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to the Audio-GD Master 11 DAC. Short 6 inch HDMI cable.The Master 11 DAC is from 2016 or so and had only an RJ-45 I2S input which the AI2AES no longer supports (they can no longer get the board, they claim) so I had to buy an HDMI input board from King Wa at Audio-GD which cost more to ship via DHL from the mainland than the board.
Installed the HDMI/I2S card in the DAC this morning and, after a hitch or two and some REALLY distorted sound, got it all going. Lots of re-boots of DAC, Pi and Audirvana required but finally everything came together.
Betters the same Pi4/PI2AES - PRO AUDIO SHIELD using its AES3/BNC output as well as the Pi3/DigiOne using the same BNC connection to the DAC.
That with just the 24V 'crap' switcher supply that came with the 'hat' powering both the 'hat' and the Pi.
Always wanted to try a direct I2S input to this DAC as I've had three Chinese DACs (2 Audio-GD and the Terminator) that support an I2S input. Some claim it's the better sounding input on some DACs so finally got to try it.
Pretty decent.
Edits: 03/06/21Follow Ups:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/study-is-i%C2%B2s-interface-better-for-dacs-than-s-pdif-or-usb.7105/
Your link has zero relevance to what has been posted here.
so somebody "hears" I2S as better then usb or coax yet a link that provides actual testing is irrelevant... got it
Christ, he tested one brand and you then generalised. It's a false assumption.
take a deep breath... I just posted a link and didn't comment about it one way or another...
https://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/messages/18/183680.html
I posted the link to Ivan without comment... you felt the need to confront me... so FO...
Your comment gave false info
And he has no idea what a Pi4/PI2AES - PRO AUDIO SHIELD hooked to my DAC via AES3 vs. I2S over HDMI vs. Pi4 USB direct without 'hat' sounds like or if they sound different.
No idea.
So I don't give a flying $%^& what Amir reports.
This is to be expected and you should have done this before going on about the 'superiority' of AES or 75R BNC converters. It also gives you the ability to play true hires.
all references I have made here to the superiority of AES3 via 75 Ohm BNC to BNC adapters was in comparison to USB (great for printing!) on a couple different DACs.
But great to have you contribute to the thread, Fred!
As I have posted before, you have a problem with your usb interface or setup.. Most older style Chinese usb devices have low quality XOs that translate signals into the x44.1 and x48k related resolutions.
to convert USB to I2S, as did the earlier DENAFRIPS Terminator. The newer Terminator (which I also have) uses a firmware conversion method.
I have not compared USB to I2S directly using the Terminator as it's in a differing system but if I hear the same results and the I2S direct is better than AES/EBU via balanced cable on the DENAFRIPS, I might sell the dCS Network Bridge and go all Pi.
There are Amanero boards and Amanero boards. The issue in question is whether they use the convent garden XOs or decent ones for conversion into playable resolutions.
Here it is. Best picture I can find on the net.
As it does not look like the one that was listed on the AMANERO site a few years back when the DAC was new, I'm guessing Audio-GD is/was using a licensed version or licensed it themselves and had it made.
Look at the XOs. They are non descript, the brands may vary between the x44 and x48 XOs and even the usb one. Perhaps 20cents each?
Fred, when did you become a component engineer and USB interface designer?How's your massively noisy Dell "Power PC" music server performing?
Edits: 03/10/21
Unlike you I don't post nonsensical comments
Actually you do, you just don't realize it.
Two chips on the ANAMERO board.
Larger one by Atmel (a Silicon Valley company) and it appears to be a SMART ARM-based Flash MCU. DigiKey wants $7.42 in each quantities.
Smaller chip is by Xilinx, another Silicon Valley California company, and it appears to be a XC2C64A CoolRunner-II CPLD (complex programmable logic device) something like an FPGA. DigiKey gets about $3.80 for single quantities.
I doubt if the price of either has much to do with the quality of the AMANERO board as with most things at this level of digital its all being done in firmware and these two chips are all about programing.
