XMC-1 USB Stream Input Firmware and Driver UPDATE

[abd1]

I was just trying to do the 4.0 firmware driver update, but I see this is just for the stream input update. maybe I'm in the wrong place.

[doc1963]

Mar 10, 2017 15:19:17 GMT -5 abd1 said:

I was just trying to do the 4.0 firmware driver update, but I see this is just for the stream input update. maybe I'm in the wrong place.

Yes, but while you're here, make sure you're thumbdrive is formatted as "FAT32" and there is nothing else on the drive except for the unzipped update file.

[abd1]

DUH! I guess I assumed it was formatted as FAT32, but it was just FAT. Not sure why I didn't check that. Feel dumb... Thanks!

[jamco]

Keith,

I came across this Computer Audiophile article (link) regarding Microsoft's new Class 2 USB driver.

May we now use the Microsoft Windows 10, native Class 2 USB driver for our XMC-1 and DC-1 on sample rates beyond 96 KHz?

Thanks in advance.

[jamco]

May 7, 2017 13:05:13 GMT -5 jamco said:

Keith,

I came across this Computer Audiophile article (link) regarding Microsoft's new Class 2 USB driver.

May we now use the Microsoft Windows 10, native Class 2 USB driver for our XMC-1 and DC-1 on sample rates beyond 96 KHz?

Thanks in advance.

Keith,

Any thoughts on my USB driver question?

[KeithL]

YES....

The new USB Audio Class 2 (UAC2) drivers in the latest edition of Windows 10 work PERFECTLY with:

The XMC-1
The DC-1
The XDA-2
The Ego DACs

Which means that YOU NO LONGER NEED TO DOWNLOAD OR INSTALL DRIVERS TO USE ANY OF OUR DAC PRODUCTS WITH WINDOWS 10
(and that includes the USB Stream input on the XMC-1).

NOTE:
This applies to the ASBOLUTE LATEST version of Windows 10 - referred to as "The Creator Edition" (version 1703).
(Version 1507 is the original version of Windows 10; version 1607 is the Anniversary Edition; and version 1703 is the Creator Edition.)
This version is being distributed via a "phased rollout" - which means that it has NOT been offered to everyone yet - even if you have automatic updates turned on.
You should be aware that Microsoft claims that the new version MAY NOT work well on some older machines - or machines with some hardware.
They are offering it as a recommended update only on machines they consider to be "good candidates" for the upgrade.
Even though anyone with Windows 10 may "manually upgrade to the Creator Edition", Microsoft recommends that "only tech savvy folks" do so.

(And, yes, it works up to 24/384k on the Egos.)

May 7, 2017 13:05:13 GMT -5 jamco said:

Keith,

I came across this Computer Audiophile article (link) regarding Microsoft's new Class 2 USB driver.

May we now use the Microsoft Windows 10, native Class 2 USB driver for our XMC-1 and DC-1 on sample rates beyond 96 KHz?

Thanks in advance.

[jamco]

May 17, 2017 12:03:08 GMT -5 KeithL said:

YES....

The new USB Audio Class 2 (UAC2) drivers in the latest edition of Windows 10 work PERFECTLY with:

The XMC-1
The DC-1
The XDA-2
The Ego DACs

Which means that YOU NO LONGER NEED TO DOWNLOAD OR INSTALL DRIVERS TO USE ANY OF OUR DAC PRODUCTS WITH WINDOWS 10
(and that includes the USB Stream input on the XMC-1).

NOTE:
This applies to the ASBOLUTE LATEST version of Windows 10 - referred to as "The Creator Edition" (version 1703).
(Version 1507 is the original version of Windows 10; version 1607 is the Anniversary Edition; and version 1703 is the Creator Edition.)
This version is being distributed via a "phased rollout" - which means that it has NOT been offered to everyone yet - even if you have automatic updates turned on.
You should be aware that Microsoft claims that the new version MAY NOT work well on some older machines - or machines with some hardware.
They are offering it as a recommended update only on machines they consider to be "good candidates" for the upgrade.
Even though anyone with Windows 10 may "manually upgrade to the Creator Edition", Microsoft recommends that "only tech savvy folks" do so.

(And, yes, it works up to 24/384k on the Egos.)

