I am using the tubeizator boards (2 for balanced ins/outs) with the Buffalo II. But, I have yet to recieve my custom R-core transformers to power them. As soon as I do I can give you some feedback if you like.
Greg
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This thread is massive so pardon me if this has been asked before.
Since the BII/Placid is using a floating gnd, is it possible to lower the ground reference?
This could give us a 0VDC offset or maybe even a negative voltage offset on the output?
Something like connecting a negative voltage reference to the gnd instead of just grounding it?
Since the BII/Placid is using a floating gnd, is it possible to lower the ground reference?
This could give us a 0VDC offset or maybe even a negative voltage offset on the output?
Something like connecting a negative voltage reference to the gnd instead of just grounding it?
Maybe.... now thats not something I am going to try since you need an I/V stage to do things right and its much easier to handle it there. 🙂
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Just me toying with some ideas.
Getting creative with tubes...
My main problem is I don't want to live without the BII now that it's finally up and running. 😉
My girlfriend is going to kill me if I get another kit just for experiments. LOL
Thanks anyway.
Getting creative with tubes...
My main problem is I don't want to live without the BII now that it's finally up and running. 😉
My girlfriend is going to kill me if I get another kit just for experiments. LOL
Thanks anyway.
Hi,
I've bought E-MU 0202 external USB sound card to make measurments of different output stages for BuffaloII (tubes, trafos, mixed and separate).
I started with loop measurments of E-MU card then I measured alone BuffaloII (voltage mode, no output stage) and I found that it has reletively high 3th harmonic.
Am I missing something or BuffaloII had 20dB worse 3rd harmonic (the bad one) then not-high-end computer sound card?
EMU to EMU (IN to OUT cable loop):
BuffaloII to EMU:
I've bought E-MU 0202 external USB sound card to make measurments of different output stages for BuffaloII (tubes, trafos, mixed and separate).
I started with loop measurments of E-MU card then I measured alone BuffaloII (voltage mode, no output stage) and I found that it has reletively high 3th harmonic.
Am I missing something or BuffaloII had 20dB worse 3rd harmonic (the bad one) then not-high-end computer sound card?
EMU to EMU (IN to OUT cable loop):
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
BuffaloII to EMU:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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DIP swith settings
I have several doubts for DIP switch settings position 4:
-Position 4 "ON" SPDIF (not I2S?) / PCM support FLAC 24/192?
-DSD 64/2.8224Mbit/s files, have I to change position 4 to "OFF" as per your manual, right?
-How setting for DXD 24BIT/352.8kHz files, setting "OFF" like DSD?
-How to setting WAV 24BIT/96kHz files, setting "OFF" like DSD?
I have several doubts for DIP switch settings position 4:
-Position 4 "ON" SPDIF (not I2S?) / PCM support FLAC 24/192?
-DSD 64/2.8224Mbit/s files, have I to change position 4 to "OFF" as per your manual, right?
-How setting for DXD 24BIT/352.8kHz files, setting "OFF" like DSD?
-How to setting WAV 24BIT/96kHz files, setting "OFF" like DSD?
There are two 3rd harmonic peaks in the picture and I expect the first at -120dB are from the Sabre32 chip - the second at -90dB I do not know...
As you see there are zero 2nd harmonic and that is due to a combination of the bit depth you send to the Sabre32 and the programming of the chip - if you send data with different bit depth or you program the chip differently you will change the distortion spectrum..
Your noise floor are from the measuring equipment and are not from the Sabre32 and there are higher harmonics hidden that are not shown due to limitations in your measuring equipment.
The harmonics above the 3rd are "muted" due to bandwidth limitations in the measuring equipment.
look one more time on the picture labels...
first picture is THD of EMU internal DAC sampled by EMU internal ADC. There are 2nd (-111dB) and 3rd (-109dB) harmonic.
second picture is THD of Buffalo DAC sampled by EMU ADC. 3rd harmonic is -90dB and its come from BuffaloII because first picture prove that it isn't from EMU internal ADC distorsions. 2nd harmonic in case of BuffaloII is under noise floor.
And I'm asking why BuffaloII has 3rd harmonic so high?
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The specifications of the ESS chips are measured performance using this thing: AP High Performance Audio Analyzer & Audio Test Instruments : 2700
I may be wrong, but I trust the AP2722 more than an EMU 0202.
Also, later iterations of the chip had even better measurements but ESS never bothered to update the specsheet.
In the second picture, how is the Buffalo eliminating the hardware's inherent 2nd harmonic? I suspect something is amiss.
BuffaloII has balanced outputs and EMU has balanced input (but it accepts unbalanced too) so when I disconnect one of balanced output eg OUT- there are 2nd and 3rd harmonics.
Can you make measurments of BuffaloII with your own hardware and sofrware?
FLAC and WAV are storage formats, not digital transmission formats. You are sending either S/PDIF, PCM (I2S), or DSD to the DAC.
When the Sabre32 are measured directly without any I/V there will normally only be 3rd, 5th, 7th etc. harmonics due to how the Sabre32 are programmed and the input data depth.
I expect the I/V adds the remaining distortions.
Only to be sure: to send DSD or DXD to the DAC I have to change position 4 to "OFF", right?
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