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DC-1
Jan 23, 2014 14:13:08 GMT -5
Post by Jim on Jan 23, 2014 14:13:08 GMT -5
Interesting... no "sale price" next to the $499. I saw that too. I wasn't sure if I was losing my mind. Thought that was quite interesting. |
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DC-1
Jan 23, 2014 14:20:56 GMT -5
Post by garbulky on Jan 23, 2014 14:20:56 GMT -5
Interesting... no "sale price" next to the $499. I saw that too. I wasn't sure if I was losing my mind. Thought that was quite interesting. That DAC is worth every penny at that price. |
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Post by Jim on Jan 23, 2014 14:23:42 GMT -5
Totally. That's great, because at $499, it's a no brainer. It's a different price point than 699/899.
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DC-1
Jan 23, 2014 16:50:44 GMT -5
Post by clearear on Jan 23, 2014 16:50:44 GMT -5
I love the versatility of the DC-1. I'm using it as a dedicated preamp, the coax is running to my ERC-1, the usb to my laptop & music files, and the optical to my tv ... all in great sound through my speakers or the high quality headphone amp.
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DC-1
Jan 23, 2014 17:41:40 GMT -5
Post by audiobill on Jan 23, 2014 17:41:40 GMT -5
I love the versatility of the DC-1. I'm using it as a dedicated preamp, the coax is running to my ERC-1, the usb to my laptop & music files, and the optical to my tv ... all in great sound through my speakers or the high quality headphone amp. Same here, but also running the analog out to my subwoofer. |
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 0:07:06 GMT -5
Post by mordicai on Jan 24, 2014 0:07:06 GMT -5
I have owned the Emo Dac 1 for almost a month . In all that time I have been unable to get it to work properly. Even with the supplied USB cable it would only play a maximum of 46k sampling. I always thought it was a software problem.....JRiver, Audivarna plus. After weeks of trying to get help on the net....Emotiva Lounge, Headfi, I was convinced it was a problem with the Dac. I called Emotiva and talked to a tech. He pretty much blew me off. Told me there was nothing wrong with the Dac and that it was a music player problem......that he didn't know anything about JRiver and I that I should have a nice day and he hung up. I was a little shocked since I build some Bottlehead products and those guys will bend over backwards to help you figure out whats going on. Emotiva just didn't give a xxxx. I boxed up the Emo to send back to Emotiva before my 30 days were up. An unhappy lad because I loved the sound it put out, but needed 192K USB. That night in continuing my research I found a note on a web site......" If you have a 2008 or older macbook and you are having problems playing high res USB files, it is probably a problem with the USB port on those computers not putting out enough power. Run your USB cable from the DAC to a powered HUB." Its amazing that when a customer calls Emotiva and tells them that they are having problems playing USB files on their Macbook Pro, that they are told "sorry I can't help you but have a nice day goodbye.' It's hard to believe that people who are supposed to be tech guys don't know this problem exists. Can't wait for Bottlehead to come out with their new Dac.
