Hi all, I am looking for a good 5.1 USB to analog decoder. I am building a 5.1 amplifier system and would like to be able to use HDMI, optical, coaxial and usb inputs to drive the 6 amplifier modules.
On the net I have found few affordable options:
HDMI LPCM 7.1 5.1 Multi-Channel Audio Decoder With Amplifier
AC3 DTS 5.1 Audio Decoder USB Sound Card DAC XBOX PS3 | eBay
NEW MOCHA X-3B AC3 DTS 5.1 DIGIT AUDIO DECODER &USB DTS | eBay
Thanks!
On the net I have found few affordable options:
HDMI LPCM 7.1 5.1 Multi-Channel Audio Decoder With Amplifier
AC3 DTS 5.1 Audio Decoder USB Sound Card DAC XBOX PS3 | eBay
NEW MOCHA X-3B AC3 DTS 5.1 DIGIT AUDIO DECODER &USB DTS | eBay
Thanks!
5.1 USB Dac
Hi Alex,
What did you end up buying?
I buy most of my equipment from China. I currently have a Yaqin MC-10l tube amp and a DAC-01A (Xiang Pheng)
The 2 last of the products you listed are chinese. One of the sellers in China advised me against your second link. If you look at the RCA plug they used, it is obviously cheap stuff. However, I still somehow expect it to be better than a 3.5mm plug of something like Creative 5.1 X-fi USB.
The Mocha seems better. The explanation is pretty explicit that it can be used with computer configure to output 6 channels (not AC3, which is actually 6 channels encoded on 2) i.e. AAC 6 channels. I asked whether your second link can do it, and they were unable to answer.
For me, the USB input is the key requirement. I heard of lot of bad things about using HDMI for audio.
Serge
Hi Alex,
What did you end up buying?
I buy most of my equipment from China. I currently have a Yaqin MC-10l tube amp and a DAC-01A (Xiang Pheng)
The 2 last of the products you listed are chinese. One of the sellers in China advised me against your second link. If you look at the RCA plug they used, it is obviously cheap stuff. However, I still somehow expect it to be better than a 3.5mm plug of something like Creative 5.1 X-fi USB.
The Mocha seems better. The explanation is pretty explicit that it can be used with computer configure to output 6 channels (not AC3, which is actually 6 channels encoded on 2) i.e. AAC 6 channels. I asked whether your second link can do it, and they were unable to answer.
For me, the USB input is the key requirement. I heard of lot of bad things about using HDMI for audio.
Serge
I have the decoder on the second link the OP posted. Sound quality pretty much sucks in stock form - mainly due (I think) to the volume control chip on the lower board. But worse than that, when I tried the USB input it has clicks, so given your requirement is USB, give it a wide berth. On SPDIF its ok. Price in China of this model is around the $100 mark.
I think the decoder board, based on the Crystal CS49324 has potential - I'm going to do a bit of reverse engineering on it 😛 It definitely needs decent dacs - i.e. not S-D type as fitted.
I think the decoder board, based on the Crystal CS49324 has potential - I'm going to do a bit of reverse engineering on it 😛 It definitely needs decent dacs - i.e. not S-D type as fitted.
I had the CS49326 in a Harman Kardon receiver and it was definitelly a capable cip. CS49324 is from the same family with less decoding functions programmed in the ROM.
Implementation of USB probably sucks because USB 1.1 is limited to 16/48 and higher USB2.0 requires dedicated drivers.
Implementation of USB probably sucks because USB 1.1 is limited to 16/48 and higher USB2.0 requires dedicated drivers.
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Implementation of USB probably sucks because USB 1.1 is limited to 16/48 and higher USB2.0 requires dedicated drivers.
>> We are talking about 5.1, so movies. What is wrong with 16/48? Is there any movie where the sound in 24/96? What is wrong with using drivers for USB 2.0?
>> We are talking about 5.1, so movies. What is wrong with 16/48? Is there any movie where the sound in 24/96? What is wrong with using drivers for USB 2.0?
Usually you don't have those USB2 drivers, they are not native in Windows.