May 7, 2017 13:05:13 GMT -5 jamco said:

Keith,

I came across this Computer Audiophile article (link) regarding Microsoft's new Class 2 USB driver.

May we now use the Microsoft Windows 10, native Class 2 USB driver for our XMC-1 and DC-1 on sample rates beyond 96 KHz?

Thanks in advance.

Keith,

Excellent and thanks!

[Masif]

Hi Keith,

I have pair of tekton design double impact speakers connected to emotiva xmc-1+xpa gen3 amplifier and using radioshack spl meter to measure/set the levels in xmc-1.

I see 75db in spl meter with front levels at minimum (-12db) when used xmc1's recommened 75spl/medium testone, am i doing something wrong? when should we use other 2 testtones (Low/65db & High/85db)?

Thanks

[KeithL]

You posted this in the wrong thread.
(I'm going to answer it here so you can find it.... but let's not continue it here as a discussion.)

The actual physical level the test tones play at depends on lots of factors, including the gain of the amps, and the efficiency of your speakers.
You should NOT specifically expect to measure the levels those numbers suggest; just think of them as "high, medium, and low".
The real goal is just to set all your speakers to the SAME levels, and to use a test tone to do that that's loud enough that background noise doesn't affect it, but not loud enough to hurt you or your speakers.

Jun 9, 2017 7:56:05 GMT -5 Masif said:

Hi Keith,

I have pair of tekton design double impact speakers connected to emotiva xmc-1+xpa gen3 amplifier and using radioshack spl meter to measure/set the levels in xmc-1.

I see 75db in spl meter with front levels at minimum (-12db) when used xmc1's recommened 75spl/medium testone, am i doing something wrong? when should we use other 2 testtones (Low/65db & High/85db)?

Thanks

[Masif]

Hi Keith, I am newbie and this might be a layman question.

I've connected my Win 10 PC to XMC-1 thru HDMI connection (EVGA 750ti graphics card), upon pressing info button on XMC1 i see 192khz 24 bits.

What is the advantage of connecting PC to XMC1 thru USB stream over HDMI?

Thanks

[KeithL]

There are a bunch of reasons..... and different ones apply in different situations.

1)
The HDMI signal generally has lots of jitter - so, in some situations, the audio won't sound good. (The XMC-1 has an ASRC between its DSP stages which removes jitter - so this won't matter much with the XMC-1)
In the old days, USB also had lots of jitter, but a modern asynchronous USB connection is clocked by the receiving device, and is almost perfectly jitter free.

2)
The basic process of sending audio over HDMI is more complicated than sending it over USB.
It can be tricky to get HDMI audio to work, especially if you're playing audio files, and to know exactly what's going on.
(This used to be more true in the old days, when simply getting audio to work over HDMI at all was often a challenge.)
Sometimes HDMI audio just works, but, when it doesn't, it can be very complicated to figure out.
(I can use an Audio player, and the USB output, set the player to WASAPI mode, and KNOW that my audio isn't being modified or re-sampled.)

3)
In general, playing "just audio" over USB uses less processing power than doing HDMI stuff.
Because HDMI is a video format, even playing just audio over an HDMI connection requires the player software to create a blank video screen and do other extra stuff.
This means that most music-only players are simpler, use less processing power, and are less prone to dropouts and other issues.
In general, it doesn't take much processing power to JUST play audio..... (an old single core computer, running Windows XP, can play audio alone at 24/192k just fine).

4)
Beyond all that, some people are quite convinced that one or the other sounds better - which might be true on different specific systems.
(Asynchronous USB probably will sound better if your DAC or pre/pro doesn't do something to filter out jitter - but the XMC-1 does.)

The real answer is that, if you're ONLY looking for audio, it's easier to use a connection, and software, designed for audio alone.
(That's really not true since USB was originally designed for data, but it's closer to "something optimized for audio" than HDMI.)
However, if HDMI is working properly with your system, and delivering the sound quality you want, then there's really no reason to switch.

Jun 19, 2017 21:42:52 GMT -5 Masif said:

Hi Keith, I am newbie and this might be a layman question.

I've connected my Win 10 PC to XMC-1 thru HDMI connection (EVGA 750ti graphics card), upon pressing info button on XMC1 i see 192khz 24 bits.

