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Post by aud on Dec 10, 2014 18:34:25 GMT -5
The SoTM is a relocker and works on power supply too. In fact, in my system, it's redundant in that my outboard power supply is the Core which supplies power to the CAPs server, then there's the outboard 5 volt supply that redundantly powers the SoTM card, then of course the iFi supplies its own USB power driving the USB cable but dropping the ground and separating the power and data lines in the USB cable (thus the name Gemini cable). If this sounds confusing, it is. So is this an extreme USB setup? Maybe too extreme. Last night using an HDMI cable from the Oppo to the XMC streaming network, I was stunned. Yes, it would be duplicating a few processes. I'm glad to hear the HDMI sounds great. I pretty much had all the same problems you did with loading the USB FIRMWARE UPDATE. Flash power off, driver was not successful. After about the tenth try and hooking and unhooking things between my PC and the XMC-1, I was only able to get the 0404/102 version to constantly and rapidly flash between old firmware and new firmware on the FIRMWARE UPDATE PROGRAM window. Called Emotiva but they have never heard of my particular problem with this alternating back and forth. Decided to play music to see what would happen. Music sounds ok at native 44.1 sampling but not good with upsamping. I start getting studder, ticks, fuzzy distortion. Stop play and I'm ok for awhile and then the digital artifacts begin again. At a loss for now. I have my sotm board hooked up directly to my XMC-1. |
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Post by michaelhifi on Dec 10, 2014 18:38:51 GMT -5
The SoTM is a relocker and works on power supply too. In fact, in my system, it's redundant in that my outboard power supply is the Core which supplies power to the CAPs server, then there's the outboard 5 volt supply that redundantly powers the SoTM card, then of course the iFi supplies its own USB power driving the USB cable but dropping the ground and separating the power and data lines in the USB cable (thus the name Gemini cable). If this sounds confusing, it is. So is this an extreme USB setup? Maybe too extreme. Last night using an HDMI cable from the Oppo to the XMC streaming network, I was stunned. Yes, it would be duplicating a few processes. I'm glad to hear the HDMI sounds great. I pretty much had all the same problems you did with loading the USB FIRMWARE UPDATE. Flash power off, driver was not successful. After about the tenth try and hooking and unhooking things between my PC and the XMC-1, I was only able to get the 0404/102 version to constantly and rapidly flash between old firmware and new firmware on the FIRMWARE UPDATE PROGRAM window. Called Emotiva but they have never heard of my particular problem with this alternating back and forth. Decided to play music to see what would happen. Music sounds ok at native 44.1 sampling but not good with upsamping. I start getting studder, ticks, fuzzy distortion. Stop play and I'm ok for awhile and then the digital artifacts begin again. At a loss for now. I have my sotm board hooked up directly to my XMC-1. Sorry, what? You have you're SoTM hooked directly to your XMC? What's the connection if you don't mind me asking?  |
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Post by aud on Dec 10, 2014 18:42:32 GMT -5
Yes, it would be duplicating a few processes. I'm glad to hear the HDMI sounds great. I pretty much had all the same problems you did with loading the USB FIRMWARE UPDATE. Flash power off, driver was not successful. After about the tenth try and hooking and unhooking things between my PC and the XMC-1, I was only able to get the 0404/102 version to constantly and rapidly flash between old firmware and new firmware on the FIRMWARE UPDATE PROGRAM window. Called Emotiva but they have never heard of my particular problem with this alternating back and forth. Decided to play music to see what would happen. Music sounds ok at native 44.1 sampling but not good with upsamping. I start getting studder, ticks, fuzzy distortion. Stop play and I'm ok for awhile and then the digital artifacts begin again. At a loss for now. I have my sotm board hooked up directly to my XMC-1. Sorry, what? You have you're SoTM hooked directly to your XMC? What's the connection if you don't mind me asking? No problem. I use the blue USB A port that's on the board. Maybe you have a different sotm board. |
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Post by dad311 on Dec 10, 2014 19:07:47 GMT -5
Just performed this update tonight without any issues. I have a Linux Volumio music server (running on a beagle bone)and had audio quality issues with playback (any bit rate) via the USB input. After this update all is well. Maybe the upgrade fixed the issue or maybe just a new flash fixed it. Either way, it sounds great and seems to be rock solid. |
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Post by aud on Dec 10, 2014 19:18:17 GMT -5
Just performed this update tonight without any issues. I have a Linux Volumio music server (running on a beagle bone)and had audio quality issues with playback (any bit rate) via the USB input. After this update all is well. Maybe the upgrade fixed the issue or maybe just a new flash fixed it. Either way, it sounds great and seems to be rock solid. Glad to hear it's working well for you. I think I'm going to go back to my EVO digital converter and connect the XMC-1 via Coax 2 input. |
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Post by annjones13 on Dec 12, 2014 20:26:12 GMT -5
I hooked up my Mac to the XMC-1 last night. It recognized the XMC as a speaker. Now I am listening to Tidal HIFI on Google Chrome browser, streaming FLAC 1411.
