DC-1

[roadrunner]

Jun 17, 2014 21:12:49 GMT -5 TheMachinist said:

Ground loop issue ? I too have that hum/hiss with one of my laptops to DC-1 and another audio-gd dac. If I run the laptop via battery only, then the hiss reduces very much.

Might want to try a galvanic USB isolator

The hum/hiss that you are hearing could well be the result of DC Offset. Emotiva's CMX-2 and CMX-6 effectively filter out this irritating noise. Many Lounge Members reported how well these "PRECISION COMMON MODE AC LINE FILTER & POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM" power strips eliminated the hum/hiss problems they were experiencing.

After using my CMX-2 for the past couple of years I will make sure that I have either the CMX-2 or the CMX-6 in every system I have from now on. I highly recommend these power distributing systems to anyone installing a high quality audio system.

[andyman]

Hi Gents
Would every system benefit from a dc1? I currently have B&W805 speakers Bryston amps a lexicon processor and a Panasonic blue ray player.
Thanks Andy

[davidvanderbilt]

Jun 25, 2014 14:59:03 GMT -5 roadrunner said:

Jun 17, 2014 21:12:49 GMT -5 TheMachinist said:

Ground loop issue ? I too have that hum/hiss with one of my laptops to DC-1 and another audio-gd dac. If I run the laptop via battery only, then the hiss reduces very much.

Might want to try a galvanic USB isolator

The hum/hiss that you are hearing could well be the result of DC Offset. Emotiva's CMX-2 and CMX-6 effectively filter out this irritating noise. Many Lounge Members reported how well these "PRECISION COMMON MODE AC LINE FILTER & POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM" power strips eliminated the hum/hiss problems they were experiencing.

After using my CMX-2 for the past couple of years I will make sure that I have either the CMX-2 or the CMX-6 in every system I have from now on. I highly recommend these power distributing systems to anyone installing a high quality audio system.

Thanks to everyone for the responses! That's interesting. I'm kind of mad I have to spend another 100 dollars for the CMX-2 so the DC-1 functions without noise! I have tried it on multiple laptops, with battery only, with different inputs, and it continues to make the noise, so maybe it really is the power supply making the noise. I still don't understand why the sound goes away when I turn to synchronous mode. Maybe I'll return this one and get a new one. 

[klinemj]

If it does it with battery, the cmx is not going to help. Call Emotiva....something is not right.

Mark

[davidvanderbilt]

Jun 25, 2014 20:23:50 GMT -5 klinemj said:

If it does it with battery, the cmx is not going to help. Call Emotiva....something is not right.

Mark

Sorry, I meant using my laptop running off battery only. I've been emailing emotiva back and forth about the problem but I will call them tomorrow.

[klinemj]

Ah - got it...good luck! Let us know how it comes out.
Mark

[roadrunner]

Jun 25, 2014 20:06:09 GMT -5 davidvanderbilt said:

Jun 25, 2014 14:59:03 GMT -5 roadrunner said:

The hum/hiss that you are hearing could well be the result of DC Offset. Emotiva's CMX-2 and CMX-6 effectively filter out this irritating noise. Many Lounge Members reported how well these "PRECISION COMMON MODE AC LINE FILTER & POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM" power strips eliminated the hum/hiss problems they were experiencing.

After using my CMX-2 for the past couple of years I will make sure that I have either the CMX-2 or the CMX-6 in every system I have from now on. I highly recommend these power distributing systems to anyone installing a high quality audio system.

Thanks to everyone for the responses! That's interesting. I'm kind of mad I have to spend another 100 dollars for the CMX-2 so the DC-1 functions without noise! I have tried it on multiple laptops, with battery only, with different inputs, and it continues to make the noise, so maybe it really is the power supply making the noise. I still don't understand why the sound goes away when I turn to synchronous mode. Maybe I'll return this one and get a new one. 

There are a number of things that may be causing your problem with the noise. It is a process of elimination to isolate what your particular issue is. There are several possibilities that need to be investigated. You could have some cables that are poorly constructed, you could have a dimmer switch on the same circuit as your audio system, you could have decorative lighting, you could have a ground loop issue, etc, etc. You will also want to check all your cable routing in your system and try to ensure that all your signal cables cross power cables at a 90 degree angle. It can be very frustrating to isolate what the culprit is that is causing your noise issues. Good luck in your hunt. You might call Emotiva's tech support to help you find what is causing your noise problem. I would be surprised if it turns out to be the DC-1, but it is still a possibility that the support tech can help your eliminate.

[davidvanderbilt]

Okay great, thanks! I will try those things and I'll give Emotiva a call tomorrow. I'll let you guys know what happens.

[audiobill]

Dave,

Glad to see you've gone for the DC-1.

As Mark said, something's not right, and you'll be glad you've worked this through.

Emo will make things right if not at your end.

Bill

[garbulky]

This may sound stupid but unplug the DC-1 fro mthe power plug completely. Wait ten seconds, shove it back in. See what happens.

