• 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

dualazmak

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 29, 2020
Messages
2,820
Likes
2,950
Location
Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan

godmax

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2020
Messages
56
Likes
66
Location
Germany
Since Okto does not respond to my question by mail, I would like to know if anyone happen to know the follwoing about the Okto DAC8:

Can I assign the same input channel to in the routing submenu multiple times?

Example:
Out1 source: CH1
Out2 source: CH2
Out3 source: CH1
Out4 source: CH2
....
(aim: can feed the stereo input signal from USB to multiple amplifiers at the same time)
 

waynel

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 14, 2019
Messages
1,035
Likes
1,288
Since Okto does not respond to my question by mail, I would like to know if anyone happen to know the follwoing about the Okto DAC8:

Can I assign the same input channel to in the routing submenu multiple times?

Example:
Out1 source: CH1
Out2 source: CH2
Out3 source: CH1
Out4 source: CH2
....
(aim: can feed the stereo input signal from USB to multiple amplifiers at the same time)
Yes
 

godmax

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2020
Messages
56
Likes
66
Location
Germany

Matt 5fe1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
1
Based on my understanding of the manual (I’ve pasted the key sections below) if you use USB/AES input mode of the DAC8 Pro you could still use DSP.

So I think it would be possible to connect your source to the AES inputs , and a computer (with DSP processing with low enough latency ) to the usb. In USB/AES mode the signal flow would be

source => DAC8 AES/EBU input => DAC8 USB host => computer DSP => DAC8 USB host => DAC8 D/A converter => analog outs

Hopefully @Okto Research can chime in here.

Yes, that is exactly what we had in mind when implementing the AES/EBU to USB functionality. The planned Owner's manual update is going to bring some examples of usage.



@Okto Research @Ozymandias

Please can you point me toward the examples in the manual. I'm trying to get this to work with hqplayerd on ubuntu. Thanks for your help,

Matt
 

mdsimon2

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 20, 2020
Messages
2,478
Likes
3,315
Location
Detroit, MI
Yes, that is exactly what we had in mind when implementing the AES/EBU to USB functionality. The planned Owner's manual update is going to bring some examples of usage.



@Okto Research @Ozymandias

Please can you point me toward the examples in the manual. I'm trying to get this to work with hqplayerd on ubuntu. Thanks for your help,

Matt

I am using mine in USB/AES mode (with a RPi4 running Ubuntu 21.04 64 bit but not HQ Player). The only issue that I have encountered is that as explained in the manual you need to have your USB source set to run at the same sample rate as your AES source. My AES source has a ASRC so I convert everything to 96 kHz and then leave my CamillaDSP setup on the RPi set at 96 kHz.

Michael
 

Matt 5fe1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
1
I am using mine in USB/AES mode (with a RPi4 running Ubuntu 21.04 64 bit but not HQ Player). The only issue that I have encountered is that as explained in the manual you need to have your USB source set to run at the same sample rate as your AES source. My AES source has a ASRC so I convert everything to 96 kHz and then leave my CamillaDSP setup on the RPi set at 96 kHz.

Michael
Michael,

Thanks - that all makes sense, I'll persevere. I've managed to get rid of the ls mismatch error on the dac and the hqplayer log says its playing but no sound. I'm not to familiar with CamillaDSP (although had a quick look through) - but do you need to set the DAC up as a separate input and output?

Matt
 

mdsimon2

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 20, 2020
Messages
2,478
Likes
3,315
Location
Detroit, MI
Michael,

Thanks - that all makes sense, I'll persevere. I've managed to get rid of the ls mismatch error on the dac and the hqplayer log says its playing but no sound. I'm not to familiar with CamillaDSP (although had a quick look through) - but do you need to set the DAC up as a separate input and output?

Matt
What does you signal routing look like? Do you have a single AES source or multiple? What are you trying to do with HQ Player?

I would probably try to see if you can get the DAC to work in Pure USB mode (playing a file from your computer) as that eliminates the complications with the AES routing and then work from there.

I assume you are not using CamillaDSP? In CamillaDSP an AES/USB setup will specify the DAC8 as the capture and playback device, for reference this is the start of my CamillaDSP configuration file. Maybe one thing to look out for is that at least in my setup which only has 2 input channels (and 8 output channels) I need to specify that 8 input channels are available or it does not work (I setup my CamillaDSP mixer so that I router channels 1/2 where they need to go).

Code:
---
devices:
  samplerate: 96000
  chunksize: 2048
  silence_threshold: -100
  silence_timeout: 5.0

  capture:
    type: Alsa
    channels: 8
    device: "hw:DAC8PRO"
    format: S32LE
  playback:
    type: Alsa
    channels: 8
    device: "hw:DAC8PRO"
    format: S32LE

Michael
 

dualazmak

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 29, 2020
Messages
2,820
Likes
2,950
Location
Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Although I assume all of you are well aware of, let me remind you of this;
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/okto-8-owner’s-thread.13899/post-914295
saying;
Apparently, there's a bug in some firmware revisions that causes the AES/EBU out to transmit only zeroes. It'll be fixed in future firmware versions, and he says he'll "attempt to release an update for the existing units".

Fortunately, my DAC8PRO (firmware ver. 1.32) works perfectly for AES/EBU digital output (intact digital out of through CH1+CH2) in Pure USB Mode as shared here in my thread.
 

