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Okto Dac8 Pro alternative?

devink

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Yes this is true, although you can do 88.2/96 at 4 channels for each coaxial and optical input to get 8 channels at higher sample rates but this is obviously a bit of a pain.

Michael

Wow, cool! Would not have guessed that would be supported.
 

Tom C

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The Universal Audio X16 is pricey, with a lot of functionality you may not use. But you can probably get delivery much sooner than six months.
 
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ARNiTECT

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The Ultralite MK5 will yield even more channels than the Octo, and do other things like high quality A to D conversion, for around $800 less.
You will, however, miss out on the AES/USB mode which allows a two channel PCM digital signal to be sent to the Octo via AES/EBU. then be routed by USB to a PC or work station processor for DSP/Room Correction/Software based crossover, and then be re-routed back to the Octo via USB for D to A conversion. A unique feature. I think.
Interesting feature! I do like tinkering, but for my hifi setup, I wouldn't need the A-D conversion, or AES/USB mode.
I've had a closer look at the Ultralite MK5 (£622) and the performance seems similar to the Topping E30 (4x = £516).
 

jtwrace

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It's crazy to me that with all the requirements of MCH dac nobody has stepped up like Okto to make something that they can deliver. I really believe the first well run company that does it will sell a shit ton of them. Okto has proven there is a market for it!

Just imagine a Topping D908 with XLR out for < $2000 designed by @JohnYang1997
 

Jose Hidalgo

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Here it is ! Behold the Topping E308 ! :cool:

E308.jpg
 

Jose Hidalgo

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haha. nice photoshop! Still needs to be fully balanced too. ;)
I'd be happy to read a scientific reason why a DAC would need to be balanced for a home use. As in "it brings a measurable improvement within the hearing abilities". ;) Because AFAIK balanced does only bring more power, which is (1) useless for 90% of people, and (2) needed on the amp side rather than on the DAC side. And if we're going to discuss cable lengths, those are generally short enough in case of a home use.

For the record the dac8 Pro is a beast, I love it... but who can hear 120+dB SINAD ? Nobody.
 

jtwrace

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I'd be happy to read a scientific reason why a DAC would need to be balanced for a home use. As in "it brings a measurable improvement within the hearing abilities". ;) Because AFAIK balanced does only bring more power, which is (1) useless for 90% of people, and (2) needed on the amp side rather than on the DAC side. And if we're going to discuss cable lengths, those are generally short enough in case of a home use.

For the record the dac8 Pro is a beast, I love it... but who can hear 120+dB SINAD ? Nobody.
The possible noise issues associated with SE is reason enough. Especially when you have 8 channels of wires going through walls etc.
 

Jose Hidalgo

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The possible noise issues associated with SE is reason enough. Especially when you have 8 channels of wires going through walls etc.
... but would you be able to hear the difference in the end ? :p
I get your point, but it's not very scientific so I'm not convinced. Unless cables are really very long, and then OK.
But even so, maybe somebody ought to do some testing with 4 x E30 and measure the performance. There could be surprises. ;)
 

mdsimon2

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... but would you be able to hear the difference in the end ? :p
I get your point, but it's not very scientific so I'm not convinced. Unless cables are really very long, and then OK.
But even so, maybe somebody ought to do some testing with 4 x E30 and measure the performance. There could be surprises. ;)

Any one that has fought ground loop issues on single ended connections knows they can be very audible.

Michael
 

Kal Rubinson

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I'd be happy to read a scientific reason why a DAC would need to be balanced for a home use.
Because all my other components use balanced connections already. :eek:
Because AFAIK balanced does only bring more power, which is (1) useless for 90% of people, and (2) needed on the amp side rather than on the DAC side.
And my DACs drive my power amps directly.:cool:
... but who can hear 120+dB SINAD ? Nobody.
But, ain't that the point? :rolleyes:
 

devink

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... but would you be able to hear the difference in the end ? :p
I get your point, but it's not very scientific so I'm not convinced. Unless cables are really very long, and then OK.
But even so, maybe somebody ought to do some testing with 4 x E30 and measure the performance. There could be surprises. ;)
For pros or long-ish cable runs, balanced is a must.

I posted more thoughts about the audibility of DAC's here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/rme-changes-dac-chip.24736/post-878073 and why it does often make sense to do a little better than we can hear.
 
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ARNiTECT

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OP here!

I bought 3x Topping E30 (and 1x cheap Prozor DAC for my lower quality rear surrounds).

The sound is fantastic! The E30 is a clear improvement on my Audiolab 8200CDQ, I'm currently going through my music collection - hearing new things. The 8200AP is absolutely fine as an analogue preamp.

I previously put surround and stereo sources through the nanoAVRs for BM/Dirac, but now it is just the surround sources, as stereo sounds better without any processing.

