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Review and Measurements of Okto DAC8 8Ch DAC & Amp

Vincentponcet

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The Canare are available second hand for less than 10€ each, I paid 12€ for 4 new ones. Try those: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154475083511?

I'm moderately certain that the Meridian uses S/PDIF signal levels.

I think it's 4x S/PDIF on an RJ45 socket. While it doesn't have a DSP to decode Dolby or DTS internally, it does accept 8 channel PCM according to the manual.

It is aes3
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/okto-8-owner’s-thread.13899/post-667166
 

Ozymandias

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What's wrong with the Meridian HD621 and UHD722? Both are readily available in the second hand market, in the case of the HD621 significantly cheaper than the only Vanity HD that's being offered since months.
Thanks for this @Zooqu1ko . I wasn't aware of this product. I'll do some research to see if it's a fit for my needs.
 

phoenixdogfan

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I have the Canare transformer. I'll be using it (when I finally get the Octo) to take the processed two channel Spdif output from my Smyth Realiser atp the Octo and output from it to my THX 789.

The Octo wil be both a 2.1 and 5.1 DAC for my speaker based multi channel system fed via USB from my PC, and a 2.0 DAC for my headphone based system fed from the Smyth's binauralized spdif output (when I finally get it).
 
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manisandher

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For anyone waiting for their Okto order to come through, my dac8 PRO order (#339) has just been delivered to me.

(I notice on their website that Okto have temporarily stopped taking orders due to their backlog.)

Mani.
 

phoenixdogfan

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For anyone waiting for their Okto order to come through, my dac8 PRO order (#339) has just been delivered to me.

(I notice on their website that Okto have temporarily stopped taking orders due to their backlog.)

Mani.
I'm 291 for a DAC 8 Pro, when did you order yours?
 

manisandher

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Xenio

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Hello,

I'm planning on buying a HC in the future
I'll probably build a DIY Hypex UCD180 5 channels amplifier; because it seems to be the most cost effective things to do while being really good quality (if I understood correctly)

And probably use something like this Okto that just seems amazing.

However I have two questions :

- First, I will mainly use it from a PC with USB however I want the option to use an optical connexion (to use other sources)
So will I be able to "convert" an optical connexion to the AES/EBU IN of the Okto ? If yes what would you recommend to make this conversion (not sure if conversion is the right wording)
If yes, then I'd just need to switch from USB/AES mode to "pure AES" mode right ? ( the "first" mode and "last" mode on the main webpage : https://www.oktoresearch.com/dac8pro.htm)

- Secondly .... as nice as this Okto is, it's really expensive for me and I don't need the two last channels, so I was wondering if you had either a cheaper but still good alternative (like the same but with 6 channels for example) or simply something really cheap (like 200$ or so) that will do the work somewhat fine just to wait for the Okto :)
 

abdo123

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Hello,

I'm planning on buying a HC in the future
I'll probably build a DIY Hypex UCD180 5 channels amplifier; because it seems to be the most cost effective things to do while being really good quality (if I understood correctly)

And probably use something like this Okto that just seems amazing.

However I have two questions :

- First, I will mainly use it from a PC with USB however I want the option to use an optical connexion (to use other sources)
So will I be able to "convert" an optical connexion to the AES/EBU IN of the Okto ? If yes what would you recommend to make this conversion (not sure if conversion is the right wording)
If yes, then I'd just need to switch from USB/AES mode to "pure AES" mode right ? ( the "first" mode and "last" mode on the main webpage : https://www.oktoresearch.com/dac8pro.htm)

- Secondly .... as nice as this Okto is, it's really expensive for me and I don't need the two last channels, so I was wondering if you had either a cheaper but still good alternative (like the same but with 6 channels for example) or simply something really cheap (like 200$ or so) that will do the work somewhat fine just to wait for the Okto :)

the Okto cannot act as an AVR, what is your plan eventually?
 

Xenio

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If I plug it to my PC won't I be able to map the 6 channels to a 5.1 in Windows ? They themselves wrote "home cinema" in the use cases of the USB IN/ANALOG OUT mode.
 

Vincentponcet

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Hello,

I'm planning on buying a HC in the future
I'll probably build a DIY Hypex UCD180 5 channels amplifier; because it seems to be the most cost effective things to do while being really good quality (if I understood correctly)

And probably use something like this Okto that just seems amazing.

