OK, I explanied my self a bit too bad. I have a second sound card (Creative) which I use for movies, web surfing, gaming, and all dutties except Foobar. I have it connected to EMU0404 through TOSLINK.
That way, I can mute the SPDIF input with the Direct monitor button on the EMU, so I only listen to Foobar through USB and ASIO. It's a nice way to avoid unexpected sounds in websites when listening to music 😉
If I want to listen to anything else apart from Foobar, I push down the Direct monitor button.
AND for gaming and so, I can use the DSP capabilities of the Creative sound card. I have even setup the 5.1 system, so when playing a Dolby/DTS I can listen to it:
Creative minijack outputs:
Front speakers -> EMU jack inputs -> Amplifier 1 -> Front speakers
Rear speakers -> Amplifier 2 -> Rear speakers
Central/Subwoofer -> Amplifier 3 -> Central speaker/Subwoofer
Creative TOSLINK Output -> EMU TOSLINK Input
Hope that gives you some ideas 😉
That way, I can mute the SPDIF input with the Direct monitor button on the EMU, so I only listen to Foobar through USB and ASIO. It's a nice way to avoid unexpected sounds in websites when listening to music 😉
If I want to listen to anything else apart from Foobar, I push down the Direct monitor button.
AND for gaming and so, I can use the DSP capabilities of the Creative sound card. I have even setup the 5.1 system, so when playing a Dolby/DTS I can listen to it:
Creative minijack outputs:
Front speakers -> EMU jack inputs -> Amplifier 1 -> Front speakers
Rear speakers -> Amplifier 2 -> Rear speakers
Central/Subwoofer -> Amplifier 3 -> Central speaker/Subwoofer
Creative TOSLINK Output -> EMU TOSLINK Input
Hope that gives you some ideas 😉
How is powered? I make a Salas BiB reg with R-Core tx for a friend & sounds fantastic.😉
Hmm, so you are converting to SPDIF using a internal Creative card and then converting that back from SPDIF to using the high end 0404 USB?
I have 0404 PCI so I I have different options but I wouldn't think you should do that, it has a good USB implementation, use that! 🙂
I have a set of PC speakers using the on board sound for 5.1 gaming and my 0404 using different headphones/speakers for music. It is easy enough to change outputs in Windows 7.
I have 0404 PCI so I I have different options but I wouldn't think you should do that, it has a good USB implementation, use that! 🙂
I have a set of PC speakers using the on board sound for 5.1 gaming and my 0404 using different headphones/speakers for music. It is easy enough to change outputs in Windows 7.
@Magsy. I run a pair of balanced Sennheiser HD600s directly from the Ivy III (using Volumite). It sounds fantastic to me. Might be worth a try.
I think I am ok for headphone amplification 🙂
I have listened to it for ~10 hours now, it still sounds the same but upsampling makes a large difference, it is much more agreeable at 88.2khz.
I will try Legato and some new regulators asap.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I have listened to it for ~10 hours now, it still sounds the same but upsampling makes a large difference, it is much more agreeable at 88.2khz.
I will try Legato and some new regulators asap.
Nothing fancy, factory supplied phone charger 😛
It's a +5v psu, right? What keeps me away from doing it is the hugh amount of DC-DC regulators inside the unit, which are said to deliver a not-so-clean power. Anyway, almost any psu should outperform the standard unit.
Hi Magsy,
I use the USB interface with ASIO for music listening purposes with Foobar2000. The SPDIF interface is used for the rest, which means low-fi stuff: websites, youtube videos, streaming videos, HD videos with VLC player...
The main advantage comes with the ability to mute ALL EXCEPT Foobar2000, so I can comfortably websurf and whatever without the risk of suddenly hearing a loud noise. Sometimes you don't realize you have low volume set of foobar, but high volume set on preamplifier, so website backgound music will sound SCARELY LOUD.
My settings on windows default sound card is the Creative. So all applications use it. Then I set the EMU USB of Foobar2000.
