Another Demo Tour Review
There is another glowing DEMO TOUR REVIEW on ASR.
Time to get those production units shipping.
Another Demo Tour Review on ASR
There is another glowing DEMO TOUR REVIEW on ASR.
Time to get those production units shipping.
Another Demo Tour Review on ASR
No, it's because of endpoint bandwidth limitation of XMOS UAC2.0 implementation.
Thanks, sounds like USB3.X and/or Thunderbolt is on the horizon.
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Add to that 4 AES3 inputs! I have an e28, too, but I'm now running off a Lynx AES16e card, so need more than it's two channels of SPDIF.
BTW, strange as it is, the e28 uses an ES9018. The e38, which I had in for evaluation and is itself a superb DAC, uses the ES9038, and the Okto8 the ES9028, which I've read is the same as the ES9038 but with four times the current (not sure if that's correct, but it's what I read).
BTW, I did a careful A/B evaluation of the Okto8 Pro sample with my Yggdrdasil, and it came very, very close -- amazing since it's half the price for eight channels. In fact, the Okto came out ahead on some tracks and I think some people will prefer it -- by close, I mean hours of listening in a level matched A/B comparison and the only major difference was the infamous "Sabre glare" which sounds like a high frequency emphasis on e.g. high tesitura violin (really, I'm not sure which is correct -- they're just different). In fact I think that some of the filters on the Okto sounded more different than the two DAC's.
I didn't compare it to the e28 but the e38 Mk II is naturally enough better and I preferred the Schiit to the e38, again in a level-matched A/B comparison, so by induction, I'd say the Okto will probably sound better than our e28's. I ended up ordering the Okto, though I'll continue using the Yggy for my midrange/tweeter panels, since I prefer gentler highs and its more "analog" sound (perhaps the result of second and third order harmonic distortion, which Amir measured at -80 dB, whereas its vanishingly low in the Okto).
It's really amazing that they got this kind of performance at this price!
Hello everyone, here is the long-awaited launch of our 8-channel D/A converter, the DAC8 PRO!
After the ASR review, we received a lot of questions, feedback and suggestions and so we thought it would be a big shame to miss the chance to implement some of them into the production version. In the end, it took much more time than planned so thanks everyone for the patience, continuing support and interest in our products.
Let’s dive into the feature list, starting with the most noticeable one:
More compact enclosure
The difference visible at the first sight is the more compact enclosure (448x183x50mm excl. feet), made from AW6082 aluminium alloy. This change only applies to the DAC8 PRO, not the upcoming DAC8 Stereo.
Dust-proof and spill-proof design with conductive cooling
Speaking of enclosure… we thought what other improvements could we make to increase the durability of the product. We wanted to get rid of the vents that allow dust to get trapped inside and pile up, eventually causing overheating and possibly even killing the electronics, not to mention an accidental spill of your favorite beverage. But our DAC module produce an amount of heat that needs to be taken care of. So instead of relying on convection, we have implemented a conductive cooling using a CNC-machined aluminium heatsink that transfers heat away from the DAC module to the enclosure. Additionally, the DAC8 PRO does monitor the temperature on the DAC module and will shut down in case of overheating.
Now for the electronic sweetness inside:
Our own XMOS implementation
No 3rd party modules in the DAC8 PRO! Our own XMOS-based board controlling the USB input and AES/EBU inputs is a result of our work for the last few months. It allows for a low-latency transfer, direct control over the data flow and is tightly integrated with the user interface and the DAC board. Based on a 16-core XU216 MCU, it gives us a solid foundation for future products. Huge thanks to our software team!
4xAES/EBU inputs routed to DAC and DAW + 1 AES/EBU output
In addition to the USB connectivity, 4 XLR AES/EBU connectors provide another 8 input channels. The data flow can also be routed to the DAW USB host for additional processing before looping back to the DAC. The AES frame clock is recovered by a precise receiver and the ESS’s time-domain jitter eliminator does remove any remaining jitter. The first pair of channels is available as an AES/EBU output on a dedicated connector.
All incoming AES/EBU signals are expected to come from a single source domain. The DAC8PRO is not a quad stereo DAC, but an 8-channel DAC without any ASRC. The 8 AES/EBU dataflow is reassembled bit-perfectly by the XMOS processor and passed to the Sabre chip.
Next-generation DAC board
DAC8 PRO has received a next generation of our DAC board optimized for the task, including improved power supplies and shorter signal paths. As our other products, DAC8 PRO is designed to directly drive balanced amplifier inputs.
Ability to receive firmware updates
To add new features or fix bugs, DAC8 PRO is able to receive software updates through USB using a standard DFU protocol and an utility available for Windows, Linux and MacOS.
New functions
A powerful 8x8 routing matrix is available separately for USB and AES inputs. Individual volume can be assigned to each output channel using a 32-bit Sabre volume control
Rack mounting brackets
Our custom-designed 2U rack mounting brackets come with every unit.
Designed for reliability, handmade in Prague
With a relay-free design and just 3 large electrolytic capacitors in the power supply, DAC8 PRO is designed for a lifetime of 10+ years. The intention during the design process was also to streamline the production and allow us to make the product in more significant numbers. But we continue to handmade all the units for you in Prague.
We are looking forward to your feedback!
Thanks a much Pavel,
The good news
Could it be possible to let us know more about the signal path regarding the "The data flow can also be routed to the DAW USB host for additional processing before looping back to the DAC" (examples era very welcome).
Thanks in advance.
A long and successful live to OKTO Research
The good news
Could it be possible to let us know more about the signal path regarding the "The data flow can also be routed to the DAW USB host for additional processing before looping back to the DAC" (examples era very welcome).
Thanks in advance.
A long and successful live to OKTO Research
Thanks, fixed. Substantial website update is coming soon.
The DAC8 PRO is discovered by the OS as 8 input and 8 output ASIO-capable channels. The incoming AES/EBU data can be processed in real-time or recorded and sent back to the DAC. Software like Audiolense and various DAW packages should be able to do that.
The attached image describes the data flow.
Attachments
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Can the new DAC8 PRO board still be jumpered into stereo mode resulting in better performance like the previous board ?
I see the 8 pin header is gone and there appears to be a 6 pin header on the new board.
I'd like to know the answer to this as well - also can nanosharc still be shipped in the unit.
With is being Sabre - can I ask if it supports MQA (Don't flame me!)
Have you asked Dave Reite? I believe he was the one who worked out the MiniDSP XO for the LX521.