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Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter

85.19.92.6
Posted on December 9, 2014 at 06:11:05
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004

Hi i have bought the converter in the link
I hope it will give me usb isolation and a clean spdif out even using and off the shelf pc (i mean not particularly audiophile oriented)
Has Anyone tried this device maybe ?
Unfortunately no drivers for Android OS ... an odd idea that i have in mind
Thanks a lot.
Kind regards,
bg

 

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I am buying one of these for about $300, posted on December 9, 2014 at 07:17:04
fmak
Audiophile

Posts: 13158
Location: Kent
Joined: June 1, 2002
 http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.0.0.cnSQVV&id=39315262019

for audio. There is more room than the i7 model and has the promise of a good audio platform. Also the i7 one does not support vga which I use and defeat once set.

I cannot see why the mark up in the UK is so high.

 

RE: I am buying one of these for about $300, posted on December 9, 2014 at 07:43:58
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004
 Hi and thanks a lot
I do not understand chinese but it looks just wonderful ...

" Jimmy Core i5-4200U fanless mini computer small living room HTPC host machine 3317Ui3 upgrade
Aluminum fanless zero decibel noise, dust-proof design.
The new 4th generation Turbo Core i5-4200U upgraded 2.6Ghz Core Graphics to support 4K HD output HD4400 supports dual-channel memory commercial office home entertainment online graphic design industrial education and so applicable "

and which OS could you install on it ?
It looks very very nice indeed.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg

 

RE: I am buying one of these for about $300, posted on December 9, 2014 at 08:11:54
fmak
Audiophile

Posts: 13158
Location: Kent
Joined: June 1, 2002
 They say W7, but I can change it to 8.1 x64 or server

 

RE: I am buying one of these for about $300, posted on December 9, 2014 at 09:13:22
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004
Hi and thanks and sorry but i forgot to ask how are you going to use it ?
with which other units ? a usb dac ? which one ?
I have decided to try again the usb to spdif solution for some reason:
1) because i think that a nice usb to spdif converter could give me a nice spdif quite independently from the actual pc used (i mean a just decent pc able to run a 64 bit WIndows should suffice)
2) i could score some nice vintage dac at a nice price to use with it. A friend for instance could sell me his California Audio Labs dac i do not remember the exact model but i remember that it sounded nice
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg

 

RE: Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter, posted on December 9, 2014 at 09:20:24
Stephen Murphy
Audiophile

Posts: 1333
Joined: April 17, 2002
 I have a similar usb to spdif, not that brand. The biggest improvement I had in sound came from the fact that the unit has it's own power supply, so it doesn't need power from the usb cable. I was able to use an inexpensive usb cable and nip the power connectors off the plug end to disable power traveling up the cable. This made a dramatic change in the sound, easing up the sound and lowering the noise floor.

 

RE: Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter, posted on December 9, 2014 at 09:50:53
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004


Hi and thanks for the very comforting experience
This is my aim also the usb isolation
I am not sure that this converter works with a data only usb cable
But i will try because i have already a usb power supply that disconnects with an adapter the usb dac from the pc power lines
I will try and listen
Not that i have high quality dacs ... for now
An old Cambridge audio Dacmagic 3 should be the best one sound wise
But once i have solved the transport issue i could replace it with something better
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg

 

very happy with U12, posted on December 11, 2014 at 21:28:59
panhead
Audiophile

Posts: 920
Location: chicago
Joined: January 20, 2007
 I just recently upgraded from U10 to U12 on main server. A slight improvement. I do know the U10 was sensitive to cables.

Do think these sound better than the Audiophilleo + pure power that I used before. I read this somewhere I think on CA so I sent some bucks to china.

There is a thread on headfi about the Gustard. Apparently not everyone likes them. I do split off the 5v on the USB on both servers and that helps and I use antivibration tools.

YMMV

 

RE: very happy with U12, posted on December 12, 2014 at 08:42:12
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004
Hi and thanks a lot for your kind and valuable reply
Good to hear that is a nice box and also the balanced digital out could be a nice thing, as long as one owns a suitable dac.
I have one or two dacs to try with the U12
I had a look at your system and i did not understand which OS are you using.
I see server ...
I am using a pc with win 7 64 bit ... i hope to find the right drivers
Let's listen ...
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg

 

RE: Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter, posted on December 12, 2014 at 10:46:02
pixelphoto
Audiophile

Posts: 655
Location: So. Cal.
Joined: December 15, 2009
 Hi beppe61, do you know if it is plug and play or are drivers required on a Mac? Searched everywhere but no answer.

 

RE: Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter, posted on December 12, 2014 at 10:57:42
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004
Hi i am afraid it is not plug and play
If you go down in the page

" All version of 32/64 bit Windows and Mac OS drivers can be downloaded here: http://pan.baidu.com/s/1ntNXwN3
Linux OS is not supported yet! "

unfortunately the site is in Chinese
I hope to be able to make it work
I have also the previous U10 and it works ok.
This should be better i guess.

Kind regards,
bg

 

RE: Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter, posted on December 12, 2014 at 11:30:48
pixelphoto
Audiophile

Posts: 655
Location: So. Cal.
Joined: December 15, 2009
 Thanks beppe61. I followered the link and managed to download a driver but on arrival found its for Windows. Google translate was no help. I'll attempt to email them and see what happens.

