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bordin

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  1. Hi guymrob, It would result from differences of the jitter type and level between those two data input channels. Have you also compared USB harddisk v.s. USB flash drive playback ? Try different brands and models as well. You may be more surprised. --bordin
  2. If I'm not mistaken, old Metric Halo ULN models require external power supply. For playback, the new models can be Firewire-powered. Sonics of my ULN-2 either Firewire-powered or adapter-powered is very good. It would be better in terms of the investment/performance gain to improve other components on the signal paths instead such as the interconnect cables. Nonetheless, decent cables could cost more than the RMAF adapter.
  3. Hey Guys, The benefits of CA is to share opinions and direct experiences, perhaps facts. ;-) My logic is so simply, but opinioned. A dual-bootable Shuttle XPC (Windows XP/Vista and OSX) with a Lynx AES16e card feeds to the OMZ DAC. Listening to the same tracks. To my knowledge, I haven't encountered a Windows-based system that makes the Lynx AES16e sound as good as on an OSX-based system. It would be interesting to find such a system. Nonetheless, this would require a lot of tweaks which would not be straight forward for ordinary music lovers to follow. ;-) The music from OSX environments (in my setup) sounds better, to my ears. This is off the topic.
  4. Hi Costas, > what are you feeding it for an input etc, what are you using for computer etc. I built a music server using a barecone PC from Shuttle. It comes with a Firewire port and the Lynx AES16e can fit in it. My configurations: 1. Windows XP or OSX -- Lynx AES16e --> Alpha / ULN-2 / OMZ (/w DIY AES-SPDIF Converter) 2. Windows XP or OSX -- On-board Firewire --> INT202 --> Alpha / ULN-2 / OMZ 3. OSX Only -- Firewire --> ULN-2 --> Alpha or OMZ As I mentioned, the best sounding is from using either ULN-2 or INT202 as the digital interface on OSX. However, the Lynx AES16e (on OSX) can make your Alpha sound fantastic. You may be interested in the following thread: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/Clocks-and-Alpha-DAC
  5. From my experience,the Mac platform produces the best sounds mainly due to better audio kernel and drivers. The Weiss INT202 or the Metric Halo ULN-2 is better than the Lynx AES16 card.
  6. I think Bob got his new LIO-8. ;-) The BADA employs the AD1852 D/A converter which is the same one in my OMZ DAC. My Metric Halo ULN-2, using the AK4395 converter, has a different sonic signature from the AD1852's. One of my friends prefers his BADA while I prefer my ULN-2, soundwise. Significantly, the BADA and the OMZ is very sensitive to quality of the AES/EBU or S/PDIF source. I'll be having a chance to compare the Weiss DAC202 and the BADA against my ULN-2 in my system, perhaps with the Woo Audio WES Max as well. :-)
  7. You may check with Bob whose BADA has been "transformed" to be a top-notch player of another class. > About my BADA clock... By 'master clock,' I meant the clock that actually drives the DAC chip. In the case of the BADA, this clock operates at a frequency of 25.5760 MHz. As I was unable to find an off-the-shelf oscillator with requisite performance (10 PPM, 15 pF, etc.) and form factor (HC-49/U), I had 500 pieces fabricated in China. ...
  8. If you read through history of digital audio interface, then you will find the S/PDIF protocol, based on the AES/EBU protocol, has some flaws one of which is that it encodes clock and data signals altogether. This results in a higher jitter level in audio reproduction. Modern digital interface designs choose an alternative approach. However, the 2-link configuration allows the AES/EBU or S/PDIF to carry the clock signal on a separate line (master-slave) which is similar to the HDMI link. Is The AES/EBU & S/PDIF Digital Audio Interface Flawed ? by Dunn & Hawksford 1993 ( pdf ) DIGITabilis: crash course on digital audio interfaces See > Table : DisplayPort Compared Against LVDS, DVI and HDMI
  9. Majority of SCAD titles come in hybrid discs that have both SACD and CD layers. It only depends on the player to read which layer. You may check out the dCS Scarlatti Set that comes with a CD/SACD transport and a DAC. They employs proprietary links (cables and protocols) for playing SACD materials.
  10. > I tend to be drawn to things like dryness, control and resolution. Have you auditioned Grace M902 ? It may also bring your attention ;-)
  11. Mani, Thanks for the note. I wish to listen a RME card. Regarding the latency effect, I still can't imagine how latency would affect S/PDIF signal generation. Bits must be perfect so that the only factor is the jitter level. I guess XXHighEnd talks directly with the driver of the audio device, bypassing the kernel routines. So, it can sustain bit stream at a constant rate. However, I still wonder how a smaller buffer setting makes better sounding. There must be from some properties of electronic components of the audio interface. My belief is that the latency effect would exist only in the AES/EBU or S/PDIF signal in which clock is extracted from clock-embedded serial data.
  12. > Are you just saying that you have a Lynx AES16e and > that the best sound quality you obtained was using Mac OS X? Yes I am. My AES16e on Windows sounds muddier. > Or did you compare a number of sound cards and the Lynx AES16e came out on top? The Metric Halo ULN-2 (Firewire-2-SPDIF) and the Weiss INT202 came out on top. IMHO, ones of the best in the market.
  13. A shunt regulator should also be a very clean power supply source, particularly without the issues of voltage drop and impedance-related noise. TNT-Audio have done some comparisons. Link > Two-transistor Shunt Regulator v.s. Batteries Lead battery noise ..However, increasing load current to 35 mA yields the light blue trace for the battery: at least 20dB worse than the regulator!..
  14. You may get some help from their Support Portal and User Forum.
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