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 0:51:26 GMT -5
Post by wizardofoz on Jan 24, 2014 0:51:26 GMT -5
Anyone know the size of the remote screws? Lost one... Anyone occasionally get static (similar to crackles with vinyl records but more continuous) using USB (but not optical output)? Only happened to me a few times, seems to have cleared up. Perhaps electrical interference? The screws if they are the same larger like XSP remote then they should be 3mm thread countersunk maybe 5-6mm long. The DC-1 that was plugged in 230 on the 115 setting was not mine, but one someones friend of a guy on our local hifi forum. Meanwhile I just had a 2yr old ERC-2 come into the shop with a shorted out mains xformer - Emotiva responded as always with a warranty replacement in the mail within 48hrs... Props to Joe and the team. Peace ! |
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 4:15:12 GMT -5
Post by audiobill on Jan 24, 2014 4:15:12 GMT -5
I have owned the Emo Dac 1 for almost a month . In all that time I have been unable to get it to work properly. Even with the supplied USB cable it would only play a maximum of 46k sampling. I always thought it was a software problem.....JRiver, Audivarna plus. After weeks of trying to get help on the net....Emotiva Lounge, Headfi, I was convinced it was a problem with the Dac. I called Emotiva and talked to a tech. He pretty much blew me off. Told me there was nothing wrong with the Dac and that it was a music player problem......that he didn't know anything about JRiver and I that I should have a nice day and he hung up. I was a little shocked since I build some Bottlehead products and those guys will bend over backwards to help you figure out whats going on. Emotiva just didn't give a xxxx. I boxed up the Emo to send back to Emotiva before my 30 days were up. An unhappy lad because I loved the sound it put out, but needed 192K USB. That night in continuing my research I found a note on a web site......" If you have a 2008 or older macbook and you are having problems playing high res USB files, it is probably a problem with the USB port on those computers not putting out enough power. Run your USB cable from the DAC to a powered HUB." Its amazing that when a customer calls Emotiva and tells them that they are having problems playing USB files on their Macbook Pro, that they are told "sorry I can't help you but have a nice day goodbye.' It's hard to believe that people who are supposed to be tech guys don't know this problem exists. Can't wait for Bottlehead to come out with their new Dac. Sorry about your experience, but surely you don't expect Emotiva to keep track of every year of every computer's operating system? You do realize that Macs prior to 2009 are limited to 24/96? And that you'll have this limitation whatever DAC you choose? Check it out. |
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 4:48:10 GMT -5
Post by audiobill on Jan 24, 2014 4:48:10 GMT -5
A posting from Head-Fi that may be helpful...
I have an iMac (early 2009) updated to Mountain Lion (rel. 10.8.4) and I can confirm on this, I can't go higher than 96KHz/24bit on my machine. The digital output on my computer is 192/24-capable (as with all recent Macintosh machines) however Mac OS X is limited to 96/24 on S/PDIF. If you install Windows Vista/7/8 on Bootcamp you will be able to output the desired hi-res 192KHz/24bit signal through the optical output on your Mac
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 7:03:20 GMT -5
Post by jeffnyc on Jan 24, 2014 7:03:20 GMT -5
Anyone know the size of the remote screws? Lost one... Anyone occasionally get static (similar to crackles with vinyl records but more continuous) using USB (but not optical output)? Only happened to me a few times, seems to have cleared up. Perhaps electrical interference? The screws if they are the same larger like XSP remote then they should be 3mm thread countersunk maybe 5-6mm long. The DC-1 that was plugged in 230 on the 115 setting was not mine, but one someones friend of a guy on our local hifi forum. Meanwhile I just had a 2yr old ERC-2 come into the shop with a shorted out mains xformer - Emotiva responded as always with a warranty replacement in the mail within 48hrs... Props to Joe and the team. Peace ! Customer service told me 2mm, but couldn't sell me one. Local hardware stores don't go that small, will look to pilfer a screw from an old laptop... |
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klinemj
Emo VIPs 
Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,048
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 7:33:48 GMT -5
Post by klinemj on Jan 24, 2014 7:33:48 GMT -5
I would call back customer service about the screw. I don't know who you talked to, but typically they will happily send out things like that for free.
