Okto DAC8 Pro - open to new orders

[Zoomer]

as i understand in hifi, it is the PSU that we actually listen to, or else people wouldn't be paying crazy money for custom made PSU and power conditionerers.

People pay crazy money for X so it must be worth it.

I'm just guessing you haven't spent much time outside this thread on ASR which is dedicated to debunking nonsense like this.

 

[MJT]

Shouldn't the unit become an MKII if they change parts in it

It's just a change in how the 5v line is converted from AC. Maybe for no other reason but to simplify and/or eliminate theoretical noise interference from one transformer unto another. It may just reflect an evolving design philosophy of inconsequential difference. People would be disappointed if there were a MKII without any significant upgrade or measurable/audible improvement.

..in hifi, it is the PSU that we actually listen to, or else people wouldn't be paying crazy money for custom made PSU and power conditionerers.

The more I'm researching this, the more I'm learning these newer DAC chips aren't affected by power supplies beyond certain threshold.

 

[mdsimon2]

The most important parts of the "power supply" are the local regulators (and how they are laid out / implemented) on the DAC board. As @MJT mentioned how you get DC power to the DAC board is not that critical.

From experimenting with the DIYINHK ESS DACs (which do not have any local regulators) I have found the best performance by using a switching power supply followed by low noise regulators (LT3045) as close as possible to the DAC board. This is a very similar approach to what Okto are doing but obviously on board regulators like in the Okto will give much better performance.

Michael

 

[Ibanez]

It's just a change in how the 5v line is converted from AC. Maybe for no other reason but to simplify and/or eliminate theoretical noise interference from one transformer unto another. It may just reflect an evolving design philosophy of inconsequential difference. People would be disappointed if there were a MKII without any significant upgrade or measurable/audible improvement.


The more I'm researching this, the more I'm learning these newer DAC chips aren't affected by power supplies beyond certain threshold.

Thank you for great clarification , that helped me understand a bit more, thank you.

 

[MJT]

Currently available in Silver and Black

 

[dartinbout]

Confirmed! Woohooo!!!! Anyone who listens to home theater or surround music should sell a kidney.

 

[MJT]

Only the 8 channel.

According to Pavel, the Pro can be configured to relatively match the 2 channel. See here. Since the 2 channel hasn't been available in some time, you may want to look into it.

 

[Dave H]

Ive just noticed the Okto dac8 Pro is available again.

 

[MJT]

Wow they're still in stock since yesterday. This is very good!

 

[EMCCM]

Sold out again.

 

[MJT]

I wasn't sure where to post this but I have to get this out. I had been anticipating what I might experience with the Okto Dac8 Pro for home theater because I've been seeing a fully matured consensus online that it's foolish not to just use an AVR/Pre-Pro because the measurement differences are "beyond our ability to hear" and "it's not the 90s anymore". So I tested the Okto with all Hypex NC400 amps, against a borrowed Denon AVR-X4700H, as well as my beloved Asus Essence STX-II 7.1 with modded LPS and $1200 in opamp upgrades. Audibly, the AVR-X4700H and STX-II were on par with the STX-II slightly edging out the AVR-X4700H with subtle differences, but the Okto clearly brought the sense of realism to a whole new level. Details I've never heard before. I could elaborate on the sonic aspects, but really it all comes down to a new sense of realism. I definitely have bias for the STX-II because I've been enjoying modding and incrementally improving the Xonar/Essenence line from way back. But the Okto revived my excitement in my home theater unlike I'd anticipated and has me smiling like a kid again! Thanks Pavel

 

[Bouly]

