Review and Measurements of Okto DAC8 8Ch DAC & Amp

[haraldo]

Would also be great if it had an 8 band peq for each output channel, and was as simple as miniDSP to implement.

Using miniDSP SHD Studio employing digital out with a global peq for main speakers, instead of individually per channel within DAC8
Sub can be crossed within MiniDSP with possibility for individual PEQ for subs .... DAC8 crossovers for main speakers
Pretty affordable setup, but one box too many...

 

[fabriceo]

I've briefly looked at the code. I'm on OSX and if you figure out the CoreAudio port I'd be very interested to trial. This would make XO and (possibly?) some dsp active system wide correct? There are other VST plugins out there that will do XO, how does this differ?

Hi DWPress,
yes you got it. my friend made the port to linux and this can be used with alsa and he has made simple readme file about this. Porting to core audio was an idea I wanted to pursue, and I tried to leverage a coreaudio plugin (Calle loopback audio) but too much work to continue. The benefit of this solution compared to others is that 1) you can do anything a dsp can do (sum, add, biquad...) and then you can make special crossover including filter combination or subtractive-delayed. 2) it compute all the coefficient upfront for all the sampling frequency and therefore no need for resampling the original signal.

 

[fabriceo]

No doubt this would satisfy some use cases but if you really want to make this useful to a larger audience I recommend making it possible to use this as a 7.1 ch (or 5.2) with crossover.

With this capability and the volume balance, the Okto 8 Pro becomes a good pre/pro for 7.1 ch use via USB input and people can add whatever room correction they want upstream.

The requirements to be able to do this is to be able to specify a crossover point and slope for each channel, HF or LF pass for each channel and the routing of the split to the channel you want and the ability to add the split content coming to the same channel.

So, for a 7.1, you would have high pass for 7 channels and low pass for 1 with user selected slopes and crossover point and the LF content from each of the 7 channels added to the content coming into the 8th channel. For extra points, you can provide a switch to add 10db analog boost to the 8th channel for HT use.

Not asking you to do it necessarily. Don't know if this is technically feasible and how you would do this without a user interface, just stating what the requirements would be if this were to be useful to a larger audience - and to cater to a space (multi-channel audio/video) that is very under-served by good DACs at the moment.

Hi Vasr,
this becomes a big professional solution then , out of the scope of this experimentation but I quote your post because I ve been working on a cross over solution for a friend within the dac8pro but only for the front channels of his home theater. 3 way left+right + center 2 way is fine, with 2 aes input coming from a yamaha DME64, which is in charge of the surrounds. then he can use the USB input for the music in stereo without needing a special switch, and enjoying a better quality.

 

[Vasr]

Hi Vasr,
this becomes a big professional solution then , out of the scope of this experimentation but I quote your post because I ve been working on a cross over solution for a friend within the dac8pro but only for the front channels of his home theater. 3 way left+right + center 2 way is fine, with 2 aes input coming from a yamaha DME64, which is in charge of the surrounds. then he can use the USB input for the music in stereo without needing a special switch, and enjoying a better quality.

Sure, I understand. Splitting the input and directing into multiple independent channels as you would do in a multi-way speaker crossover solution seems easier to do than when you have to add the split components after the crossover from multiple channels into a single channel as in a 2.1 or 5.1 or 7.1.

The problem with HT (or multi-channel audio) is not with feeding a multi-way speaker system individually but the need to send the low frequency components of the channels with "small" speakers into the sub(s). Wasn't sure if this was possible with the components the Okto has inside.

 

[dualazmak]

Hello fabriceo,

As per your request, I PMed several images of my EKIO configurations for your attention.

 

[wineds]

Any news on the firmware update?

 

[dualazmak]

Any news on the firmware update?

Still no update info for me from Pavel. My DAC8PRO is ver1.32, and I am looking forward to receiving possible update info, even though I have no problem at all with ver1.32 in my multichannel multi-amplifier project..

I believe we should be very much careful enough for the possible firmware update in the near future, as discussed.

 

[Snoozer]

I am happy to report that I have received a pre-release version of the new 1.4 firmware revision. It seems to work well under linux . The official over-the-USB update package will be available at the OktoResearch website soon, according to Pavel.

My system is a Linux machine running HQplayer embedded. It doubles both as a player and as a crossover, with FIR filters (65536 taps) on all channels.

So those are the good news and I wanted to share them with you

 

[wineds]

I am happy to report that I have received a pre-release version of the new 1.4 firmware revision. It seems to work well under linux . The official over-the-USB update package will be available at the OktoResearch website soon, according to Pavel.

My system is a Linux machine running HQplayer embedded. It doubles both as a player and as a crossover, with FIR filters (65536 taps) on all channels.

So those are the good news and I wanted to share them with you

That's good news. Did you flash it over usb or with a jig?

 

[Snoozer]

That's good news. Did you flash it over usb or with a jig?

via XTAG
The user friendly way via USB for everybody to use will be available soon, as I have been told by Pavel.

 

[wineds]

via XTAG
The user friendly way via USB for everybody to use will be available soon, as I have been told by Pavel.

Ok thanks I thought that would be the case.

 

[Skogkatt]

Hi all, just for your info: today I have received my DAC8 Pro black.
My order (#174), placed on July 16th, arrived almost unexpected without tracking number.
Clearly, after 15 weeks, I was hoping to get it soon, especially after seeing similar lead times from other forum members.
FW is 1.4: I use it in a 4 ways multi-amp system through four AES signals supplied by Focusrite D16AES and
active filtering performed in JRiver.

 

[cord4]

I am on firmware 1.11 - is there a changelog / are there any improvements on Windows 10 (USB) with newer firmware?

