Hey there,
I'm quite new here and one could say a total beginner when it comes to the digital world of Hifi.
But before I dive in too deep (which I'm more than willing to do), I was hoping of getting some advice on the general direction I'm heading.
Below I have sketched my preferred setup for a current speaker project I've also posted in the "planars & exotics" section:
Believe it or not I've read quite a lot about the possibilities on designing the Crossover, but since there are a lot of different routes and pros and cons, my head is still buzzing.
Below are a few general options I've seen so far:
option 1:
use 2x adau1701-boards and program via SigmaStudio
(cons: ADC and DAC quality seems to be very poor, clocking of external DAC seems to be tricky)
option 2:
use of rasperryPi + Hifiberry DAC8x and control via CamillaDSP
(cons: at first glance quite complex, haven't understood what's happening on the input side)
option 3:
stay analogue with an active crossover
(limited options when it comes to Room correction etc if I want to stay on a butget)
as you probably see, I'm in a very early stage of this rabbit-hole so maybe I've also missed the obvious solution, which is why I was hoping for some guidance for the next steps to undertake.
Thanks in advance and I hope I'm not underchallenging you guys 🙂
I'm quite new here and one could say a total beginner when it comes to the digital world of Hifi.
But before I dive in too deep (which I'm more than willing to do), I was hoping of getting some advice on the general direction I'm heading.
Below I have sketched my preferred setup for a current speaker project I've also posted in the "planars & exotics" section:
Believe it or not I've read quite a lot about the possibilities on designing the Crossover, but since there are a lot of different routes and pros and cons, my head is still buzzing.
Below are a few general options I've seen so far:
option 1:
use 2x adau1701-boards and program via SigmaStudio
(cons: ADC and DAC quality seems to be very poor, clocking of external DAC seems to be tricky)
option 2:
use of rasperryPi + Hifiberry DAC8x and control via CamillaDSP
(cons: at first glance quite complex, haven't understood what's happening on the input side)
option 3:
stay analogue with an active crossover
(limited options when it comes to Room correction etc if I want to stay on a butget)
as you probably see, I'm in a very early stage of this rabbit-hole so maybe I've also missed the obvious solution, which is why I was hoping for some guidance for the next steps to undertake.
Thanks in advance and I hope I'm not underchallenging you guys 🙂
I went with ADAU1452. The reference board has the AD1938 codec which is pretty good. The ADC/DAC portion of the 1701 is pretty disappointing.
I've built a lot of op-amp based electronic crossovers and these DSPs are amazing for what they offer.
I've built a lot of op-amp based electronic crossovers and these DSPs are amazing for what they offer.
Hi bogdan! Thanks for the reply, I couldn't really wrap my head around the commercially available ADAU1452 boards from china, since there is really not a lot of documentation, but I've read that they're quite capable, especially for what I'm interested in. Maybe I'll have to keep searching for a comprehensible source of information 🙂
I've also seen your thread!
Looks like you're planning to do something very similar to me, although on a much higher level... but I'll follow with the utmost attention!
I've also seen your thread!
Looks like you're planning to do something very similar to me, although on a much higher level... but I'll follow with the utmost attention!
Thank you! If the specs of the 1701 are ok then go with it. I initially wanted to buy the Wondom 1701 (https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dsp-...r-with-rca-daughter-board-option-p-11213.html) but then decided I want a single board with the codec included.
Wondom has everything you need including the programmer, which you will need to write the DSP program to the memory and change parameters. They also have a lot of useful tutorials on how to program them.
Wondom has everything you need including the programmer, which you will need to write the DSP program to the memory and change parameters. They also have a lot of useful tutorials on how to program them.
I am planning (hoping) to make my own DSP software platform, GSASysCon, available soon. It's much simpler to use compared to CamillaDSP (since I see you mentioned that in the first post). See:
Hi,
I was in the same situation two years ago, needing to replace an old but very good 4 way active analogue crossover. I was going to recap them and there was too much soldering.
So after studying the best solution I went for :
https://accuratesound.ca/hang-loose-convolver-hlc/
and
the Topping DM7 8 output DAC, the cheapest solution with quality.
I used https://rephase.org/ to build my FIRs and the result is amazing. Even better than with my analogues XO.
If latency is not an issue for you, you can tweak the system all the way. It's much more easy than Camilla.
I was in the same situation two years ago, needing to replace an old but very good 4 way active analogue crossover. I was going to recap them and there was too much soldering.
So after studying the best solution I went for :
https://accuratesound.ca/hang-loose-convolver-hlc/
and
the Topping DM7 8 output DAC, the cheapest solution with quality.
I used https://rephase.org/ to build my FIRs and the result is amazing. Even better than with my analogues XO.
If latency is not an issue for you, you can tweak the system all the way. It's much more easy than Camilla.
yes, the Wondom adau1701 is more or less the one solution I'm very optimistic to get running quite fast, nevertheless I heard some bad stuff about the sound quality which is why I keep on looking. As i See there are still some Options Out there. Just some Research to be done!
For Phono that's what I do. The problem is that the ADC/DAC processing even without any DSP is a obvious downgrade on phono SQ (particularly obvious when using ESL panels -- mine are Sound Lab).
Also my friend who designs high end audio for a living, including for various clients, insists a good analog reference system is needed in order to be able to judge the digital system. The digital system of course measures better in typical audio measurements, but it doesn't always necessarily sound better. Moreover, I don't buy the sometimes suggested explanation for liking phono to the effect that, "some people just like distortion." IMHO, that may not be exactly it. Maybe there is some dislike of some of the distortion and noise effects not uncommon in digital systems but which don't show up all that well in conventional standard measurements developed for fully analog systems. In at least some cases I suspect that might be a significant factor. For instance, it wasn't that uncommon to read complaints about the sound of oversampling dacs, particularly those from ESS (with spectacular measurements). Maybe it was that a few people were sensitive the hump distortion, which has been described as sort of a "glare" on the sound. Of course some of this stuff has never been formally studied for audibility, so we are left without knowing for sure how the full story will end.
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