MOTU UltraLite-mk5 Review (Audio Interface)

[centonom]

Yes, it is a bit more complicated than that. I think it's 150mV for 1V output, but I'm not sure. The input sensitivity of the NCx500 module is 2.16 volts with the buffer engaged.

The high output level of your MOTU, and the high max input level of your Parasound, are an advantage in system building, as they help to increase the signal to noise ratio. Amir's tests showed that the MOTU has better performance at higher output levels. That's why mdsimon2 said "you want to minimize digital attenuation in the MOTU to maximize SNR."

It also helps with your NCx500 power amp, which has an internal preamp/buffer to drive the power amp module to full level. That buffer, for want of a better word, degrades the sound quality slightly, and you may be able to benefit from by-passing the buffer with a direct internal connection, and feeding a higher level from your preamp.

It sounds like a well structured and optimised system. What make and model is your power amp?

Thanks for your detailed reply.

I probably wasn’t clear in my post earlier. The Motu main outs feed the Buckeye NCx500 and I control the volume with the Motu there without issue.

The Parasound is part of a separate system across the room from nearfield setup. Another pair of outs from the Motu will feed the Parasound P3 which drives a B&K 125.2 amp.

I just wanted to make sure I knew how much to attenuate the output of the Motu to feed the Parasound without clipping it. Or if I even needs to attenuate at all.

From the various replies here it looks like my initial plan, attenuating -3.0 db or so with the Motu’s digital trim controls, is a good way to go.

 

[NTTY]

guys,
started to use for the first time my ultralite mk5 for measurements and got some unexpected results. I wonder if someone here has seen this and knows a solution.
The objective was to measure the frequency response of a device. I used REW "measure" tab. And tried both an external device and also a TRS cable directly from output to input.
Using the ASIO driver for the MOTU:
No matter what i tried, this is the sort of result i was getting (this particular screenshot is for MOTU output shorted to input with a TRS cable):
View attachment 398366

But if i do the same thing with the JAVA driver, i get the expected smooth result.
I contacted MOTU customer service (because at first i thought the ADC could be damaged) and after a few tests and positive tests with the JAVA driver, their conclusion was the following:
"It could be how the ASIO driver is being handled by the REW program. It could be helpful to connect with the dev of REW - they might know more info"
I don't plan to do many measurements with the Motu, so i am ok if i need to use the java driver, but i am curious. Is this a known issue? if yes, is there a known solution?
thanks!

Did you find a solution?

 

[NTTY]

Yes, it is a bit more complicated than that. I think it's 150mV for 1V output, but I'm not sure. The input sensitivity of the NCx500 module is 2.16 volts with the buffer engaged.

Theoretically, that means 150mV at the input are enough to drive the output to 8V, as per the specs.

Considering this preamp accepts 10.5V, I’d attenuate the output of the Motu by 3dB, as recommended @mdsimon2.

But I don’t think it would help reducing inter-sample overs related distortion. It would only if the digital volume would be processed before feeding the DSP / interpolator of the Motu, and I’m unsure. It would be easy to test, though.

 

[Davide]

guys,
started to use for the first time my ultralite mk5 for measurements and got some unexpected results. I wonder if someone here has seen this and knows a solution.
The objective was to measure the frequency response of a device. I used REW "measure" tab. And tried both an external device and also a TRS cable directly from output to input.
Using the ASIO driver for the MOTU:
No matter what i tried, this is the sort of result i was getting (this particular screenshot is for MOTU output shorted to input with a TRS cable):
View attachment 398366

But if i do the same thing with the JAVA driver, i get the expected smooth result.
I contacted MOTU customer service (because at first i thought the ADC could be damaged) and after a few tests and positive tests with the JAVA driver, their conclusion was the following:
"It could be how the ASIO driver is being handled by the REW program. It could be helpful to connect with the dev of REW - they might know more info"
I don't plan to do many measurements with the Motu, so i am ok if i need to use the java driver, but i am curious. Is this a known issue? if yes, is there a known solution?
thanks!

I too when I use my Mk5 with REW and Motu ASIO driver I find anomalies. But to tell the truth I also find anomalies on Mac and also when I use BlackHole + REW.
I suppose it is a matter of clock... but how knows.

 

[morillon]

try with multitone too ? not only rew....

 

[Davide]

try with multitone too ? not only rew....

I will definitely do it

 

[tiggerkater55]

Good evening, everyone,

I’m reaching out to see if anyone else has experienced the same issues I’m having with CueMix 5. My new MOTU MK5 was working flawlessly, as was the software on my dedicated Windows 10 audio PC.
However, a few days ago, CueMix stopped opening properly. The MOTU interface still works with its last configuration (a 4-channel active setup with a subwoofer added), but I’m unable to access CueMix on my PC to route channels or adjust settings. I also can’t connect to the MOTU MK5 via WLAN. (The CueMix window opens but quickly turns into a blank white page...)

I’ve already tried reinstalling the software multiple times, but unfortunately, it hasn’t fixed the problem.
If anyone knows a solution, I’d greatly appreciate your help! I really like the MOTU MK5 and hope to get it running smoothly again.

Kind regards!

 

[gfinlays]

You may have already tried this, but have you disconnected and reconnected the USB cable to the Motu and tried uninstalling and reinstalling the Motu via Windows device manager?

