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Any big improvment going from a GoXLR to a near-perfect DAC?

Hmast

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Hi everyone,

I'm currently using a GoXLR to feed a pair of Genelec 8351B + 7360A. They are my PC speakers.
I'm using the unbalanced analog line out to the analog input of the Genelecs.

For sure it's not the most optimal setup, yet it is very convenient for me + allows me to use some nice microphones.

I am thinking about buying an SMSL PO100 Pro to go full digital and feed my speakers with a near perfect signal. But I will lose many features from the GoXLR which acts as a hub to grab the audio from another PC too.

So my question is: is there a real improvement in stereo image and other things while going from a GoXLR to an SMSL PO100 Pro? Or am I just making my life harder for pretty much nothing?

Actually the current setup is already outstanding to me in term of stereo image and details. Buying an SMSL PO100 Pro and going full digital is more a curiosity to know if I am missing something.

I'm afraid the only thing I would notice is the disappearance of the background noise due to the unbalanced output. Yet, that noise is not really bothering me, of course dead silent speakers would be appreciated but this is really not my goal since I can hardly hear that background "white noise" when my PC's hard drives are rotating.

Or I could buy it and connect both the GoXLR and the SMSL but I would have to switch from digital to analog using the GLM software every time and buy additional XLR cables. But is it worth it? *edit: unless the speakers are able to switch from digital to analog (and vice versa) automatically? If so what happens when signals are coming to both inputs at the same time?

If needed:

GoXLR specs:
A/D – D/A conversion 24-bit @ 48 kHz
Frequency response 10 Hz to 20 kHz, +0/-2 dB
Dynamic range > 110 dB
S/N ratio > 101 dB

SMSL PO100 Pro review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ak-measurements-digital-interfaces-dac.40483/
 

AnalogSteph

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I'm afraid the only thing I would notice is the disappearance of the background noise due to the unbalanced output. Yet, that noise is not really bothering me, of course dead silent speakers would be appreciated but this is really not my goal since I can hardly hear that background "white noise" when my PC's hard drives are rotating.
Well, duh. :facepalm: Properly decouple the silly things then, or banish them into a NAS that's not within earshot?! Nobody who can afford this kind of setup should have to put up with harddrive noise in this day and age, 20 years after SPCR went online. My PC has been an SSD-only zone for years at this point (well, in part accidentally - my last data drive decided to pack it in one day in 2018, and then I splurged on a used 2 TB Samsung 850 Pro), and spinning rust has not been missed here since. If all you need is bulk data storage, a Crucial MX500 or even Samsung 870 QVO in 4 TB should generally do the trick for the price of a low-midrange GPU like an RX 6600 or RTX 3050.

Properly decoupling harddrives has never been entirely trivial, but the lack of 5.25" drive bays on many cases these days doesn't exactly make it easier (not to mention that acoustically damped silent cases are increasingly making way for purely airflow-focused affairs). Back in the day you could buy some inexpensive and effective decoupling solutions fitting those.
If possible space-wise, you could try removing the entire harddrive cage and placing it on a block of PET foam that's one or two inches thick (that's this white, semi-translucent bubbly foam that sometimes comes in packaging). Placing a drive on two strips of the stuff gave some of the most effective decoupling I've ever seen. (I then placed a tissue-decoupled 80 mm fan in front for airflow, it fit the height of two 5.25" drive bays almost exactly. The whole affair was a bit janky but it worked for years.)

Now, back to your setup. How did you set the rotary level control on the 8351Bs, as well as the DIP switches assigned to output level? With 12 dB of latitude on the former plus 30 dB on the latter, I would think that you should be able to get rid of all but the most stubborn ground loop noise. (Be sure to repeat the exercise on the 7360A. Note higher value on the rotary level means lower sensitivity, so +6 is actually the lowest. The same is not the case for the DIP switches.) What sort of maximum level you can still get out of them then is another matter, but let's cross that bridge when you get to it.
 

linuxfan

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Sure, optimal input for the Genelecs is digital, via AES3.
So I would consider replacing the GoXLR with a Focusrite Clarett+ 4Pre.
 
OP
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Hmast

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This post was edited, so if you've read it from your email notifications please read again, at least the second part. Ty

There are 2x4TB of SSD and 2x16TB and 2x8TB of HDD in this PC.
Been thinking about a NAS many times but for several reasons I won't explain here I decided to keep all the things in a single powerful unit.
The PC case is Fractal Design R6 which is quite good at silence, HDDs are decoupled, all fans are Noctua, the Seasonic power supply is fanless, etc. The PC is on the floor hidden. But still, HDDs are HDDs, when you have 48TB rotating you can hear it.

I havent' said the noise of both the speakers and my PC is an issue so I won't go deeper into these discussions. This is not my purpose here. If I tell you about my tinnitus would you tell me why spending so much money in these speakers then? Having a bit of room noise is nice for that reason. The noise from the speakers is quite low, I can hear it when the HDDs are taking a break but it's a small white noise, not a ground loop or anything unpleasing. I shouldn't have said about that actually because it drives the thread to a direction I don't want to go.

I could have tell you more about my setup, for example I also have an SSL2 connected to another PC in this room (a dead silent one with SSDs only) and connected to the GoXLR to allow audio on the Genelecs and a second microphone for that other PC. So the GoXLR acts as a hub.

As @linuxfan suggests, maybe the best solution is to get rid of everything and get a real hub with AES/EBU outputs. I really don't know about this interfaces and his suggestion is very welcome. It looks like I can connect my 2 PCs on this thing, on eon USB and the other from the SSL2 with balanced jacks but :
  • I'm not sure I can see a digital output to go straight to the Genelecs. There's a SPIDF coax output which I could convert to AES3 but I'm not sure this coax port is supposed to output all the sound sent to the interface.
  • Plus, isn't it possible to find such an interface with an AES3 output instead of a coax?
So either the Focusrite is good for my need or I need more suggestions :D

Cheers
 
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linuxfan

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There's a SPIDF coax output which I could convert to AES3 but I'm not sure this coax port is supposed to output all the sound sent to the interface.
You can download the User Manual to check - I'm fairly certain any/all inputs can be routed to the s/pdif output.
Then the most technically correct way to adapt s/pdif output to AES3 is via a 75 Ohm to 110 Ohm digital audio transformer, as I mentioned in an earlier post -
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...i-2-dac-vs-pro-for-genelec.24020/#post-868334

isn't it possible to find such an interface with an AES3 output instead of a coax?
Yes, but generally at higher price-points. One example I'm aware of is the RME Digiface AES - US$2000.
It might be worth going to a forum which specialises in studio recording, to ask about other potential options.
 

Lambda

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the GoXLR
looks like a consumer grade "mixing desk" so maybe get a real mixing desk with digital inputs and outputs?
Many have ADAT extension or AES extension cards

Or a "DSP interface" with digital IO. i used to have a M–audio C600 it has a internal DSP multiple digital IO and you can rout every input to every output.
But its a cheap consumer unit. if you want something professional maybe look at Motu
 
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