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MDAC first listen (part VI)

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After lots of help from you guys getting my laptop configured to play bit perfect through the mdac, I seem to have got a similar but different issue that is very strange indeed. Hopefully you can give me some advice.

It's the popping and clicking issue again, but this time its different. I only happens on certainalbums and the buffer display on the mdac is not coordinated with the pops this time. In fact, this time the pops are always in the same place on the recordings in question, as in its like they are actually on the recording. I've noticed it so far on black holes by muse, track 2 - starlight, and also on any track on Cure's greatest hits.

My actions so far - reripped the muse album again into flac using dbpoweramp. Got a 127 accurate matches which is very high. Played again on foobar, still got the pops in the same places. Tried playing the track using my sonos zp90 outputted via the coax into the mdac, no pops. Then last night, I changed the laptop around to output through the rdac, all other settings identical. No pops.

So I've isolated the problem to just being a problem with the usb on the mdac on certain songs, but no idea what to do next.
 
JohnW said:
The MPAX project is on hold until we completed the BDAC - as the BDAC might surpass the MDAC + MPAX combination in Sound quality, and will be closer in price to just the MPAX alone at around GBP350...
Click to expand...

JohnW said:
BDAC (not sure what Creek will name it) will be around GBP350... but recall the history of the MDAC pricing...
Click to expand...

Hallo John

Will the "BDAC" just a DAC or integrated in a pre?

If within a pre:
Will the volume control be digital or analogue?
What kind and how many inputs will be available?

Will the DAC be just a DAC or is internetradio integrated?

thanks
 
Also question from me, will the B-DAC have an attenuator on the analogue inputs? Desperately trying to work out how to play my turntable with my M-DAC!
 
is anyone here using Mdac with Amarra or Pure Music? The only reason which I may want to add one or the other is for Flac playback. I'm using now the Marantz NA7004 streamer... it works very well, but the iOS interface is terrible and the updated version now crashes if you want to use the app and the remote control at the same time....

the airplay works well, but its limited to 16/44 and I have lots of 24/96 files to play ....

so I was thinking for long sessions, I can set up my macmini for audio (I use it for plex to play movies mostly)..... for short sessions I'll use either airplay or 'endure' the marantz menu ..... I just want to know if there is any benefit (or detriment?) in using pure music or amarra with Mdac?

its a petty the marantz app is so bad... otherwise its a very nice streamer....
 
JohnW said:
The Creek CD/DAC/PRE will be around GBP500 to GBP600...

BDAC (not sure what Creek will name it) will be around GBP350... but recall the history of the MDAC pricing...
Click to expand...

John, how does the Creek CD/Dac/Pre compares to the Audiolab CDQ? MDAC?

thanks
 
Sebbyp said:
Also question from me, will the B-DAC have an attenuator on the analogue inputs? Desperately trying to work out how to play my turntable with my M-DAC!
Click to expand...

I use a EMU 404 USB DAC/ADC as a standalone ADC - I use a custom linear PSU, and connect to the MDAC via optical, and although I hate to say it, feeding my Naim prefix through the EMU to digitise it to 24/96 and then using the MDAC to change it back to analogue, which seems a pretty daft thing to do, has resulted in the best sound I've ever had from vinyl.
 
Originally Posted by JohnW View Post
First issue is a software bug that's been reported since day one, but we have not been able to reproduce on our own units so we cannot understand whats going on... Once we are able to reproduce it, then we can resolve with a software update...

You could try to recreate the drop out problem with an Amstrad Sky+ HD satellite receiver.

After a minute the dac locks up properly.
 
JohnW said:
Do not use XLR to RCA adapters, Depending how they are wired, you could endup "Shorting" the MDAC's outputs.

The Positive Phase and Ground could be connected to the RCA lead BUT NOT Positive / Negative Phase. The MDAC's XLR outputs are NOT FLOATING.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads-up, saved my MDAC because i might have tried hooking it up that way.

I initially thought it would be ok because i did use the XLR --> RCA adapters with my previous DAC the Audio-GD NFB-10SE without any problems.

:)
 
therixonator said:
After lots of help from you guys getting my laptop configured to play bit perfect through the mdac, I seem to have got a similar but different issue that is very strange indeed. Hopefully you can give me some advice.

It's the popping and clicking issue again, but this time its different. I only happens on certainalbums and the buffer display on the mdac is not coordinated with the pops this time. In fact, this time the pops are always in the same place on the recordings in question, as in its like they are actually on the recording. I've noticed it so far on black holes by muse, track 2 - starlight, and also on any track on Cure's greatest hits.

My actions so far - reripped the muse album again into flac using dbpoweramp. Got a 127 accurate matches which is very high. Played again on foobar, still got the pops in the same places. Tried playing the track using my sonos zp90 outputted via the coax into the mdac, no pops. Then last night, I changed the laptop around to output through the rdac, all other settings identical. No pops.

