Metallic sound issues
There have been various reports of metallic sound. The only combination I know to be repetitive is foobar2000, UAC2 and the open source ASIO driver on Win7. It will occationally give periodic noise every 250 or 500µs.
We don't yet know what this phenomenon is. But it is repetitive enough that we can try various bug fixing for this particular combination.
The big question is: are there repetitive metallic sound issues on other combinations of OS, driver and player? If so, please try to record the issue and report it. An oscilloscope screen dump using the 100Hz test tones.
If you do experience metallic sound, try to correlate it with sampling rate. If the noise is periodic, try to determine its frequency.
Børge
There have been various reports of metallic sound. The only combination I know to be repetitive is foobar2000, UAC2 and the open source ASIO driver on Win7. It will occationally give periodic noise every 250 or 500µs.
We don't yet know what this phenomenon is. But it is repetitive enough that we can try various bug fixing for this particular combination.
The big question is: are there repetitive metallic sound issues on other combinations of OS, driver and player? If so, please try to record the issue and report it. An oscilloscope screen dump using the 100Hz test tones.
If you do experience metallic sound, try to correlate it with sampling rate. If the noise is periodic, try to determine its frequency.
Børge
Yes/maybe. I don't know if the problems are related, but Giorgio (user "Echo" on audiofaidate.org forum) reported a problem involving sporadic metallic sounds on MacOS/X:
Audiowidget Buffalo II - YouTube
(new USB/I2S module with on-board clocks connected to a BII DAC running in ASRC mode with its own local clock).
Hi folks.
Decided to try out my AB1.1 with Windows 7. Prior to that have been using it with no issues at all, with my Mac and Snow Leopard. Works beautifully and sounds awsome! Occasionally I need to use Win7 in Bootcamp, and it would be great to be able to use this DAC in that environment too.
Perhaps I am missing something, but I've read the latest readme, and downloaded the software mentioned in the Windows section. Have installed AWsetup.exe. The AB1.1 appears in the devices list now, but it does not appear in the audio devices section, and it is not listed in the Sound control panel.
The Audio Widget control, panel works, but I'm not 100% sure what I should be seeing in it, and what I should have selected.
I'm sure the answer is simple for you coding experts, but the answer is eluding me at present.
Any help gratefully received
- John
Decided to try out my AB1.1 with Windows 7. Prior to that have been using it with no issues at all, with my Mac and Snow Leopard. Works beautifully and sounds awsome! Occasionally I need to use Win7 in Bootcamp, and it would be great to be able to use this DAC in that environment too.
Perhaps I am missing something, but I've read the latest readme, and downloaded the software mentioned in the Windows section. Have installed AWsetup.exe. The AB1.1 appears in the devices list now, but it does not appear in the audio devices section, and it is not listed in the Sound control panel.
The Audio Widget control, panel works, but I'm not 100% sure what I should be seeing in it, and what I should have selected.
I'm sure the answer is simple for you coding experts, but the answer is eluding me at present.
Any help gratefully received
- John
Great just booted back into Snow Leopard and now I get no sound from Audio Widget, even though it's showing in the Audio/MIDI setup panel correctly. The setup on this thing is too complicated for me I think, and the readme is leaving me none the wiser alas.
Perhaps I inadvertently changed some settings in the Win7 Audio Widget control panel...
Is there a 'factory reset' on the AB-1.1?
Cheers,
- John
Perhaps I inadvertently changed some settings in the Win7 Audio Widget control panel...
Is there a 'factory reset' on the AB-1.1?
Cheers,
- John
Have I got everything setup as it should be?
