Douk Audio U2Pro Digital Interface Upgrade is Being Planned and Waiting for Your Advice!

[Douk Audio]

Hello all ASR members,

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day with your family and friends!
Douk Audio appreciated all of you so much for providing many feedback and opinions on our products, some new ones shared here before such as A5 digital amplifier with HPF, VU2PRO etc. will be released in the following months, let's wait togehter.

Recently, our PD is going to upgrade our U2PRO digital interface (USB to IIS/Coaxial/Optical adapter) according to users' feedback.
I noticed some of you used our U2 or U2pro, so I sincerely invite you to post your opinions and and shape it together! Any suggestions just feel free to post, thank you!

 

[somebodyelse]

I would have thought a 'Pro' model would include XLR output for AES/EBU as used in pro audio, rather than I2S which only amateurs use, but that's product naming for you these days. I would hope the coax output would be transformer isolated in both models - something else that's more common in pro audio to break ground loops and other ground related noise issues like 'usb noise'. If they can do it in a £16 Fun Generation UA-202 cost is no excuse, and it gives a genuinely useful selling point over most of the alternatives. Fun Generation don't mention it, but the transformer can be seen on the board. Beyond that there's not much to say - a class compliant USB to digital adapter just has to do its job correctly.

 

[JamesYeomans]

Re the U2:
- The move from Micro USB to USB C was appreciated by me.

A "Pro" version with XLR AES/EBU output instead of the I2S would also be appreciated.

 

[NickArcade]

Do you have a projected released date for this new model of the U2?

 

[Matterhorn]

I bought the Douk U2pro. I am amazed at how the sound stage opened up when using it with my Musician Draco. I use a LPS and connect the U2pro via I2S to the Draco.
There are many people that have upgraded the oscillators/clocks in their U2pro. Could you comment on the possibility of upgraded clocks in the U2pro? Otherwise I have no complaints it works great.

 

[NickArcade]

Make it USB 3 and include HDMI eARC input/output

 

[NickArcade]

Any update on an announcement?

 

[Douk Audio]

Any update on an announcement?

Hi, thanks for your attention. Due to the Spring Festival Holiday, the release of the U2PRO is delayed to the end of Mar. and the U2 is delayed to the end of Apr.

 

[Roland68]

Make it USB 3 and include HDMI eARC input/output

USB 3 for high-quality audio would be a really bad idea.
Bandwidth is really not a problem with USB 2.0, especially when you consider how many channels RME, for example, transmits simultaneously.
Thanks to years of development by XMOS, Amanero, Xing Audio and the many DDC manufacturers, USB 2.0 for audio has reached an astonishingly high level, especially when you consider what a cheap consumer interface USB is, which, despite its disadvantages and problems, has only prevailed because of its price.

 

[Deleted member 72219]

I really need a coax INPUT. My room correction DSP does not have USB output, only optical or coax. It is virtually impossible to find a DDC under $1,000 nowadays with coax and/or optical INPUT. Having that would already be a massive disruption at this price point for a DDC.

-Ed

 

[Gorgonzola]

Is ASR being used for not-so-covert advertising?

 

[MCH]

I really need a coax INPUT. My room correction DSP does not have USB output, only optical or coax. It is virtually impossible to find a DDC under $1,000 nowadays with coax and/or optical INPUT. Having that would already be a massive disruption at this price point for a DDC.

-Ed

What exactly do you need? Coax input and which output/s?

 

[Deleted member 72219]

What exactly do you need? Coax input and which output/s?

AES/EBU and I2S would be nice to experiment with, as currently those are not output options from my room correction unit (DSPeaker Anti-Mode X2D).

-Ed

 

[MCH]

AES/EBU and I2S would be nice to experiment with, as currently those are not output options from my room correction unit (DSPeaker Anti-Mode X2D).

-Ed

There are plenty of converters that allow to transform spdif coax into AES/EBU or I2S. The former, even in the shape of a simple cable:

pro snake AES/EBU SPDIF Cable 3

Digital Interface Cables Length: 3 m, XLR female -> RCA male, Suitable for all RME Fireface Cards, 110 Ω, Colour: Black, Made in Germany

www.thomann.de

If you need to combine them with a switch, or to multiply the signal, there are also cheap boxes that can do that.
Or are we talking about some sort of multichannel stuff, like adat -> multiple stereo?

 

[Roland68]

I really need a coax INPUT. My room correction DSP does not have USB output, only optical or coax. It is virtually impossible to find a DDC under $1,000 nowadays with coax and/or optical INPUT. Having that would already be a massive disruption at this price point for a DDC.

-Ed

AES/EBU and I2S would be nice to experiment with, as currently those are not output options from my room correction unit (DSPeaker Anti-Mode X2D).

-Ed

A very simple solution that I have been using for years and is now fortunately available again.
Look for the AK4118 board on Aliexpress. Input AES/Optical/Coax/i2s, output i2s. Approx. €/$ 40.
The whole thing is also available one step up as a sample rate converter with AK4137 and AK4118 for around €/$ 80.
The two ICs are among the best there are and the boards work perfectly for me.
AK4118 Board
AK4137/AK4118 Board
i2s can be perfectly converted to AES/Optical/Coax/i2s(HDMI)over LVDS for about €/$ 25.
Digital interface I2S/IIS to coaxial fiber SPDIF AES output board
I don't think it can be done any better for €/$ 1000.

 

[NickArcade]

Hi, thanks for your attention. Due to the Spring Festival Holiday, the release of the U2PRO is delayed to the end of Mar. and the U2 is delayed to the end of Apr.

It's the end of March

 

[LionIT]

Any news on the release @Douk Audio ?