• These commercial threads are for private transactions. diyAudio.com provides these forums for the convenience of our members, but makes no warranty nor assumes any responsibility. We do not vet any members, use of this facility is at your own risk. Customers can post any issues in those threads as long as it is done in a civil manner. All diyAudio rules about conduct apply and will be enforced.

Okto Research dac8 PRO and dac8 Stereo

dac8stereo_front_d.jpg


dac8 PRO: 8-channel D/A converter with top-tier analog performance. USB and 4x AES/EBU inputs.


dac8 Stereo: highest performance, streaming-enabled stereo D/A converter. USB, 2x SPDIF, 2x Toslink, AES/EBU inputs. Streaming over Ethernet and Wi-Fi through the integrated Raspberry Pi 4.

Read the dac8 Stereo launch newsletter here


"dac8 Stereo is a result of many years of our pursuit to get the most from the flagship Sabre D/A chips. While it shares the analog architecture with the dac8 PRO, the dac8 Stereo combines 4+4 channels to double the dynamic range and push the measured performance to the levels thought to be unattainable. It also adds Raspberry Pi 4 on top, a widely accepted, community-supported single board computer that enables it to play audio from network storage or streaming services.

In our design process, we ended up diverging completely from the D/A chip manufacturer guidelines. The main idea behind the products is that, ultimately, it is the implementation that creates the performance and character."


Pavel, Okto Research
www.oktoresearch.com
info@oktoresearch.com
 
Last edited:
Hi, thank you all for the feedback! We got a lot of questions about the back panel, so here it is. Please note that this is the pre-production unit, basically the DAC8 USB, but with the USB input only. Apart from the additional inputs, the production unit's back panel will be a bit more tidy and the trigger output will use 3.5mm (1/8") instead of 6.3mm (1/4") jack plug.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


Nice!
What version will you send to ASR?
I hope it will be the USB 8 one.

Yes, it will be the unit in the picture.

Is the unit self contained or do we have to buy anything else such as power supplies?

All the DAC8 lineup works right out of the box. The power input is 110/230V with a standard IEC C14 inlet (like on a computer PSU). The only accessory you might need is a remote, which you can buy together with your DAC8 from us (the Apple Remote) or use any spare TV/VCR remote you have at home.

1) Can we see pictures of the rear and the innards?
2) If not, is there any room to fit a RPi inside the chassis? If not, Is the NanoSHARC USB port exposed in the rear so one could connect a RPi externally?
3) Is there a mechanism to get i2s input to the MiniSHARC?
4) And this applies to your DAC8 board in general - how tedious is the process to convert from multi-channel to Stereo? Is it something that can be done in software? It would be real neat to have the ability to switch between the two (option1: 6 channel with digital x/over. option2: 2-channel full range - either through two XLR outs alone, or repeated through all xlr outputs). I understand this scenario is not very useful for many.

I see this beginning to nip at the heels of the MiniDSP SHD, which is on my list. The built-in streaming using Volumio and the free ADC and input select makes this super versatile. Its DAC is what is holding me back.

1) I'll post a picture of the inside later.
2) The NanoSHARC's USB and Toslink are going to be accessible on the back panel of the DAC8+NanoSHARC unit. There is enough room in the enclosure to fit the RPi, but the back panel would have to be redesigned to accommodate it if you wanted access to the ethernet and other ports. The USB is definitely the easiest way to go.
3) NanoSHARC does have an I2S input, which will be selectable as one of the inputs on DAC8+NanoSHARC, but it will not be accessible on the back panel.
4) DAC8 USB is convertible to DAC8>2 USB. The conversion consists of toggling the stereo mode in the menu and installing a simple connector board on the headers next to the XLRs (put into your order details that you want one). We introduced DAC8>2 USB for those who simply don't want the additional XLRs and also not everyone is willing to make hardware modifications inside their equipment. In the future, we might put a few relays in there instead of the connector board to make the whole conversion just a press of a button, depending on the demand for this function.

I forgot to share some details about the process of manufacturing the DAC8 enclosure. The technologies involved are CNC machining, sandblasting, anodizing, laser engraving, 3d printing and display optical bonding.

To keep the quality under control and price at a reasonable level, we do not let a company do the job for us, but rather do these operations ourselves or directly consult with CNC experts. It has been a challenge to get into these technologies, since we both at Okto Resarch originally have the education and background in electronic engineering only, but we learn quickly. Also, there are some great software packages available to startups for free these days, like the Fusion 360 CAD/CAM SW. We plan to do a short video about manufacturing DAC8 later.
 
Last edited:
eugenius: We were thinking about 4xAES/EBU, but it would consume a lot of space on the back panel and we were not sure about how many would be interested in that. So unless we get more demand, it is not in our plans.

ErikdeBest: We are not (yet) registered as VAT payers, so these are the final prices.
 
Last edited:
eugenius: We were thinking about 4xAES/EBU, but it would consume a lot of space on the back panel and we were not sure about how many would be interested in that.

You must be an engineer.

Having 4xAES/EBU opens you to the pro market for multichannel DAC's, which is orders of magnitude larger than the enthusiast / diy-er / active crossover audiophile market. You should not only have a 4xAES/EBU version, you should also have a cheaper version with 4xAES/EBU and no USB.

Make a gearslutz thread and send some demo units on tour if you know what's good for you. And send me a beer (or a discount) when the orders start coming in. :)
 
Last edited:
Hello everyone,

we have some announcements to make:

1) There is a website update! www.oktoresearch.com

2) Our demo unit is at the Audio Science Review now, waiting to be reviewed. Participants for the DAC8 USA tour are wanted. If you'd like to have the DAC8 demo unit at home for a week for your personal review and listening tests, please let us know.

3) We did a slight renaming of our products for more clarity: DAC8 DSP, DAC8 PRO and DAC8 Stereo. DAC8 DSP is available now and we are finishing the production of the first batch. DAC8 PRO and DAC8 Stereo are coming in the following months and are available for pre-orders.

4) We added streaming capability to the DAC8 DSP and the DAC8 Stereo. We use the Raspberry Pi, a community-supported, future-proof, powerful single-board computer with a quad-core ARM CPU running the Volumio network player. It supports streaming from local storage, Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz and even more services with appropriate plugins. The Raspberry operates in slave mode so it's jitter is avoided.

5) DAC8 DSP has been equipped with additional inputs. The full set is now USB, SPDIF, AES/EBU and optical.

6) DAC8 PRO is going to have 8-channel USB 4xAES/EBU inputs

Looking forward to your feedback,
Pavel