Minidsp U-DIO8 USB to AES Converter Review

[beatelund]

True.
I am just curious about how good the Okto is at handling incoming jitter

Me to! going to use the Okto with a BSS 160 with AES out.
Wonder how much jitter the BSS has on the AES outputs.
Hopefullt BSS AES outputs with Okto Dac is better than just BSS analog out

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Why would one pair the UDIO-8 with the DAC8 Pro ? Seems kind of redundant since the DAC8 PRO already has a USB input.

Now if miniDSP found a way to stick their miniSharc board into the box, they'd really have something.

 

[rajapruk]

Me to! going to use the Okto with a BSS 160 with AES out.
Wonder how much jitter the BSS has on the AES outputs.
Hopefullt BSS AES outputs with Okto Dac is better than just BSS analog out

I am planning on the exact same setup. I already have the BSS BLU-160.

 

[Jimster480]

What would the real world usecase be for a device like this?

 

[phoenixdogfan]

I am planning on the exact same setup. I already have the BSS BLU-160.

True.
I am just curious about how good the Okto is at handling incoming jitter

Si

What would the real world usecase be for a device like this?

For me, I don't see a usecase. If I'm employing something like a Windows box as my source, I'd just feed the USB to an Octo 8 with absolutely no need to convert the data stream to SPIDF. And since it's asynchronous USB and the output Sinad is 118 db and since jitter is a distortion component, no worries about anything in that regard.

 

[digitalfrost]

What would the real world usecase be for a device like this?

If you want to go digitally and without ground loops out of a PC into separate DACs. You'd use multiple stereo DACs and you could to either a 7.1 setup or run a Sub/Sat system or just fully activated (up to 4-way) stereo speakers. You're DAC independent with a device like this.

 

[g29]

... You're DAC independent with a device like this.

At the cost of 6dB of SINAD and high jitter. Hopefully miniDSP can improve their product and make it transparent.

 

[digitalfrost]

Just buy a Digiface then.

 

[g29]

@amirm , Can you measure more than just the 1st 2 channels on these multi-channel products to see if the additional channels are on par, better or worse the first 2 channels ?

TIA

 

[g29]

Just buy a Digiface then.

Has the DigiFace been reviewed ? Does it have similar issues ?

 

[digitalfrost]

It hasn't but given RMEs good track record I would be surprised if it did. What do you propose if you want multi-channel out of a PC? Yes there's the Octo now, but before that, it was really hard to find high quality multi-channel DACs for a reasonable price.

The quality of the Octo drivers is still unkown whereas everybody knows RME drivers are excellent.

 

[g29]

It hasn't but given RMEs good track record I would be surprised if it did. What do you propose if you want multi-channel out of a PC? Yes there's the Octo now, but before that, it was really hard to find high quality multi-channel DACs for a reasonable price.

The quality of the Octo drivers is still unkown whereas everybody knows RME drivers are excellent.

Hopefully other vendors will enter the Multi-channel DAC market.

Just looked at the RME (24-bit, 192KHz), $500 on this side of the pond.

If you have one, see if @amirm is interested in reviewing/measuring it.

 

[HammerSandwich]

What would the real world usecase be for a device like this?

People who want to avoid extra DA/AD in a $$$ surround system using active, DSP speakers. Of course, if you can afford 5+ Dutch 8Cs or whatever, you can probably justify an AES box with better measurements...

 

[pos]

The jitter is almost certainly because the XMOS implementation MiniDSP uses synthesizes the audio clock from the XMOS master clock, and doesn't do it particularly well. It's probably the same issue that other people have noted with the MiniDSP USBstreamer.

I think the okto dac8 pro prototype tested here was using an usbstreamer as well.

 

[g29]

I think the okto dac8 pro prototype tested here was using an usbstreamer as well.

The prototype was using the miniDSP drivers. Their production version is supposedly using their own USB/XMOS board along with a bunch of other changes. A good reason for the production version to be reviewed.

USBStreamer Kit

 

[dwkdnvr]

Now I wonder about the AES output on my SHD Studio. Sigh!

I'm running spdif out of my SHD (full version, not studio). It sounds fine into my Sabaj D5. Note that I do NOT believe that this was true of the NanoDigi - I never tested it as formally as I should have, but I always found that it seemed to be audible even in bypass mode. I don't have those concerns with the SHD at this point.

 

[beefkabob]

I'm running spdif out of my SHD (full version, not studio). It sounds fine into my Sabaj D5. Note that I do NOT believe that this was true of the NanoDigi - I never tested it as formally as I should have, but I always found that it seemed to be audible even in bypass mode. I don't have those concerns with the SHD at this point.

AES is a different interface though. It's why I bought the unit.

 

[devteam]

Hi Amir and everybody,

Thanks for taking the time to review the UDIO8,

Looking at these measurements, something is quite different from what we're seeing on our side so we'd love to get more info as to the conditions you used to perform the measurement. We just grabbed 5 interfaces now from the stock and they all tested the same. We most likely have a different configuration for the AP or driver used...

See below the Jtest results we're seeing with the UDIO8 vs an APX585 loopback: Quite similar background noise (-180dFS) with peaks at low freq (-140dBFS).

What would be the way to get in touch with you so we nail this? Thanks,

Also, forgot to add but there are indeed ASRC on the digital input. They are here to easily adapt the rate of the input digital stream when not matched to the output rate (or your PC recording rate). i.e. you could have 48k in -> processing on PC - > 192kHz out. A studio application mainly.
To summarise: Two possible paths:

AES-EBU Source -> UDIO-8 input - > SRC4382 chipset performs sample rate conversion - > XMOS - > USB audio

USB - > XMOS -> UDIO8 output (no sample rate conversion)

While SRC have indeed in the past gotten a bad reputation from their limited implementation in early chipset design (limited FIR size), newer versions work better and they do have their benefits in real life applications... Here is a measurement of the input section i.e. APX585 generating the Jtest - > UDIO8 input - > USB audio recording.

Happy to answer general questions and hoping to hear back from how to contact Amir directly.

Tony

 

[dwkdnvr]

AES is a different interface though. It's why I bought the unit.

Well, yes, I understand that. I was simply providing a data point suggesting that they seem to have paid more attention to the quality of the digital outputs than they have in previous products.

 

[amirm]

Hi Amir and everybody,

Hi there. Thanks for joining and responding. The test is very different. It is capturing jitter and analyzing, not the signal itself as you showed. I can share the project file with you.