Yes, it was certainly this kind of noise. Interesting that it was only heard after the device was on for a couple of hours. When cold it wasn't making any unusual noises. Luckilly the one I have now does not make any such annoying noises (the first one I had was also quiet).
At last... (Audiolab) - part VII
- Thread starter Joe P
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How is the volume control by USB supposed to work in CDQ when enabled in menu? Should a volume slider eg. in Windows change the attenuation in CDQ?
I noticed one very nasty thing happening with the USB volume control activated - every time my computer was being turned on (or waken from standby) with the CDQ set to USB input, but also when the CDQ was powered on (regardless of the active input), the volume was reset to +3dB!!! NOT FUNNY... I scared myself and my family once with music suddenly playing at all the power my 8000P could provide... Luckily my speakers survived it... Since then I no longer experiment with this option and keep it disabled.
I noticed one very nasty thing happening with the USB volume control activated - every time my computer was being turned on (or waken from standby) with the CDQ set to USB input, but also when the CDQ was powered on (regardless of the active input), the volume was reset to +3dB!!! NOT FUNNY... I scared myself and my family once with music suddenly playing at all the power my 8000P could provide... Luckily my speakers survived it... Since then I no longer experiment with this option and keep it disabled.
JohnW
pfm member
Vodnik,
That’s why we don’t enable the "Volume via USB control" by default - different O/S perform differently.
MAC OS / IPad work well, but in typical Microsoft style - useless for the reasons you noted.
Also, MS does not implement "feedback" so adjusting the volume on the CDQ does not change the slider on the PC.
It’s only meant to be used by advanced users - with stable well implemented O/S (Not Microsoft products). I believe there is a warning in the user manual for this very reason...
John
That’s why we don’t enable the "Volume via USB control" by default - different O/S perform differently.
MAC OS / IPad work well, but in typical Microsoft style - useless for the reasons you noted.
Also, MS does not implement "feedback" so adjusting the volume on the CDQ does not change the slider on the PC.
It’s only meant to be used by advanced users - with stable well implemented O/S (Not Microsoft products). I believe there is a warning in the user manual for this very reason...
John
Hi John, thanks for the info on the transport. Honest, no illicit surveillance methods going on here!
Your recommendation on the Squeezebox Touch makes me wonder about my own plans for streaming. If you feel the MDAC's jitter attenuation is so good it doesn't matter what device is employed as a streamer, that's great news once the MDAC is out.
My system is CDQ based, and I'm still working out what the best to stream to it is. Thanks to your characteristic generosity I have the transformer upgrade, the obvious benefits of which I had less than a day to explore before the new improved CDQ was packed off on a slow boat to South Africa.
Before it disappeared I had been using an old XP laptop running foobar to stream to the CDQ - a set up that markedly improved once a USB isolator was added to the system. I also bought a Squeezebox to experiment with once the CDQ arrived in Africa and as an interim solution while I wait for it. (You don't even want to know what the SB is currently streaming FLACs to via its RCA outs. Save to say it's impossible to judge the quality of its internal DAC...)
Once the CDQ gets here I'll try the USB-isolated PC against the Squeezebox over optical and see which performs best. If the PC wins, the SB can serve as a streamer/DAC for a second system in the house.
My doubts about the Squeezebox's sound quality come from reading online. Most reviews and reports suggest it has limitations as a streamer even into a high quality DAC like the CDQ. Those have led to a well-used series of suggested modifications to improve the output available here http://soundcheck-audio.blogspot.com/2011/01/soundchecks-squeezebox-touch-toolbox-20.html
The most promising solution appears to be to modify the Squeezebox to output over USB and then take advantage of the CDQ's asynchronous USB connection (plus a USB isolator). Despite a lot of effort, though, no one seems to have worked out how to get the SB to USB stream to a CDQ without drop outs...
That's a shame because in most respects the SB solution would be ideal. The interface is great, the integration of internet radio good, it handles 24/96 without problems, and there are some great ancillary programs such as Spicefly Sugarcube which are just a great way to explore a big music library. You can also use the fantastic Squeezepad iPad app as a remote control that does everything I want and more.