The sound is AWESOME!
I also purchased Audirvana media library software. It is truly impressive....
It shall be audio heaven when Dirac is set up.
I am such a lucky girl
Ann
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KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 10,276
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Post by KeithL on Dec 15, 2014 3:10:46 GMT -5
I haven't tried Windows 10 yet (no time), but I can tell you a few things that might be useful.... I'm also a little surprised at Windows 8 refusing to install our driver if you disabled driver signature enforcement. (Other than the installer, Emotiva and Schiit Audio use the same C-Media drivers, so theirs will work just fine.) 1) The XMC-1 can play actual DSD via HDMI, but NOT via USB (the DOP DSD-over-PCM standard is still in its infancy - and we do not support it). Therefore, the XMC-1 can ONLY play actual DSD via HDMI. 2) While the conversion from DSD to PCM is not bit-perfect, there are "natural bit rate equivalents" that make the conversion math easier. Most converters specifically consider 88k and 176k to be "magic numbers" when converting from DSD to PCM.... so it is not at all surprising to find devices or programs willing to convert from DSD to 176k but not to 192k. (Converting to 192k makes the math harder and doesn't gain you anything. Since the extra math requirement would be more likely to provoke dropouts and stutters, you'd be better off sticking with 176k even if you could figure out how to get it to do 192k.) Generally dropouts of several seconds duration are due to something happening at the computer end of things - usually if the computer gets too bogged down and simply can't keep up - or in the streaming process. I would be inclined to try playing a few files locally off the computer via USB and see what happens (without the re-clocker hardware, and with jRiver set to NOT resample or upsample). I've also seen a few programs that use a truly astonishing amount of processing power when you set them to upsample (I had one that couldn't run certain upsampling and filter settings without stuttering badly - even on my quad core machine with 8 gB of RAM). Just an update. I gave up on Windows 8 and installing the Emotiva driver. Instead, having a new Solid State hard drive, I installed Windows 10. I got the same results as with Windows 8, it simply refuses to install Emotiva's USB driver. So I tried the Schiit driver and whoa it installed. Now it wasn't easy, I had to jump through many processes, but it's installed in Windows 10 beta! Windows 10 beta is buggy as you'd expect. But it's working. The driver that shows up is the XMC-SPDIF not the XMC-USB. However, it is the C-Media driver. I renamed the driver to XMC-USB and tested as well, making sure it will pass hi-rez. This is where it gets complicated (as if it isn't already). I can play DSD but it downsamples to 176/16. That so far is the best I can achieve. Trying to play 192/24, it still downsamples to 176/16. This is through Jriver 20. By the end of the day I got the SoTM driver installed and working. I added the iFi device and was able to stream USB from my CAPs server to the XMC-1 with very high quality sound except with one serious hiccup. I noted that the XMC experiences dropouts. These dropouts last from between ~5 seconds to beyond 20 seconds. This has happened with both the streaming from the CAPs server and the Oppo BDP-105 using USB. I don't think this was an issue with the HDMI connection. More testing today. |
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KeithL
Administrator
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Post by KeithL on Dec 15, 2014 3:38:15 GMT -5