DolbyDigital has 448kbps while DTS has 754.5 kbit/s (sometimes the full rate 1509.75 kbit/s).
USB 1.1 audio hosts are limited by OS to 16/48kHz - that is 816kbit/sec per USB specs at 16 bit payload (deducting the overhead). If the controller uses 8 bit payload, the real datarate becomes 568kbit/s.
DolbyDigital has 448kbps while DTS has 754.5 kbit/s (sometimes the full rate 1509.75 kbit/s).
USB 1.1 audio hosts are limited by OS to 16/48kHz - that is 816kbit/sec per USB specs at 16 bit payload (deducting the overhead). If the controller uses 8 bit payload, the real datarate becomes 568kbit/s.
Hi,
I did get the Hifi360.com device (2nd link) as well.
To be honest, for movie whatching, it is ok. Same quality as if I connect directly to the optical input of my 5.1 amp.
I have no problem with the USB input, both using it as 5.1 sound card or sending AC3/DTS. AC3/DTS is much louder, but I think that the 5.1 mode is better tough.
In term of drivers, it uses a CM108 chips. CM provides the drivers and once installed, it works great.
When using it for music, you quickly realise it sucks. I have a Dac-01A, and you just cannot compare.
The 5.1 device are rare, so upgrade is not easy. The only option is to tweak the hifi360.com.
Abraxalito, did you do any tweak? Could you advise? Can the volume control switch be changed?
Best,
Serge
I did get the Hifi360.com device (2nd link) as well.
To be honest, for movie whatching, it is ok. Same quality as if I connect directly to the optical input of my 5.1 amp.
I have no problem with the USB input, both using it as 5.1 sound card or sending AC3/DTS. AC3/DTS is much louder, but I think that the 5.1 mode is better tough.
In term of drivers, it uses a CM108 chips. CM provides the drivers and once installed, it works great.
When using it for music, you quickly realise it sucks. I have a Dac-01A, and you just cannot compare.
The 5.1 device are rare, so upgrade is not easy. The only option is to tweak the hifi360.com.
Abraxalito, did you do any tweak? Could you advise? Can the volume control switch be changed?
Best,
Serge
I haven't played with this board any more since my last post. I have to figure out the easiest way to interface it to 6 channels of multibit DAC (probably TDA1387 since those are very cheap and great sounding). Yes the volume control board could be changed, but then we'd need new firmware - either to implement volume for ourselves or perhaps to snoop the volume control bus (I2C I think) and redirect commands to the improved volume control chips.
On Taobao I've seen just the CS-based decoder board used here being sold separately - about 100rmb ($16 at current rate of exchange). Having just bought a Philips Blu-ray player which only has HDMI out though I'm more inclined to play around with an HDMI-based board now.
On Taobao I've seen just the CS-based decoder board used here being sold separately - about 100rmb ($16 at current rate of exchange). Having just bought a Philips Blu-ray player which only has HDMI out though I'm more inclined to play around with an HDMI-based board now.
Can you post the taobao link of the item you are looking at? (taobao is also where I got my hifi360).
What they have not invented yet is a device with USB input (5.1 channels) and 3 optical stereo output. (No need DTS / AC3 since I only use computer.). So that I can connect each output to a separate dac. If you see such devise (or a program allowing to root the different channels to different dacs), let me know.
Serge
What they have not invented yet is a device with USB input (5.1 channels) and 3 optical stereo output. (No need DTS / AC3 since I only use computer.). So that I can connect each output to a separate dac. If you see such devise (or a program allowing to root the different channels to different dacs), let me know.
Serge
I bought a perspex baseboard with a display, an 8 channel volume control board (not really worth getting for the audio bits, but it also has a CPU which drives the display) and this iHDMI interface/decoder board :
Ë«HDMI½Ó¿Ú8ÉùµÀÒôƵ½âÂë°åDI35H-ÌÔ±¦Íø which is the valuable part. I've yet to power it up, so many projects on the go... 😛
Ë«HDMI½Ó¿Ú8ÉùµÀÒôƵ½âÂë°åDI35H-ÌÔ±¦Íø which is the valuable part. I've yet to power it up, so many projects on the go... 😛
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