• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Review and Measurements of Okto DAC8 8Ch DAC & Amp

josh358

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2017
Messages
493
Likes
387
Mine won't be here until Friday, but the prototype didn't have any of those issues, at least as I had it set up.
 

wineds

Active Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2019
Messages
117
Likes
82
Location
Melbourne, Australia
You should probably look into installing some proper protection circuitry. I have unobtainium beryllium domes.

You can install:
1) large high quality contact relays driven by a delay circuit to let all the upstream electronics settle down (I have considered this but never done it)
2) Install capacitors correctly sized between the amp out put and the voice coils. The correct size is large enough to pass signal to below the crossover frequency and small enough to not pass enough charge to explode the voice coil
3) Install fuses again small enough so that the voice coil does not protect the fuse. Both fuses and capacitors are probably best installed on both legs of the driver connections .
In my case I installed fuses at one quarter amp slow blow. I had a pack of half amp, at the ready, because I expected the quarters to blow but they never have.
These will also protect against an output transistor failing and putting a power supply rail voltage on your spensive driver voice coil. None of this would likely be audible.

I have noticed a very slight pop at turn on/off but it is very minimal and I am not at all concerned about it. My amplifier is not balanced though so in this case there is no guarantee to be pop free.

BTW no way would I be using slow blow fuses if I were you! In the case of a fault you want fuses to blow quickly!
 

gene_stl

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 14, 2019
Messages
867
Likes
1,198
Location
St.Louis , Missouri , U.S.A.
1/4 amp slow blow is so they don't blow on music (which they never have) if you do the arithmetic it doesn't take much wattage continuously to blow them. Since they are on tweeters and upper midranges they don't get that much energy at normal and even loud listening levels. But I wouldn't argue much about putting in regular fast blows. I was more concerned with them being too small and bought 1/2 amp pack at the same time. Never needed them. And it's not that I never turned it up.
 

Snafu

Active Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
223
Likes
140
If You turn You devices on off in correct order, there shouldn't be any pops etc
in my case:
ON:
source : dac : preamp : power amps
OFF:
power amps : preamp : dac : source

and agree about quick fuse, if something is going wrong let the fuses blow :eek:
 

rajapruk

Senior Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 22, 2018
Messages
472
Likes
489
Others using balanced connection, please chime in. Is there a significant pop?
 

Snafu

Active Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
223
Likes
140
^^
right... isn't that always the easiest solution for... everything:
"don't buy or do anything that may cause any harm or problems"...

:rolleyes:
 

rajapruk

Senior Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Sep 22, 2018
Messages
472
Likes
489
^^
right... isn't that always the easiest solution for... everything:
"don't buy or do anything that may cause any harm or problems"...

:rolleyes:

That is why @pos never did start a big, hopeless, and utterly complicated DIY-speaker project. He always chooses the easiest solution for everything!
Or do I remember wrongly? ;)
 
Last edited:

pos

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
572
Likes
718
^^
right... isn't that always the easiest solution for... everything:
"don't buy or do anything that may cause any harm or problems"...

:rolleyes:
In that particular situation I feel like it is a reasonable approach, and easy enough a path to follow with current offering.
For example I am using a pair of cheap SMSL M8 that do not emit any kind of noise in any situation I have faced so far (start, stop, clock sync, bad spdif, etc.), and same goes for the THX789 amps that feed my compression drivers. The nc400 does emit a faint DC-related noise on start/stop, but it is connected to the woofers.
The rest of the chain is digital, and reliable enough in that regard too.
 
Last edited:

Snafu

Active Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
223
Likes
140
^^ It is, and i agree.

But when buying products you don't 100% know how well they work together.
 

Feyire

Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2019
Messages
272
Likes
314
Location
Netherlands
Any further owners like to chime in on the listening experience?
 
  • Like
Reactions: g29

g29

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
May 1, 2019
Messages
520
Likes
318
My Okto Dac8 arrived this evening (order #63) looking forward to setting it up tomorrow.

It appears the orders are not being shipped out in chronological order for some reason.
 

Neddy

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Mar 22, 2019
Messages
754
Likes
1,019
Location
Wisconsin
Not that unusual - could be color choice or accessory selection availability.
At least the shipped order #s are an increasing series, even if not monotonico_O
 

Neddy

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Mar 22, 2019
Messages
754
Likes
1,019
Location
Wisconsin
Me neither...but your series approaches the limit of... Xmas Day!! Sweet.
YAY!:rolleyes:
 

Verausci

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2019
Messages
34
Likes
6
I've been doing some searching and reading on the DAC8 Pro and I understand that the DAC8 Pro DSP version was discontinued due to an inability to procure more miniSHARC units? It appears however that the miniSHARC is now available from the miniDSP website.

I wonder therefore if more DAC8 Pro DSP units will be produced if the miniSHARCs are now available again?
 
Top Bottom