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Okto Dac8 Pro alternative?

Music1969

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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.

Very common with pro audio interfaces - Linux not supported.

Some people have created patches and got it working but reliability can be a problem

Okto have done some work to make sure Linux is supported
 

dualazmak

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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.
....

Same for me.

DAC8PRO is just "perfect" in my multichannel multi-driver multi-way multi-amplifier project. Just for all of your reference, you may find my latest system configuration at here.
 

HammerSandwich

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I think there's massive demand within the hifi, video and pro market.
The number of active-DSP users is probably fairly small, but I'm sure there are plenty of HTPC users who are in no hurry for Atmos. But this ignores another market - an even bigger one? - I believe the audio companies haven't considered at all: PC gamers.

Gamers don't need a bunch of fancy processing, just 6+ channels of output with good quality & no software hassles. They generally don't want a giant receiver, especially if they're using powered speakers. And they sure as ^$%@ ain't afraid to spend a few bucks on their toys - just look at what's happened with GPUs over the past few years. Or what they spend for high-spec RAM that makes a 2% improvement...

$2k sounds high to me for this market, but Motu et al. have shown you can build the quality & even more features for $600. A slightly simplified version with rock-solid UAC2 support would be a winner at that same price, for all of the users we've mentioned.

I'd definitely be in. Just leave out the RGB BS, FFS. Marketing to gamers doesn't mean you have to be an idiot. :)
 

manisandher

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

Great minds... and all that.

For your streamers I assume you are using TOSLINK or SPDIF in to the MOTU?

No, USB, because I need up to 8 channels @ 24/192. Hence why I'm having problems getting the MOTU working with either of my Linux-based streamers, because MOTU doesn't provide official support for Linux. I bet there's a hack out there somewhere, but I know next to nothing about Linux, and certainly wouldn't have a clue how to hack either the SOtM or iFi.

How are you doing DSP?l

Channel mapping, crossovers, delays and general volume control all done in Roon. Works flawlessly.

Mani.
 

manisandher

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Just for all of your reference, you may find my latest system configuration at here.

Your thread is great. Thanks for sharing your experience with everyone, that's really good of you.

I've gone the much less intensive route of using Roon to do everything. I've been using Roon pretty much exclusively for the last couple of years, and although I have some major gripes about its usability, it seemed the obvious way to go when I was considering going fully active.

Mani.
 

manisandher

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Slightly off-topic...

Bypassing the internal passive crossovers in my horns and going fully active (one high-quality amp connected directly to each driver, all digitally time-aligned) has been one of the biggest jumps in sound quality I have ever experienced (along with changing the speakers themselves).

Once the word gets further around, I reckon demand for products like the Okto dac8 PRO will only increase. And the fact that it's pretty much plug'n'play with Linux (if my two streamers are anything to go by) is a massive bonus. Well done Okto - you've hit it out of the pitch.

Mani.
 

mdsimon2

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Great minds... and all that.



No, USB, because I need up to 8 channels @ 24/192. Hence why I'm having problems getting the MOTU working with either of my Linux-based streamers, because MOTU doesn't provide official support for Linux. I bet there's a hack out there somewhere, but I know next to nothing about Linux, and certainly wouldn't have a clue how to hack either the SOtM or iFi.



Channel mapping, crossovers, delays and general volume control all done in Roon. Works flawlessly.

Mani.

Wow, really cool, I knew Roon had DSP capabilities but did not realize it had matrix routing functionality.

I've been doing a lot of playing with a raspberry pi 4 running camillaDSP and I am almost positive I could walk you through a setup that connects your streamer to the RPi and then to the MOTU. It wouldn't be a hack of the streamer but would add another box. Of course if you are happy with your setup as is no need to complicate it by adding another box :).

Michael
 
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manisandher

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Wow, really cool, I knew REW had DSP capabilities but did not realize it had matrix routing functionality.

Roon. Yes, it has a lot more functionality built in than I had been aware of until I started looking into things: channel mapping/routing, up to 36dB/octave slopes, delays, and gain settings for each channel.

Some people might be worried about having the amp connected directly to the speaker without any attenuation/protection in-between. But I've been doing this and controlling volume from the software player (XXHighEnd, HQPlayer, and now Roon) for well over 10 years. Haven't had an issue yet... (touch wood)...

