Usb 24 192khz M2tech Hiface

[K3cT]

I can't wait until the inevitable comparison between this, Musiland 01 USD and Teralink-X.

 

[slim.a]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K3cT /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't wait until the inevitable comparison between this, Musiland 01 USD and Teralink-X.

Well I received my m2tech unit today and initial impressions are extremely good

I still need to do some more thorough testing but for now all I can say is that straight out of the box, the m2tech is (much) better than the Musiland 01 USD and Teralink-X.
I will post a full length comparison review of 4 usb to spdif converters (including the m2tech) this week-end.
For now, I will let it burn-in to see if the sound changes.

 

[MikeW]

not surprzing really, teralink and musiland build quality /parts never impressed me. This is exciting, can't wait for your comparison. Wish I knew more about the insides of this thing. Be nice if it had Directsound support for games.

 

[tosehee]

slima.

Do you have a regular coaxial output or did you customize it to be BNC?

BTW, the changes are a lot more noticeable if your DAC is not re-clocking. Hooking this up to my receiver (Pioneer VSX-92 TXH), the sound is FAR superior to using Apple Airport Express, or directly out of onboard Coaxial on my media/file server (Asus P5E-VM HDMI)

 

[slim.a]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tosehee /img/forum/go_quote.gif slima. Do you have a regular RCA output or did you customize it to be BNC? BTW, the changes are a lot more noticeable if your DAC is not re-clocking. Hooking this up to my receiver (Pioneer VSX-92 TXH), the sound is FAR superior to using Apple Airport Express, or directly out of onboard Coaxial on my media/file server (Asus P5E-VM HDMI)

I ordered mine with a BNC output.

As for the re-clocking, I totally agree with you : a perfect DAC should not be affected by the transport. However this is not the case with the DAC I am using (the audio-gd dac-19mk3)which is extremely transparent in the analog section but sensitive to transport jitter/quality in the digital side. This might explain why I hear such big diffrences between usb to spdif converters and digital cables.

 

[tosehee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slim.a /img/forum/go_quote.gif I ordered mine with a BNC output. As for the re-clocking, I totally agree with you : a perfect DAC should not be affected by the transport. However this is not the case with the DAC I am using (the audio-gd dac-19mk3)which is extremely transparent in the analog section but sensitive to transport jitter/quality in the digital side. This might explain why I hear such big diffrences between usb to spdif converters and digital cables.

Well, mine supposed to have a pretty damn good jitter correction dsp inside, and I still hear a difference. So, I do not think having THE bad-ass jitter rejection DAC would fight off all the jitters. This is definitely a keeper in my box.

 

[StateRadioFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slim.a /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I received my m2tech unit today and initial impressions are extremely good I still need to do some more thorough testing but for now all I can say is that straight out of the box, the m2tech is (much) better than the Musiland 01 USD and Teralink-X. I will post a full length comparison review of 4 usb to spdif converters (including the m2tech) this week-end. For now, I will let it burn-in to see if the sound changes.

So the m2tech is (much) better "straight out of the box?" How is it even possible to make a comparison to the Musiland and Teralink converters without an a/b test? Are you basing that opinion purely on memory? I hope the m2tech lives up to the hype but there are far to many flavor of the month products on this forum.

 

[DoYouRight]

Hope I dont suffer from waiting to order one and now get stuck waiting foreveer or paying more.

 

[tosehee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by StateRadioFan /img/forum/go_quote.gif So the m2tech is (much) better "straight out of the box?" How is it even possible to make a comparison to the Musiland and Teralink converters without an a/b test? Are you basing that opinion purely on memory? I hope the m2tech lives up to the hype but there are far to many flavor of the month products on this forum.

I thought he has all those on hand, and his review is based on AB testing, not from a past memory.

 

[DoYouRight]

slim you got bnc right?

 

[tosehee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoYouRight /img/forum/go_quote.gif slim you got bnc right?

Just read a few lines above.

 

[DoYouRight]

So are the x64 Seven drivers working well? Are there any options or a panel or something?

 

[tosehee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoYouRight /img/forum/go_quote.gif So are the x64 Seven drivers working well? Are there any options or a panel or something?

x64 drivers do not work yet. I have notified the m2tech, so awaiting on their reply.

As for 32bit drivers, slim.a, what OS are you using?

I have run with these two OS(es), and I seem to hear the difference. Call me crazy..

1. Windows XP
2. Windows 7 32bit

With two above, windows XP sounds much better to me. I don't know why.

Also, windows 7 32bit crashes a lot. I get BSOD and the system immediately reboots. I reported this also to m2tech for further investigation. Under XP 32bit, the driver is rock solid so far. I haven't crashed once.

In short, I am seeing that m2tech drivers are little unstable under Windows 7 environment. I am sure it'll get stabilized over time though. I will keep this thread updated with more information as I found/test more stuffs under different environments.

Regards

 

[DoYouRight]

tos since you didnt get a musiland so no comparison. What improvements are you hearing with your REF1?

 

[tosehee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoYouRight /img/forum/go_quote.gif tos since you didnt get a musiland so no comparison. What improvements are you hearing with your REF1?

I have reported my findings in previous thread, but in short, the sounds are smoother in general. I can go in depth, but I don't want to sound like m2tech fanboy either, so I will leave the actual review to those who have m2tech and musiland. They (slim.a for one) can probably do a better job at comparison those two.

As for xp vs. windows 7 (both 32bit), KS in XP sounds more smoother, less harsh to me. The soundstage seems more accurate with more distinction. Again, call me crazy, but that's what I hear. The driver on Windows 7 is not really stable, and this might contribute to this also.

Regards