OK, putting the scope on the signals, the Amanero is pushing out the signals, but the Hermes/Cronus output is not there after the initial few seconds of working. Looks like the fault is either the Cronus or the Hermes. I can't determine which one as they are stacked. The Cronus board was the one with a bad chip joint that needed resoldering before so my guess is that it may be the Cronus that's at fault. I did check the supply and its rock steady at 5v.
No changes to wiring, it was working fine up to yesterday when the intermittent cut outs started and then got progressively more frequent. Setup is the default async.
No changes to wiring, it was working fine up to yesterday when the intermittent cut outs started and then got progressively more frequent. Setup is the default async.
Last edited:
Hello All,
Anyone update Firmware on Amanero? CPLD still using Slave_1080 but CPU newer than 1906c3w4 can't switch clock from 45Mhz to 49Mhz, anything 48kHz and its multiples playing at lower pitch and speed due to still using 45Mhz Rhea XO. I need a CPU firmware that can play Native DSD256 and 48kHz multiple at correct XO, Thank You!!
Anyone update Firmware on Amanero? CPLD still using Slave_1080 but CPU newer than 1906c3w4 can't switch clock from 45Mhz to 49Mhz, anything 48kHz and its multiples playing at lower pitch and speed due to still using 45Mhz Rhea XO. I need a CPU firmware that can play Native DSD256 and 48kHz multiple at correct XO, Thank You!!
Amanero/Cronus, native DSD 256, on linux?
OK, is it possible to run native DSD from linux renderer to Amanero/Cronus, and if so, which software, CPLD, and settings are necessary to flash?
I have been trying to re-flash firmware(s) all afternoon here, but so far my Amanero/Cronus is no longer working, even when going back to 1096c and 1080 Slave.
Some have mentioned to me that just for DSD 256 Native, firmware 1099c works perfectly with linux. Will this work with 1080 Slave for use with Cronus?
Also, the newly released 2004be firmware may be able to even do DSD 512 Native, is it compatible with 1080 slave for use with Cronus?
Additionally, anyone have full pointers on getting the software flashing to work? I get the progress bar(s), and the Amanero is recognized after flashing, but no sound for the DAC anymore, even going back to 1096c, the set up was working fine up to 384 PCM and DSD 128 (DoP not native) before I tried re-flashing.
OK, is it possible to run native DSD from linux renderer to Amanero/Cronus, and if so, which software, CPLD, and settings are necessary to flash?
I have been trying to re-flash firmware(s) all afternoon here, but so far my Amanero/Cronus is no longer working, even when going back to 1096c and 1080 Slave.
Some have mentioned to me that just for DSD 256 Native, firmware 1099c works perfectly with linux. Will this work with 1080 Slave for use with Cronus?
Also, the newly released 2004be firmware may be able to even do DSD 512 Native, is it compatible with 1080 slave for use with Cronus?
Additionally, anyone have full pointers on getting the software flashing to work? I get the progress bar(s), and the Amanero is recognized after flashing, but no sound for the DAC anymore, even going back to 1096c, the set up was working fine up to 384 PCM and DSD 128 (DoP not native) before I tried re-flashing.
Hi barrows, I don't know the detail of this linux renderer but if the system is using alsa, did you check whether or not the Amanero is recognized as a playback device on the terminal (if available) by sending the command: aplay -l ?
This firmware, though still not perfect, is working well in general for native DSD512 play on a DAC (Cyan DSD from Holo Audio with the source upsampled to DSD512 by HQ player running on an i7 8700K PC with Ubuntu 16.04) via I2S/HDMI connection without Hermes/Cronus.
I once tried the connection to this DAC for DSD512 play with Hermes-Amanero/Cronus (45/49 clocks) using the same 2004be FW. However, the DAC failed to recognize the device, though the HQP well recognized the Amanero as an ALSA device. I did not pursue the cause of this issue but my impression is that the presence of intervening Hermes/Cronus may be a sort of culprit of this failure.