I've been doing a lot of playing with a raspberry pi 4 running camillaDSP and I am almost positive I could walk you through a setup that connects your streamer to the RPi and then to the MOTU. It wouldn't be a hack of the streamer but would add another box. Of course if you are happy with your setup as is no need to complicate it by adding another box :).

Thanks for the kind offer Michael. I'm quite happy just using a PC with the UltraLite for now. The UltraLite is only a stop-gap until I can get hold of another multi-channel DAC that's tried and tested with Linux. Doesn't look as though I'll be getting my hands on another Okto anytime soon though.

Mani.
 

mdsimon2

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Roon. Yes, it has a lot more functionality built in than I had been aware of until I started looking into things: channel mapping/routing, up to 36dB/octave slopes, delays, and gain settings for each channel.

Sorry about, edited my post, early morning mistake. :facepalm:

Mk5 does seem to play nice with more recent linux kernels (I am using it with Ubuntu Server 21.04) although that doesn't help for things like streamers which probably run on an older version and do not get updated.

Michael
 

Music1969

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Some people might be worried about having the amp connected directly to the speaker without any attenuation/protection in-between. But I've been doing this and controlling volume from the software player (XXHighEnd, HQPlayer, and now Roon) for well over 10 years. Haven't had an issue yet... (touch wood)...

You don't use the Apple remote that comes with the Okto8 , for volume control?

These are the things that make the Okto very unique compared to all pro audio MCH interfaces:

1. Physical IR remote for volume
2. Official Linux support

There's not even one pro audio MCH interface that I'm aware of that can tick these 2 boxes.
 

manisandher

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You don't use the Apple remote that comes with the Okto8 , for volume control?

No, I don't use its volume control. The Okto sits in the basement and I have 8x 10m balanced cables connecting it to the amps in the listening room. All control is done via the Roon app on my phone. The 64 bit volume control in Roon seems totally transparent to my ears.

I hate clutter in my listening room. If I could get rid of the amps too, I would - but I like using the shortest speaker cables I can.

Mani.
 
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ARNiTECT

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I have solved my remaining issues with using multiple Topping E30 in a stereo/surround setup:

IR remote is not accurate: I fitted a cheap USB powered IR Repeater (1 Receiver &4 Emitters) and remote control now works 100% across all DACs.

Auto Standby (A-O) doesn't work with the HD621 or the Squeezebox Touch: I disabled Auto Standby (A-C) and instead power them on/off using 2x Hue Bridge plugs (remote controlled with Harmony Elite). This allows me to separate DAC1 for stereo use and DAC234 for surround duties. The Hue Bridge plugs were in my system anyway for devices without remote control (Plug1 for Power amps, Plug2 for nanoAVRs etc.)

I need more inputs: I installed a cheap IR remote controlled 3-in x 2-out optical toslink switch.

The Logitech Harmony Elite reliably manages everything for easy use by family.
 

Bwmr

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Hi ARNiTECT: do you confirm that the Meridian HD621 is able to take an HDMI multi-channel audio as input, and output the digital audio to DACs downstream? If yes, are you using the HD621's RJ45 or StarLink output?
 
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ARNiTECT

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Hi ARNiTECT: do you confirm that the Meridian HD621 is able to take an HDMI multi-channel audio as input, and output the digital audio to DACs downstream? If yes, are you using the HD621's RJ45 or StarLink output?
Hi Bwmr,
Yes, HD621 takes input from HDMI decoded 8x LPCM and outputs 8x digital to the DACs of your choice. The HD621 will downsample higher res audio to 24bit/48khz.
I am using the 4x RCA sockets labelled Smartlink, as my 4x stereo DACs only have unbalanced inputs. I have heard of others using the HD621's MMHR output, with an RJ-45 to XLR cable for balanced output. I don't know where to get one of these cables, I suspect they may need to be custom made.
There is more detail on my setup at the following AVForums post.
 

Kal Rubinson

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I am using the 4x RCA sockets labelled Smartlink, as my 4x stereo DACs only have unbalanced inputs. I have heard of others using the HD621's MMHR output, with an RJ-45 to XLR cable for balanced output. I don't know where to get one of these cables, I suspect they may need to be custom made.
See here (et seq.): HD621
 
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ARNiTECT

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