Violectric DAC V850 - General Discussion and Impressions Thread
Nov 22, 2015 at 10:36 AM Post #152 of 565
What about Meridian Explorer which, AFAIK, is also based on XMOS but supports everything up to 192 kHz? And does this mean that the V850, which doesn't natively support DSD, would not play DSD converted on the fly to the common 176.4 PCM (say Audirvana)? 
 
Nov 27, 2015 at 10:29 AM Post #154 of 565
  Anyone? Any new users impressions in comparison to the older V800?

 
 
Sorry can't help there, I haven't tried the V850 yet.
 
 
Black Friday special at Violectric USA though. 25% off plus a free pair of their interconnects when you spend $500 total. Pretty good deal for a V850 buyer!
 
Nov 28, 2015 at 5:12 AM Post #157 of 565
I believe it is a limitation inherent to the XMOS chipset. XMOS has several models and I want to say most have this same limitation, or maybe all of them. It's a minor hassle but worth it as XMOS seems to be the most reliable and highest performance solution on the market. 


Well xmos does really support 176.4khz.
I have a number of interfaces and dacs, all xmos based, and all of them support 176.4khz.
Cheers
 
Nov 28, 2015 at 10:08 AM Post #159 of 565
Well xmos does really support 176.4khz.
I have a number of interfaces and dacs, all xmos based, and all of them support 176.4khz.
Cheers

 
 
Take a look at this page from XMOS giving us mixed messages regarding 176.4kHz support. It would depend on the design - if the device calls for SPDIF output from XMOS USB chip to the D/A chip (or an intermediate ASRC chip, which appears to be how Violectric handles things) then 176.4 isn't supported.
 
See this page (search for 176.4) to see other people discussing this same issue. It's not all the XMOS chips, but certainly some of them. 
 
Nov 28, 2015 at 1:59 PM Post #160 of 565
  What about Meridian Explorer which, AFAIK, is also based on XMOS but supports everything up to 192 kHz? And does this mean that the V850, which doesn't natively support DSD, would not play DSD converted on the fly to the common 176.4 PCM (say Audirvana)? 


I think if you ask Fried about that aspect (support for DSD) he might point out that he's not the least interested in that format... so I guess the missing support for that sample rate is not a high priority issue for Violectric.
 
I don't like DSD either, so that aspect would not stop me from getting a V850. But since there might be a V820 offering no volume control but fixed line-level out... I may still pass on the V850.
 
Technically its interesting that the chipset only supports this specific sample frequency under very specific circumstances though...
 
Nov 28, 2015 at 5:40 PM Post #161 of 565
   
 
Take a look at this page from XMOS giving us mixed messages regarding 176.4kHz support. It would depend on the design - if the device calls for SPDIF output from XMOS USB chip to the D/A chip (or an intermediate ASRC chip, which appears to be how Violectric handles things) then 176.4 isn't supported.
 
See this page (search for 176.4) to see other people discussing this same issue. It's not all the XMOS chips, but certainly some of them. 


I'm not technical enough to fully understand these XMOS specifics and I don't think I should. The lack of support of 176.4 shouldn't be a deal breaker, given the DAC is really good, but it's not an advantage either. Maybe it's fair to be explained if the limitation is inherent to the XMOS chipset or is rather a question of implementation. I already wrote that the V850 manual states 'TheUSB -24/192 circuitry uses the X-Mos chip set. It accepts 32, 44.1, 48,88.2, 96,176.4 und 192 kHz sample rate'. BTW, does this 176.4 kHz limitation apply only to the USB input of the V850 or to the balanced and coax as well?
 
Nov 28, 2015 at 7:10 PM Post #162 of 565
   
 
Take a look at this page from XMOS giving us mixed messages regarding 176.4kHz support. It would depend on the design - if the device calls for SPDIF output from XMOS USB chip to the D/A chip (or an intermediate ASRC chip, which appears to be how Violectric handles things) then 176.4 isn't supported.
 
See this page (search for 176.4) to see other people discussing this same issue. It's not all the XMOS chips, but certainly some of them. 

 
Ok, no doubt there are different xmos chips. Thanks for the pointers.
My question is why did violectric choose a chip when the cheap mytech hiface 2 I bought years ago was already supporting 176.4kHz?
 
Nov 29, 2015 at 12:13 AM Post #164 of 565
 
I'm not technical enough to fully understand these XMOS specifics and I don't think I should. The lack of support of 176.4 shouldn't be a deal breaker, given the DAC is really good, but it's not an advantage either. Maybe it's fair to be explained if the limitation is inherent to the XMOS chipset or is rather a question of implementation. I already wrote that the V850 manual states 'TheUSB -24/192 circuitry uses the X-Mos chip set. It accepts 32, 44.1, 48,88.2, 96,176.4 und 192 kHz sample rate'. BTW, does this 176.4 kHz limitation apply only to the USB input of the V850 or to the balanced and coax as well?

 
It seems to be the chipset's fault in the case of V850. I don't see any way around it, unless Violectric totally changes their architecture to avoid the ASRC process.... which seems to be a core feature of their design. Switching to a different XMOS chip might involve other trade-offs so who knows. I do agree the manual should be updated to reflect this info.
 
The other digital inputs should handle all incoming sample rates up to 192kHz.
 
 
   
Ok, no doubt there are different xmos chips. Thanks for the pointers.
My question is why did violectric choose a chip when the cheap mytech hiface 2 I bought years ago was already supporting 176.4kHz?

 
 
Even some of the newest XMOS designs have similar limitations. See HERE, with no mention of 88.2kHz or 176.4kHz. I believe it has to do with the clocking system but I don't know the specifics. 
 
HiFace drivers have had issues as well, and I'd argue the SQ is not on equal footing with any XMOS implementation. So I'd gladly trade support for a rare format in this case. 
 
  wow, how many 176.4kHz sample rate songs do you guys own?  And surely those tracks have alternate sample rates you can download...

 
 
Yeah it's probably the most rare format in my collection. Mainly the Reference Recordings HRx releases. 
 
Nov 29, 2015 at 3:17 AM Post #165 of 565
Ok I have been following this thread and the discussion about the XMOS not supporting 176.4
Well I am able to play 176.4 files on my V850 using Amarra and my MAC's so am I missing something here or is the no support strictly a Windows based problem with the XMOS?
 
My Amarra software shows that it is playing all my 176.4 files at 176.4.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top