M2tech Young Dac and USB Cables.

[Audio_ELF]

Keith (or anyone for that matter) - will M2Tech be retro-fitting the XMOS USB 2 receiver chips to existing Young DACS? That would be most interesting to know.

Do we even know they are planning to change the Young DAC to XMOS?

 

If you read their material it is suggested they use the USB implementation for reasons beyond availability. I believe their new Palmer DAC came out after the HiFace 2 but uses the original M2Tech type USB interface.

 

If they did change the interface to XMOS you would possibly find cables did affect the DAC performance.

 

Eloise

[Alan Brown]

Do we even know they are planning to change the Young DAC to XMOS?

 

If you read their material it is suggested they use the USB implementation for reasons beyond availability. I believe their new Vaughan DAC came out after the HiFace 2 but uses the original M2Tech type USB interface.

 

If they did change the interface to XMOS you would possibly find cables did affect the DAC performance.

 

Eloise

 

The Vaughan DAC does indeed uses the existing interface, probably because it was developed over quite a long period. (The Palmer s a battery PSU for the Young).

 

To answer your question, we do not know if M2Tech plan a change here, and I haven't had an email in answer to my enquiry from them yet (nothing so unusual there).

 

Apart from internet rumour, and the odd hint from Keith that it may be on the cards (he has said new DACs sold may receive XMOS from next year), there is nothing official to suggest M2Tech will move over to XMOS on their DACs. The possibility is only raised by the fact that the new HiFace 2 uses XMOS - in fact it seems to be one of the principle changes from the first HiFace and it reportedly sounds very much improved. So much so that some now prefer to run their USB into a HiFace 2 and input S/PDIF into their Young.

 

It's perhaps worth raising the possibility of updating existing owners DACs while M2Tech are considering which route to take.

[Purite Audio]

Do we even know they are planning to change the Young DAC to XMOS?

 

If you read their material it is suggested they use the USB implementation for reasons beyond availability. I believe their new Palmer DAC came out after the HiFace 2 but uses the original M2Tech type USB interface.

 

If they did change the interface to XMOS you would possibly find cables did affect the DAC performance.

 

Eloise

The 'Palmer'is a power supply for the Young dac, not a dac in itself,

Keith.

[Audio_ELF]

The 'Palmer'is a power supply for the Young dac, not a dac in itself,

Keith.

 

My mistake ... was meaning the Vaughan.

 

Eloise

[realmassy]

Another Young user here: No differences between cables for me either.

With an exception, a custom build data only (no power). With that I think the sound was more liquid. I say 'was' because I'm now using a hiface two and an Evo with the bnc input of the Young. I know Keith doesn't agree, but it sounds better to my ears :-)

[Alan Brown]

Following up Eloise' post above:

 

I did ask M2Tech if they would update their DACs to use the XMOS chip (and thus become fully USB 2 compliant), and also if they would updating existing units, and I got the following reply:

 

Dear Alan,

Using the Young DAC by its USB input and a proper software configuration are the conditions to attain the best result but the chipset or better the software driver of the hiFace TWO has a better support especially on the MacOSx platform.

No update is possible because it's a hardware matter but the new release will have based on this new chipset.

 

 

Regards

 

Ing. Pietro Cipriano

Technical Support

M2TECH Srl

 

He seems to suggest using the HiFace 2 driver, though I cannot be sure. I haven't tried yet. I remain more than content after nearly two years.

[Alan Brown]

...of course one cannot run the hiface 2 driver on a MAC, as there is no driver...

[Audio_ELF]

Following up Eloise' post above:

 

I did ask M2Tech if they would update their DACs to use the XMOS chip (and thus become fully USB 2 compliant), and also if they would updating existing units, and I got the following reply:

 

[reply reproduced inline below]

 

He seems to suggest using the HiFace 2 driver, though I cannot be sure. I haven't tried yet. I remain more than content after nearly two years.

I would read his reply as saying somethings different...

1. Using the Young DAC by its USB input and a proper software configuration are the conditions to attain the best result... The best method to connect the Young DAC is to use its USB connection (rather than using SPDIF).
   
2. but the chipset or better the software driver of the hiFace TWO has a better support especially on the MacOSx platform... They acknowledge that the hiFace TWO (XMOS solution) is better supported, especially on Mac OS X (and Linux even more so).
   
3. No update is possible because it's a hardware matter... They can't do an easy update as the hardware is different.
   
4. but the new release will have based on this new chipset.... Future products will use the XMOS chipset rather than their previous USB technology.
   

This all agrees with things other people have commented...

 

I can't see how you can use the hiFace TWO drives with any other M2Tech product.

 

Eloise

[Alan Brown]

I think you're probably right on all counts there, to my slight disappointment; I was fishing in the hope a hardware update might be offered.

 

Related to your last point, people have been using Young drivers with the HiFace one (and JKeny DACs) for a good while, so when the range is physically updated perhaps the driver will be useable for other products.

 

When we got the first Youngs, we had to use HiFace one drivers until the Young specific drivers were completed.

[Audio_ELF]

I think you're probably right on all counts there, to my slight disappointment; I was fishing in the hope a hardware update might be offered.

I guess it depends how modular the M2Tech Young DAC is - probably not at all and they would have to replace virtually all the electronics to "upgrade" it.

 

Related to your last point, people have been using Young drivers with the HiFace one (and JKeny DACs) for a good while, so when the range is physically updated perhaps the driver will be useable for other products.

That's because the actual USB interface is almost identical between the different M2Tech products (and also used by JKenny and others).

 

When we got the first Youngs, we had to use HiFace one drivers until the Young specific drivers were completed.

See above...

 

Eloise

[vinylkid]

i hate to be the odd man out here but i have heard sonic differences between USB cables when connected between my Young and my 2010 Mac Mini.

 

i've tried the Cardas Clear, Belkin Gold, Kimber Kable B BUS AG (silver) and a handmade USB cable made with solid silver core 28awg wire.