ALL ABOUT WINDOWS DRIVERS - sort of. That's really a trick statement to get your attention... NOBODY knows all about Windows drivers.  Windows has certain drivers actually built in; for example, it has the UAC1 drivers that allow UAC1 devices to do USB audio up to 24/96. When it fails to find the exact driver it needs, and you don't give it the right one manually, it will pick one that it thinks is "close enough", and/or it will go looking on the Internet for "appropriate drivers". How it does this, and how it decides what drivers are appropriate, is a mysterious process (at least to me). The XMC-1 (with the current USB firmware) REQUIRES UAC2 (USB Audio Class 2) drivers. To the best of my knowledge, as of three weeks ago, these were NOT built into Windows 8.0 and I'm pretty sure they aren't in Windows 8.1. We provide you with drivers that we got from C-Media, and which we know actually work. The short answer to why I "don't like" the Microsoft drivers is simply that I've never seen them work correctly. In general, the Microsoft "generic" drivers worked with the original (bad/outdated) XMC-1 USB firmware (which only gave you up to 24/96), and simply don't work - at all - with the new firmware. This was true as of several weeks ago. If the situation has changed, and Windows now installs drivers, by itself, that actually work, then by all means use them. (There's no reason to believe that drivers that work will sound different, and no reason not to use them.) Now, it's possible that: a) Microsoft has finally added UAC2 drivers to Windows in some recent update b) There are now some other C-Media drivers out there (where Windows can find them automatically) that work with our XMC-1 The C-Media chip set we use is very popular, and most devices that use the same chip set will work with the same drivers, more or less interchangeably. My guess is that Windows has "discovered" another driver that works with the XMC-1 (either it didn't exist before, or Windows hadn't noticed it before). Also note that saying "the default Windows driver" is a vast oversimplification. It's more accurate to say "the driver that Windows currently provides when it automatically fetches and installs the drivers". (After all, it's quite possible that it may decide to use a different one tomorrow.... or may stop fetching the one that works.) HOWEVER, as long as Windows provides you with a driver that works, there's no reason not to use it....  Just tried and Yes it shows 192KHz 24bit in the popup display on the xmc-1 when playing these files. Why would you not use the default Windows driver? I did not go through the hassle of an unsigned driver on my windows 8.1 laptop/tablet and just used the default windows driver. It works okay.
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Post by audionub on Dec 16, 2014 20:04:12 GMT -5
Hello,
I am not sure if I am asking in the right place. I am attempting to stream 24bit / 192 kHz audio... and please keep in mind my name says it all. This is my first attempt at hifi audio and I really don't know a whole lot about it. I have done a bit of research but seem to be coming up short. I have recently purchased an XMC-1, some very nice Totem Tribe's, and XPA-5. I am attempting to get 24bit /192 kHz audio from a Galaxy note 4 (cell phone), via USBAPP (a direct USB digital audio out app), to the XMC -1 in hopes that it gives me true 24bit / 192 kHz audio. The app has its own soft-driver and whatnot to hopefully not truncate (according to my research) any audio down to 44.1.
I was told that the XMC-1 might accept digital audio out via USB, but from a quick scan of this thread it would seem not? Can anyone answer that? Or has anyone actually tried this? I am trying to bypass the phone's DAC to send to the XMC-1.
If this is not the case has anyone tried a USB to HDMI converter? and if so does the quality of the converter matter? or is it just a digital stream like HDMI?
I am so lost about how to do this correctly, and it seems the only way to get these things done is to ask people in forums.
Thanks so much for your time!