Mark
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 9:54:38 GMT -5
Post by mordicai on Jan 24, 2014 9:54:38 GMT -5
The screws if they are the same larger like XSP remote then they should be 3mm thread countersunk maybe 5-6mm long. The DC-1 that was plugged in 230 on the 115 setting was not mine, but one someones friend of a guy on our local hifi forum. Meanwhile I just had a 2yr old ERC-2 come into the shop with a shorted out mains xformer - Emotiva responded as always with a warranty replacement in the mail within 48hrs... Props to Joe and the team. Peace ! Customer service told me 2mm, but couldn't sell me one. Local hardware stores don't go that small, will look to pilfer a screw from an old laptop... |
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KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 10,224
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 9:59:21 GMT -5
Post by KeithL on Jan 24, 2014 9:59:21 GMT -5
DC-1 screws. I believe the HEAD size (for the Allen ones) is 2 mm... the thread may indeed be different. Amazingly, we simply happen to be out of spares in that size at the moment.... I'm sure that will change.  |
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 10:02:00 GMT -5
Post by mordicai on Jan 24, 2014 10:02:00 GMT -5
A posting from Head-Fi that may be helpful... I have an iMac (early 2009) updated to Mountain Lion (rel. 10.8.4) and I can confirm on this, I can't go higher than 96KHz/24bit on my machine. The digital output on my computer is 192/24-capable (as with all recent Macintosh machines) however Mac OS X is limited to 96/24 on S/PDIF. If you install Windows Vista/7/8 on Bootcamp you will be able to output the desired hi-res 192KHz/24bit signal through the optical output on your Mac Well you guys have me confused now. I am using JRiver on my 2008 Macbook pro. After plugging the USB cable from the Emo into a powered hub rather then my laptop, I have no problem playing 192K FLAC files through the Dac 1. At least thats what the dac is telling me and what my ears are hearing  |
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,224
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Post by KeithL on Jan 24, 2014 11:28:21 GMT -5
 I do apologize on behalf of whoever was so impolite - but the technical information he gave you was almost certainly correct (there was nothing wrong with the DAC). The DC-1 USB port uses a STANDARD USB connection class type (UAC2 - USB Audio Class 2). Since Microsoft STILL doesn't seem to want to support this internally in Windows, PC users have to install a driver for it (which we get from the chip vendor and provide free to our customers). Apple has supported UAC2 in their O/S for several years. This means that you don't need to install a driver (and there is no Mac driver which you could install even if you wanted to). "Modern" Apple computers support UAC2, but "older" ones do not; unfortunately I haven't seen a comprehensive list of exactly where the dividing line lies.... and if your Mac is older, and doesn't support UAC2, then there's not much you can do except NOT use USB. (The driver isn't built-in on older versions of the O/S, and there is no Apple driver you can add.) A similar situation exists for Linux, where certain builds have the UAC2 support built in, and others do not. (And, apparently, the UAC2 support in some distros only works with certain USB chip sets.) The information you located about "the USB port not putting out enough power" was, however, NOT correct - at least not for the DC-1 or the XDA-2. There are many small USB DACs available that draw their operating power from the USB port itself (they'll be the ones with no power brick or AC cord); for those DACs, it is quite possible that a certain USB port may fail to provide sufficient power. HOWEVER, the DC-1 , and the XDA-2 are both AC powered, and so cannot have that problem. There are two possible situations which could explain what was going on with YOUR Mac and DC-1. 1) By default, Macs and PCs both resample the audio sample rate of whatever files you play on them to a single sample rate. This is set in the Midi Panel on the Mac, and under Manage Audio Devices in Control Panel on the PC. (You pick a sample rate, and anything you play is converted to that sample rate before being sent to the DAC.) You can pick any sample rate supported by the output device (the DAC), but there is no option to disable resampling. On PCs with Windows 7, the way to avoid resampling is to use a player program that supports something called "WASAPI mode". This mode is built into Windows, but the only way to access it is with a player program that supports it. (The default Windows Media Player does NOT support WASAPI.) jRiver, and most other high quality players do support WASAPI, but you must configure them correctly. I don't think there's a specific name for this mode on a Mac, but on them you also need to select a player program that supports an option to NOT resample, and then you must select that option. (jRiver is one of those programs, as are Amarra and Audirvana). iTunes by itself does NOT have an option to avoid resampling, but there are several third-parts plugins for iTunes that add that option. (We don't specifically provide support for player programs, but it shouldn't be terribly difficult to find the option.) 