MDAC First Listen (part 00101110)

[Coll]

Coll, BobL,

As a backup plan if it does prove impossible to fit the loader into the chassis then we would design it into the Detox style case operated by the FDAC (display controls etc) - so just a slim case with slot and eject button - the display / controls would be on the FDAC.

Coll, you could then pop in a 32GB SDcard in the FDAC's rear and transfer your most often listened too CD's into the FDAC directly (The FDAC can insure a bit perfect error free rip) - and save the drives lifetime... with Lossless compression the FDAC can hold 100 or so CD's of your most listened too CD's on a single flash card...

Coll, I'm mindful that the main reason you joined was due to the CD internal loader, so I'll do my very best to squeeze it in...

Hi John
Thanks for your comforting comments.
If the loader is separate which obviously I still hope it is not could you supply all necessary leads to attach it to FDAC so nothing else is needed to get it up and running. I do realise that this would be an extra cost of course.
Unfortunately for me it would have to go on a different shelf in my Hi Fi unit as the shelves are not wide enough.

 

[Rune]

Well I already have a Synology NAS holding my music library. However I'm speculating that the more direct playback from the SD card wil prove to be better than NAS>Aries Mini>Detox>FDAC . . . .

I also have a Aries Mini by the way and would like to be able to do NAS>FDAC instead.

This will be possible with the addition of the "Future internal Squezebox Touch support via software update" as mentioned in the latest spec.

This is actually Squeezelite which is the same as used in the RPI PiCorePlayer.

 

[JarekD]

John
Playback from an SD card is very appealing; its a shame it's limited to 32 gb. What is the reason for that limit?

The reason is that we cannot adress more, its probably non-overcomable hardware limit.
If that is not enough for you, you can always connect external USB HDD theoretically (we should be OK with 64bit LBA) up to 8 ZettaBytes (8 000 000 000 terrabytes), which should be enough

Well I already have a Synology NAS holding my music library. However I'm speculating that the more direct playback from the SD card wil prove to be better than NAS>Aries Mini>Detox>FDAC . . . .

Not inevitably. FDAC will do playback from samba shares same way as from SD card. Both will be bitperfect and jitter-clean. Noise from network switch won't be an issue.

 

[adamdea]

T
Not inevitably. FDAC will do playback from samba shares same way as from SD card. Both will be bitperfect and jitter-clean. Noise from network switch won't be an issue.

I'm quite sure you are right.
And yet....remind me how we got to the need for a detox?

 

[toozeup]

hluga, as mentioned already, both are available to purchase in single quantities:

PMD100 $40USD (should be genuine, as JW has tested one that was purchased from this vendor)
PMD200 $40.65USD (these have not been tested as genuine by JW, so at your own risk)

Also the PMD200 will require the optional daughter board, which I'm assuming will be an additional cost (?)

Just to clarify, if we want on-board HDCD decoding for the FDAC will we need one of these chips? If so, i'll be up for contributing towards a batch if others are. Mr Grateful Dead collection would benefit greatly from this!

 

[Jason_PFM]

We have the CD drive I/O's on the Digital PCB, but I'm little nervous as to the available space in the FDAC chassis to fit the loader - I'm aware that a lot of people are very keen on an internal CD option so its still "on the drawing board"...

No worries John, by now we're used to last minute changes, and forgive you
But, could i plant a little seed here ? What about an L4 with an integrated turntable, that would seriously kick ass :-D

 

[JarekD]

I'm quite sure you are right.
And yet....remind me how we got to the need for a detox?

Ethernet switches are much less noisier and they are isolated. USB is really brutally noisy and full of heavy jitter. But maybe we should do something like Ethernet Detox in future if we find out there are audible differences between ethernet switches

Just to clarify, if we want on-board HDCD decoding for the FDAC will we need one of these chips? If so, i'll be up for contributing towards a batch if others are. Mr Grateful Dead collection would benefit greatly from this!

We will maybe implement HDCD decoding in future directly to the DSPs/FPGA/CortexA8. Sadly ONLY decoding WITHOUT the HDCD filters. They belong to Microsoft now, but HDCD coding is known. In another words, you can get the additional DR of the HDCD (in future with SW upgrade) with basic FDAC, but for full HDCD experience with digital filters you need PMD100 or PMD200 chip upgrade.

