I'm no expert here, so my math could be wrong. I think 6dB represents 1/4th. Not sure if that's power or voltage though. Worst case it's voltage, so 1/4th would mean losing 2 bits (I think each bit multiplies / divides by 2). The DCX2496 has 24-bit internal processing, and the signal coming in from the CD player is 16 bits, so in theory you have 8 bits to burn without losing any of the original signal. But I have gains and cuts in the EQ section, so I can't really say if I'm dropping any bits from end to end. I hope not
I used to do that before I got the AES/EBU to S/PDIF converter, and it worked fine. I can't say that one sounds better than the other, because many other things changed at the same time.
NO MUSIC: Tried all of the above and have zero noise in all combinations.
MUSIC PLAYING: With digital signal in the input VU meters are hovering around -2 db, just below clipping. I have also noticed that channels 5 and 6 are constantly clipping when playing the signal with top bar illuminated red at all times. Note I am only using channels 1 and 4 for output, 5 and 6 are not being used at all. Muting 5 and 6 does nothing. Muting 1 and 4 gets rid of the distortion but also the music.
OK, good test. It's not idle noise but something related to signal.
Do the clicks and pops come at any time, or only on peak levels?
Do you have any EQ turned on? It's possible to boost the unit into clipping with EQ boost. Generally the level is lower on the outputs than the inputs when using just crossovers. Without any level or EQ boost, the outputs will not clip if the inputs don't. And the digital input only clips if the digital recording is clipped. I rarely see that.
Do you see any relation between the noise and the VU meters?
If you can get spdif out of your computer or simply burn a CD, I can supply some test tones for you.
Do the clicks and pops come at any time, or only on peak levels?
Do you have any EQ turned on? It's possible to boost the unit into clipping with EQ boost. Generally the level is lower on the outputs than the inputs when using just crossovers. Without any level or EQ boost, the outputs will not clip if the inputs don't. And the digital input only clips if the digital recording is clipped. I rarely see that.
Do you see any relation between the noise and the VU meters?
If you can get spdif out of your computer or simply burn a CD, I can supply some test tones for you.
ALSO Quoting.....
I'm no expert here, so my math could be wrong. I think 6dB represents 1/4th"
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Pressure and voltage are "20 log" quantities, while power is a 10 log quantity.
So, -6dB would be 1/2 the voltage or the 1/2 the SPL, while it would be 1/4 the power
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Pops and clicks correspond to passages in music / peak levels. Louder passages = more clicks however even quiet passages get it popping and spluttering. There is also alot distortion under all that bacon frying
No eq, all gains double checked and are at zero. In my case the levels on the outputs are HIGHER than or atleast equal to the inputs.
Crackling is always there regardless of whether outputs are clipping or not but it does seem to spit a bit harder when it clips
I can give it try, thanks for your help. I must say at this point im thinking "faulty unit"
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guys i'm not familiar with this device, but is there a buffer size setting like on most pro and semi-pro audio interfaces? I would think there is, and these clicks and pops sound like it is related to memory overrun. if there is somewhere to make the buffer size larger, do that, you should be able to do it live while music is playing.
I apologize if this has already been covered. doesnt explain the distortion underneath, but we could be seeing 2 separate problems here
I agree with the above though, it does sound like a dud unit. link him to this thread if he gives you any lip
I apologize if this has already been covered. doesnt explain the distortion underneath, but we could be seeing 2 separate problems here
I agree with the above though, it does sound like a dud unit. link him to this thread if he gives you any lip
The shop I bought the unit from offered a straight swap so i'll exchange it later this week. Thanks for the help guys, I learnt a lot in the process.
Regarding digital input and attenuation after the DCX, can anyone recommend a good value 6 channel attenuator? If I can't find a decent priced one I may have to consider 3 x 2 channel stepped.
Regarding digital input and attenuation after the DCX, can anyone recommend a good value 6 channel attenuator? If I can't find a decent priced one I may have to consider 3 x 2 channel stepped.
I'm using an Emotiva LMC-1. You can usually find it used in the $200-250 range. It's a 7.1 HT pre-pro, and as far as I know the "7.1 input" stays in the analog domain (I have bass/treble and individual channel trim functions available, all others are disabled).
I'm pretty sure it's not the most transparent solution, but it works fine for now. Remote control over the volume is a bonus. And in my purely subjective opinion, I think the overall sound is a little smoother since I added that to the chain. Before that, I had about 20-30dB of digital attenuation in the DCX to keep the volume at sane levels. I suspect that wasn't doing much good to the signal. But, like I said, this is a purely subjective opinion.
There's the MSB MVC in the $400 range. For some reason the main link is down, here's the Google cached version:
MSB DACs
I didn't find too many other options in a lower price range.
I'm pretty sure it's not the most transparent solution, but it works fine for now. Remote control over the volume is a bonus. And in my purely subjective opinion, I think the overall sound is a little smoother since I added that to the chain. Before that, I had about 20-30dB of digital attenuation in the DCX to keep the volume at sane levels. I suspect that wasn't doing much good to the signal. But, like I said, this is a purely subjective opinion.
There's the MSB MVC in the $400 range. For some reason the main link is down, here's the Google cached version:
MSB DACs
I didn't find too many other options in a lower price range.
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