, not necessary an entire operating system, for which I'm fairly certain you wouldn't need more than a DSP chip and a ROM chip if somebody put their mind to it.

Correct, a DSP/ROM chip that can handle some kind of WASAPI/ASIO handling of the digital audio signal would do it, but nobody is ever going to build this for cheap, as it would require proprietary firmware/chip design.

What is the brand and model of the recording interface you want to use?
 

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