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Hi John,
1. Your firmware version is too old to work with the WidgetControl version in AWSetup.
2. My recommendation is for you to update your firmware (flash the firmware) to the latest experimental version (using the instructions for Win7):
audio-widget-ex-2012-08-13.elf - sdr-widget - Experimental audio firmware 2012-08-13 - Audio and Control Interface for Amateur Radio SDR and Audiophile USB-DAC - Google Project Hosting
3. Also, uninstall completely your version of AWSetup and removing the ASIO uac2 driver as well.
4. Install instead the latest experimental ASIO driver:
https://sites.google.com/site/nikko...et/AWSetupExperimental.zip?attredirects=0&d=1
5. Follow the same instructions to install the latest experimental ASIO driver and then use the WidgetControl to set things up. DAC type should now be "generic" and Quriks "quirk_none".
Please do the above and post a screenshot of WidgetControl for me to verify that all are in order.
The latest "experimental" firmware and AWSetup (ASIO driver) has a number of improvements, including:
(a) Once setup, the audio-widget will work under Windows, Linux and OSX.
(b) Under Win7, you can set the audio-widget to uac1_audio (using WidgetControl) and the device will be enumerated as an "ordinary" sound card that you can use for system sound and all sound/music player programs. When you set the audio-widget to uac2_audio, you will be using Nikolay's ASIO uac2 driver and ONLY programs that support ASIO will play. E.g. Foobar2000 with (a separately downloaded and installed) ASIO plugin. JRiver also works. There may also be a plugin for Windows Media Player. However, you will NOT find the audio-widget listed by non-ASIO compatible software. Also Windows will not list it as a "sound" device.
The reason the latest firmware/Win uac2 driver are still "experimental" is that we are putting in more features, eg. HID controls, sampling rate indicater leds, etc., in preparation for future versions of the audio-widget.
Alex
1. Your firmware version is too old to work with the WidgetControl version in AWSetup.
2. My recommendation is for you to update your firmware (flash the firmware) to the latest experimental version (using the instructions for Win7):
audio-widget-ex-2012-08-13.elf - sdr-widget - Experimental audio firmware 2012-08-13 - Audio and Control Interface for Amateur Radio SDR and Audiophile USB-DAC - Google Project Hosting
3. Also, uninstall completely your version of AWSetup and removing the ASIO uac2 driver as well.
4. Install instead the latest experimental ASIO driver:
https://sites.google.com/site/nikko...et/AWSetupExperimental.zip?attredirects=0&d=1
5. Follow the same instructions to install the latest experimental ASIO driver and then use the WidgetControl to set things up. DAC type should now be "generic" and Quriks "quirk_none".
Please do the above and post a screenshot of WidgetControl for me to verify that all are in order.
The latest "experimental" firmware and AWSetup (ASIO driver) has a number of improvements, including:
(a) Once setup, the audio-widget will work under Windows, Linux and OSX.
(b) Under Win7, you can set the audio-widget to uac1_audio (using WidgetControl) and the device will be enumerated as an "ordinary" sound card that you can use for system sound and all sound/music player programs. When you set the audio-widget to uac2_audio, you will be using Nikolay's ASIO uac2 driver and ONLY programs that support ASIO will play. E.g. Foobar2000 with (a separately downloaded and installed) ASIO plugin. JRiver also works. There may also be a plugin for Windows Media Player. However, you will NOT find the audio-widget listed by non-ASIO compatible software. Also Windows will not list it as a "sound" device.
The reason the latest firmware/Win uac2 driver are still "experimental" is that we are putting in more features, eg. HID controls, sampling rate indicater leds, etc., in preparation for future versions of the audio-widget.
Alex
Not needed anymore. However, we have not removed it from WidgetControl as there are older versions of firmware floating around still.
Just set it to quirk_none.
Alex
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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...and it will never be, if you're using the widget in UAC2 mode!
The driver is ASIO, which is a system designed to completely by-pass the windows sound infrastructure!
You can NOT use that with any player. Will have to use one which is capable to directly talk to ASIO drivers instead (that's NOT the case for WMP! Possible choices are e.g. JRiver or the ubiquitous Foobar2000 if you also add its ASIO plugin).
Alternatively, you may simply switch the widget to UAC1 mode and it will be directly recognized by the native windows driver (no need to install anything). That way you can use it with any player. Of course, max 24/48K.
