MDAC first listen thread
- Thread starter Interzone
- Start date
- Status
JohnW
pfm member
Hi Spacey,
Modified Martin Logan CLSII
Martin Logan Aeons
Monitor Audio Silver 6? (Not sure of the exact model)
And our own built amps
Cereal Killer
432
Hi, Cheers John. Are these Audiolab amps or your own design?
Hey John, With the Olimex USB Isolator could you just use a USB Type A to Type B adapter out the back of the MDAC and into the Isolator and then a standard USB cable of choice between the PC and Isolator? In the tech data pdf for the unit it states
"Cables: You need two 1.8 meter USB A-B cable to connect to the PC and to your
USB isolated device. Note these cables should be with LOW resistance (under 1
ohm) and good insulation, on the market there are cheap cables with HIGH
resistance (above 1 ohm) and poor insulation which are not good for USB
connection and cause signal fading and lost of communication packets."
Would you really need the two cables or just an adapter and one cable?
"Cables: You need two 1.8 meter USB A-B cable to connect to the PC and to your
USB isolated device. Note these cables should be with LOW resistance (under 1
ohm) and good insulation, on the market there are cheap cables with HIGH
resistance (above 1 ohm) and poor insulation which are not good for USB
connection and cause signal fading and lost of communication packets."
Would you really need the two cables or just an adapter and one cable?
I had minor issues with my laptop when I first set it up as a transport. This software helped me track down what was causing the issues. With it I was able to see where I was getting spikes and through device manager I started disabling devices one at a time to observe results. The worst offender for me was Microsofts ACPI - Compliant Control Method Battery which basically just allows you to see the battery level of the laptop. That and Wasapi in foobar seems to like a very low buffer length, otherwise it will skip.
JohnW
pfm member
Hi Phil,
Yes, Elnero might be onto something here, I recall now reading somewhere that the Microsoft power management keeps trying to ramp the processor speed down to save energy - somewhere within Windows 7 you can adjust your Power / Performance profile - set it to "Desk Top" maximum performance.
JohnW
pfm member
Hell no, our own design!!!
JohnW
pfm member
You will need two cables as its inserted in-line, but you can forget what they say about High resistance cables being bad - in fact for our application High Resistance cables will help filter any residual RF.
Just use cheap USB cables.
bottleneck
pfm Member
Ive got one for sale at twenty quid, you can have a free usb cable with it (you need 2).
PM if interested.
PhilCTTE
Senior mumbler
Sorted both 24/96 and 44.1.
I think the initial problem was with the Asio4All install.
I read thru pages 13/14 . Added the Asio4All component.
Conifigured the driver but failed to unhighlight the orig pc sound card driver. Carried on and correctly set the Audiolab M DAC WDM Device.
The result is the device channel still shows the sound card devices and not AudioLab as on page 15.
Its also important to set both the Asio Buffer Size to 2048 ( in Asio4All tool page 15) and also in Foobar the buffer length under playback output . These both must match.
All day long I speak to our user base at work and here I am not RTFM. I guess it was late last night and I was trying to run before I could walk with the hi-res playback.
I also took advice on the power management btw and if I have further issues will run the utility suggested earlier.
I must appologise and I hope this thread doesn't get overrun with computer issues as if you don't follow each step you can easily fubar the foobar
Thanks for all who offered advice
I think the initial problem was with the Asio4All install.
I read thru pages 13/14 . Added the Asio4All component.
Conifigured the driver but failed to unhighlight the orig pc sound card driver. Carried on and correctly set the Audiolab M DAC WDM Device.
The result is the device channel still shows the sound card devices and not AudioLab as on page 15.
Its also important to set both the Asio Buffer Size to 2048 ( in Asio4All tool page 15) and also in Foobar the buffer length under playback output . These both must match.
All day long I speak to our user base at work and here I am not RTFM. I guess it was late last night and I was trying to run before I could walk with the hi-res playback.
I also took advice on the power management btw and if I have further issues will run the utility suggested earlier.
I must appologise and I hope this thread doesn't get overrun with computer issues as if you don't follow each step you can easily fubar the foobar
Thanks for all who offered advice
JemHayward
pfm Member
Installed my M-DAC this evening: Linn sneaky DS via coax, and van Damme / Neutrik balanced cables into my EAR 890 then off to my ML Summits. Not had time to do a proper listen as cooking for the weekend, but clarity, bass depth, and overall detail much improved....
PhilCTTE
Senior mumbler
Would be interested in a comparison with Linn vs Computer source via USB (with or without isolator)... I think that it may result in making dedicated streamers redundant, if you're happy with computers that is....
adamlau
Um...What Is Going On?
That would entail me purchasing both units with the caveat that their respective distributors would allow me to return the unwanted unit free of restocking fees. Being that there is no local dealer for Audiolabs products in the US, that likelihood remains slim.
Excellent...I had read somewhere that only input options would be available via remote control.
---
A couple of questions...
1. How sturdy/stiff is the top, or cover of the unit? I am hoping to place the M-DAC underneath my 27-inch monitor (very typical location for exclusive PC usage) and would hate to see the top of the case bow as a result (as is the case with one of my smaller NAD amps).
2. Along the same lines, perhaps relocating the top vents elsewhere, possibly towards the sides/rear of the unit, so that monitor stands would not block requisite venting.
ddenyer
pfm Member
That may have been the wonderful ;-) Audiolab website. I too thought there was no volume control on the remote.
Derek
sq225917
Bit of this, bit of that
The case is a single box extrusion with an internal rib, you'd struggle to bow it. However you will make your dac overheat as it is vented on the top. Moving the vents to the sides wouldn't work as the air needs to flow over the heatsinks and hot air goes up- not sideways.
adamlau
Um...What Is Going On?
Thanks for the peace of mind, sq225917...Understood, though being able to accomodate a monitor on top would have been a nice design afterthought...Being part of a near-field setup means that I won't be driving the amplification section too hard...Regardless, I'll craft up some standoffs so as to mitigate the possibility of overheating...
1. Any way to disable the display? Perused through the manual, seemingly no available option to do so. Display dimming feature? Or can we set the display to sleep after a specified period of non-interaction? If one of the strengths of the M-DAC is the supression of audible interference, I figure another should be an option to enable the suppression of visual interference. Like watching a movie on a home theater system with a mass of lights glowing from various articles of equipment in the periphery...It can get annoying at times.
1. Any way to disable the display? Perused through the manual, seemingly no available option to do so. Display dimming feature? Or can we set the display to sleep after a specified period of non-interaction? If one of the strengths of the M-DAC is the supression of audible interference, I figure another should be an option to enable the suppression of visual interference. Like watching a movie on a home theater system with a mass of lights glowing from various articles of equipment in the periphery...It can get annoying at times.
mark.king
pfm Member
I have used the asio4all for quite a few years to play electronic drums through my laptop and check out some usb sound cards for others. asio4all automatically picks up all the usb and internal soind cards. You usually have to play something through it first so you can adjust it. I had to play a track, bring up the control pannel. Then stop the track as you can't select a new sound card until you do. Then I didable the old sound card (Mine was the internal one) and enable the MDAC. This worked for me.
By the way it all sounds terrible today. Not the M-DAC fault but I have a stinking cold and my ears and head are blocked up :-( Time for a bit perfect test I think lol.
By the way it all sounds terrible today. Not the M-DAC fault but I have a stinking cold and my ears and head are blocked up :-( Time for a bit perfect test I think lol.
John said the display disable/dim will come in the next software update.
- Status