I'm extremely interested to hear what your conclusions and recommendations are for both the MDAC and the CDQ. I find it very hard to know what the important characteristics of a good streaming solution are, and bemused by the prices of offerings from the likes of NAIM, Cyrus and Linn.
I've really enjoyed exploring the different ways to listen to music that come with a NAS drive full of lossless music files and, thanks to your good self, I know have a DAC that sounds sublime. It's just the transport from NAS to DAC that remains a conundrum... Be great if you can solve that one too!
Best, Duncan
I'm a IT professional and engineer - this means that I only read manuals as a last resort when everything else fails
EDIT: Just checked the manual and it only informs that the feature is not compatible with Windows and is not recommended, even though it may work with some players. It does not say that it can actually be dangerous if enabled...
JohnW
pfm member
I'm a IT professional and engineer - this means that I only read manuals as a last resort when everything else fails
Hi Vodnik,
I just hope it is mentioned in the Manual, I know we did talk about it with the manual writer - but these things can get missed - especially as it was a feature that was added to the software after the first manuals had been written...
Its hard to keep the Manual in Sync. with our updates - especially when we dont talk about the additions to anyone in China (as theres no one who would understand and they would only say No anyway).... Our manual writer in the UK is great, as he just gets on with it by himself - once he gets the latest units
Great!!!John
Hi John, have you managed to get a listen to the SB (or any SPDIF source) into the MDAC and compare it to the Async USB? I've asked here a couple of times but no response.
Also, any idea when the CDQ OLED/Transformer upgrades will become generally available? I wasn't able to get along to the Hi Fi show unfortunately, much as I'd have loved to. I'm still on the very original CDQ software waiting patiently for this so I can kill all my birds with one stone... That should keep me going until the QDAC
Cheers,
Tim
Hi Chris, I have both the SB3 and Touch, and as far as I know they can both be controlled from an ipod touch (get a cheap one off ebay) using the iPeng app. This removes any user-interface comparisons, and to be honest, I prefer the large uncluttered display of the SB3. I only really bought the touch to see if I could get the Asynch USB working (which I couldn't). The only reason I've left it in place is that it can do 24bit 96kHz, whereas I believe the SB3 is limited to 16/48 (I might slightly wrong, but I know it's less high def capable). If you can live without that, then I think you've done the right thing sticking with the SB3.
Well, since you asked (and since this might feed into your own streamer product)...
I still yearn for the most simple and powerful search engine I've ever used... the one in Winamp. You can type any series of words which it then finds in any tag and in any order and filters the results as you type. So for example, I could type "belle dog" and, without even pressing enter, it will instantly find me "Belle & Sebastian - Dog On Wheels", as would "wheel seb". Because it also searches the genre tag, I was even able to use this to store my own portable star ratings and mood information. Fancy something to relax to with a 3 star rating or more ? Just type "*** [R]" and up they pop. Yes, I'm that sad.
Elegent simplicity, and fantastic for people like me who can never remember the title of the track they want to find. Never seen this implemented anywhere else, although I'm sure it must have been.... hasn't it ?
I really don't get media players that force you to search within specific tags or for fixed phrases (like Squeeze Server does).
Gig-wars eh? Well, my ripped flacs have already exceeded your 5 year forecast. Bring on the next contender
mark.king
pfm Member
I use a mini pc because of it's flexiblity. Also things like codecs etc are usually easely downloadable and your not waiting for firmware updates for hardware. Thats if they ever happen. I'm not a MAC person (except iphone) I like to build my own computers so I know what I'm getting. I have no network problems as My NAS and main listening PC are linked by a GigE switch both full duplex (no collisions) Only other pc connected to the switch is my i7 recording studio based pc. All other pc's phones are connected over wi fi . I would consider a SB for other rooms but would not use wireless for my main hi fi PC. It wouldn't work anyway as I have hi def movies and hi bit rate files recorded.