However I have two questions :

- First, I will mainly use it from a PC with USB however I want the option to use an optical connexion (to use other sources)
So will I be able to "convert" an optical connexion to the AES/EBU IN of the Okto ? If yes what would you recommend to make this conversion (not sure if conversion is the right wording)
If yes, then I'd just need to switch from USB/AES mode to "pure AES" mode right ? ( the "first" mode and "last" mode on the main webpage : https://www.oktoresearch.com/dac8pro.htm)

- Secondly .... as nice as this Okto is, it's really expensive for me and I don't need the two last channels, so I was wondering if you had either a cheaper but still good alternative (like the same but with 6 channels for example) or simply something really cheap (like 200$ or so) that will do the work somewhat fine just to wait for the Okto :)

The cost is not linear by number of channels.
The ESS9028PRO chip has 8 channels, so providing 6 channels instead of 8 would just remove 2 output buffers on the PCB and 2 XLR connectors, so not that much components, and everything else would stay the same (ie inputs, transformer, cases, etc...). But another PCB, probably another firmware, so more R&D, so probably not worth it.
 

Xenio

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Fiddling, as long that in the end it works, is not a problem

Windows as the only source is indeed a bit more problematic, hence why I asked if it was possible to "convert" optical to AES/EBU with, potentially, another device, then either direct it to the analog out or .. idk ... USB out => PC then do something inside windows to redirect it to the => USB IN => analog out or something
 

Xenio

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The cost is not linear by number of channels.
The ESS9028PRO chip has 8 channels, so providing 6 channels instead of 8 would just remove 2 output buffers on the PCB and 2 XLR connectors, so not that much components, and everything else would stay the same (ie inputs, transformer, cases, etc...). But another PCB, probably another firmware, so more R&D, so probably not worth it.

Thanks for the information !
 

Vincentponcet

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Fiddling, as long that in the end it works, is not a problem

Windows as the only source is indeed a bit more problematic, hence why I asked if it was possible to "convert" optical to AES/EBU with, potentially, another device, then either direct it to the analog out or .. idk ... USB out => PC then do something inside windows to redirect it to the => USB IN => analog out or something
yes, search for toslink to AES converter.
note that optical input would just be stereo, it will not decode dolby digital 5.1 stream.
 

Xenio

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Okay thanks
Maybe this product isn't made for me then; too bad it's so tempting to have good DACs in a HC setup :/
 

Vincentponcet

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Okay thanks
Maybe this product isn't made for me then; too bad it's so tempting to have good DACs in a HC setup :/
You can find old cinema dolby digital decoders with output 4 spdif/aes for 300-500$ (but only dolby digital and not dolby digital plus, but many sources can reencode into dolby digital)
Another option is using a decoder in the source (like bluray or set top boxes) which output to 7.1 LPCM HDMI, then using an HDMI to AES extractor, like meridian hd621 or a hdmi to sdi to aes chain.
Not an easy path anyway.
If you just do windows to okto, then things are easy. If you are looking for having a traditional source, it becomes unchartered territories.
 

Xenio

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I plan on using Windows mainly, especially for "high quality content"
It's just that my wife will certainly use netflix, youtube or things like that directly from the TV/ISP tv decoder. I can get the toslink optical out of all those different secondary sources from the TV. I clearly don't need high quality from that but if I could have surround from there too it would be nice.
She will be quite upset if I tell her that the brand new 3K+ setup can only get sound from the computer lmao

I'll need to explore those "unchartered territories" I guess
 

abdo123

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I plan on using Windows mainly, especially for "high quality content"
It's just that my wife will certainly use netflix, youtube or things like that directly from the TV/ISP tv decoder. I can get the toslink optical out of all those different secondary sources from the TV. I clearly don't need high quality from that but if I could have surround from there too it would be nice.
She will be quite upset if I tell her that the brand new 3K+ setup can only get sound from the computer lmao

I'll need to explore those "unchartered territories" I guess

you will be very satisfied with an AVR to be honest. SINAD chasing stops being a problem past ~90 dB SINAD when you can cover CD quality.
 

abdo123

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I plan on using Windows mainly, especially for "high quality content"
It's just that my wife will certainly use netflix, youtube or things like that directly from the TV/ISP tv decoder. I can get the toslink optical out of all those different secondary sources from the TV. I clearly don't need high quality from that but if I could have surround from there too it would be nice.
She will be quite upset if I tell her that the brand new 3K+ setup can only get sound from the computer lmao

I'll need to explore those "unchartered territories" I guess

In the future you can mod the AVR to output digital signals and use a multichannel DAC.

 
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