[wdahm519]

Hi guys,
 
I'm setting out to build a Buffalo III. I'd like to have both USB and S/PDIF (Toslink) input. I'm not a huge fan of the Twisted Pear Audio USB receiver board. I used one in my Opus DAC and its really not that great. Its limited to 16/48 and the chip is a dated now.
 
Does anyone know of a good USB receiver that is class 1 (24/96) and converts to I2S so I can feed the Buffalo IIIse board?
 
To make things clear I plan to hook it up this way:
 
USB Receiver to I2S converter --> Sidecar board (which is also receiving the S/PDIF-4 board) ---> Buffalo III
 
Since the USB receiver that TPA sells is only 16/48, I don't want to use that and I need another USB/I2S converter board that supports class 1 24/96.
 
I hope that's clear enough.
 
Thanks!
 
 
Important EDIT:
 
So apparently TPA is coming out with a NEW USB Receiver board because they realized their latest one sucks the big one. From TPA: "The latest generation is based on an XMOS controller, and allows up to 32-bit / 384KHz. It is expected to be available in the 2012/2013 timeframe."
 
This is what I will be using, but if anyone has another option please post here!

 

[justin w.]

Tenor 7022

 

[wdahm519]

That's just a chip. I was looking for a board that can take USB input and convert it to I2S output. Its a good chip and I'd use it if I could find a board that has it.
 
Any ideas other than the new TPA board that's coming out?
 
EDIT: There have been reports of the Tenor 7022L chip having issues with the Sabre32 DAC chip. They don't play well together?

 

[MisterX]

A search on eBay for TE7022 spit this one out-------->
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120929044930

 

[wdahm519]

I'm surprised there isn't a competitive "go-to" USB/I2S Class 1 board out there on the market for DIY'ers and we have to stoop to the technical know-how of eBay sellers who don't post detailed specs.

 

[oomi25]

Hi there,
I'm pretty much in the same situation as you and I've found several alternatives. For now, my plan is to get this one https://sites.google.com/site/ackodac/ (see at the bottom of the page). It is based on the M2tech Hiface which is a good product and it is well known. The only thing is that this board is not cheap (248 USD). Here's a cheaper module http://amanero.com/ but I can't find any review on it. And finally, http://luckit.biz/new/product/waveio/ . I'll let you know if I can find any other decent module. Hope you'll enjoy your Buffalo dac as much as I do.

 

[karlgerman]

sorry,i am not perfect in electronics guys, but the hiface evo might what you looking for. i use the u3 from stello as a converter for my metrum octave, but i also use the hiface evo to feed my stello signature dac with  i2s.

 

[wdahm519]

Quote:

Hi there,
I'm pretty much in the same situation as you and I've found several alternatives. For now, my plan is to get this one https://sites.google.com/site/ackodac/ (see at the bottom of the page). It is based on the M2tech Hiface which is a good product and it is well known. The only thing is that this board is not cheap (248 USD). Here's a cheaper module http://amanero.com/ but I can't find any review on it. And finally, http://luckit.biz/new/product/waveio/ . I'll let you know if I can find any other decent module. Hope you'll enjoy your Buffalo dac as much as I do.

 
Hey thanks for this. I like that AckoDAC stuff. It is pricey! Definitely something to consider. Its kind of hard to pass it up because its more or less exactly what I'm looking for. I wonder if the new TPA USB 32bit board will be significantly cheaper, or who knows if it will even be released in a reasonable amount of time.
 
What chip does the WaveIO Combo384 use?
 
Quote:

sorry,i am not perfect in electronics guys, but the hiface evo might what you looking for. i use the u3 from stello as a converter for my metrum octave, but i also use the hiface evo to feed my stello signature dac with  i2s.

 
Karl, I'm not really looking for a converter so much as I'm looking for a PCB that I can put inside a DIY DAC. Thanks for your thoughts though, seems like a good unit.

 

[AudioCats]

How about a Musiland Monitor 03? I think you can tap the I2s at the DAC chip. A bit pricy ($150) but it is self-contained with good software interface.

 

[wdahm519]

The Monitor 03 looks like it outputs into analog which would make tapping into the I2S output very difficult in the middle of the board. I'm sure an more electrically-inclined person could do it. I'm not inept by any means but my degree (next month) is in Mechanical Engineering, so I only know the "basics" of electrical circuits and probably couldn't tap into it myself. There's probably a simpler option, especially for the price you'd pay to then have to finagle around with the board some more.
 
Thanks for the input though. This is getting into a nice thread for anyone to reference USB to I2S solutions!

 

[AudioCats]

Looks like the newest version Monitor 01 US can also go up to 32bit/384kHz. It has a 1793  DAC chip inside so there must be I2S lines available

.
 
Ebay price is around $80 shipped.

 

[randytsuch]

There was a group buy going at diyaudio for this
 
http://amanero.com/
 
but I think the buy may be over now.
 
A bunch of people bought them, he had to do it in two groups because of the high demand.
 
Randy

 

[Telstar]

Quote:

Here's a cheaper module http://amanero.com/ but I can't find any review on it. And finally, http://luckit.biz/new/product/waveio/ . I'll let you know if I can find any other decent module. Hope you'll enjoy your Buffalo dac as much as I do.

These two are among the best sounding. I used both and preferred slightly the Amanero board for features (I use higher res), SQ-wise they are both great.
Not all usb receivers are the same. The tenor7022 that you were considering is much outdated, so is the hiface evo (til they release the evo2).

 

[Telstar]

Quote:

What chip does the WaveIO Combo384 use?

It doesnt use an off-the shelf usb transceiver, but a programmed atmel microcontroller. This has only one practical advantage: less power-hungry.
 
PS; the GB at diyaudio is still active for third round (gb3).

 

[oomi25]

Quote:

The tenor7022 that you were considering is much outdated, so is the hiface evo (til they release the evo2).

That's weird because it was updated not long ago. Anyway, I didn't know about that GB3 and at 39 euros a piece, I couldn't resist. Thanks for the input