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Post by ejn1111 on Dec 16, 2014 22:14:00 GMT -5
I'm out of ideas folks. I unloaded all of my audio based USB drivers. Rebooted several times. I loaded EMO's USB driver which seemed to install. What I get is this damn etron driver. XMC-1 SPDIF which happily down-samples my hi rez when running Jriver 20. I tried even to "trick the computer by unplugging the XMC and plugging back in (sometimes stupid S works too) So it begs the question; why does my Dspeaker anti-mode usb driver work flawlessly? Why does the SoTM driver work too? Why does the Oppo USB driver work so simply? Why doesn't the Emotiva driver work? I mean, to be honest, I'm willing to go through some pain. God only knows I've been there, with computer audio. My Squeeezbox 3 and Transporter worked great. My PS Audio not-so Perfect Wave - I felt like err, like I was a beta tester! And to be fair I know it's the dark days of computers and Win 8 is a SPOC, but my hope was for at least streaming audio in SOTA quality (even as a pass-through to my Anti-Mode) and a prepro too. I'm 4 hours into this and I want to hear what XMC-1 is capable of. I think it has greatness as a clean simple 2 channel preamp. I LOVE the reference and direct modes! It's like, these are guys who love and care about music. Let Me Hear It as good as it can be. Now what? What am I missing? Thanks for your help I finally got mine to play with the XMC-1 and my audio pc but its still limited to 16/96 no matter what I do. I have another music server that connects via a SOTM USB card like yours but I have not tried it with the XMC-1 yet. I have it with an Auralic Vega DAC and honestly its been plug and play flawless from the start with Jriver so I agree its frustrating. But... I wouldnt give up on computer audio, I think rather the XMC-1 drivers are being finicky and I really dont know why yet. |
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Post by samujohn on Dec 19, 2014 15:15:03 GMT -5
Now I have the XMC-1 Firmware Update v2.0 installed, and the Dirac installed, do I need to install the
XMC-1 USB Stream Input update (11/05/2014), and if so how? Will I have to start over?
Boy am I confused about the XMC-1 USB Firmware Update.
My XMC-1 was shipped in early September. I use USB as my principle connection to my MacMini.
My software is Pure Music/Itunes and I am stereo 2.1 only.
I notice that whatever I set my output sample rate to (in Pure Music) - 44.1, 88.2, 96, etc. the XMC-1 shows 44.1 or 48khz.
the XMC-1 steadfastly shows 44.1 (or with HDMI, 48khz)
Thank you for your time,
regards,
Sam
Sources: MacMini, Sota Turntable/Souther
Amp: Wyred4Sound ST-1000
digital Pre: Emotiva XMC-1
Analog Pre: Music Reference RM-5 (tube)
Speakers: Soundlab Aura (modified)
Sub:RythmiK F15
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Post by tunatamer on Dec 20, 2014 14:33:58 GMT -5
When using the Dirac preset rates up to 24/48 are supported. Higher sample rates are not. Now I have the XMC-1 Firmware Update v2.0 installed, and the Dirac installed, do I need to install the XMC-1 USB Stream Input update (11/05/2014), and if so how? Will I have to start over? Boy am I confused about the XMC-1 USB Firmware Update. My XMC-1 was shipped in early September. I use USB as my principle connection to my MacMini. My software is Pure Music/Itunes and I am stereo 2.1 only. I notice that whatever I set my output sample rate to (in Pure Music) - 44.1, 88.2, 96, etc. the XMC-1 shows 44.1 or 48khz. the XMC-1 steadfastly shows 44.1 (or with HDMI, 48khz) Thank you for your time, regards, Sam Sources: MacMini, Sota Turntable/Souther Amp: Wyred4Sound ST-1000 digital Pre: Emotiva XMC-1 Analog Pre: Music Reference RM-5 (tube) Speakers: Soundlab Aura (modified) Sub:RythmiK F15 |
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Post by aud on Dec 20, 2014 14:55:13 GMT -5