I wasn't sure where to post this but I have to get this out. I had been anticipating what I might experience with the Okto Dac8 Pro for home theater because I've been seeing a fully matured consensus online that it's foolish not to just use an AVR/Pre-Pro because the measurement differences are "beyond our ability to hear" and "it's not the 90s anymore". So I tested the Okto with all Hypex NC400 amps, against a borrowed Denon AVR-X4700H, as well as my beloved Asus Essence STX-II 7.1 with modded LPS and $1200 in opamp upgrades. Audibly, the AVR-X4700H and STX-II were on par with the STX-II slightly edging out the AVR-X4700H with subtle differences, but the Okto clearly brought the sense of realism to a whole new level. Details I've never heard before. I could elaborate on the sonic aspects, but really it all comes down to a new sense of realism. I definitely have bias for the STX-II because I've been enjoying modding and incrementally improving the Xonar/Essenence line from way back. But the Okto revived my excitement in my home theater unlike I'd anticipated and has me smiling like a kid again! Thanks Pavel

That's interesting. I don't have a lot of space so my audio listening setup is the same as my home theater setup. Can you play for example a ripped blu ray as an mkv file from your computer, for example with VLC, and output a lossless Dolby True HD track towards the Okto Dac8 Pro to get 5.1 lossless 48khz/24bit quality for your movies ?

 

[Ra1zel]

For people on big budget good alternative is Universal Audio Apollo X16, much more expensive but considering you get 16 channels price per channel is comparable, if you let it run on max output voltage SINAD is state of the art 120dB. I'm planning to use it in my active system project since I need more than 8 channels for 4 way speakers + 4 subs. I also considered Merging Hapi but decided that I don't want to deal with AES67.

 

[feurkils]

Can any provide a stateside VAT dummy with info on how to get one of these? Sounds like I need to purchase this through a registered EU vendor who can then sell/ship it to me? I contacted Okto and that’s what it sounds like I need to do. Any stateside folks have advise on what to do?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Can any provide a stateside VAT dummy with info on how to get one of these? Sounds like I need to purchase this through a registered EU vendor who can then sell/ship it to me? I contacted Okto and that’s what it sounds like I need to do. Any stateside folks have advise on what to do?

Unless you find a second-hand one locally, you must purchase it directly from Okto.

 

[Holmz]

Can any provide a stateside VAT dummy with info on how to get one of these? Sounds like I need to purchase this through a registered EU vendor who can then sell/ship it to me? I contacted Okto and that’s what it sounds like I need to do. Any stateside folks have advise on what to do?

Order directly from Octo.

In Australia the shipped has you pay the GST and Duty, and they giove that to the government.
In the US it is hard to say what they will do.

 

[dartinbout]

Unless you find a second-hand one locally, you must purchase it directly from Okto.

(Raises hand)

F/S: Okto Research DAC8 Pro $900

Purchased 11\21 and enjoyed since day 1. Firmware 1.0 and mfg #5. This unit works flawlessly as a USB\8 channel XLR DAC. I never used the AES ports but was assured at the time of the purchase there was no issue. No remote. Buyer pays shipping and insurance costs plus any paypal fees. P.S. I...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[tiramisu]

I looked at the Okto website. I shouldn't have.
That is very cool. bang & Olufsen would be proud.
Where do I see the price? Pretty sure it is going to high.

 

[MJT]

That's interesting. I don't have a lot of space so my audio listening setup is the same as my home theater setup. Can you play for example a ripped blu ray as an mkv file from your computer, for example with VLC, and output a lossless Dolby True HD track towards the Okto Dac8 Pro to get 5.1 lossless 48khz/24bit quality for your movies ?

Yes, lossless 7.1 24-bit/192KHz

 

[MJT]

For people on big budget good alternative is Universal Audio Apollo X16, much more expensive but considering you get 16 channels price per channel is comparable, if you let it run on max output voltage SINAD is state of the art 120dB. I'm planning to use it in my active system project since I need more than 8 channels for 4 way speakers + 4 subs. I also considered Merging Hapi but decided that I don't want to deal with AES67.

Measures well, but wow with that output voltage, it can bypass amp input buffers. Amirm: "The high output of X16 should allow you to drive amplifiers such as Purifi and Hypex without their input buffers and get better measured performance than you can with high-fi DACs."