New Audio Analyzer from Prism Sound (M1)

[amirm]

Very low price as audio analyzers go. Alas, performance is not that good for critical measurements:

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Introducing…
the NEW Prism Sound dScope M1
Visit Prism Sound at AES NY Oct 17-20th on booth 325 for a first look at the dScope M1 interface and the dScope Series III software.
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With this innovative combination of software and hardware, audio development and test engineers can now deploy the most sophisticated, comprehensive and high-performing test solutions, starting from just $3,395.

The dScope Series III software, packaged with the dScope M1, comes with all the essential tools you need for your test & measurement workstation, including signal generators, voltmeters, distortion analyzers, FFT and sweep measurements.​

Prism Sound dScope M1 overview:

• All standard audio tests and more with easy automation and reporting in a compact and lightweight package
• Familiar, easy to use software user interface based on standard functions
• Easy “Auto Sequence” “code-free” automation based on your saved setups or code your own automation in VBs, Python, C++/C# or other language
• Built-in impulse response analysis based on log swept sine or other arbitrary stimulus
• Bandwidth from DC to >200kHz; 100V RMS maximum input; THD+N residual typical -110dB
• Now with +48V phantom power or CCP power for measurement microphones

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[Headphonaholic]

Might not be the best performance but a price like that could be obtainable for smaller shops to test gear they are designing. Sounds like a good thing to me

 

[amirm]

Indeed there is no excuse for them to not test using such instrument.

 

[helloworld]

Indeed there is no excuse for them to not test using such instrument.

Does this “THD+N residual typical -110dB” mean they could only measure sinad up to -110dB?

 

[amirm]

Does this “THD+N residual typical -110dB” mean they could only measure sinad up to -110dB?

Correct. A perfect device would still show that level of distortion+noise. Same spec for my analyzer is -120 and in practice seems to be a bit better than that.

 

[jtwrace]

Indeed there is no excuse for them to not test using such instrument.

Yes there is, "Use the best instrument to evaluate our gear - your ears!"

 

[Headphonaholic]

So potentially not 100% relevant here, but this got me thinking about what the options are for analyzers on the more affordable side of the spectrum? Sounds like there isn't many... would be interesting to know of any for those of us that want to try our hands at measuring gear. I had bought a Behringer UMC204HD with the hopes of using it for rudimentary measurements but hadn't quite figured out how to use it for that yet...

 

[amirm]

I have tried half a dozen software packages to measure things using sound cards but none of them are a painless solution. Many don't have "closed loop" control where they can alter a parameter and measure for example. So graphs like IMD versus Level, etc. would not be doable. They also don't have high-voltage inputs so you can't measure anything with power output. Even a headphone amp many damage the input of the ADC.

A dedicated appliance like Audio Precision and Prism Sound are really the way to go.

I will be selling my old Audio Precision analyzer soon so that is another option. It nearly matches my new analyzer in performance. It just doesn't support USB audio output.

 

[Headphonaholic]

Well it's good to know I'm not just being dumb. I haven't found any good guides yet but I figure I'll figure it out eventually just need to find some time to fiddle with it. Hopefully I don't blow it up with an amp!

I don't think I can afford even a used Audio Precision analyzer! I appreciate that you can and do for the sake of the community though! I would be interested in sub $1k analyzer though.

 

[amirm]

You can't blow up your amp (not easily anyway). What you can blow up is your input card and possibly the USB port of your computer! So don't measure anything other than DACs.

On analyzers below $1K, I think quantum asylum is the only unit there.

 

[Headphonaholic]

Thank you! That is really good to know, I'll be careful.

I looked that one up and $450 is very affordable! Good tip

 

[sergeauckland]

So potentially not 100% relevant here, but this got me thinking about what the options are for analyzers on the more affordable side of the spectrum? Sounds like there isn't many... would be interesting to know of any for those of us that want to try our hands at measuring gear. I had bought a Behringer UMC204HD with the hopes of using it for rudimentary measurements but hadn't quite figured out how to use it for that yet...

I bought a Behringer UMC204HD, for the express purpose of using it in a measuring rig at home. I bought it when my trusty old Lexicon I-Onix U-22 failed, and based on what I read here, thought the UMC would be a better bet.

Unfortunately, and I tried two units from separate suppliers, I couldn't get the distortion figues anywhere near what was reported here. I typically got about 0.5% distortion at 1KHz, depending on what the input and output levels were. It was slightly worse unbalanced, done by shorting pin 3 to pin 1 as Behringer suggest, but clearly nowhere near good enough when my Lexicon manages 0.005% quite routinely, again differing slightly according to input and output level. I ended up buying another Lexicon on eBay and that too works fine.

I also checked a UMC 202HD with the same results, so have to assume that there's something wrong with the way my measuring software works with the hardware. I use Soundcard Scope, REW, ARTA, Audiotester and VA32 depending on what I want to do, but not all facilities work on all those packages reliably. The worse one, which I can no longer get to work at all is RMAA. It works fine on an old XP machine I keep just for recording with a Digigram PCMCIA audio card, but won't work at all on Windows 7 or 10 using any of the USB cards I've tried.

For hobby purposes at home, what I have is adequate to make sure something's working correctly....if it distorts less than I can measure then I really don't need to worry.....but it would be nice to have an AP rig.

S

 

[andreasmaaan]

I bought a Behringer UMC204HD, for the express purpose of using it in a measuring rig at home. I bought it when my trusty old Lexicon I-Onix U-22 failed, and based on what I read here, thought the UMC would be a better bet.