[Deleted]

Just got a DC-1 (review and comparison vs. XDA-2 below)

First of all before going into my comparison, I will say that I was at the Atlanta Emotiva on the Road event this past weekend. I was able to get a little more up close and hands on with the equipment than at Emofest. I tried out Joe Walsh's Confessor on the whole array of Airmotiv and Stealth speakers. They all sounded great but the Stealth 6s and Stealth 8s blew me away on how astoundingly great they sounded on the Confessor though the DC-1. Somewhere early on in this thread Keith had indicated the Stealth 8's showed significant gains with the DC-1 versus the XDA-2.

I started out listening to a block of familiar music through the DC-1 then my XDA-2. At first I was not happy with the sound through the DC-1. Maybe I was a bit tired starting out, or I just needed to settle in with the sound.

I that DC-1 vs. the XDA-2 seemed a bit louder at the same volume setting. I am guessing this is due due to the “pro” output levels via the XLR connectors. I know I would need to level adjust when I got to the point of A-B comparison.

I have been using Daphile and Open Elec (as version of XBMC) as music servers with my XDA-2. Sadly although Daphile recognizes the DC-1 as a USB2 DAC, I could not get any output. Open Elec has no issue playing through the DC-1.

Over time in my sampling of various tracks from the Beatles, the Doors, Jazz samples from HDTracks, Kraftwerk, Moody Blues, Rush, and some classical, I was under the initial impression that the DC-1 seems to have a wider and fuller sound stage. Transient response seems to have a bit more detail, and I notice a greater separation of different musical elements/instruments within the sound stage. Saxophone sounds are rounder and more alive.

I am using the my DACs to drive my XPA-100's directly so I needed to swap XLR connectors for my A-B comparison.

I used Joe Walsh's confessor as the one track tonight as my A-B comparator. I was going for an 85db listening level for the moderate volume level of this track. I ended up setting the DC-1 at -15db and the XDA-2 at -11.5db. On my system it is not a knockout difference between the DC-1 and XDA-2. When doing the A-B comparison on the Confessor everything I said above applies (the DC-1 had wider, fuller sound stage, better transients). I would add that in my comparison I noticed the low end of the XDA-2 was a tad muddy in comparison to the DC-1. Did I end up with the same wow I got from the Stealth 6s and Stealth 8s. Sadly no. I may consider Stealth 8's for my 2 channel setup.

My ending impression is that the DC-1 is the winner over the XDA-2 in my system, but is seems my speakers are not quite up to the task of realizing the potential of both the DC-1 and XDA-2. It is impressive that the much smaller and much lighter DC-1 can outperform the very well made XDA-2.

Post Script. Some not so music oriented review impressions. With the DC-1 being much smaller I cannot see what level I am setting the volume at at my seated distance. I do fiddle with volume level when listening. Also there are some criticisms of the remote. With the buttons being Stealth (black) in a darkened room the buttons are hard to see compared to the silver buttons on black of the XDA-2 remote. In then end these very minor nitpicks I can deal with.

[davidvanderbilt]

I recently purchased a DC-1 as well. My initial impressions were that it definitely sounded better than my ODAC objectively (more detail, bigger soundstage, etc), but I wasn't blown away. I let it run overnight for a couple nights, then took it home and let it run all weekend. I also changed the output in windows to 24 bit/ 96khz (when I'm playing 44.1 tracks the DC-1 displays as 48k). For some reason, I'm not sure if it is "burn in" ,because I changed the output settings, or if it is just mental "burn in", but now I truly am blown away by the sound. The sound to me is so natural, spacious, full and detailed without any harsh treble (I am sensitive to this). This is what I truly hoped for in a DAC. Like I said, this could be all mental and take it with a grain of salt, but that has been my experience. BTW I am running through Bottlehead Crack and HD 600s.

[garbulky]

Jun 27, 2014 10:18:17 GMT -5 davidvanderbilt said:

I recently purchased a DC-1 as well. My initial impressions were that it definitely sounded better than my ODAC objectively (more detail, bigger soundstage, etc), but I wasn't blown away. I let it run overnight for a couple nights, then took it home and let it run all weekend. I also changed the output in windows to 24 bit/ 96khz (when I'm playing 44.1 tracks the DC-1 displays as 48k). For some reason, I'm not sure if it is "burn in" ,because I changed the output settings, or if it is just mental "burn in", but now I truly am blown away by the sound. The sound to me is so natural, spacious, full and detailed without any harsh treble (I am sensitive to this). This is what I truly hoped for in a DAC. Like I said, this could be all mental and take it with a grain of salt, but that has been my experience. BTW I am running through Bottlehead Crack and HD 600s.

Hehe no, it's not your imagination. The DC-1 sounds great cold out of the box but at times it sounds much better. The sound being more immersive etc. I'm not sure the reason for it.

[KeithL]

Glad you're enjoying it....

Just wanted to mention that you do have something odd going on with your settings... and it could have something to do with why the DC-1 sounds different at different times

The display on the DC-1 is ALWAYS going to show the sample rate it is actually receiving...
In WASAPI mode, the output sample rate should be the same as the source file - so 44k when playing a 44k file.
In other output modes, like DS, it should be whatever you have Windows set to - so 96k because you have Windows set to 96k.
If you're getting 48k with a 44k file then, assuming you really have Windows set to 96k, your player program must be overriding all those settings and converting to 48k.
(Most player programs can do this - so look for output rate settings in the player's configuration.)