Digital/Analog conversion is always performed by the high end EMU0404 converters.
Sorry, I understand now and that makes perfect sense. I do this with my PCI card, foobar directed to that and all else to the onboard/speakers.
I know what you mean about '!' sounds being a problem 😀
The only drawback you have by using the PCI versionis that you loose the ability to manually mute it pressing a button. Maybe you can connect your motherboard spdif output to the spdif input on the EMU as a way to segmentate music from "the rest". The you enable/disable with Windows sound control panel's spdif slider.
Magsy, I believe that many of your problems are caused by your E-MU. Having 0404USB myself, I think its boring, very lean sounding and certainly not musical (both as a transport and soundcard). You should try a solution based on XMOS, I have Lorien's board - definitely a huge upgrade...
I would like to connect Buffalo II to some Naim Audio preamplfier.
Naim Audio is using DIN connections, it means that for any audio connection between Naim Audio components there is always one common ground (earth) cable for both channels.
From which place in Buffalo II (Legato) should i take the common ground for both channels ? I was thinking about connecting it to the ground at the power supply input in Legato pcb.
Any (good 🙂 ) ideas about it ?
Naim Audio is using DIN connections, it means that for any audio connection between Naim Audio components there is always one common ground (earth) cable for both channels.
From which place in Buffalo II (Legato) should i take the common ground for both channels ? I was thinking about connecting it to the ground at the power supply input in Legato pcb.
Any (good 🙂 ) ideas about it ?
Are you using a 2 phono to din cable? I'd have thought, if so, that the 2 ground wires in the phono cables would simply solder to the single ground pin at the preamp end.
In this way one has two ground loops. I am looking for the best point to connect the single ground for audio signal.
Aren't you going to have 2 ground wires in the cable anyway though? Or is a two core cable with screen? You could I suppose join together the phono socket ground lugs and wire that back to the headphone ground on legato.
Or, use a din socket on your buffalo as well, connecting the single ground pin to the headphone ground on legato, and then din to din cable.
Or, use a din socket on your buffalo as well, connecting the single ground pin to the headphone ground on legato, and then din to din cable.
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To make it clear - i am looking for the best SINGLE point on the Buffalo II with Legato for the common ground for two channels.
This is probably the 0V point between +-12V on the PS input, but i am really curious what the developpers (if any) can say about it 🙂
🙂
Hello Russ & Brian,
Thanks for putting the S/PDIF mux back into production. I ordered one last night. The manual specifies a 5-12vdc supply. Since I use a 12V battery to supply the DAC, ideally I would like simply to power the mux on the unregulated battery trunk. This supplies 13.8V for an instant at start-up, and settles quickly under load to 12.7V. Will this slight overvoltage work okay without damaging Mux?
Thanks for putting the S/PDIF mux back into production. I ordered one last night. The manual specifies a 5-12vdc supply. Since I use a 12V battery to supply the DAC, ideally I would like simply to power the mux on the unregulated battery trunk. This supplies 13.8V for an instant at start-up, and settles quickly under load to 12.7V. Will this slight overvoltage work okay without damaging Mux?
Max input voltage for the LD1117 regulator is 15V. You will probably be okay.
Hi Russ/Brian,
I am using monoblock amps placed next to the speakers driven by Buffalo dac (with IV stage) via long interconnects. Different interconnects seem to impart different sonic signatures.
I wonder if I can place a current mirror after the dac to buffer the current output, and place the IV stage (Legato/Ivy) at the amplifier side to improve the interconnection (i.e. using current output instead of voltage output connection). What might be the pros/cons of doing this?
I am using monoblock amps placed next to the speakers driven by Buffalo dac (with IV stage) via long interconnects. Different interconnects seem to impart different sonic signatures.
I wonder if I can place a current mirror after the dac to buffer the current output, and place the IV stage (Legato/Ivy) at the amplifier side to improve the interconnection (i.e. using current output instead of voltage output connection). What might be the pros/cons of doing this?
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