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Cronus - It's about time.

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Hi all. It's been a long time since I tinkered with my DAC (dual-mono BII), but I seem to have some time on my hands!

I have the Hermes/Cronus/Rhea and a BBB, but never really liked all the fiddling around with Linux, so the whole DAC has been in 'mothballs' for the last few years. Now, I would like to add a USB input, as that seems like the simplest route to go down. As I understand it, I have a few options: a waveio, a diyinhk module or an Amanero. Is there any way to use what I have, or do I have to buy a new Hermes etc? Sorry, it's been a while since I read up on all this.

If your Hermes is for BBB you need to buy a new one Hermes for Amanero.
 
Thanks francolargo. Is the Hermes/Amanero all I would need to buy? Does it come with the Amanero board?

I use Foobar2000 as my player. How good is that volume control considered to be?

I see on diyinhk an XMOS board with optional FIFO and which uses xCORE-200. How would that be? Does the XMOS version make much difference apart from maximum sample rate?
 
Yeah...

USB will definitely simplify your system. Another option that can work with the Buffalo boards is the 'I2SoverUSB' product. Obviously, a USB solution that isolates the I2S will sound nicer, whether it is Hermes-Amanero added to your Cronus, or one of the others that use NDK clocks.

As far as I know, none control DAC volume. [Edit:] Perhaps a new volumite with firmware would solve the volume issue. Lately, however, some volume controls included in music player software have improved to the point that on-DAC volume attenuation is no longer superior. You'll have to compare for yourself, since it depends on which player software you are using.

Software based volume control can be the "best" option as it usually runs at 64 bit. The only problem with it is for those who like to play DSD, as most playback softwares do not allow volume control with DSD playback. I use ROON and I sure wish they would incorporate software volume control for DSD (there is a way to do it in ROON using the headroom adjustment feature, but it is convoluted and not very practical). Yes, DSD has to be made multibit (AKA DSD-wide) to control volume, but good playback software can accomplish this transparently now.
The one exception I know of is HQPlayer, which does allow software volume control for DSD.
 
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Thanks francolargo. Is the Hermes/Amanero all I would need to buy? Does it come with the Amanero board?
Looks like the Amanero and Hermes isolator are separate items on the TPA website.
I use Foobar2000 as my player. How good is that volume control considered to be?
Should be fine, as long as the PC is transmitting all the bits.
I see on diyinhk an XMOS board with optional FIFO and which uses xCORE-200. How would that be? Does the XMOS version make much difference apart from maximum sample rate?

I don't (yet) convert PCM to DSD, so perhaps @Barrows can speak to the broader use case comparing XMOS to Amanero. I am messing with a USB board that uses an XMOS XU208 and am quite pleased. It is rated up to PCM768, DSD256 via DoP and DSD512 native. Maybe a more powerful XMOS is available, but to what end? [Sometimes the better I can hear how poorly recordings are mastered, the more distracted I am from the artistry! :p]

Stay safe my friends,

Frank
 
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With the confinament I started mine long journey to install the Chronus but I can't listen nothing!

My setup consist: Amanero + I2S isolator + Chronus = noDac

Amanero is connected to I2S isolator properly:
-POWER from Amanero
-FSCLK
-BCLK
-DATA

I2S isolator is connected:
-POWER from Chronus pin 19 gnd & pin 20 3.3V to isolator
-FSCLK from isolator to pin 12 gnd & pin 2 D1 Chronus
-BCLK from isolator to pin 10 gnd & pin 1 DCK IN

Chronus is connected:
-DCK ufl connector to MCLK Amanero?
-D1 left channel output
-D2 right channel output
-One jumper is set to MCK+
-The other jumper is set to J1.1

It's possible can't works because I use NDK SDA but don't installed C1 0.01uF C0G in the Rhea module?

TIA
Felipe

N.B. My player Daphile plays normally without any problem the only is that can't listen music.

I'm using 22,xxx & 24,xxx clocks

Still don't get sound.

Still looking for solution.
 
I'll try...

Please help.

I am not sure what you mean by "isolator"? Are you just referring to the stock:

Amanero-Hermes-Cronus stack, connected together by the stock pin headers?

A picture might really help here.

Because you are using a NoDAC, which I am not familiar with, can you give some explanation of what it requires for input? For example, does it just take:

DSDR
DSDL
Bit clock

For input signals?

Again, a couple pictures could help. What DSD rates are you feeding it, and what firmware are you running on the Amanero? And, are you sending DoP or Native DSD from Daphile?
 
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I'm not using Hermes, I'm using diyinhk isolator attached pic of isolator.

noDac not requires clock only needs DATA & FSCLK, the Chronus clock is for Amanero configured the cloks as slave.
 

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Slave_1081_DSDSWAPPED e firmware_2006be11
PIN6 MCLK input
per selezionare il CLOCK devi cambiare il PID_071A in PID_0a23 e abilitare il selettore PIN 1 o PIN 11

PIN6 MCLK diventa automaticamente quando usi per CPLD SLAVE_1081
mentre in "Bit Configuration" trovi come selezionare il selettore del clock.

devi aggiornare _071A con _0a23 in alto nel ConfigTool.exe in questo modo scrive nella flash la configurazione dei bit.
 
slave clock?

When you run the Amanero as "slave", the masterclcok from the Cronus has to connect back to the Amanero-looking at the connections you note have through the isolator, I do not see any mention of the masterclcok going from the Cronus to the Isolator and then to the Amanero?

Why not just use the Hermes as designed? That would seem to be an easier solution, and more likely to get working easily.
 
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The masterclock output from Chronus goes directly to MCLK input of Amanero.

From Amanero outputs onlye goes BCK, FCSLK & DATA to DIYINHK inputs.

From DIYINHK outputs BCK, FCSLK & DATA to Chronus,

From Chronus outputs FCSLK & DATA to LPF noDac channel left & right, Chronus output MCLK direct to Amanero input MCLK.
 
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do not know...

Have I to connect the Chronus MCLK output to MCLK output DIYINHK isolator? And from input MCLK DIYINHK isolator to input MCLK Amanero?

I have no experience with the DIYINHK isolator, I use Hermes. But that is how the Hermes works, all lines go through the isolator.

By connecting the masterclock directly you defeat the purpose of the isolator, as it the Amanero is then directly connected to the Cronus via the clock and ground leads. If it were me, I would run all the lines through the isolator, otherwise there is no benefit to using it. With 27/24 MHZ clocks, make sure the clock divider on the Cronus is set to 1:1 as well.

I use Amanero-Hermes-Cronus with my DSC-2 (from ppy) with the adapter board made by another member here, and it works perfectly well with the firmware you are using. But i have no idea of the needs of your NoDAC.
 
Why files 16 and 24 bits sounds a little bit fast. I'm using 22,xxx and 24,xxx clocks all files are upsampled to DSD256?


Speed (pitch) has nothing to do with bit rate, it has to do with the clock frequency. X-1 should be your 22.xxxx clock, and X-2 should be your 24.xxx clock.
If they did not work this way, perhaps you had them in the wrong orientation? The dot on the clock itself should match the dot on the Cronus board.