I've been considering an active speaker project, motivated by the advent of low cost high quality amplifiers (TDA32xx)
I'm coming up against the challenge of low cost computer output to multiple amps
In an ideal world I would use
Most of those elements are low cost, "good quality" and sufficiently capable
The Problem
The Question
It's possible to purchase additional equipment to achieve this outcome (but these add to the cost and add points of failure) eg.
Is there a way to achieve this outcome or am I misunderstanding or looking in the wrong place
Any advice / guidance gratefully accepted
I'm coming up against the challenge of low cost computer output to multiple amps
In an ideal world I would use
- Source = AMLogic S9xx or Pi or Nuc, running some flavour ofLinux
- DSP = CamillaDSP or BruteFIR or similar running on source computer
- DAC = USB DACs eg. Topping E30 * n
- Amplifier = TPA325n * 2-3
- Speaker = 2-3 Way without crossover (handling by computer)
Most of those elements are low cost, "good quality" and sufficiently capable
The Problem
USB is a negotiated link, so there can be significant timing variance between transmissions and between devices. This will probably be an audible problem when "sound" timing needs to be coordinated across multiple devices ie. the DACs when one is feeding left speaker an another DAC feeding right speaker, say
The Question
Is there a way to guarantee trasmission coordination across multiple USB devices ? Has anyone succeeded in making this kind of setup work ?
It's possible to purchase additional equipment to achieve this outcome (but these add to the cost and add points of failure) eg.
8 Channel DAC like the Octo or DIYinHK units
Intermediate processor like the Motu 8A or Auverdion Aurora/Infinitas
MiniDSP UDIO8
Is there a way to achieve this outcome or am I misunderstanding or looking in the wrong place
Any advice / guidance gratefully accepted
Anything Above $2 Buys More Features, Not Better Quality - What Does It Take To Turn The PC Into A Hi-Fi Audio Platform?
To sum it up most desktop pc's onboard sound isn't differentiable from a high quality DAC. So grab the next computer you see on the side of the road and there's your synchronized output linux audio source for free. They usually have 6-8 channels.
To sum it up most desktop pc's onboard sound isn't differentiable from a high quality DAC. So grab the next computer you see on the side of the road and there's your synchronized output linux audio source for free. They usually have 6-8 channels.
Yes, I would except there's a significant price premium for a "good" multi-channel DAC
Thanks for that article, it's interesting
I own a few DACs and certainnly believe I can hear the difference. I started experimenting with DACs when I noticed that my 3 multi-channel amps sound completely different even though they're all quite good quality (NAD, Yamaha, Emotiva) and it was difficult to believe that was down to the amplifier section itself
Sure enough I started with a Topping D30 which was quite nice but a little "soft", then a HifiMeDIY and a Topping D50s which was very accurate but a little "sharp" and now I''ve settled on a Topping E30 which is my favourite and is staying long term. None of those are particularly expensive and in some ways the only one I didn't want to live with was the D30 (which has died in the interim). I might add that I've tried a couple of the cheap AliExpress DACs and they're woeful, although one $2 board is excellent as a USB->SPDIF device
Secondly I want to use the DAC with an SOC device which lacks PCI/PCIe so I'm limited to USB. There are SOC type fanless Intel chips but they're difficult to find at present, much more expensive,use a lot more power and space and offer less functionality than something like an AMLogic S9xx device.
I have a USB Asus DAC in mind at present, or possibly a "professional" device like a Motu or Behringer - assuming I stick to 2 way speakers.
It's also possible to use other intermediate processing like a MiniDSP unit but that adds complexity and few of them produce particularly good test outcomes (See AudioScienceReview for examples) and they're a bit expensive for the functionality provided
The Octo Pro8 looks like a fantastic device and I would dearly like to own one but sadly a bit expensive for me
Thank you both for your feedback
Hi Redger,
I tried it - 2 USB DAC's - one for each speaker - together with CamillaDSP.
No joy - seriously unstable stereo image and definitely not usable.
After that I have done the same thing but moved to a 3 way setup using the ASUS Sonar U7 MKii ~$90 - and that WORKS - really well - it feeds directly into my Hypex amplifiers.
You can use it as a 2, 4, 6 or 8 channel DAC and they are all in perfect sync - and with a SINAD of 102 db (Review and Measurements of Asus Xonar U7 MKII ADC/DAC/HP | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum) it is actually very good.
It sounds much better than my previous setup which was based on MiniDSP 2x4 HD - and at a fraction of the price.
I tried it - 2 USB DAC's - one for each speaker - together with CamillaDSP.
No joy - seriously unstable stereo image and definitely not usable.
After that I have done the same thing but moved to a 3 way setup using the ASUS Sonar U7 MKii ~$90 - and that WORKS - really well - it feeds directly into my Hypex amplifiers.
You can use it as a 2, 4, 6 or 8 channel DAC and they are all in perfect sync - and with a SINAD of 102 db (Review and Measurements of Asus Xonar U7 MKII ADC/DAC/HP | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum) it is actually very good.
It sounds much better than my previous setup which was based on MiniDSP 2x4 HD - and at a fraction of the price.
thanks henrikbremerskov
funnily enough I had concluded the same and have just ordered a used Asus U7 to try (I'd also seen the ASR measurements - though they are front channels only)
I had hoped ASR would also measure this Essence Evolve-ii-4k-hdmi-v2 - HDMI To Analog to see if the manufacturers claims (SINAD 120 dB) are accurate when tested like-for-like
I'm a bit suspicious becasue the Cypress model on which it seems to be based claims SINAD 80dB (in the downloadable manual)
And the other options I briefly considered is using multiple raspberry pi's linked together by GStreamer over a wired network as Synchonized Streaming-Multiple Clients Loudspeakers, but that seemed overly complex compared to a single hardware unit
Thanks again for the feedback
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