Unfortunately, and I tried two units from separate suppliers, I couldn't get the distortion figues anywhere near what was reported here. I typically got about 0.5% distortion at 1KHz, depending on what the input and output levels were. It was slightly worse unbalanced, done by shorting pin 3 to pin 1 as Behringer suggest, but clearly nowhere near good enough when my Lexicon manages 0.005% quite routinely, again differing slightly according to input and output level. I ended up buying another Lexicon on eBay and that too works fine.

I also checked a UMC 202HD with the same results, so have to assume that there's something wrong with the way my measuring software works with the hardware. I use Soundcard Scope, REW, ARTA, Audiotester and VA32 depending on what I want to do, but not all facilities work on all those packages reliably. The worse one, which I can no longer get to work at all is RMAA. It works fine on an old XP machine I keep just for recording with a Digigram PCMCIA audio card, but won't work at all on Windows 7 or 10 using any of the USB cards I've tried.

For hobby purposes at home, what I have is adequate to make sure something's working correctly....if it distorts less than I can measure then I really don't need to worry.....but it would be nice to have an AP rig.

S

I wonder if your 0.5% is coming from the UMC's inputs/ADC? Amir only measured the DAC side here and there seems to be a consensus that the ADC side performs worse, although I don't know exactly how much worse, and 0.5% sounds a lot worse than I'd have expected..

 

[stunta]

I bought a Behringer UMC204HD, for the express purpose of using it in a measuring rig at home. I bought it when my trusty old Lexicon I-Onix U-22 failed, and based on what I read here, thought the UMC would be a better bet.

Unfortunately, and I tried two units from separate suppliers, I couldn't get the distortion figues anywhere near what was reported here. I typically got about 0.5% distortion at 1KHz, depending on what the input and output levels were. It was slightly worse unbalanced, done by shorting pin 3 to pin 1 as Behringer suggest, but clearly nowhere near good enough when my Lexicon manages 0.005% quite routinely, again differing slightly according to input and output level. I ended up buying another Lexicon on eBay and that too works fine.

I also checked a UMC 202HD with the same results, so have to assume that there's something wrong with the way my measuring software works with the hardware. I use Soundcard Scope, REW, ARTA, Audiotester and VA32 depending on what I want to do, but not all facilities work on all those packages reliably. The worse one, which I can no longer get to work at all is RMAA. It works fine on an old XP machine I keep just for recording with a Digigram PCMCIA audio card, but won't work at all on Windows 7 or 10 using any of the USB cards I've tried.

For hobby purposes at home, what I have is adequate to make sure something's working correctly....if it distorts less than I can measure then I really don't need to worry.....but it would be nice to have an AP rig.

S

This is cool. If there is a reliable workflow you (or anyone else technical enough) can establish with the Behringer and can document it, the community would benefit from it I think. For instance, I recently purchased a surround sound processor and plan on using its internal DACs - its not practical to ship it to Amir (plus he probably has a long backlog already) and it would be great to get a "sanity check" measurement on it, publish it and hopefully others can benefit before making a buying decision.

 

[Headphonaholic]

This is cool. If there is a reliable workflow you (or anyone else technical enough) can establish with the Behringer and can document it, the community would benefit from it I think. For instance, I recently purchased a surround sound processor and plan on using its internal DACs - its not practical to ship it to Amir (plus he probably has a long backlog already) and it would be great to get a "sanity check" measurement on it, publish it and hopefully others can benefit before making a buying decision.

Yeah I would like to second that. I have a couple tube amps and I would love to be able to see quantitatively what changes with different tubes. It really wouldn't be practical to send Amir a tube or 2 every time I'm curious haha.

 

[amirm]

Yeah I would like to second that. I have a couple tube amps and I would love to be able to see quantitatively what changes with different tubes. It really wouldn't be practical to send Amir a tube or 2 every time I'm curious haha.

I have a schiit saga for review which I plan to test with different tubes.

 

[sergeauckland]

I wonder if your 0.5% is coming from the UMC's inputs/ADC? Amir only measured the DAC side here and there seems to be a consensus that the ADC side performs worse, although I don't know exactly how much worse, and 0.5% sounds a lot worse than I'd have expected..

Possibly. I was interested in knowing whether the ADC or DAC were responsible so did some investigating.

I generated signals on the PC and played out on the UMC. I then measured the distortion on an analogue Distortion Factor Meter, but the results were inconclusive, I think due to noise shaping in the UMC. Unfortunately, my DFM has a wide bandwidth so picks up any HF noise and includes it in the THD figure. I tried recording some tone from my generator then analysing the resulting WAV file in software, and that indicated quite high distortion, so I concluded that the bulk of the problem most probably was the ADC.

Nevertheless, it still made the UMC unusable as an audio interface for measurements, so returned it for refund and bought the used Lexicon. This incidentally was the third UMC I had checked, (204, then 202, then 204 again) the first I took to be faulty so returned it and I bought the second one with near identical results, then borrowed the third one that did the same, so assume they weren't faulty, that's just what they did.

S

 

[Headphonaholic]

I have a schiit saga for review which I plan to test with different tubes.

Oh awesome! That is exciting, though seeing how it is a Schiit product it makes me a bit less excited haha. I'm still interested in how it will do though. I see it's also hybrid which I imagine will make measuring easier but may not get the same results the way a non hybrid tube amp would. Gotta measure a Darkvoice

 

[amirm]

Gotta measure a Darkvoice

Same member was kind enough to also loan me a Darkvoice! Not sure now if the spare tubes he gave me are for this or the Schiit Saga.

 

[Headphonaholic]

Same member was kind enough to also loan me a Darkvoice! Not sure now if the spare tubes he gave me are for this or the Schiit Saga.

Oh excellent! If the tubes the 6ns7 they'll work in both the Darkvoice and the Saga. The Darkvoice's power tubes are 6080's or equivalent and are generally larger.