MJM

I had a CRT that I had been using as a computer monitor that put a rumble sound into my computer stereo system. The monitor was a very powerful Sony Trinitron monitor. When I unplugged the monitor, the rumble disappeared. It was not a "ticking" sound, but a low frequency around 600 Hz., if my memory serves me well. It polluted the whole house power system.

I just connected my Mytek Stereo 192 DAC to active speakers using the XLR outputs provided. I put the right speaker on the right and the left on the left, but then, I noticed that my XLR cables have to cross one another! Sure enough, the "Out R" port is on the left side and the "Out L" port is on the right side. I checked other DACs and Mytek is the only one that I found that is like this. Can anyone explain this? Could the ports might have been mis-labeled?

When working in my office, I often listen to "SKY.FM Nature." It has an enchanting 3D quality to the sound and a better sound stage than any CD. You don't need a subscription to test it: http://www.sky.fm/. Click "Listen Now", then scroll down to "Nature." Also the same goes for other channels I have tried, "Romantica" and "Relaxation". Can anyone tell me what they are doing to produce this clearly superior sound? I don't think it's the sample rate and bit depth. It's a question that would also fit in a lot of other CA threads as well. Safari -> Mac -> Audioquest Carbon FW -> Mytek Stereo192 DAC -> Audioengine A5+ & Sennheiser HD800. Note: Part of the answer is I'm using a great DAC (internal setting = 192 upsampling)

I'm new to computer audio equipment and I am seeking advice. I bought the Mytek Stereo192 DAC in February this year. I use it connected to active speakers through the RCA ports. I have learned to never turn off the DAC without first turning off the speakers and don't forget - unplugging the headphones. Mine will output a bump to the speakers that'll make me jump out of my chair if I don't. Does this behavior have to do with some missing jumpers or some such thing?

Pure Music works very well with the Mytek Stereo 192 DAC. I have that DAC, FW cabled to a MacBook Pro using Snow Leopard. After, upsampling all songs to 192 kHz for a month, I turned upsampling off and I discovered I enjoyed the music more. At first, I thought I was just enjoying the novelty of making a change. However, after some critical listening, I felt that the music sounded richer, slightly more real, almost like it was louder. I think now that the ideal is to have high sample rate recordings and play at the recordings sample rate.

It's been awhile since that glitch has happened, but I think I can remember that I checked the Audio MIDI and the Mytek FW driver controller and both said 48 kHz. So, the DAC was following whatever got set in the software. I did not change the setting and I don't know why it set to 48 kHz. I wanted to comment about it because obviously someone else has now observed exactly the same thing happen. I have the system clock set to 192 kHz and that is supposed to be the default. The Mytek LED screen only changes when I play songs through Pure Music because I don't have PM upsampling checked. When I quit Pure Music it always sets the sample rate back to 192 kHz. I have no idea why 48 kHz shows up sometime.

I have been using the Silver Preamp version of the DAC for about 3 weeks now. I have also seen the sample rate display 48 kHz for no apparent reason. I have no 48 kHz material. I think it might be a default setting that gets triggered when the DAC is turned-off before the computer. Since I've been turning-off the computer before the DAC and turning on the DAC before the computer (the computer is never on without the DAC being on), I have not had it happen. The anomaly has not caused any problems. I had one failure to load the FW driver. The DAC output was silent. I did a restart of the computer and then everything worked OK. As an aside, the sound quality of my setup, mac -> FW -> Dac -> Sennheiser HD800, has benefited greatly from the use of a .75 meter, Audioquest, Carbon, Firewire cable. The sound quality improvement is quite noticeable and I recommend it as a not too costly way to improve this type of setup.

This is a truism: "I've also said my experience has been that 90-95% of the ultimate sound quality of any recording has already been determined by the time the signal is leaving the microphones - long before any other gear, analog or digital, high res or low, comes into the equation." I can hear the difference between good recordings and bad and I'm convinced now that high resolution has been over sold. It becomes a focus because it's something that can be measured and controlled. The microphone and mixing is beyond the control of the playback system, yet it is by far the most important factor. We need a test apparatus by which a recording can be simply measured and rated. Human ears can do it, why then couldn't a machine? These ratings could be stated in the sales material alongside bit depth and sample rate. This measure/rating does not exist yet. I can't understand why it hasn't been done yet. Music playback equipment could even come with this test circuit, once it's invented, that determines a quality rating just like bit depth and sample rate is now. Whoever invents this would be the next "Dolby." TEST - listen to some high resolution radio stations using your browser. Then listen to http://www.sky.fm/. Specifically, there is something the SKY.fm nature sounds channel has that makes it very satisfying on my DAC and it is not resolution, after all this is just low quality internet radio. The classical and romantic channels also sounds better. What are they doing that makes the music sound so much better?

