mac_and_dac Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Hi there, First post, so go easy on me! ;-) Last week I purchased an Eastern Electric (Tube) DAC Plus. As instructed, I downloaded the USB drivers for Mac from the company website, but at first could not get the DAC to work using Audirvana Plus (1.4.6) as my front end. After fiddling with the Audirvana settings, I was able to get up and running. But this entailed having to disable 'Direct Mode'. So, my question is: is the problem more likely to be related to the EE drivers rather than the media player? I hope I am not missing too much by not being able to run in Direct Mode! Thanks in advance. PQ Front End: Neet Airstream Digital Processing: Chord Hugo M-Scaler DAC: Chord Dave Amplification: Cyrus Mono x300 Signatures Speakers: Kudos Titan T88 Link to comment
Melvin Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Hi there, First post, so go easy on me! ;-) Last week I purchased an Eastern Electric (Tube) DAC Plus. As instructed, I downloaded the USB drivers for Mac from the company website, but at first could not get the DAC to work using Audirvana Plus (1.4.6) as my front end. After fiddling with the Audirvana settings, I was able to get up and running. But this entailed having to disable 'Direct Mode'. So, my question is: is the problem more likely to be related to the EE drivers rather than the media player? I hope I am not missing too much by not being able to run in Direct Mode! Thanks in advance. PQ Yes, it's a driver issue. My Chord QuteHD isn't able to use Direct Mode via USB either. If you really want to use Direct/Integer Modes in Audirvana Plus you'll need a capable USB/SPDIF converter. That being said, you have a fine DAC and you should enjoy it. If you don't mind my saying so, I think you should become really familiar with the sound of your system with the new DAC in place, try the various players, then decide if you want to add another box to the mix. Welcome to the forum. Link to comment
Jud Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Melvin, just wanted to say I think that's really great advice. PQ, the direct mode in A+ is essentially a driver unto itself. It will substitute nicely for the built-in driver in Mac OS X, if you have equipment that ordinarily uses the driver built into the operating system. But when you use equipment that needs its own OS X driver, that will as a rule preclude direct mode from working. One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature. Link to comment
mwheelerk Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Melvin, just wanted to say I think that's really great advice. PQ, the direct mode in A+ is essentially a driver unto itself. It will substitute nicely for the built-in driver in Mac OS X, if you have equipment that ordinarily uses the driver built into the operating system. But when you use equipment that needs its own OS X driver, that will as a rule preclude direct mode from working. in my case my T+A DAC 8 required the installation of a driver for use of USB 2.0 in Asynchronous mode but I have never had an issue with operating Audivrana Plus in Direct/Integer mode. "A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open." Frank Zappa Link to comment
Jud Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 in my case my T+A DAC 8 required the installation of a driver for use of USB 2.0 in Asynchronous mode but I have never had an issue with operating Audivrana Plus in Direct/Integer mode. Yep, I added "as a rule," but admittedly that wasn't entirely clear. There are a few DACs needing their own drivers for which Damien has made provision in A+. One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature. Link to comment
mac_and_dac Posted May 24, 2013 Author Share Posted May 24, 2013 Thanks all. As an aside, the Mac drivers that accompany the EE DAC are quite out of date and not for the latest OS, which is a little disappointing. For those interested, the EE+ is a step up from the CA DacMagic, as you would expect, although not night-and-day. The most noticeable difference to my ears is a more tuneful bass and a slightly sweeter high end. FWIW, I haven't tried it in solid state mode yet, only valve mode. Front End: Neet Airstream Digital Processing: Chord Hugo M-Scaler DAC: Chord Dave Amplification: Cyrus Mono x300 Signatures Speakers: Kudos Titan T88 Link to comment
Jud Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Thanks all. As an aside, the Mac drivers that accompany the EE DAC are quite out of date and not for the latest OS, which is a little disappointing. For those interested, the EE+ is a step up from the CA DacMagic, as you would expect, although not night-and-day. The most noticeable difference to my ears is a more tuneful bass and a slightly sweeter high end. FWIW, I haven't tried it in solid state mode yet, only valve mode. Ah, also, since it's free, for whatever time expenditure is involved, you may want to try the latest Audirvana Plus beta. I and others feel sound quality is slightly improved over 1.4.6. Download Audirvana Plus BETA | Audirvana One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature. Link to comment
mwheelerk Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Yep, I added "as a rule," but admittedly that wasn't entirely clear. There are a few DACs needing their own drivers for which Damien has made provision in A+. Sorry Jud, my comment wasn't meant as a challenge to your statement just offering "here is one that works". "A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open." Frank Zappa Link to comment
Jud Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Sorry Jud, my comment wasn't meant as a challenge to your statement just offering "here is one that works". That's exactly how I took it. One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature. Link to comment
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