P.S.: no, windoze is not user friendly if you're used to something else...
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Please could you tell me the best dac in a well implemented design between the PCM5102, the AK4430 and the CS4398..
I currently really really like the CS4398 dac with no analog stage but would like to taste another dac.. I need textured deep snappy bass and smooth but detailed and airy high.. of course detailed mid and excellent instrument separation and 3d imaging.. the CS4398 is near that but i wonder about the bass..
Please don't tell me you never heard the CS4398 dac... PLEASE!!!
I currently really really like the CS4398 dac with no analog stage but would like to taste another dac.. I need textured deep snappy bass and smooth but detailed and airy high.. of course detailed mid and excellent instrument separation and 3d imaging.. the CS4398 is near that but i wonder about the bass..
Please don't tell me you never heard the CS4398 dac... PLEASE!!!
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The CS4398 is an entirely different DAC from the AK4430 and PCM5102. The AK4430 and PCM5102 run from a single positive power rail and generate their own negative supply. The CS4398 is the top-of-the-line DAC from Cirrus. It needs +5V supply, and its analog filter needs a negative supply.
This means a CS4398 design must have quite a complex power supply. Also, the CS4398 costs much more than the AK4430.
One thing you can do is start with the AB-1.2 and patch in the CS4398 and its power supply.
Børge
This means a CS4398 design must have quite a complex power supply. Also, the CS4398 costs much more than the AK4430.
One thing you can do is start with the AB-1.2 and patch in the CS4398 and its power supply.
Børge
I understand that the CS4398 cost more and need good power but does it sound better that's the question..
I don't care about trying 100 100-300$ dacs, that is why i'm investigating in tons of forums.. Let's say I have all the dacs here... i try it with complex but well recorded or synthetized music in my electrostatics and I KNOW what dac is best.. there is NO maybe this one, maybe this one.. dac don't sound the same at all on flat electrostatics setup..
I want to know who really tested by ears those dacs and their appreciation of those and why... of course cheaper and simpler implementation is better for me but at the end SQ is what i'm looking for.. CS4398 is the best i know.. from there i want to grow
, anybody compared it directly one after the other with well implemented and clocked ES9023, AK4430, R2R dacs, AD1865k, 1794, 5102, AK4399.. You can reply me in private if you don't want to say the chip that make your soul vibrate the most in public
and if you don't know.. maybe you should all send me your implemented dac so that i tell you the "one" who rules them all..
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lets not forget, this isn't about dacs. its about *data to dacs*. the dac chip or system you use is your choice.
this box outputs spdif and also i2s. take your pick on your data format. (I'm happy enough with spdif and all dacs speak that).
the onboard dac is not going to be high end. that's not its job and its not sensible to spend much time worrying about it. consider it a 'free rider'; there's i2s onboard and so its easy to include a freebie dac chip. but the intention (as I see it) is to give you usb to 'digital audio data' (i2s or spdif) and you take it from there.
this box outputs spdif and also i2s. take your pick on your data format. (I'm happy enough with spdif and all dacs speak that).
the onboard dac is not going to be high end. that's not its job and its not sensible to spend much time worrying about it. consider it a 'free rider'; there's i2s onboard and so its easy to include a freebie dac chip. but the intention (as I see it) is to give you usb to 'digital audio data' (i2s or spdif) and you take it from there.
dacs will come and go. some people even call it FOTM (flavor of the month) club
given that dac chips come out from vendors so often, it seems logical to detach the parts that are clasically called the 'transport' (this audio widget is a transport, really) and the dac.
another thread might be better for discussion OF dacs. this thread is more about the transport, and even more specifically, about a UAC2 based (usb audio 'new style') transport.
given that dac chips come out from vendors so often, it seems logical to detach the parts that are clasically called the 'transport' (this audio widget is a transport, really) and the dac.
another thread might be better for discussion OF dacs. this thread is more about the transport, and even more specifically, about a UAC2 based (usb audio 'new style') transport.