roe12605

Hi wappinghigh, I'm using a Yamaha HT receiver RX-A3040 with analog outs to external power amp, and it meets all my needs - except YPAO is not doing it for me. DIRAC may potentially be significantly better, so that's where this journey started, ways to go about implementing DIRAC with or without scrapping current gear. Thanks, David

Thank you, Nyal. That's very helpful advice! I came here to see if an HTPC with DIRAC is feasible for my application and I'm seeing that it is not, so, good to know. I will be looking for new products (from AudioControl, Emotiva, others?) around the first of the year to see what's new! thanks, David

Thanks, Fitzcaraldo215 but that is not the implementation I want. For instance, my wife must be able to operate the system thoroughly on her own in my absence. Complexity reduction / elimination is a goal here. I appreciate your help, though! David

Thanks, DigiPete, I found your posts on these links helpful, David

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Hi wappinghigh, Glad you are having success with your configuration. My desired configuration is not PC centric; but I hoped to tap some experience here in a/d/a at 24/96 or higher. Plan "A": I want the PC (performing both DIRAC via a/d/a and music file rendering) to be a useful part of my Home Theater video system with multiple inputs that has my high quality existing multi-channel pre/pro and high quality amp. And, I want a DIRAC solution that is *also* high quality, looking for a higher sampling rate than the miniDSP DDRC-88A's 24/48. It's the pursuit of that objective that led me here, to explore possibility of a PC solution to go between the pre/pro and amp. Having one more a/d/a at 24/96 or higher in an intermediate PC does not bother me. At this point in time, the DIRAC implementations available in pre/pro's are not high sampling rate unless you spend $20K for the Datasat. I suspect availability of a suitable high quality pre/pro with DIRAC and 24/96 or higher may occur 4Q15 or early 2016 as several manufacturers are going that direction (Steinway Lyngdorf, Emotiva XMR-1, Trinnov, Datasat etc.), and replacing my pre/pro is plan "B", obviating the need for a PC entirely. Thanks for your help, David

Thanks, DigiPete, I'll look into those.

Hi Eloise! Thanks, yes, what I've found so far in the under $400 8-channel balanced input a/d/a USB units for PC have been all 24/96 or less. Even at 24/96, that's twice the sampling rate of the miniDSP, not an insignificant diffference. Typical Signal to noise ratios on the <$400 products is around ~100 dB, not great and not good enough for my application. The Lynx Aurora 8 (thanks, Fitzcaraldo215) would do nicely and has specs you'd expect from pro gear, but at $1,800 (plus >$700 for DIRAC license) it is priced beyond suitable alternative DIRAC HT multichannel configurations not involving a PC (such as Emotiva's XMC-1). I would love to hear someone's configuration of DIRAC multichannel HT via a PC using the Aurora 8, it would likely be superior to most. thanks Computer Audiophile for the input! David

Hi Fitzcaraldo215, that Lynx Aurora 8 has great specs for s/n performance, thanks! Seriously, though, I would have thought [ pre-amp > DIRAC HTPC > amp ] would be a popular application in a Home Theater for a HTPC. No one has a setup of this type tested and working? I'm surprised! I suppose for $300 I could gamble on the Tascam unit and use the demo version of DIRAC multichannel to investigate.

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These all sound like great products for getting the sound OUT of the PC - the Digital Rights Management issue may keep me from getting from a pre/pro INTO the PC digitally. ( TOSlink optical won't work? ) Fitzcarldo215, I was unaware there were pro PC cards with 8-channel balanced I/O. Brand names to examine please? thanks. Also, I'm right there with you on "A hybrid idea is to use a good prepro as the center of your system", I've got the Emotiva XMC-1 or upcoming RMC-1 on my short list, too. I'm just exploring the possibility of using the HTPC for high-sampling-rate DIRAC, and thinking this forum is the best place to do so. DRM is why I OP'd that I'd like to go from pre/pro into PC analog. Yes, it's another A/D/A conversion. However, for my ears, I'd rather have DIRAC with this additional A/D/A conversion, than be without. And, logic would dictate that a 96 kHz sample rate or better, depending on input hardware capabilities, would give me less quantization error than miniDSP's 48 kHz rate (hardware limitation? yes, so far - but DIRAC PC software can go to 192 kHz). In any event, I doubt that I can hear any difference with or without this additional A/D/A in the chain. And the higher this sampling rate, the less likely anyone is to be able to detect it's there. The PC has a potentially much higher DIRAC sampling rate than most other DIRAC solutions out there (possible exception the Datasat RS20i, but I can't afford it!) I also would prefer XLR ins and outs - with a fully balanced signal path - like the products referenced in the OP. I'm guessing that's hard to come by in a PC sound card (?) but I'd like to hear of brands with balanced inputs and outputs? Unbalanced connections into a noisy RFI environment like a PC is asking for audio trouble and would negate attentions placed elsewhere like true differential design, fully balanced power amps (ATI AT2007) and balanced pre-amp outputs. The hardware products in the OP have these balanced ins (however in one case it's TRS and not XLR). As Fitzcarldo215 said, Sound quality with music is absolutely #1. So, revising the OP, anyone have an 8-channel, balanced audio connection solution both into and out of a PC that they'd recommend? thank you all for your comments and input.

Hello all, New to this forum, long-time DIRAC interest, none bought yet. 47 years as an audiophile now! I've been considering miniDSP's DDRC-88A for a home theater application, inserted between preamp and power amp. However, discovering this board last night, I'm excited about the PC-based DIRAC having up to 24 bit resolution at 192 kHz sample rate vs. 48 kHz sampling rate in the miniDSP DDRC-88A (as I understand it). What I've seen posted seems to be using PC DIRAC to render and deliver NAS files, with PC computer files as originator. I'm interested in processing ALL of my audio sources (satellite, blu-ray, x-box, PS-3, Qnap music server, HTPC). I've not read the nearly 4000 posts here, but is anyone using PC based DIRAC multi-channel software with 8-channels in and out for ALL sources in a home theater? If so, what hardware are you using, and what are your impressions of the setup? This would be great as an HTPC app. I'm looking at 8-channel USB I/O potentially with a product such as TASCAM's US-16x08, a 16-in/8-out USB 2.0 Audio Interface, 24 bit 96kHz sample rate, ($300) here: TASCAM US-16x08 | Sweetwater.com or M-Audio M-Track MTRACK8XUS USB Audio Interface, up to 24 bit 96kHz sample rate, ($400) here: M-Audio M-Track Eight - 8-Input USB Audio Interface MTRACK8XUS now there are a few details I haven't worked out, such as possible gain window complications with mic level / line level on inputs, but there's potential here, even if other products are required that I haven't yet discovered. If this works, the total price of software and I/O is ballpark what the DDRC-88A costs, with twice the sampling rate. If there are existing threads illustrating this use, would you please direct me to a link? Thanks for your help!