Is your firmware up to date and are you running the latest version of CueMix 5?

 

[tiggerkater55]

Thanks for your reply!

Yes, both Windows and the MOTU software are up to date. I’ve also tried different USB cables and even installed older versions of CueMix, but the issue persists.
The only thing that comes to mind is a potential background Windows update (e.g., .NET Framework) that might caused the problem. However, I can’t understand why a fresh installation of CueMix—including manually erasing registry keys—doesn’t resolve it.

The MOTU MK5 itself works perfectly fine; it’s just that CueMix is inaccessible on my PC (CueMix works fine though on my iPad or Mac.)

Thanks again for your suggestions—I really appreciate your help!

 

[gfinlays]

I haven't opened CueMix 5 on my audio PC for a while (at least 4 or 5 weeks), but I can see the Motu remotely OK via Android and via my Windows 11 notebook. Will check my audio PC in a bit when my Mrs. isn't watching TV!

 

[gfinlays]

OK, once the TV was free, I had a peek at the Windows audio PC. CueMix 5 is working OK on there and accessible remotely. This PC is running Windows 11, though,asdoes my notebook. Could well be a Windows 10 update issue. Have you checked in on the Motunation forums to see if anyone else is experiencing issues with Windows 10?

 

[tiggerkater55]

Thanks again! I did not check on Motunation Forums, but this will be my next step :=) Thanks!

 

[NTTY]

Good evening, everyone,

I’m reaching out to see if anyone else has experienced the same issues I’m having with CueMix 5. My new MOTU MK5 was working flawlessly, as was the software on my dedicated Windows 10 audio PC.
However, a few days ago, CueMix stopped opening properly. The MOTU interface still works with its last configuration (a 4-channel active setup with a subwoofer added), but I’m unable to access CueMix on my PC to route channels or adjust settings. I also can’t connect to the MOTU MK5 via WLAN. (The CueMix window opens but quickly turns into a blank white page...)

I’ve already tried reinstalling the software multiple times, but unfortunately, it hasn’t fixed the problem.
If anyone knows a solution, I’d greatly appreciate your help! I really like the MOTU MK5 and hope to get it running smoothly again.

Kind regards!

It happened to me when I installed a new VPN software. With some servers, it blocks Cuemix from displaying anything. If you have a VPN, try to put it on hold to see if that solves the issue.

 

[tiggerkater55]

It happened to me when I installed a new VPN software. With some servers, it blocks Cuemix from displaying anything. If you have a VPN, try to put it on hold to see if that solves the issue.

thanks flo,
i did not install any new software, nor do i have a vpn on my audio-pc. but thanks anyway! still trying to figure out whats happening...

 

[NTTY]

Ok, too bad.

It happened to me as well with the latest software update of Cuemix and I reverted to the previous one at the time.

I'm still on V 4.0.9.6378: https://motu.com/en-us/download-center/download/1924

Maybe give it a try.

 

[redeyes]

VPNs are scams. Hopefully you arn't using that for 'security'

 

[tiggerkater55]

I will try another software version (I did already, but dont know which one exactly , perhaps i am lucky this time!

 

[tiggerkater55]

Hi folks,

A MOTU support ticket on December 31st (!) solved the problem—big thanks to the MOTU team!
In case it helps someone here, too: My issue was caused by two outdated Windows drivers (even though Windows Update didn’t indicate they needed updating).

Given that you're experiencing this 'blank, white page' when opening CueMix 5, this indicates to me that the latest Microsoft Redistributable files need to be updated your computer:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/c...svc-170#visual-studio-2015-2017-2019-and-2022

You'll need to install the x86 and x64 versions of this, one at a time (restarting the computer each time). I'd recommend the ULMk5 be off for this process until they are both installed.

Thanks again, and kind regards!

 

[NTTY]

Hi everyone,

I received the Cosmos E1AD and I'm tuning and playing with it, using the Motu as the guinea pig. I did the same measurement as Amir in first page here, that is 4Vrms output, but into the punishing 3.5kohm load of the E1AD, and result is very close to what Amir got with his 200kohms of the AP :

SINAD is 111dB. This is line out 1, line out 2 is the same.

H3 is higher because of the load. I'll test later again with the Cosmos Scaler which has an input load of 200kohm, when I get all cables We should see a result even closer to what Amir got with the AP.

I've been using the Motu nearly non-stop for more than a year, often forgetting to shut it down at night, and it's good to see it still performing as it was out of the box.

 

[howard416]

Hi everyone,

I received the Cosmos E1AD and I'm tuning and playing with it, using the Motu as the guinea pig. I did the same measurement as Amir in first page here, that is 4Vrms output, but into the punishing 3.5kohm load of the E1AD, and result is very close to what Amir got with his 200kohms of the AP :

View attachment 418121

SINAD is 111dB. This is line out 1, line out 2 is the same.

H3 is higher because of the load. I'll test later again with the Cosmos Scaler which has an input load of 200kohm, when I get all cables We should see a result even closer to what Amir got with the AP.

I've been using the Motu nearly non-stop for more than a year, often forgetting to shut it down at night, and it's good to see it still performing as it was out of the box.

Ohhhh.... do you mind trying [any one of] channels 3-8 as well? I've always thought it was weird that only outputs 1 and 2 have gold-plated contacts while the rest look like they are nickel-plated.