 

RE: very happy with U12, posted on December 13, 2014 at 01:15:30
panhead
Audiophile

Posts: 920
Location: chicago
Joined: January 20, 2007
 I have two servers in service:

1. I call this the main server - 2 boxes - Windows server 2012 running in DOS mode with Phils AO tweaks. No KVM attached. Second box is win 8 and Jremote via cat5 to select tunes. Remote desktop sounds a bit ragged here.

2. Streamer - Win 8.1 with network and Fidelizer Pro 6.2

 

RE: very happy with U12, posted on December 13, 2014 at 01:46:34
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004
Hi and thanks for the valuable reply
Being quite ignorant of PCs i have to keep things as simple as possible
I have only had the sensation that 64 bit OS are better
So a 64 bit OS and a decent HW to run it and i am done for now
I am not looking for high end sound of course
Just a "nice" one with the music i like
Moreover my set-up is not resolving enough to highlight small differences in sound but when i hear a musical sound i feel it usually
I like a sound clean and relaxed that invites me to listen more
I have some dacs to test with this interface.
Maybe i will be able to find a good match.
Thanks again.

Kind regards,
bg

 

good point - , posted on December 13, 2014 at 04:20:56
panhead
Audiophile

Posts: 920
Location: chicago
Joined: January 20, 2007
 Have updated my system description, hope its more clear now:

http://cgi.audioasylum.com/cgi/system.mpl

 

RE: good point - , posted on December 13, 2014 at 07:55:18
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004
 Hi and thanks again for the very interesting advice
What i meant is that i have to keep things simple even if this means a worse sound
I am looking for a musical sound, a sound that i can listen without fatigue and with digital is not a small task
With analog no problem ever even with cheap set-ups
Digital is convenient but also a pain to do properly
Thanks again.

Kind regards,
bg

 

RE: good point - , posted on December 13, 2014 at 21:12:58
panhead
Audiophile

Posts: 920
Location: chicago
Joined: January 20, 2007
 No arguments here. Ive jumped thru all kinds of hoops to get the system where it is now.

Good luck!

 

RE: Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter, posted on January 20, 2015 at 14:57:18
pixelphoto
Audiophile

Posts: 655
Location: So. Cal.
Joined: December 15, 2009
 Hi beppi61,
I followed your lead some weeks ago and purchased a Gustard U12 (eBay $169.99). I’ve been listening to my music via my Mac Mini (late 2012) and 32GB SD cards with Mavericks (10.9) and Yosemite (10.10.1) installed and was pleased with the sound. But, I have a $200 SPDIF cable (Oyaide DR-510) that had been doing duty on my lightly modded Oppo DV 980H and Musical Fidelity V90 Dac. I had been hankering to use it on the computer setup but couldn’t make up my mind about which converter to try until I read your post and did further research. Well I believe I made a smart move.
By the way the U12 is plug and play on the Mac. At first play the sound was somewhat sharp to my ears so I put the IsoTek Optimising and Demagnitising file on repeat and let the U12 burn until the next day. It’s been about three weeks since I installed it in my modest system and the sound is so pleasing to my aged ears. I have not compared other USB-SPDIF converters to the U12 but that’s ok cause my ears are happy with what I have. But...
I’ve been thinking (I’m in trouble now) about the USB cables I’m using. One is a IOGEAR GUE216 USB 2.0 Booster Extension Cable (15’) and a Belkin Gold Series cable (10’). I recently happened onto (http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/what-are-new-asynch-universal-serial-bus-industry-standard-cables-connectors-and-communications-protocols-between-computers-and-electronic-devices-converter-contenders-2014-a-22459/index4.html) one poster mentioned he was using a Corning 10 meter optical USB cable in his Gustard U12 setup. Optical USB cable, say what! I know nothing save what I learned from the many smart forum members in the Cable forum. But my intuition always guides me to the right place. A optical USB cable; now that sounds really interesting. Going to try one soooon.

See my post in the cable form re USB 3.Optical™ - Optical Cables by Corning



Happy ears to ya

 

RE: Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter, posted on January 20, 2015 at 16:27:49
theob
Audiophile

Posts: 3180
Location: ann arbor michigan
Joined: November 4, 2000
 Anxious to hear your feedback on the Corning cable. Keep us posted.

 

RE: Another little box coming ... usb to spdif converter, posted on January 20, 2015 at 23:49:22
beppe61
Audiophile

Posts: 4705
Joined: January 29, 2004

Hi and thanks a lot for the very interesting answer
Unfortunately i cannot give a reliable opinion on anything for various reasons:
1) i had my ears checked recently and i am not a batman at all
2) my system is not resolving enough and in my room the 3D effect is not what i liked to have. This tells me that something is quite wrong in my acual set-up, equipment or room or both.
I should try some headphones maybe ... they can be very revealing sometimes.
Good to know that it works nicely anyway.
I would like to move to an Apple pc by the way for various reason.
I am still thinking about this.
Thanks again for your advice.

P.S. in the meantime i have tested this in the picture
It is plug and play and works ok. Sound is quite nice.
It could be an extremely cheap addition to a laptop or whatever.
I like it.
Kind regards,
bg

 

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