I've been using the Mytek Stereo 192 DAC to play background music while I work in my office, about 10 hours a day, for about 12 days now, turning it off at night. I have noticed changes. The bass is deeper, the mid-range resonates more, the treble is more crisp. It has a better soundstage. Is there any technical reason for the "break-in" effect? I was a doubter at first, now I can tell that break-in is a real thing. Also, I just ordered the Granite Digital Firewire cable. As soon as I did, I discovered the controversy surrounding ferrites on cables. The Granite FW cable features 2 ferrite rings as part of the design. Now I'm scared to use it after reading that the ferrites degrade the sound. Anyone know about this issue?

The Lavry Report is a well done, professional document and is exactly the kind of post that computeraudiophile needs. Design methodology always involves listing the criteria that effect the design objective. In most real systems the variables are dependent on one another. Because of these dependencies an optimal design result can only be achieved by an optimal combination of the criteria. For example, a strong aircraft wing is heavier, but you want an aircraft light enough to fly. In this case, strong and light are dependent on one another. It does no good to have the strongest wing ever made on an aircraft that's too heavy to fly. In general, after obtaining a list of all the parameters that effect the design, and testing their effects on the system, a design decision must be taken that chooses the optimal compromise between all the competing criteria. This field of engineering is called "Design of Experiments" and I have some experience in it. The Lavry report is great news for Audiophiles, because it means that we do not have to chase after the latest and greatest bit depth and sample rate recordings by spending ever more and larger amounts of money on the latest and greatest equipment. There are other criteria effecting sound quality that need to be considered at this point in time. The identification of these other factors and their optimization should be the area of concentration of this blog. We all know it when we hear a great recording and when we hear a mediocre one, but what really made the difference between the two? The Lavry report indicates that we need to start looking in areas other than just bit depth and sample rate.

My Wagner compilation is one of the "studio master versions" in 24 bit, 96 kHz FLAC. I bought it from LINN before I acquired the Mytek. If I could have predicted the future, I would have gotten the 192 kHz version because now I can play it. That brings up an important issue. What will be considered high resolution in the near future? I've read about Japanese companies testing 24.5 MHz DSD. (reference: puresuperaudio.blogspot.com) My brand new DAC only does 2.8 MHz DSD. So, I wonder if it will be obsolete in a couple years. I can say that I'm very happy with high res FLAC, but I haven't experimented much with DSD yet. The downloads are expensive and there is not that much selection at this time. I really hope a "best practices" format will be adopted soon. I would hate to invest a whole bunch of money in music and then later find that there is something a lot better I could have gotten instead. Another recommendation: There is the great New Years Concert (Das Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker) each year I want to get, but there are no downloads of it. I'm looking at getting an OPPO or Cambridge Audio SACD-BD-DVD player just so I can watch the concert on disc. Johann Strauss and the waltzes are another really great music tradition to get started especially in a family. I think it's great for children to listen to that music when they are young and then, they will always find comfort in it when they are old - that's what happened to me!

I have been enjoying a very well done musical journey through Wagner's Ring Cycle entitled, "Der Symphonische Ring", by the Duisburg Philharmoniker. It's available from, www.acousence.de, under "21309 - WAGNER / Dreßler: THE SYMPHONIC RING," in extreme high definition versions. It's also downloadable in Audiophile quality versions at LINN Records. I think this album will become a classic. It's a great introduction to Wagner for those who are curious. And, what a great way to break-in a new Mytek DAC. This recording will definitely proof test your speakers. Enjoy! It helps a lot to first get some background understanding of the mythological world that one enters into when listening to this music. I have not yet seen the complete ring cycle myself. I'm still looking for the best high quality videos for those operas....

I just started listening to my Mytek192 silver pre version a couple of days ago. I'm using a FW connection with a Macbook Pro. I use Pure Music, it has been an excellent music player with this DAC. I'm a newbie to Audiophile quality computer music. I have to say that the Mytek sound has been quite a revelation. It's stunning. There is a 3D quality to the music now. The depth and detail are a delight. I read about burn-in and I'm wondering - you mean it gets better over time?! My ears are used to a cheaper Bose headphone directly into the mac's 3.5 mm port. I'm not knocking that brand, but the Mytek is a whole new experience. The manual needs some work. I'm not confident that I have the FW setup configured properly. I navigated to the Input -> Firewire setting using the LED menu on the front of the DAC. I discovered that there was only one choice at that point - "Int Sync." Whereas the manual has listed a large number of other options available at that point. I am confused about whether the "Int Sync" setting is the one that gives the advertised, asynchronous, low jitter, on board clock. I used the FW driver application downloaded from the Mytek site to further configure the settings and discovered that the Mac's Audio MIDI setting does say, "Clock source: Stereo192DAC." Can anyone tell me if this is the proper setting for low jitter? I had the DAC on 192 kHz. I got up this morning, turned it on and discovered it had reset to 48 kHz on the Mytek LED. I checked the Audio MIDI. It had switched itself to 48 kHz. Strange. So, I changed it back in the MIDI application and the Mytek immediately switched back to 192 as shown on the LED screen. A fluke? I wish there was more information and discussion available about the setup of the DAC. I suppose that it's a cutting edge product and uncertainty is part of the experience.