DWPress

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
May 30, 2018
Messages
964
Likes
1,371
Location
MI
I can confirm that this can all work seamlessly in an Apple silicon current OS environment.
 

Matt 5fe1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
1
What does you signal routing look like? Do you have a single AES source or multiple? What are you trying to do with HQ Player?

I would probably try to see if you can get the DAC to work in Pure USB mode (playing a file from your computer) as that eliminates the complications with the AES routing and then work from there.

I assume you are not using CamillaDSP? In CamillaDSP an AES/USB setup will specify the DAC8 as the capture and playback device, for reference this is the start of my CamillaDSP configuration file. Maybe one thing to look out for is that at least in my setup which only has 2 input channels (and 8 output channels) I need to specify that 8 input channels are available or it does not work (I setup my CamillaDSP mixer so that I router channels 1/2 where they need to go).

Code:
---
devices:
  samplerate: 96000
  chunksize: 2048
  silence_threshold: -100
  silence_timeout: 5.0

  capture:
    type: Alsa
    channels: 8
    device: "hw:DAC8PRO"
    format: S32LE
  playback:
    type: Alsa
    channels: 8
    device: "hw:DAC8PRO"
    format: S32LE

Michael
Thank you so much I'm working through.
 

Matt 5fe1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
7
Likes
1
Thank you so much I'm working through.
Thanks again and sorry for the radio silence. It may be the firmware (given posts from @dualazmak, @Zooqu1ko and @Burki) - it doesn't look like I'm getting any digital output either from AES or USB which is a pain.

On a positive note it does it's main job as a DAC supremely!!! I've also thought if it doesn't say DAC in the name, it isn't one - maybe the fact it's not called "DAC8 AES/USB Interface Pro" might mean something. Either way Pavel has an awesome product - well worth the wait, and I am sure if there is a f/w problem it will get sorted :)
 

Vincentponcet

Active Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 13, 2020
Messages
248
Likes
106
Although I assume all of you are well aware of, let me remind you of this;
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/okto-8-owner’s-thread.13899/post-914295
saying;
Apparently, there's a bug in some firmware revisions that causes the AES/EBU out to transmit only zeroes. It'll be fixed in future firmware versions, and he says he'll "attempt to release an update for the existing units".

Fortunately, my DAC8PRO (firmware ver. 1.32) works perfectly for AES/EBU digital output (intact digital out of through CH1+CH2) in Pure USB Mode as shared here in my thread.
Still no plan for a firmware update ?
What firmware are you on? What does your signal routing look like? I haven’t heard of anyone having issues with USB or AES input, just AES output.

Michael
2 years later, still no firmware update for existing owners.
Very sad.
 

dualazmak

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 29, 2020
Messages
2,820
Likes
2,950
Location
Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Still no plan for a firmware update ?
...
2 years later, still no firmware update for existing owners.
Very sad.

I agree with you, very sad, even though, at least for myself, everything is just fine with firmware 1.32 in my multichannel audio project.

In case if Pavel would announce the firmware update, we should be very careful in applying it or not, as I/we discussed before here and here.
I will surely wait until it would be fully validated and confirmed by DAC8PRO owners in Europe near to Prague!
 
Last edited:

Zooqu1ko

Active Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2020
Messages
152
Likes
88
Still no plan for a firmware update ?

2 years later, still no firmware update for existing owners.
Very sad.
I'd say there are plans, but the practical execution isn't there yet. It's probably not trivial to implement a firmware update process that can be safely recovered in case of failure, especially if the bootloader of the units out in the field does not yet provide such a mechanism, and there's no "consumer" interface that could be used for a simple recovery process (except, of course the AES inputs - playing back audio to upgrade or recover the firmware would be interesting, extra points if it's steganographically hidden in a piece of music)
 

somebodyelse

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Messages
3,682
Likes
2,962
I'd say there are plans, but the practical execution isn't there yet. It's probably not trivial to implement a firmware update process that can be safely recovered in case of failure, especially if the bootloader of the units out in the field does not yet provide such a mechanism, and there's no "consumer" interface that could be used for a simple recovery process (except, of course the AES inputs - playing back audio to upgrade or recover the firmware would be interesting, extra points if it's steganographically hidden in a piece of music)
Most manufacturers seem happy to use the XMOS example code for firmware updates. More details in an earlier post
 

phoenixdogfan

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 6, 2018
Messages
3,297
Likes
5,075
Location
Nashville
I'm not exactly sure how the AES/EBU works. I use input 1 to accept SPDIF from my A16 Realiser and then output it to my THX AAA 789 routed to xlr putput channels 7 and 8 and that works just fine. But I also want to output the SPDIF feed from my TV to AES/EBU input 2, and using mixed USB-AES/EBU route the feed to my PC, so it can be processed via Dirac Live and sent back via USB to the Octo and then sent to the Purifi amp via XLR outputs 1-2.

I am using the Cardas transformers to convert spdif into AES/EBU, and they work fine on the output from the Realiser going to input 1, but when spdif signal is sent from the TV to input 2 it says "no signal". Anyone have any idea how this works, and why AES/EBU input 2 appears to not be receiving a spdif signal?
 
Top Bottom