Surround:
Sources > HDMI switch > CXUHD > nanoAVR HD > nanoAVR DL > HD621 > 3x Topping E30 & Prozor DAC > Audiolab 8200AP analogue preamp > Bryston power > PMC speakers

Stereo:
Squeezebox Touch > Topping E30 > Audiolab 8200AP analogue preamp > Bryston power > PMC speakers

Issues:
1. There was an annoying hum from the E30's, I eventually isolated this to their USB power when used with any USB hub. 1x E30 was fine on its own, but as soon as another device was connected to the hub, there was a hum. I tried this with a couple of multi-port mains USB hubs and a multi-port USB battery pack. I solved this by using 4x 1-port USB to mains socket adapters.
2. IR remote is not 100% accurate; sometimes one E30 gets left behind and its tricky to match them up again. Maybe I should try a more reliable stick-on IR repeater?
3. Auto Off (A-O) doesn't work with the HD621 or the Squeezebox Touch. I then tried a Hue bridge controlled socket, but when powered on, they don't Auto Wake, even with audio playing. I might use the Hue socket anyway, as at least this guarantees the DACs are off, leaving me to deal with occasional issues turning them all on by remote.
4. I need more inputs on the E30 (nanoAVR/Squeezebox/CD), I ordered a separate remote controlled SPDIF selector, this also avoids needing to change the E30 inputs with remote.
5. Meridian HD621 has no remote control, as I have no Meridian Processor/Controller to connect the Comms port to. So either I leave this on 24/7, or power on/off with Hue socket and manually push the front selector button to wake from standby.
 

Music1969

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It's crazy to me that with all the requirements of MCH dac nobody has stepped up like Okto to make something that they can deliver. I really believe the first well run company that does it will sell a shit ton of them. Okto has proven there is a market for it!

Depends what you consider to be "a shit ton of them" in sales?

Demand may appear sky high for Okto8's on a couple forums but outside of that, is there really a shit ton of demand?

Don't get me wrong, I want an Okto8

There's heaps of pro audio options obviously but none have a physical remote control (not app) for volume like Okto ! arghhh
 

manisandher

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I've got an dac8 PRO in my main system and an UltraLite-mk5 in my office, both feeding multiple amps in their respective fully active systems.

The Okto is phenomenal and works perfectly with both my iFi Zen Stream and my SOtM sMS-2OO streamers (once all the channel mapping has been set correctly in the software player). Couldn't be happier with it.

The MOTU doesn't work with either streamer. Everything looks fine; the UltraLite shows up as the DAC, the software player looks as though it's playing (the timer is going), and the MOTU changes sample rates. BUT... there's no sound. I've played around with CueMix5 (when connected to a PC) but still can't get any signal out of any of the outputs when I reconnect to one of the streamers.

But the MOTU works perfectly with my Win 10 PC, with all the channel mapping working correctly. It's a phenomenal piece of kit for the price... if you're happy to use an Apple or Win PC.

Mani.
 

jtwrace

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Depends what you consider to be "a shit ton of them" in sales?

Demand may appear sky high for Okto8's on a couple forums but outside of that, is there really a shit ton of demand?

Don't get me wrong, I want an Okto8

There's heaps of pro audio options obviously but none have a physical remote control (not app) for volume like Okto ! arghhh
I think there's massive demand within the hifi, video and pro market. Okto has proven how big of demand there is and you can't forget the other ones that there are in hifi that are crazy money. And you know what, they sell the heck out of them too.

As @manisandher says, his Okto works with a streamer and that's a huge downfall for many. Hence the reason for the hifi ones.
 

mdsimon2

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I've got an dac8 PRO in my main system and an UltraLite-mk5 in my office, both feeding multiple amps in their respective fully active systems.

The Okto is phenomenal and works perfectly with both my iFi Zen Stream and my SOtM sMS-2OO streamers (once all the channel mapping has been set correctly in the software player). Couldn't be happier with it.

The MOTU doesn't work with either streamer. Everything looks fine; the UltraLite shows up as the DAC, the software player looks as though it's playing (the timer is going), and the MOTU changes sample rates. BUT... there's no sound. I've played around with CueMix5 (when connected to a PC) but still can't get any signal out of any of the outputs when I reconnect to one of the streamers.

But the MOTU works perfectly with my Win 10 PC, with all the channel mapping working correctly. It's a phenomenal piece of kit for the price... if you're happy to use an Apple or Win PC.

Mani.

Haha I literally have the same setup (Okto in main system, Mk5 in office system, both fully active).

That being said I've had no issues using a variety of sources with the MOTU. For your streamers I assume you are using TOSLINK or SPDIF in to the MOTU? How are you doing DSP?

Michael
 
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