For further testing, particularly for the recovery of the honor of Hermes/Cronus, it may be necessary to perform experiments on B3SEpros but these DACs of mine are now busy for another testing (syncmode, dual mono, etc.).
From the description above, I think your flashing work will be okay as long as you are stick to the README instruction.
Regards,
Yes...
After flashing Amanero is recognized (the Sonore Ethernet Renderers feature a web based GUI which allows control of settings and to see the DAC diagnostics), and yes, these Renderers use ALSA.
What I need to know is:
1. Which Amanero firmware will allow native DSD from Linux, with the Amanero in SLAVE mode (for use with Cronus) 1099c? and the new 2004? I have heard that 1099c is stable for up top DSD 256, so that may be my bets choice.
2. For CPLD i must flash with: "Slave for 1080" for use with Cronus, correct?
3. Default Amanero firmware shipped from Twisted Pear is 1096c, right?
I am only interested in firmware which is confirmed to work in Slave mode with Cronus.
From my research it appears that 1099c with "slave for 1080" should work, can anyone confirm this firmware combination works with Amanero/Cronus for native DSD 256 on linux?
My second issue is that even going back to 1096c and slave for 1080, my amanero/Cronus is no longer working in the DAC (the player plays, and the Amanero is recognized by the player, but no lock in BuffPRO).
On the configuration bits-do I have to set these when I re-flash as per TPA directions at the beginning of this thread? does this third programming step have to be done? And when I try to do it, why do I get a message that the there is "no audio device found" when Amanero Combo 384 clearly is showing in the device manager? (and yes, I am re-booting the amanero with each flashing step).
After flashing Amanero is recognized (the Sonore Ethernet Renderers feature a web based GUI which allows control of settings and to see the DAC diagnostics), and yes, these Renderers use ALSA.
What I need to know is:
1. Which Amanero firmware will allow native DSD from Linux, with the Amanero in SLAVE mode (for use with Cronus) 1099c? and the new 2004? I have heard that 1099c is stable for up top DSD 256, so that may be my bets choice.
2. For CPLD i must flash with: "Slave for 1080" for use with Cronus, correct?
3. Default Amanero firmware shipped from Twisted Pear is 1096c, right?
I am only interested in firmware which is confirmed to work in Slave mode with Cronus.
From my research it appears that 1099c with "slave for 1080" should work, can anyone confirm this firmware combination works with Amanero/Cronus for native DSD 256 on linux?
My second issue is that even going back to 1096c and slave for 1080, my amanero/Cronus is no longer working in the DAC (the player plays, and the Amanero is recognized by the player, but no lock in BuffPRO).
On the configuration bits-do I have to set these when I re-flash as per TPA directions at the beginning of this thread? does this third programming step have to be done? And when I try to do it, why do I get a message that the there is "no audio device found" when Amanero Combo 384 clearly is showing in the device manager? (and yes, I am re-booting the amanero with each flashing step).
Amanero flashing problem
I am beginning to think my problem is about the configuration bits flashing:
When I try to flash the config bits per Russ' settings at the beginning of this thread I get a message: "no audio device found". This is odd, because the computer's devoice manager clearly sees: "Amanero Combo 384" in the USB tree, as does my Mac? Why would the config bits portion of the maintenance tool not see the Amanero?
I am beginning to think my problem is about the configuration bits flashing:
When I try to flash the config bits per Russ' settings at the beginning of this thread I get a message: "no audio device found". This is odd, because the computer's devoice manager clearly sees: "Amanero Combo 384" in the USB tree, as does my Mac? Why would the config bits portion of the maintenance tool not see the Amanero?
Yes...
I succeed in getting the green progress bars for both the CPLD and firmware flashing (with the erase first, and re-boot between each step), and the amanero is recognized by the computer after flashing (and it is not recognized after the erase step).
But the problem seems to be the configuration bits step, every time I try to flash that I get the message: "no audio device found", even though "Amanero Combo 384" is clearly listed in the USB tree.
Clearly something is going wrong, as I get no lock (BuffPRO 9038) on playback (but the player sees the Amanero and plays the files).
