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MDAC First Listen (part 00111011)

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I haven't seen a spec for 1.5, not sure if that's exclusive info for the Facebook Only folks

I can't recall any specifications being posted over there, though to be honest Facebook seems to have dried up as a source of information about the project.
 
A. Not sure where you get that it is only single ended from? That is not true!
And K. Where do you get the impression that 1.5 is the only option from? That is also not true!
 
You have waited for so long, with the MDAC 1.5 PCB being so close to being released - you might as well hold on for a couple more months... We are just issuing a single-ended version of the DAC PCB tomorrow, with the MDAC 1.5 PCB design expected to be completed in the next 4 weeks.

MDAC1.5 - think updated Dacapo (Discrete DAC, upgradable Modulators (even a Legacy modulator option with a twist based on SAA7350 + PMD200 HDCD filter)).

A. Not sure where you get that it is only single ended from? That is not true!
And K. Where do you get the impression that 1.5 is the only option from? That is also not true!
Yes you're quite right, with the mountain of available information on the mdac 1.5 only an idiot would make assumptions.
Let's see what the data sheet says, shall we?
 
A. Not sure where you get that it is only single ended from? That is not true!
And K. Where do you get the impression that 1.5 is the only option from? That is also not true!

Yes! It's all a juge pile of fake news!! Come on hippies!!!

Contribution to the audio side of things: Really hope that there's more hardware to follow. Mdac 1.5 and 2, fdac, vfet, ministreamer, all prototype dacs and their spinoffs are not enough, maybe.
 
I haven't seen a spec for 1.5, not sure if that's exclusive info for the Facebook Only folks.
I just hope we don't get 1.5 and it turns out to be a take-it-or-leave-it option and John decides to pull the plug on the whole sad affair.


I am hoping the mdac1.5 is closer to what we originally ponied up for rather the moon on a stick mdac 2.0 morphed into.
 
No. As I understand it the slave units were to be used with an MDAC2 to provide surround sound capability in, say, a 5.1 system. I’m assuming that idea’s been scrapped. If so I’d expect the development fees people paid to be rolled up into an overall MDAC2 contribution.

Still, it’s good to see we’re only a few weeks away from a revised DAC being released.

The MDAC 2 is still able to be a slave unit eg. when used with DSP (never 5.1). Slave units will be MDAC2 but without front panel.

MDAC1.5 is balanced output, Discrete DAC, uses the same modulator options as MDAC2, but uses a standard Analogue stage rather then the Direct Digital To Analogue conversions (DD2A) of the MDAC2.
 
What software version do you have installed in the MDAC? - is it reporting USB Buffer Flush?

You should hear this a clicks via the MDAC audio output.

Just returned to where the MDAC is located and can report version A.010.
No report of USB Buffer Flush error.
I don't hear the clicks via the MDAC audio output.
 
Can you try the SPDIF output on a different DAC - I'm pretty certain its output is good....

It could be an issue with the Benchmark and the SPDIF validity flag, try V0.90 software.
 
John, thank you for the suggestion to try V0.90. It worked better than A.010 (Benchmark LED not flashing anymore), but clicks (or is it pops?) can still be heard every 3-10 seconds (more frequent on 24/96 material). I guess I could try other firmware versions in the hope one might work, but I won't press my luck.
Therefore, please let me know if your kind offer to provide a streamer on loan is still valid and is feasible for you, say within the next 5-7 days, or not, so that I can plan my next step.
 
It appears that The LED flashing is not important - its just indicating the SPDIF validity flag which is set on the A0.10 software to work around the ESS Left Channel Locking Bug (Data's OK).

I would more worry about why the Benchmark cannot lock to the MDAC's SPDIF output - bare in mind its being correctly decoded by the MDAC's internal ESS.

Can you not pop into your local deal and try a different DAC on the MDAC's output?

What Cable are you using between the MDAC and Benchmark- A Standard RCA to RCA?

I'd be happy to take a look at your MDAC if you cover shipping costs.

WRT Streamer, its a bad time, as we are just about to build and test the MDAC2 Discrete DAC PCB's... so its going to be very busy in the lab - and very important time WRT the progress of the MDAC 1.5 / 2 project...

Give me a day to see if I can find anything I can send you...
 
Cables are a Supra Coaxial and an Amazon Basics optical. Benchmark locks properly to a Sony Bluray player on Coaxial and to a Samsung tv on optical, if that's any indication.
WRT Streamer, no problem, I totally understand (am waiting for an MDAC2 myself). If there's anything lying around that might stop the gap, that'd be great...
 
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in the absence of any project updates and reactions to the completely random speaker declaration on facebook

can I just take this opportunity to re-affirm my willingness to pass on my financial commitments on FDAC, VFET's to any interested parties
 
...just to mention there is some news on the Facebook Group (the loudspeaker chatter may have obscured it) ...the boards received last week had an issue on a section so John is testing the other sections that were printed correctly; then reissuing AFAIK ...these things happen :)
 
...just to mention there is some news on the Facebook Group (the loudspeaker chatter may have obscured it) ...the boards received last week had an issue on a section so John is testing the other sections that were printed correctly; then reissuing AFAIK ...these things happen :)

As far as I can see the only images of the new boards are CAD renderings.
 
...just to mention there is some news on the Facebook Group (the loudspeaker chatter may have obscured it) ...the boards received last week had an issue on a section so John is testing the other sections that were printed correctly; then reissuing AFAIK ...these things happen :)

Yes, caught a few little bugs, nothing big. within the last few hours have the latest Clock circuit working on the PCB's... I'm now going to confirm the clock distribution (across galvanic isolation barrier etc)... Shame about the Gerber output error as so far these PCB's would have been good.

Jareks working on the updating the design / next step with balanced outputs (This board is just single-ended)... expecting to release Monday next week - this time we will careful go over the Gerber outputs to insure we dont have a repeat of the software bug that corrupted the last PCB's.
 
Extract from John's latest Facebook update:

"The DevDAC II PCB files were issued this morning, [16th August] took a little longer then expected as we updated the design based upon feedback from the smaller Single-ended Discrete DAC PCB (I've been testing circuit sections on the bench these past few weeks)"
 
A few people on Facebook are advocating that John change the plan from designing the MDAC2 PCB to fit the MDAC case to some other, larger case. Déjà vu! Perhaps these people aren't aware we've already been down this path. Perhaps they're also unaware that changes to the plan will result in significant changes to timescale. Based on the latter alone, I, for one, am against any change to the plan.
 
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