Also below is my updated procedure for native DSD64 and native DSD128 playback in foobar2000 with the OKTO DAC8 (also plays PCM without having to change any foobar2000 settings). Limitations - DSD Transcoder currently doesn't work for me, so I can't play back DSD256 or higher (the goal would be to play back downconverted to DSD128) unless I use a less reliable, older setup involving foo_input_sacd-0.8.4 and foo_dsd_asio, both from around 2015.

Install the DIYINHK 4.59 or 4.67 or later driver.

Install foobar2000.

Install foobar ASIO plugin https://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_out_asio

Install DSDTranscoder 1.1.0 https://sourceforge.net/projects/sacddecoder/files/dsd_transcoder/

Install Super Audio CD Decoder plug-in 1.2.4 but do not install DSD processor (both are in the same zip file): https://sourceforge.net/projects/sacddecoder/files/foo_input_sacd/

Configure the output device: Foobar > Files > Preferences > Playback > Output > Device (DSD: ASIO: DSD Transcoder)

Configure the ASIO output: Foobar > Files > Preferences > Playback > Output > ASIO > DSD Transcoder(double click)

In the DSD Transcoder pop up window, select ASIO Device: DIYINHK ASIO Driver and then click each DoP that you see and change it to DSD.

Foobar > Files > Preferences > Tools > SACD > ASIO Driver Mode: DSD.

Click playback - output - asio. ok to click "use 64 bit asio driver" checkmark. Click add new in the custom channel mappings area. Select Driver: DSD Transcoder. Set custom channel mapping: L R C LFE LS RS for channels 1 through 6 (may be different for your setup). Click OK. Close and reopen Foobar2000. Click file - playback - output and select DSD: ASIO: DSD Transcoder - my channel mapping.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Hmm. Why so complicated?
1. Install the DIYINHK 4.59 or 4.67 or later driver.
2. Load Jriver v.27
3. Play (DSD Transcoder works to play back DSD256 or higher at DSD128)

 

[waynel]

Hmm. Why so complicated?
1. Install the DIYINHK 4.59 or 4.67 or later driver.
2. Load Jriver v.27
3. Play (DSD Transcoder works to play back DSD256 or higher at DSD128)

Hi Kal,

Saw your sidebar “not a review” of the Okto DAC8 PRO, nice work! Can’t say I understand the point of the $20k streamer it was used with...

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Hi Kal,
Saw your sidebar “not a review” of the Okto DAC8 PRO, nice work!

Thanks.

Can’t say I understand the point of the $20k streamer it was used with...

As ever, it is for the reader to decide.
More streamers coming.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Hi Kal,

Saw your sidebar “not a review” of the Okto DAC8 PRO, nice work! Can’t say I understand the point of the $20k streamer it was used with...

Perfect streamer, Chromecast Audio as Roon End Point via optical out.

 

[DrCWO]

Hello,
will anybody of the owners of the 8-channel DAC8 be so nice to post the result of the „amixer -c x contents“ command in Linux? „x“ ist the number of the DAC8.
I wonder if there will be a parameter to modify the DAC volume via USB. I read a lot now about DAC8 but could not find anything regarding this question.
Thanks so much ...

 

[ChrisPL]

Hi,

DrCWO here is the amixer output you requested, this is for DAC8PRO firmware version 1.4 connected to a raspberry pi 4b on raspbian buster:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ amixer -c 2 contents
numid=8,iface=CARD,name='Keep Interface'
; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=1
: values=off
numid=7,iface=CARD,name='OKTO RESEARCH Internal Clock Validity'
; type=BOOLEAN,access=r-------,values=1
: values=on
numid=3,iface=MIXER,name='DAC8PRO Playback Switch'
; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=8
: values=on,on,on,on,on,on,on,on
numid=4,iface=MIXER,name='DAC8PRO Playback Switch',index=1
; type=BOOLEAN,access=rw------,values=1
: values=on
numid=5,iface=MIXER,name='DAC8PRO Playback Volume'
; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=8,min=0,max=99,step=0
: values=99,99,99,99,99,99,99,99
| dBminmax-min=-99.00dB,max=0.00dB
numid=6,iface=MIXER,name='DAC8PRO Playback Volume',index=1
; type=INTEGER,access=rw---R--,values=1,min=0,max=99,step=0
: values=99
| dBminmax-min=-99.00dB,max=0.00dB
numid=2,iface=PCM,name='Capture Channel Map'
; type=INTEGER,access=r----R--,values=8,min=0,max=36,step=0
: values=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
| container
| chmap-fixed=FL,FR,FC,LFE,RL,RR,FLC,FRC

numid=1,iface=PCM,name='Playback Channel Map'
; type=INTEGER,access=r----R--,values=8,min=0,max=36,step=0
: values=3,4,7,8,5,6,12,13
| container
| chmap-fixed=FL,FR,FC,LFE,RL,RR,FLC,FRC


The play back volume value can be changed via amixer command but this does not match or affect the DAC8PRO volume setting. Not sure this is normal ? I have not used amixer volume control before and am not very familiar with ALSA, is the amixer volume control separate from the USB DAC volume control setting ?

Volume control via usb would be very convenient.

 

[Vincentponcet]

I am happy to report that I have received a pre-release version of the new 1.4 firmware revision. It seems to work well under linux . The official over-the-USB update package will be available at the OktoResearch website soon, according to Pavel.

My system is a Linux machine running HQplayer embedded. It doubles both as a player and as a crossover, with FIR filters (65536 taps) on all channels.

So those are the good news and I wanted to share them with you

Any news for the firmware update tool ?