It was all (complete Cronus stack) working previously as received from TPA.
The flashing process is a bit tricky - you have to read the directions really carefully.
I succeed in getting the green progress bars for both the CPLD and firmware flashing (with the erase first, and re-boot between each step), and the amanero is recognized by the computer after flashing (and it is not recognized after the erase step).
But the problem seems to be the configuration bits step, every time I try to flash that I get the message: "no audio device found", even though "Amanero Combo 384" is clearly listed in the USB tree.
Clearly something is going wrong, as I get no lock (BuffPRO 9038) on playback (but the player sees the Amanero and plays the files).
It was all (complete Cronus stack) working previously as received from TPA.
Configuration bits is only possible after flashing the firmware. First of all you have to flash the FW. Then you can configure the Amanero by Confg bits at your will whenever you plug the device to the USB port of the PC. Once the device erased by shorting the pads, Config bits will no more work.
Regards,
Hi barrows, I quickly set up Amanero connection with Hermes/Cronus, flashing the firmware to 2003be_71A (probably 2003be or 2004be will also be okay). With 22/24 clocks on the Cronus, the I2S-connected DAC (Cyan DSD on this occasion) failed to lock the native DSD512 from HQP. However, after changing the onboard clocks to 90/98, the DAC well recognized the Amanero with Slave_for_1080 mode, firmly locking the DSD512 signal.
I think 45/49 clocks will lock well, too. Also 1096c FW should work, though not tested for now.
Regards,
Last edited:
Amanero Firmware Status for linux support (My personal summary)
I checked the current status of Amanero firmware for playing DSD sources on linux via Hermes-Amanero and Cronus boards, focusing on 1096c, 1099c, 2003be (and 203be_71A) and 2004be by flashing each firmware, respectively.
The audio sources are flac files from Roon, upsampled to DSD512 or DSD256 by HQ player on a linux system (Ubuntu 16.04), and I2S output from Hermes-Amanero/Cronus (90/98 clocks on Cronus) is connected to a Cyan DSD DAC from Holo Audio (my Buffalo 3SEpros are now in use for other tests and not available). The results are as follows:
1096c: only can deal up to DSD128, though I know it can play DSD512 under ASIO driver on Windows and have a previous memory of possible DSD256 on linux.
1099c: can play native DSD256 of LE (little endian) format.
2003be(_71A): can play native DSD512 of BE (big endian) format, though occasionally stained by noise.
2004be: also can play DSD512 of BE format with probably tolerable noise.
So if DSD512 is not pursued, 1099c may be the best choice for playing native DSD via Amanero-Hermes/Cronus. BTW, from my previous experience, channel swap will remain as an issue in B3SEpros, though the Cyan DSD DAC had no problem with it. A CPLD to solve channel swap is available in ConfigTool but this is not for slave mode and can not be applied to Hermes-Amanero/Cronus.
I checked the current status of Amanero firmware for playing DSD sources on linux via Hermes-Amanero and Cronus boards, focusing on 1096c, 1099c, 2003be (and 203be_71A) and 2004be by flashing each firmware, respectively.
The audio sources are flac files from Roon, upsampled to DSD512 or DSD256 by HQ player on a linux system (Ubuntu 16.04), and I2S output from Hermes-Amanero/Cronus (90/98 clocks on Cronus) is connected to a Cyan DSD DAC from Holo Audio (my Buffalo 3SEpros are now in use for other tests and not available). The results are as follows:
1096c: only can deal up to DSD128, though I know it can play DSD512 under ASIO driver on Windows and have a previous memory of possible DSD256 on linux.
1099c: can play native DSD256 of LE (little endian) format.
2003be(_71A): can play native DSD512 of BE (big endian) format, though occasionally stained by noise.
2004be: also can play DSD512 of BE format with probably tolerable noise.
So if DSD512 is not pursued, 1099c may be the best choice for playing native DSD via Amanero-Hermes/Cronus. BTW, from my previous experience, channel swap will remain as an issue in B3SEpros, though the Cyan DSD DAC had no problem with it. A CPLD to solve channel swap is available in ConfigTool but this is not for slave mode and can not be applied to Hermes-Amanero/Cronus.