By the way I mix to 32 bit float files which play fine using Cubase or wavelab but other media programs don't recognise this format so I have to convert to 24bit. Does anyone else use this type of file?
By the way I mix to 32 bit float files which play fine using Cubase or wavelab but other media programs don't recognise this format so I have to convert to 24bit. Does anyone else use this type of file?
The SB Touch is both wired and wireless and does hi def up to 24/96. Obviously no good for movies though
edit: oh sorry, you were talking about your PC. I'll just shut up (at last).
No. The whole point about a word clock generated by the dac is that it becomes the master clock and everything else is slaved to that clock. The dac no longer cares if the bits arrive in a slovenly manner because it knows it's in control of when the whole word will be processed.
So there's no dejittering involved.
It's (sort of) analogous to async USB - the dac (master clock) controls the rate and precision with which the data is fed into the dac instead of having to be the slave to the transport
In other posts JohnW explicitly mentions 3 stages of de-jittering. I think the Sabre chip uses ASRC too. The clock in the MDAC could only be a true master if it was fed to the source and controlled the source clock too. This is common in studios, and used by people like dCS, but not done (so far) in the MDAC.
there's a similar interface for the android
Though I like there being a glossy interface in the device playing. I keep pondering the use of a Windows tablet for the hifi pc so that it's got a built in display and people could wander up to it without wondering who's disappeared with the 'remote'.
But I'm now on something like the 4th or 5th rebuild/update to my hifi pc to get it fast/quiet/cool enough and don't trust a current w7 tablet pc to do the same things
Yes it is. That's why I keep repeating this. Look at the back panel of the mdac
..IIRC from previous posts John said the sabre's dejitter downs't really work so is bypassed in the Audiolab products
Here's the full list of remote codes for CD/CDQ & DQ:
Code:
Audiolab 8200CDQ RC-5 Remote codes
==================================
System code 20:
---------------
NUM_0 0
NUM_1 1
NUM_2 2
NUM_3 3
NUM_4 4
NUM_5 5
NUM_6 6
NUM_7 7
NUM_8 8
NUM_9 9
TIME 11
STORE 20
DISPLAY 21
REPEAT 29
TRACK_UP 32
TRACK_DN 33
TRIG_EN 40
TRIG_DIS 42
OPEN_CLOSE 45
PAUSE 48
SEARCH_DN 50
SEARCH_UP 52
PLAY 53
STOP 54
FILTER 55
DIG_UP 56
DIG_DN 57
MENU 58
PROGRAM 59
USB 101
COAX1 102
COAX2 103
OPT1 104
OPT2 105
System code 16:
---------------
MUTE 13
VOLUME_UP 16
VOLUME_DN 17
System code 5:
--------------
VIDEO 63
System code 17:
----------------
TUNER 63
System code 20:
---------------
CD 63
System code 21:
---------------
AUX 63
Audiolab 8200DQ RC-5 Remote codes
=================================
System code 13:
---------------
NUM_0 0
NUM_1 1
NUM_2 2
NUM_3 3
NUM_4 4
NUM_5 5
NUM_6 6
NUM_7 7
NUM_8 8
NUM_9 9
MUTE 13
MENU 14
INFO 15
VOLUME_UP 16
VOLUME_DN 17
DISPLAY 18
USB 20
AUX 21
OPT1 22
OPT2 23
COAX1 24
COAX2 25
BAL_R 26
BAL_L 27
TRACK_UP 32
TRACK_DN 33
PRE 34
TRIG 35
PRESET 36
FILTER 47
PLAY 53
STOP 54
System code 5:
--------------
VIDEO 63
System code 17:
---------------
TUNER 63Let's start from where I started first...
with a dedicated lakewest data transport, it would be designed to use a word clock whenever it was available
For any other device, the options are
- it may already have a word clock input built in
- you'd have to mod the circuit
- you wouldn't bother
a squeezebox would fit into one of the latter two options
Interestingly, the back panel photos of the mdac show both a word clock out a word clock in connection - the 'sync' connectors
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