 

[radamel]

Ethernet switches are much less noisier and they are isolated. USB is really brutally noisy and full of heavy jitter. But maybe we should do something like Ethernet Detox in future if we find out there are audible differences between ethernet switches

.

What about a Spdif Detox?

Using an Audiolab 8200CD as a CD transport to a Mytek Brooklyn DAC the SQ is clearly below that of the USB input IMO.

I wonder if a Spdif to Spdif reclocker would help...

 

[paulski]

Could someone kindly point me in the direction of the paypal link so I can pay my L3 instalments?

 

[killie99]

http://mdac2.lakewestaudio.com/

 

[paulski]

http://mdac2.lakewestaudio.com/

Thanks, Killie. Payments made for L3 and L3MM/MC.

 

[rtrt]

RTRT,
Would you mind if I hold onto your “Toy” MDAC until after the weekend? as it’s the best DAC we have here at the moment and very I’m happy with how the systems sounds with it

Hi John thats absolutely no problem at all, pls just keep it for as long as its useful to you.

As you know I wouldn't have much time to listen till around the middle of this month anyway, so if you wanted to keep it beyond that even, I'd be happy to 'take one for the team' as our American cousins say and listen via the old beresford that I have - untill you're done.

Great news that it's in such fine fettle too!

I'll add my vote for squeezing the CD into the chassis, even if it means increasing the height to do it.

A single, slightly taller chassis, is very much preferred to multiple boxes for me.

I appreciate there will be others where increased height may be an issue - maybe we need another vote

 

[BigDog]

What about a Spdif Detox?

Using an Audiolab 8200CD as a CD transport to a Mytek Brooklyn DAC the SQ is clearly below that of the USB input IMO.

I wonder if a Spdif to Spdif reclocker would help...

FWIW, friend has the Brooklyn DAC and we just auditioned it with the Sbooster external power supply over the weekend...
https://www.sbooster.com/botw-pp-eco-12v-132v/

IMHO, quite an amazing step change in sound quality over the internal supply.

 

[radamel]

FWIW, friend has the Brooklyn DAC and we just auditioned it with the Sbooster external power supply over the weekend...
https://www.sbooster.com/botw-pp-eco-12v-132v/

IMHO, quite an amazing step change in sound quality over the internal supply.

Thanks!

I ordered a Qualiaphysic one that will probably be delivered early April.

 

[jirij]

...

Hey Jarek,
a more general question, but I thought I'd ask and hope that you can share answers/visions.

How do you plan to achieve OS persistency / 3rd party modifications?

Will you provide base OS image and package your custom software on top of that using distro pkg systems (deb/rpm/..), so that users can upgrade those without reflashing the image?
Will you instead use a base image and allow modifications via ie. squashfs+unionfs from the sd card?
Any other solutions?

What about the custom software vs FDAC MCU interface? Something 8250-based? Or custom kernel driver? Will 3rd parties be able to read/write using this API (ie. to switch digital inputs from the OS)?

Thank you,
Jiri
(being nosy)

 

[timola]

Hi JohnW,

I've just paid the L3 FDAC MM/MC additional development cost...So that puts me in-line for the 'all options unit'. Also I would like to go for the internal CD loader option if you are able to do it and the milled CNC Chassis.

Great work and Thanks!

PS: soon as I get the PMD200 I'll forward that to you for testing.

 

[efski]

Hi JohnW,

Could you please tell an estimate date (more less ofc) when last bell rings to join (pay) FDAC project?
I do realize that sooner is better, but... there is always "but"

Regards.

 

[scubaboy]

[QUOTE

I'll add my vote for squeezing the CD into the chassis, even if it means increasing the height to do it.

A single, slightly taller chassis, is very much preferred to multiple boxes for me.

I appreciate there will be others where increased height may be an issue - maybe we need another vote [/QUOTE]




+1.

 

[brab]

What about a Spdif Detox?

Using an Audiolab 8200CD as a CD transport to a Mytek Brooklyn DAC the SQ is clearly below that of the USB input IMO.

Not sure how you can conclude that this is spdif problem since you can't compare usb with spdif using a transport for both. In my system cd via a Cambridge CXC transport into an mdac outperforms the same file from computer to mdac via usb. I suggest you try a different transport.

 

[brab]

When changing menu options, e.g. d3e decorrelation, does the selection take effect immediately, i.e. while still in menu selection mode, or does it only take effect when you're out of menu selection mode? Hope that's clear!