What is the advantage of connecting PC to XMC1 thru USB stream over HDMI?

Thanks

[millst]

USB Advantages
1) No HDMI handshake, which means your computer displays won't go all wonky for a few seconds every time you [dis]connect the XMC-1
2) No video signal, which means you can watch video from one of your HDMI inputs while playing audio from your computer
3) Computer's power saving mode for monitors doesn't disrupt audio playback like it does for HDMI

The big disadvantage of USB audio is that it is stereo only.

-tm

[Masif]

Thanks Keith, Millst

[rxw]

Hi Keith (and everyone else),

After windows 10 update 1709 installed on my HTPC, foobar2000 and the previously working WASAPI has stopped working, i've tried re-installing drivers and using other players but WASAPI just doesn't work anymore. I'm using "ASIO for generic USB device" as a work around but wondering if there is any quality difference between that and the previous WASAPI setup I was using?

Is anyone else having this issue and does anyone know of a fix to use WASAPI with an XMC-1 and windows 10 (1709).

Cheers,

-Alex

[romotiva]

Nov 23, 2017 1:31:33 GMT -5 rxw said:

Hi Keith (and everyone else),

After windows 10 update 1709 installed on my HTPC, foobar2000 and the previously working WASAPI has stopped working, i've tried re-installing drivers and using other players but WASAPI just doesn't work anymore. I'm using "ASIO for generic USB device" as a work around but wondering if there is any quality difference between that and the previous WASAPI setup I was using?

Is anyone else having this issue and does anyone know of a fix to use WASAPI with an XMC-1 and windows 10 (1709).

Cheers,

-Alex

I only had to select the according Outpout in Foobar2000 again (mine is called "WASAPI (push) SPDIF Out (XMC-1)". , otherwise there were no issues after my win 10 update 1709

[Ihaveacarthatdrivesplaces]

I am trying to update firmware from 5.1 to 5.3. The XMC-1 says there is no file found even though the USB is plugged in (i tried it in the front and back).

I reformatted the thumb drive to FAT-32 (on windows 10 computer) before copying the unzipped files to it, so there was nothing else on the USB.

Why is the unit not seeing the update? Thumb drive is a 16gb OCZ diesel.

[bootman]

Oct 27, 2018 7:18:59 GMT -5 Ihaveacarthatdrivesplaces said:

I am trying to update firmware from 5.1 to 5.3. The XMC-1 says there is no file found even though the USB is plugged in (i tried it in the front and back).

I reformatted the thumb drive to FAT-32 (on windows 10 computer) before copying the unzipped files to it, so there was nothing else on the USB.

Why is the unit not seeing the update? Thumb drive is a 16gb OCZ diesel.

It might be the flashdrive is setup to look like a hard drive.
I would reformat it with another utility like rufus to see if it will format the drive correctly as a removable drive or use another flash drive.

[Noluck]

Oct 27, 2018 12:19:58 GMT -5 bootman said:

Oct 27, 2018 7:18:59 GMT -5 Ihaveacarthatdrivesplaces said:

I am trying to update firmware from 5.1 to 5.3. The XMC-1 says there is no file found even though the USB is plugged in (i tried it in the front and back).

I reformatted the thumb drive to FAT-32 (on windows 10 computer) before copying the unzipped files to it, so there was nothing else on the USB.

Why is the unit not seeing the update? Thumb drive is a 16gb OCZ diesel.

It might be the flashdrive is setup to look like a hard drive.
I would reformat it with another utility like rufus to see if it will format the drive correctly as a removable drive or use another flash drive.

Reformatted with easus and still no luck. Unfortunately I don't have anymore thumb drives lying around.

[acousticmood]

Jun 20, 2017 10:27:21 GMT -5 millst said:

USB Advantages
1) No HDMI handshake, which means your computer displays won't go all wonky for a few seconds every time you [dis]connect the XMC-1
2) No video signal, which means you can watch video from one of your HDMI inputs while playing audio from your computer
3) Computer's power saving mode for monitors doesn't disrupt audio playback like it does for HDMI

The big disadvantage of USB audio is that it is stereo only.

-tm

[acousticmood]

How do,I stream multichannel music into the XMC-1? I thought I would do it ythrouth the usb dac but based ion this statement I can’t.

Thanks

George