2) When a USB connection is established, information is exchanged between the device and the computer. If the connection is imperfect, this information exchange may not complete properly; if not, then you may not have all sample rates available. When this happens, the sample rates which you are allowed to select in the Midi panel (or your player program) will be limited to 44k, or 44k and 48k ONLY. (The computer will see the DAC, but will show a "short list" of available sample rates.) This is basically a timing problem with the USB communications channel; and the most common causes are various types of issues with the USB cable or the port: * A cable that is too long: even though there is no specific cable length limit, we find that cables six feet or under work best. * A cable that simply doesn't work: some "audiophile USB cables" simply don't comply with the USB standard and don't work correctly; some VERY old "USB 1.0" cables likewise just don't work very well * A hub in the signal path: again, even though it is possible that a hub won't cause a problem, we find that they often do (so we recommend trying a direct connection if you're having problems) * Incompatibility with a certain USB port: often some ports on a given computer work well, while others do not (internally, various ports may be "wired" differently or use different "root hubs" on the motherboard (with PCs, rear panel USB ports are often better than front panel ones) I have owned the Emo Dac 1 for almost a month . In all that time I have been unable to get it to work properly. Even with the supplied USB cable it would only play a maximum of 46k sampling. I always thought it was a software problem.....JRiver, Audivarna plus. After weeks of trying to get help on the net....Emotiva Lounge, Headfi, I was convinced it was a problem with the Dac. I called Emotiva and talked to a tech. He pretty much blew me off. Told me there was nothing wrong with the Dac and that it was a music player problem......that he didn't know anything about JRiver and I that I should have a nice day and he hung up. I was a little shocked since I build some Bottlehead products and those guys will bend over backwards to help you figure out whats going on. Emotiva just didn't give a xxxx. I boxed up the Emo to send back to Emotiva before my 30 days were up. An unhappy lad because I loved the sound it put out, but needed 192K USB. That night in continuing my research I found a note on a web site......" If you have a 2008 or older macbook and you are having problems playing high res USB files, it is probably a problem with the USB port on those computers not putting out enough power. Run your USB cable from the DAC to a powered HUB." Its amazing that when a customer calls Emotiva and tells them that they are having problems playing USB files on their Macbook Pro, that they are told "sorry I can't help you but have a nice day goodbye.' It's hard to believe that people who are supposed to be tech guys don't know this problem exists. Can't wait for Bottlehead to come out with their new Dac.
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 16:28:45 GMT -5
Post by clearear on Jan 24, 2014 16:28:45 GMT -5
I love the versatility of the DC-1. I'm using it as a dedicated preamp, the coax is running to my ERC-1, the usb to my laptop & music files, and the optical to my tv ... all in great sound through my speakers or the high quality headphone amp. Same here, but also running the analog out to my subwoofer. Haven't found a use for the analog out yet. Has anyone used their DC-1 in a bi-amping situation? |
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 18:44:21 GMT -5
Post by mordicai on Jan 24, 2014 18:44:21 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply Kieth. My Mac is a 2008 Macbook Pro. I had tried both USB ports without success and then moved the DAC closer to the computer so I could use your supplied cable. Again without success. When I plugged the USB cable into a HUB instead of the computer , it worked great. Don't know what to tell you. If I had a faulty usb port on the Mac then the Hub would not have worked. I don't know squat but to me it sure seems that the power from the hub is what made the difference. If anyone with a 2008 or older Mac has problems connecting to a Dac with USB, I would sure recommend a powered hub.
My apologies Keith. Seems I have one good most of the time and one not so good USB ports on my '08 Macbook pro. It was hard for me to nail it down because of there intermittent performance. When I can get everything to work......Macbook,Dac 1, Bottlehead Crack , HD 600........Fabulous sounds!
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 18:52:00 GMT -5
Post by anwklo on Jan 24, 2014 18:52:00 GMT -5
Area there any idea of the sockets are using for?  |
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DC-1
Jan 24, 2014 21:22:38 GMT -5
Post by GreenKiwi on Jan 24, 2014 21:22:38 GMT -5
If you are talking about the black connector, it's a JTAG port, you connect this to a test machine and it allows your to automatically drive the various chips and logic in your system. Sometimes it can be used for loading firmware I believe. The white connector looks like a power connector, but I could be wrong. |
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DC-1
Jan 25, 2014 22:24:00 GMT -5
Post by anwklo on Jan 25, 2014 22:24:00 GMT -5
If you are talking about the black connector, it's a JTAG port, you connect this to a test machine and it allows your to automatically drive the various chips and logic in your system. Sometimes it can be used for loading firmware I believe. The white connector looks like a power connector, but I could be wrong. Thank you. |
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I do apologize on behalf of whoever was so impolite - but the technical information he gave you was almost certainly correct (there was nothing wrong with the DAC).
