How to replace your home theater pre-pro with a HTPC!
- Thread starter Nyal Mellor
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"Using the clock in the DAC" as Bruce suggests implies you can run the DAC in asynchronous mode, which the MSB can. However, for MCH application with three DACs this does not work, because the MSB running asynchronously adds half a second delay, so the other channels would be out of synch with the mains on the MSB.
So for MCH, I need to run the MSB synchronously (i.e. disengage reclocking), using the masterclock provided by the Lynx card. However, Lynx mentioned to me that in their experience using an expensive word clock for the AES16e card does not get you better sound, so I'll probably won't be messing with clocks.
Quick question for the JRiver luminaries on the forum. I am trying to configure a rule for Jriver to switch to my multi channel zone when I play a MCH file. However, there does not appear to be a an attribute in the data model of the files that captures this property. Am I missing something?
Another option is to keep all the MCH files in a separate library, but then you need a rule that switched to the MCH playback zone when you load this library. Can this be done?
Another option is to keep all the MCH files in a separate library, but then you need a rule that switched to the MCH playback zone when you load this library. Can this be done?
Ladies and gentleman, it is official. Trying to configure an HTPC with a MCH zone based on Lynx card and a 2 channel zone based on SotM USB card and using Dirac Live DRC is a disaster. I wasted 3 days trying to get it to work, system behavior is completely erratic. Nothing works. I need to get really drunk tonight and come up with a plan B. Most likely, I will ditch Dirac and try to get at least the Lynx card and SotM to stabilize. Oh, did I mention my Trinnov processor died on me yesterday. Complete audiophile hell....
So you are trying to set jriver with different audio devices? You go out over USB for 2 channel and switch to Lynx ASIO for MCH?
Yes. This turns out to be a complete nightmare. This stuff works if you set it up once and don't touch it. Change configurations is a recipe for disaster.
You think the ASIO drivers are conflicting with one another? Does your USB permit WASAPI or Kernel instead of ASIO?
In jriver you need to use wasapi to be able,to set Dirac as the virtual output device. In the Dirac processor you then switch between lynx Asio and msb asio depending on wether you want to use the USB output or the lynx. Switching between the two output modes in Dirac and between zones in jriver causes the problems.
It's been a while since I tried this. Several years ago I tried to do this with a single server and there were too many compromises for me. If I had to do it again, I would simply give up on the 5.1 or 7.1 bitstreaming.
Would you be willing to use the jriver internal volume control? You could send the main left and right AES to a really good reclocker and then the reclocker AES output to your MSB. I understand that wouldn't be synchronous, but you can measure the delay for the reclocker and the MSB buffer and factor that into the delay for your other speakers. This way, you are only using a single ASIO device; much simpler system design and you should be able to get equally excellent 2 channel sound. I don't know what the level differences are between your DAC and amp, but if they are paired well, you should be able to set the attenuation on your DAC so as to minimize the amount of 64 bit dither you use in jriver's internal volume.
I know this is not the "audiophile" solution. All I can say is you should at least try it out. I have done this with my DAC, and if it's set correctly, I can use as much as -14db of jriver internal attenuation and cannot hear any difference when compared to the totalDAC's 69 bit dither/internal data path with jriver volume control disabled.
Would you be willing to use the jriver internal volume control? You could send the main left and right AES to a really good reclocker and then the reclocker AES output to your MSB. I understand that wouldn't be synchronous, but you can measure the delay for the reclocker and the MSB buffer and factor that into the delay for your other speakers. This way, you are only using a single ASIO device; much simpler system design and you should be able to get equally excellent 2 channel sound. I don't know what the level differences are between your DAC and amp, but if they are paired well, you should be able to set the attenuation on your DAC so as to minimize the amount of 64 bit dither you use in jriver's internal volume.
I know this is not the "audiophile" solution. All I can say is you should at least try it out. I have done this with my DAC, and if it's set correctly, I can use as much as -14db of jriver internal attenuation and cannot hear any difference when compared to the totalDAC's 69 bit dither/internal data path with jriver volume control disabled.
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That's annoying! My configuration of JRiver auto switches from an AudioPhilleo USB/SPDIF converter to Lynx AES no issues.
I'll explore some options. I was planning to use Jriver volume control for my MCH system all along. For 2 channel I have my preamp. I am currently using not using reclocking of the MSB in MCH mode, because I cannot synch up the channels with the very long reclocking delay in the MSB. May be I should carefully compare SQ from the Lynx card with the USB route.
You are using the on board USB, I am using the SotM card. Another wildcard are the new MSB Windows 8 drivers. I have a Windows 7 machine with Dirac and it works fine with the MSB DAC. I'll first uninstall the Lynx drivers. If this solves the problems, the ASIO drivers cause the conflict. If it does not, Dirac with MSB on Windows 8 does not work correctly.
You should be able to measure the exact propagation delay for your DAC or any other non-synchronous device. I believe this can be done using a loopback test. Once you know the exact propagation delay, you can fix that in the room correction tab in jriver. This assumes the delay is the same for each sample rate, which it may not be.
I need to get the basics sorted out first. Will try to tackle the more complex stuff later. Just turning the MSB reclocking off works fine for the moment.
Hopefully you do that before you get drunk.
Already sobered up and plotting my next move.....
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