When using the Dirac preset rates up to 24/48 are supported. Higher sample rates are not. Now I have the XMC-1 Firmware Update v2.0 installed, and the Dirac installed, do I need to install the XMC-1 USB Stream Input update (11/05/2014), and if so how? Will I have to start over? Boy am I confused about the XMC-1 USB Firmware Update. My XMC-1 was shipped in early September. I use USB as my principle connection to my MacMini. My software is Pure Music/Itunes and I am stereo 2.1 only. I notice that whatever I set my output sample rate to (in Pure Music) - 44.1, 88.2, 96, etc. the XMC-1 shows 44.1 or 48khz. the XMC-1 steadfastly shows 44.1 (or with HDMI, 48khz) Thank you for your time, regards, Sam Sources: MacMini, Sota Turntable/Souther Amp: Wyred4Sound ST-1000 digital Pre: Emotiva XMC-1 Analog Pre: Music Reference RM-5 (tube) Speakers: Soundlab Aura (modified) Sub:RythmiK F15 For the USB STREAMING FIRMWARE UPDATE go the XMC product page, click on Resources then click on the instructions PDF file as well as the new driver PDF file. It explains clearly what you need to do and whether or not you really need or want it. |
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Post by ejn1111 on Dec 20, 2014 20:07:09 GMT -5
Well, Playing with Jriver, in the "DSP and Output Format" section, normally I have checked "No Change" next to each Sample Rate. This allows things to always play natively for best sound quality (eg no up or downsampling). If I select the same frequency, so if it see an input 96Hz, I select 96Hz output. When I do this, the XMC-1 will play 192Hz on native 192 files. I still have the problem of it downsampling everything to 16bit Bitdepth.
Just to reiterate, I have an Auralic DAC, a Meridian DAC all with Jriver and have never had any of these issues so I'm not writing this off to Windows drivers at this stage.
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Post by aud on Dec 20, 2014 20:11:40 GMT -5
In Jriver DSP Studio have forced everything to be 24 bit depth
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Post by ejn1111 on Dec 21, 2014 22:14:59 GMT -5
In Jriver DSP Studio have forced everything to be 24 bit depth I tried that and it didnt work for me. The audio files are still downconverted to 16bit. |
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Post by aud on Dec 22, 2014 9:11:26 GMT -5
I think I messed up. It has been awhile since I used jriver. Go into playback options. Under your device selection there should be Device Settings. Select it. Inside this selection there should be the bit depth choices. Choose 24.
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Post by ejn1111 on Dec 22, 2014 19:58:06 GMT -5
I think I messed up. It's has been awhile since I used jriver. Go into playback options. Under your device selection there should be Device Settings. Select it. Inside this selection there should be the bit depth choices. Choose 24. Thanks but have tried this. It still downconverts all music to 16bit. |
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Post by rocky500 on Dec 26, 2014 21:49:49 GMT -5
I just went to Schiit Audio's site and they have the new drivers. schiit.com/drivers/Just uninstalled the older Schiit drivers I was using and installed these new ones. Everything went perfect and now have the new drivers v8.1.12.15 They must be signed as they went in no problems into my Windows 8.1 setup and I am using a Stealth DC-1 Dac into an XMC-1. In device manager my device comes up as "USB2.0 High-Speed True HD Audio" I will try the XMC-1 USB at a later stage but think my system sounds better with the Stealth DC-1 in place. Just that bit more airy and open. Before I did anything with these drivers, I went back to Backup of my Windows 8.1 before I got the XMC-1. Before I messed with all this driver unsigning. I did all the windows 8.1 updates and the only driver in my backup was the older Schiit driver. I installed a little different than there instructions. I ran the setup all the way through to where it came up to a popup box asking to insert a compatible device and then plugged in the DC-1 and clicked ok and it went on to install the driver. Schiit mention in the instructions to plug in the device before installing the drivers. Whether it makes a difference, I don't know. |
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Post by ejn1111 on Dec 28, 2014 10:04:06 GMT -5
Got mine to finally play 24/192 via USB..
I did:
1) Removed all of the drivers
2) Removed the HDMI connection from the HTPC and replaced with a DVI output that has a DVI to HDMI converter on the XMC-1 input side.
3) Reinstalled the Drivers
4) Used the USB STream input on the XMC-1, not the HDMI input with audio configured to USB (this will down mix to 16 Bit still)
For additonal info, i'm using a Paul Pang USB card in this HTPC for the audio connection.
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