So I've isolated the problem to just being a problem with the usb on the mdac on certain songs, but no idea what to do next.
Click to expand...

Is the "Pop" on Left channel or both channels ?

To be honest, its a hard to imagine the fault being the MDAC - although we would need you to Email the file and we can test ourselves to try and understand whats going on...
 
mikey8156 said:
Originally Posted by JohnW View Post
First issue is a software bug that's been reported since day one, but we have not been able to reproduce on our own units so we cannot understand whats going on... Once we are able to reproduce it, then we can resolve with a software update...

You could try to recreate the drop out problem with an Amstrad Sky+ HD satellite receiver.

After a minute the dac locks up properly.
Click to expand...

Hi Mikey,

The dropouts with Sky+ HD has already been resolved with the latest update - set DPLL BW to Medium or High on the connected input.

John
 
Hi John,

I'm now getting crackling through the left channel on the USB input. Should I go back to the v.90 software? (I'm running the latest .96 software)

Or is it not the software update that's caused this?

Regards,
James
 
bigmarcelo said:
is anyone here using Mdac with Amarra or Pure Music? The only reason which I may want to add one or the other is for Flac playback. I'm using now the Marantz NA7004 streamer... it works very well, but the iOS interface is terrible and the updated version now crashes if you want to use the app and the remote control at the same time....

the airplay works well, but its limited to 16/44 and I have lots of 24/96 files to play ....

so I was thinking for long sessions, I can set up my macmini for audio (I use it for plex to play movies mostly)..... for short sessions I'll use either airplay or 'endure' the marantz menu ..... I just want to know if there is any benefit (or detriment?) in using pure music or amarra with Mdac?

its a petty the marantz app is so bad... otherwise its a very nice streamer....
Click to expand...

Why not Squeezebox Touch?

John
 
John: have you got a list of the 'pre-orders' for M-PAX and/or CDQ+?

I wanted to check to see if I'm on either or both. I think I may still have a 'reservation' for an M-PAX but it's been so long since the 'list' was mentioned....
 
Sebbyp said:
Also question from me, will the B-DAC have an attenuator on the analogue inputs? Desperately trying to work out how to play my turntable with my M-DAC!
Click to expand...

The BDAC has an AV Bypass so you could connect a Phono Pre that has an output level control - we could make one with Creek..

John
 
JohnW said:
Still in the design stage (the Munich show units where "Dummy Units").

We are expecting good results ;)

John
Click to expand...
Out of interest, why are you expecting as good/better(?) results with the BDAC (CDAC? Creek-DAC) as/than with the MDAC?
 
fred sonnen said:
Hallo John

Will the "BDAC" just a DAC or integrated in a pre?

If within a pre:
Will the volume control be digital or analogue?
What kind and how many inputs will be available?

Will the DAC be just a DAC or is internetradio integrated?

thanks
Click to expand...

The BDAC is both DAC and DAC with Level control, also with AV Bypass.

The Level control is Digital but with an Analogue domain based stepped attenuation at -24dB.

USB, 2x SPDIF, 2x Optical, 1 pair AV bypass, Digital (software defined radio) FM / AM Tuner. SPDIF / Optical outputs + Clock Lock.

John
 
ChrisPa said:
Out of interest, why are you expecting as good/better(?) results with the BDAC (CDAC? Creek-DAC) as with the MDAC?
Click to expand...

I've spent about 3 months developing the BDAC's PSU, Audio & Clock circuits. These circuits are based upon topologys we have been using within our lab over the past years...

Based upon simulations results and experiences from the past - the latest circuit topologys should bring a leap in SQ...

HOWEVER:-

The BDAC uses the budget DAC's from ESS where we cannot bypass its internal "Fast" Digital filter... However we can Pre-Process the input Data with DSP, and we are hopefull to reduce the impact of the ESS's poor sounding internal filter.

We are also using two DAC's IC's in Dual Diff, this has in the past resulted in a significant leap in audio quality over single substrate DAC's - maybe due to internal Clock modulation between channels?

On cost grounds we are also forced to use Bipolar transistors in the input Diff stages of the analogue stages in place of the MDAC's JFET's - however I've optimised the circuit topology for Bipolars and the latest CROSSII uses MOSFET's in its output stage...

The BDAC clock also has 20dB to 40dB lower clock phase noise at LF advantage over the MDAC..

With so many advances over the MDAC, and some handicaps - it will be interesting to "hear" the final results..

John
 
JohnW said:
The BDAC is both DAC and DAC with Level control, also with AV Bypass.

The Level control is Digital but with an Analogue domain based stepped attenuation at -24dB.

USB, 2x SPDIF, 2x Optical, 1 pair AV bypass, Digital (software defined radio) FM / AM Tuner. SPDIF / Optical outputs + Clock Lock.

John
Click to expand...

??
did you mean that a tuner is made by software?
did you forget the cinch or xlr output?
 
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