[the terabyte]

i actually have one question for you. can you control the output volume with the ibook's volume keys? i know some USB devices support this, but i can't find any mention of any such feature in the manual for the U24.

 

[Zoide]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OracleGuy I'm still waiting to see what AOS comes up with -- he's working on a USB DAC right now.

Do you know anything else about that? ie. estimated release, etc?

 

[OracleGuy]

Alas no. I sent him email and he confirmed that he's working on something with a USB interface but he didn't elaborate. There was a local (Burnaby, B.C.) mini-meet a few weeks ago (I didn't attend) and I know he brought his USB DAC with him. So, I'm hoping it will be coming out soon.

Maybe I'll try bugging him again. I'd hate to blow a few $$$ on, e.g., a Waveterminal when it could be going towards a really good DAC with a built-in USB interface.

Are you happy with your Piccolo DAC(s)?

 

[dshea_32665]

Yes you can control the volume with iTunes. There is also a control panel that allows you to adjust some of the settings. I need to mess with them a bit, because I am getting a little popping every once in awhile probably from clipping, but I suspect I need to mess with the volume settings. The signal is much hotter than my Transit so I think I need to reduce it a little. I was getting plenty of volume with unamped Ety 4S's at about 20% of the volume setting in iTunes. I needed it full on my Transit.

I love my setup with my piccolo dac it is really great. It really gives blackness, to the sound. It also darkens the sound a bit and adds weight, but still provides great clarity. Its a great unit for the money!

dshea

 

[Zoide]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OracleGuy Alas no. I sent him email and he confirmed that he's working on something with a USB interface but he didn't elaborate. There was a local (Burnaby, B.C.) mini-meet a few weeks ago (I didn't attend) and I know he brought his USB DAC with him. So, I'm hoping it will be coming out soon. Maybe I'll try bugging him again. I'd hate to blow a few $$$ on, e.g., a Waveterminal when it could be going towards a really good DAC with a built-in USB interface. Are you happy with your Piccolo DAC(s)?

I'm pretty happy w/ my Piccolo (it's only one for both speakers and headphones), but I've never listened to any of the other DACs, so I'm always curious for what's out there. The fact tha the Piccolo is said to be very source dependent, and the fact that I have a Sonica as the source, make me think about getting a better source, etc... I'd just get the 0404 as source, but then I wouldn't be able to use it w/ my laptop when I travel. Thus things like a U24 + Piccolo or AOS DAC w/ USB seem very appealing to me.

 

[dshea_32665]

Zoide: You are going through the same thoughts as I had before getting the U24. I am thrilled with the source upgrade. The Piccolo sounds so nice with it. It gives the source total blackness and weight to the sound. It sounds great. I also love being able to be completely transportable with my laptop and can manage on complete battery power if I want to.

There was a used Apogee Mini Dac on Audiogon for $750 but I can't really swing that kind of money right now before the holidays.

dshea

 

[dallasstar]

Wait, how is it possible that the digital output, which is supposed to be unaltered, sounds different from different cards? That makes no sense to me

 

[Zoide]

It's because, even if you assume that no 1's and 0's are lost along the way, and that the output contains the exact 1's and 0's of the music source file, there is a phenomenon called jitter by which there are timing errors in the arrival of the 1's and 0's. Better sources will give your DAC a better signal. I don't know very much about the matter, but I think that's a pretty good basic overview.

 

[PYROTAK]

does this mean that this product is better than my usb2 m-audio audiophile usb.

and if so what does the cpu usuage look like?

 

[Zoide]

dshea_32665: Do you know what sort of receiver chip your Piccolo has? The DIR1703E or the AK4117 receiver chip. The DIR1703E consumes more power than the AK4117 (68mA vs. 45mA) and has some compatibility problems with devices such old Sony PCDPs w/ G protection, but has less jitter (75ps vs. 200ps).

Apparently the older Piccolo's (like mine) have the DIR1703E, but the more recent ones have the AK4117. If yours has the AK4117, then maybe the difference in transports would be more apparent than in my case, with the DIR1703E, which is supposed to be less jitter-prone.

 

[luukas]

Since I didn't want to bump my, uhm, "indecision thread" needlessly, I'll post this little FYI here. According to the retailer that previously stocked the U24, a new model from Ego-Sys should be coming out in early 2005. I have no knowledge of its capabilities or estimated price however.

-

Some more, if a bit vague, info from the ESI forums:
Quote:

Let me say it like this: I think that it is very possible that ESI will release a new USB product in the first quarter of 2005, however it is not very likely that this product will be a 1:1 replacement for U24. I cannot give you more details about the new product before the official anouncment, sorry.

 

[IanS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dallasstar I just sent off an email to Edirol sales department inquiring about the SNR and dynamic range measurements of the AD/DA converters of the UA20. If their claimed specs are higher than the waveterminal then I'll consider getting that instead of this card.

dallasstar: Did you get any info back? The UA20's are getting really cheap right now (sweetwater), and I'd like to know how they compare to the Waveterminal U24.

Thanks.

 

[Zoide]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide dshea_32665: Do you know what sort of receiver chip your Piccolo has? The DIR1703E or the AK4117 receiver chip. The DIR1703E consumes more power than the AK4117 (68mA vs. 45mA) and has some compatibility problems with devices such old Sony PCDPs w/ G protection, but has less jitter (75ps vs. 200ps). Apparently the older Piccolo's (like mine) have the DIR1703E, but the more recent ones have the AK4117. If yours has the AK4117, then maybe the difference in transports would be more apparent than in my case, with the DIR1703E, which is supposed to be less jitter-prone.

Bump.

 

[dshea_32665]

I am pretty sure it uses the AK4117 since I bought it at the end of last summer. I just looked at the Piccolo page and it is the same that I read when I purchased the unit. It says on there it is the AK4117. I don't really have any time this week to open it up and look it for it. But things may settle down in a week or so and maybe I will take a peek later.

dshea

 

[Graz]

hey dshea,

Did you ever get a chance to pop open the cover of your U24? I'm still pretty curious to know what codec is being used.

If you're not sure what to look for once you get it open, just look for a small, square, surface mount device with 11 pins on each side. I'm interested if the part number on it is "AK4584".

My hunch remain fairly strong that from an architecture standpoint, the U24 is fundamentally identical to the Transit. From a connectivity standpoint, the only difference I can see is that the U24 has coax S/PDIF input/output which the Transit lacks. Oh, and it costs $120 more. I'm thinking that in this price range, the M-Audio Audiophile USB would be the better choice (except for the portability factor)...I'm open to being proved wrong though...

Thanks!

Peace,

Graz