You can't tell which ones are the XO chips? They are not the ones you posted about. They are the ones nearer the top by the capacitors. They control frequency accuracy, stability, and phase noise - central to good SQ.
No wonder you have not been able to comprehend the simple truths about XOs used in sample rate conversions over so long..
The DENAFRIPS Terminator in my main system, where I normally run the dCS Network Bridge for streaming, uses CRYSTEK CCHD-957 type clocks and USB > I2S conversion using FPGA. If i's all about cheap clock, it should sound every bit as good with using USB input from the Pi4 as I2S over HDMI (which the Terminator also supports).
But still, while the difference is small, I2S over HDMI still wins. And the Pi3 sounds better using AES3 via BNC.
"No wonder you have not been able to comprehend the simple truths about XOs used in sample rate conversions over so long.."
You seem to like to use acronyms rather than spell things out, Fred, which is why I missed your earlier point.
Since you prefer acronyms, see if you can figure this one out.
GFY!
Quite simple. The method of clock transmission and regeneration at the dac are different. You said earlier that spdif sounded better than usb. At the spdif interface, there is s phase lock loop that aims to reduce jitter. The width of the pll affects SQ as well as other things. The usb interface may or may not have a Femto clock but its design and the interface with the dac also affect SQ.
On top of this is that most China designed units do not implement a Sound Control Panel where such things as latency can be set to fine tune SQ. In my experience, high buffer settings actually 'kill' the transient character of the music. The Topping units now seem to buck the trend.
In my experience, high buffer settings actually 'kill' the transient character of the music.
Agreed. I got a worthwhile SQ boost by setting the buffer size on my Xmos-based WaveIO USB> I2S board to the lowest possible value.
++++
**Really obscure tweak warning**
If your music server's and/or NAA's NIC allow it, try lowering their buffer sizes too.
You heard it here first . . .
D
I have actually been paying attention to how buffer sizes affect SQ for quite a few years, going back to CMP times.
I wonder why no one appears to have flagged and discussed the subject before.
Fred believes his move from Windows 8 to Windows 10 is big news ;-)P.S. Is your I2S setup "stable" at this point or do you have to fiddle with reboots and the order in which you power up devices?
Edits: 03/08/21
Fake narrative - your speciality
all works well.
Understanding that along with the new Pi/'hat' I also replaced the I2S board in the DAC (removing the RJ45 board and installed a powered HDMI input board) at the same time so that might have been part of it.
That said, the Pi stays on 24/7 while the DAC is turned off at night.
Still, no problems after a couple days.
If I owned a DAC with I2S input, I would certainly try a Pi with the PI2AES - PRO AUDIO SHIELD 'hat' just for laughs.
Seem to recall your TOPPING D90 DAC has HDMI I2S input?
Hi Abe,
"Seem to recall your TOPPING D90 DAC has HDMI I2S input?"
I have been running this setup for almost a year and have no urge to try anything else. :) I highly recommend it.
where did you get the short hdmi cable?
thanks,
drmike
I purchased it on eBay. I'm very happy with this cable.
Edits: 04/16/21
Hi Abe,
"Seem to recall your TOPPING D90 DAC has HDMI I2S input?"
I have been running this setup for almost a year and have no urge to try anything else. :) I highly recommend it.
Yes, the Topping D90 DAC has HDMI I2S input as does my older PS Audio NuWave DSD DAC.
with your 'cheap Chinese DAC, it is with mine. :-)
But you might need a board that the company is currently developing to match the PS-Audio HDMI configuration.
Considering the small cost relative to audio stuff, I'd try it with the TOPPING and if you like it you can get the additional board for the PSAudio later.
Up to now I've considered the Pi with the ALLO S/PDIF board as 'fine' and 'good enough' and even more that OK with the LPS-1 powering the Pi, but not the end of the road for renderers. Short of any unforeseen glitches, I'm gonna focus on amp building and TT upgrades for awhile.
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