Last edited:
Yes...
I agree that for what I need, 1099c should be the choice. Here is where I am at:
I can flash "slave for 1080" and 1099c, the programming appears successful: I see the green status bars go across, and get confirmation on both steps. At that point the Amanero shows up in the device manager as "Amanero Combo 384", so I am convinced the programming worked there. I can also play music files and the player (linux, sonic orbiter from Sonore Rendu) is clearly seeing and communicating with the Amanero interface. But, I get no lock from my DAC.
I conclude that the configuration bits are wrong, and hence the DAC is not getting along right with the signals from the Cronus/Amanero.
So, I need to program the configuration bits. Problem is, everytime I try to do this (although the Amanero is recognized in Device Manager) I get the error message "audio device not recognized".
So I need help figuring out how to get the configuration bits programmed. What might be the issue which is stopping me from programming the configuration bits?
I agree that for what I need, 1099c should be the choice. Here is where I am at:
I can flash "slave for 1080" and 1099c, the programming appears successful: I see the green status bars go across, and get confirmation on both steps. At that point the Amanero shows up in the device manager as "Amanero Combo 384", so I am convinced the programming worked there. I can also play music files and the player (linux, sonic orbiter from Sonore Rendu) is clearly seeing and communicating with the Amanero interface. But, I get no lock from my DAC.
I conclude that the configuration bits are wrong, and hence the DAC is not getting along right with the signals from the Cronus/Amanero.
So, I need to program the configuration bits. Problem is, everytime I try to do this (although the Amanero is recognized in Device Manager) I get the error message "audio device not recognized".
So I need help figuring out how to get the configuration bits programmed. What might be the issue which is stopping me from programming the configuration bits?
At this point, I'm sure you can customize your Config bits and there should be no hassle in configuration because it's simple enough as Russ indicated in his example at the beginning of this thread.
As I wrote above, setting of Config bits is that simple. Based on your previous comment regarding the Buffalo 9038 build, you are only using one clock (45) on the Cronus. If your DAC still remains in this condition, it is not good. you won't get normal function of the Cronus. If there has been no problem so far, you were just lucky. You have to add a clock of 48K family: 49.152 MHz in this case. I hope this will solve your problem.
Personally I'd been using three Amanero boards for years and a few month ago one board went away, probably due to frequent firmware flashing and heavy use for high sampling audio like DSD512 and recently, actually a few days ago, one of the remaining boards also ceased to function when used with Hermes/Cronus, though still working if used sine Hermes/Cronus.
These damaged boards appeared always quite healthy during CPLD and firmware flash but proved to be useless in actual use. I've been long deceived by these damaged Amanero boards. Just my confession.
Yeah...
Agreed, it should be simple to flash the config bits after having succeeded in flashing the CPLD with slave for 1080 and the firmware to 1099c, but it is just not happening. Even though the Amanero shows up in device manager, when I try to flash the config bits I get the error message (in red) "audio device not recognized". It is indeed odd that this happens as clearly the computer is seeing: "Amanero Combo 384", so why the config bits part of the flashing tool cannot find it, I do not know.
BTW, Cronus works fine with single clock, as long as it is jumped over to the other position with a u.fl cable. Although for all of this testing and firmware update process I do have both clocks in place just to be sure that is not a variable.
Agreed, it should be simple to flash the config bits after having succeeded in flashing the CPLD with slave for 1080 and the firmware to 1099c, but it is just not happening. Even though the Amanero shows up in device manager, when I try to flash the config bits I get the error message (in red) "audio device not recognized". It is indeed odd that this happens as clearly the computer is seeing: "Amanero Combo 384", so why the config bits part of the flashing tool cannot find it, I do not know.
BTW, Cronus works fine with single clock, as long as it is jumped over to the other position with a u.fl cable. Although for all of this testing and firmware update process I do have both clocks in place just to be sure that is not a variable.