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exaU2I - Multi-Channel Asynchronous USB to I2S Interface

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#562
@ AR2:, no problems mate, yes you can use both at the same time; because exa appears as a soundcard. in audiomidi control panel, you create what is called and aggregate device. all outputs and inputs will be available, you wont be able to bounce from the rme to exa, or vice versa using the totalmix channel strip method, for that you would need jack. but with all outputs available in logic, you should be able to bounce from one to the other in there also (this would be my choice) the output will be limited in bandwidth/resolution to the max that the rme can do, which is 192 i guess.
 
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#563
High resolution audio original music sources

How do you obtain high resolution music sources originally recorded or released upper than 352.8 kHz/24 bit?
(I mean any up-sampled files from 192 kHz does not fall into this category.)

Just for a test purpose, MSB is releasing short sample files which contain simple announces by human voices on this page.
MSB Support

I have known no other sources available on the Internet.
 
#567
Native dsd playback from WinXP PC using the exaU2I

About 2 weeks ago when I again was looking for dsd support for the exaU2I, I started thinking about the similarities between I2S with 32 bit data length and raw DSD.

I2S has a bit clock of 64*Fs, a Fs word clock and two 32 bit data words for a stereo channel
Raw DSD has a bit clock of 64*Fs, a Fs word clock (not allways used) and a data rate of 64*Fs for each channel

So an quad 44.1kHz I2S connection will have the data rates needed for a raw dsd connection to a if we connect like shown below.

I2S dataclock -> DSD data clock (Data clock)
I2S data channel 1/2 -> DSD data 1 (D1)
I2S data channel 3/4 -> DSD data 2 (D2)
I2S wordclock -> not connected

Note it will only work because exaU2I support 32bit data, two+ I2S data channels , and the ESS9018 dac do not use the wordclock for DSD data.

So I ordered an exaU2I
I got the exaU2I unit this Friday and started playing with the software using the C# Asio wrapper from here Low Latency Audio using ASIO Drivers in .NET - CodeProject as a starting point.

I am now listening to Alison Krauss's Live album in DSD playing back from my WinXP PC

If anybody will like to try, I will be happy to supply the software, but "as is".
It is only a proof of concept and have to be used with extreme care.

I also tested that the ES9018 have support for both DSD64 and DSD128

Flemming
 
#570
I wander how many people are interested to play with exaU2I and DSD? I haven't heard back form Flemming and I have no further details on the player ->ASIO wrapper setup that was used for his experiment. There are two options to enable DSD with exaU2I:

  • Short term - develop alternative ASIO driver or enable alternative mode for the current driver. This solution will benefit current exaU2I users
  • Develop alternative FPGA implementation / diver - this option is justified if there is enough interest in the DSD playback capability
Additionally, there must be an ASIO player capable of DSD playback. The first thing that comes to mind is a Foobar plug-in. There is a plug-in out there capable of near-real-time DSD->PCM conversion. I will contact the developer to see if he is interested to alter the existing plug-in for native DSD output.
 
#571
As an exaU2I owner, i dont used DSD, because I dont know much about it, maybe I'll use it in the future, but only if it becomes a reliable source for high quality STEREO sound.
My immediate interest is in finding a dac that can utilise the 352.8Khz capability of the U2I.
(even if there are no files yet)
 
#572
exa065 said:
I wander how many people are interested to play with exaU2I and DSD? I haven't heard back form Flemming and I have no further details on the player ->ASIO wrapper setup that was used for his experiment. There are two options to enable DSD with exaU2I:

  • Short term - develop alternative ASIO driver or enable alternative mode for the current driver. This solution will benefit current exaU2I users
  • Develop alternative FPGA implementation / diver - this option is justified if there is enough interest in the DSD playback capability
Additionally, there must be an ASIO player capable of DSD playback. The first thing that comes to mind is a Foobar plug-in. There is a plug-in out there capable of near-real-time DSD->PCM conversion. I will contact the developer to see if he is interested to alter the existing plug-in for native DSD output.
Click to expand...

I think the only software for playing DSD on a Windows PC is Korg's AudioGate. Sony also has a DSD Direct Player, but it may only install on certain Vaio laptops.
 
#573
Native dsd playback comments

Hello George

I mailed you my code June 15 at 17:26 (GMT + 2hours). Take a look in your spam filer.
I attached a zip file renamed to zi_

And back to why i will like native dsd support.

I have ripped my 700+ sacds to dff files, and will like to have the possiblity to play them in the native format, and on my main system as I can on my Korg MR2/JH16Pro portable system.
At the momemt I use the foobar2000 pluging and resample to 176.4kHz.
I am not aware og any windows player except professionel daw's (10000$++) that can play native dsd. They all downsample.
Last Time I looked Foobar2000 only supported sample frequencies up to 1000kHz in the main core. DSD is wav with a one bit wordlength, so in principle it is just to increase the max sample frequency

Until now it has been difficult to rip sacd's, but now there is a simpler solution using a PS3:
SACD ripping using your PS3 (part 2) | Computer Audiophile

So I think more people will have access to dsd/dff files, when they start ripping their sacds : there are 7000+ sacd made but how many 352.4kHz files is it posible to buy.

To comparision i have somthing like
3000 cd's
700 sacd's
200 dvda's and high res downloads


Flemming
 
#574
I have a Lite Dac 83 and i want to put inside it an I2S input ,I got this email off John kenny about his I2S- [FONT=tahoma,sans-serif]Both I2S Hiface solutions won't work, as-is. [/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma,sans-serif]The Lite uses + & - for each of the four I2S signals instead of the standard + & ground for each signal i.e. LRCLK+ & LRCLK- instead of LRCLK & GND.
Now I'm looking at [/FONT]exaU2I So has any one put one into a Lite dac83 or know of, as the wiring seems not the norm
 
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#578
qusp i got an email from exaU2I saying
If you are interested to experiment with it, you can try to connect the exaU2I outputs to the corresponding positive inputs of the DAC. Additionally you have to apply ½ of the negative voltage (-2.5V) to the negative inputs. This should work but of course it is not the proper way to do it.
Exa Team
so there is a way maybe
 
#580
michael58 said:
qusp i got an email from exaU2I saying
If you are interested to experiment with it, you can try to connect the exaU2I outputs to the corresponding positive inputs of the DAC. Additionally you have to apply ½ of the negative voltage (-2.5V) to the negative inputs. This should work but of course it is not the proper way to do it.
Exa Team
so there is a way maybe
Click to expand...
The proper way is to use something like SN65ALS176.
 
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