Changing the output settings will definitely change the sound - both because there actually are slight differences, and because every rate conversion does alter the sound a tiny bit.

I'm inclined to agree with you, though, that most of the time the major component of "burn in" is simply our getting used to the way a particular component sounds.

Jun 27, 2014 10:27:04 GMT -5 garbulky said:

Jun 27, 2014 10:18:17 GMT -5 davidvanderbilt said:

I recently purchased a DC-1 as well. My initial impressions were that it definitely sounded better than my ODAC objectively (more detail, bigger soundstage, etc), but I wasn't blown away. I let it run overnight for a couple nights, then took it home and let it run all weekend. I also changed the output in windows to 24 bit/ 96khz (when I'm playing 44.1 tracks the DC-1 displays as 48k). For some reason, I'm not sure if it is "burn in" ,because I changed the output settings, or if it is just mental "burn in", but now I truly am blown away by the sound. The sound to me is so natural, spacious, full and detailed without any harsh treble (I am sensitive to this). This is what I truly hoped for in a DAC. Like I said, this could be all mental and take it with a grain of salt, but that has been my experience. BTW I am running through Bottlehead Crack and HD 600s.

Hehe no, it's not your imagination. The DC-1 sounds great cold out of the box but at times it sounds much better. The sound being more immersive etc. I'm not sure the reason for it.

[garbulky]

Silly me. I didn't read the rest of his post. Use WASAPI mode if you can like Keith reccomended, it ensures a bit perfect playback.
I use foobar with wasapi mode (WASAPI foobar plugin is a separate free download)
Another free player is mediamonkey which has WASAPI ability inbuilt but I have had mixed results with it.

[Deleted]

Following up on my review of the DC-1 from last night (early, early this morning). I was able to get the issue with the Daphile player fixed. For any of you that may use the Daphile player, make sure on the Daphile internet interface you go into Settings > Audio Sevices and check the Mixer Controls box, then Save & Retart. That's it I finally got it to work.

All I can say is my results with the Daphile Player are noticably better than the Open Elec (XMBC) palyer, and the XMBC player is not bad with XMBC's new audio engine. But it is better that it is really making the DC-1 shine. I am testing the DC-1 on Days of Future Passed, and I really think it is is ust more alive than I recall through my XDA-2. I think I will avail myself of e-club the trade in program on the XDA-2.  There is oodles of clarity, separation, depth, width, you name it with the DC-1.

I did notice the DC-1 was just about as warm at stand-by as when I was playing it last night though early AM.   Is this typical of the DC-1?   I use it on a Belkin power strip along with two XPA-100's (on the same strip) that I can remotely turn off.   Is this okay with the amps and the DC-1 to effectively cut the power at the source rather than in true stand by after each use?  I may go days between listening sessions.

[garbulky]

Jun 27, 2014 18:59:54 GMT -5 @joebbathehut said:

Following up on my review of the DC-1 from last night (early, early this morning). I was able to get the issue with the Daphile player fixed. For any of you that may use the Daphile player, make sure on the Daphile internet interface you go into Settings > Audio Sevices and check the Mixer Controls box, then Save & Retart. That's it I finally got it to work.

All I can say is my results with the Daphile Player are noticably better than the Open Elec (XMBC) palyer, and the XMBC player is not bad with XMBC's new audio engine. But it is better that it is really making the DC-1 shine. I am testing the DC-1 on Days of Future Passed, and I really think it is is ust more alive than I recall through my XDA-2. I think I will avail myself of e-club the trade in program on the XDA-2.  There is oodles of clarity, separation, depth, width, you name it with the DC-1.

I did notice the DC-1 was just about as warm at stand-by as when I was playing it last night though early AM.   Is this typical of the DC-1?   I use it on a Belkin power strip along with two XPA-100's (on the same strip) that I can remotely turn off.   Is this okay with the amps and the DC-1 to effectively cut the power at the source rather than in true stand by after each use?  I may go days between listening sessions.

I personally find the DC-1 to sound a bit better after being left turned on. But that's just me and my subjective opinion. Your experienece may differ. As for is it okay to cut the power at the source, I don't see a problem with it. However I haven't tried that and don't know how it will work in the long run. Maybe Keith could help out here.

[klinemj]

garbulky, I used to leave mine on all the time, but where I recently re-did my Harmony remote programming I started having it turn on and off. You have got me thinking that I need to experiment with leaving it on vs. turning it on/off.

Mark

[garbulky]

Jun 28, 2014 7:25:24 GMT -5 klinemj said:

garbulky, I used to leave mine on all the time, but where I recently re-did my Harmony remote programming I started having it turn on and off. You have got me thinking that I need to experiment with leaving it on vs. turning it on/off.

Mark

I'm probably the only kook who says this - so take it with a grain of salt

[klinemj]

I'll take it with salt, and some lime and tequila!