Help: new setup w Berkeley/Lynx/Media Monkey not working

[jbpsrca]

Hi folks,

 

Yahoo - all new digital music gear for me under the Xmas tree! I just wired up all my new toys - and I think I'm close, but still no sound. Does anyone have any trouble shooting tips?

 

Windows 7 32 bit Home Premium > Media Monkey v3.2.0.1294 > asio4all.dll v.067 > Lynx AES16e w firmware v7.0a and mixer v2.0 build 17 RC 3e > Redco custom Gotham AES/EBU cable > Berkeley Alpha DAC > AudioQuest Cheetah RCA interconnects > NuForce Ref 9 v2 SE amps > Nordost Red Dawn II speaker cables > Magnepan 3.6R speakers.

 

Speaker and amps work fine when driven by normal analog components (used for testing only. analog components unplugged and not in chain for music server setup)

 

When Media Monkey plays a song, the Berkeley DAC displays the proper sample rate, and switches between sample rates when the song switches (44.1k, 96k).

 

DAC volume control shows volume going up / down and mute on/off.

 

But no sound comes out.

 

Any tips, or thoughts on what to look at? Seems to me if the DAC is displaying the sample rate, then Media Monkey and Lynx are doing their thing - at least partly right. I'm guessing I'm missing something pretty simple here.

 

Thanks!

 

[vortecjr]

with MM on and playing music open the lynx mixer and see if you have any blinking lights under the output tab in column 1 and 2 that show music is playing. If no blinking lights then look for something in mute.

 

report back if all is good or not

 

Jesus R

www.sonore.us

 

[jbpsrca]

Lynx Mixer is showing output (blinking bars up to -3 db) in columns 1 and 2. Mute is off in both columns

 

[vortecjr]

humm...that is good and your on the right track. Let me think about it!

 

Jesus R

www.sonore.us

 

[Audio_ELF]

Do you have a CD player (or DVD player) you can connect to another input on the Berkerley to test that that DAC is working correctly?

 

That will eliminate one issue.

 

Eloise

 

[casual viewer]

Try using the other output plug-ins. Go to Tools->Player->Output Plug-ins and try the different options. I had the same issue with pretty much the same set-up except Windows XP and the Japanese version of the ASIO. I had a situation where just a few files would only work with the standard plug-in. All the rest were okay. I never did get a chance to figure out how to fix this. I had to return the loaner Berkeley DAC and I am still waiting for delivery for my new DAC.

 

[vortecjr]

Need to rule out the dac. With the stock cable you could also feed output into the input of the card and confirm that the computer part is fine via the Lynx mixer.

 

Jesus R

www.sonore.us

 

[jbpsrca]

Hi folks. great tips. Thanks.

 

Eloise - I plugged a DVD player into the Berkeley DAC TOSLink, and it played fine.

 

Jesus - I tried both of your suggestions, with some success:

Recording: I had ordered a custom Redco cable that would allow me to record LPs to my Music Server, as well as output Music to the DAC. So I hooked up the input end of the Redco cable to my Lucid ADC fed by my turntable, and voila, it successfully recorded 96/24 and 44.1/16 files from LP thru the Lynx card using Goldwave recording software. In Goldwave, I set the Record Input Device to Lynx 9/10 inputs.

 

Playback: Using Media Monkey, I switched from the ASIO output plugin to both the waveout.dll and the Media Monkey Direct Sound plugins - and when I select the Lynx 9/10 outputs, I get music thru the Berkeley DAC (yeahh!!) I could also Playback thru Goldwave, using the Lynx 9/10 output.

 

Analysis: So my Redco cable was supposed to be wired with channels 1/2 as output, and 9/10 as input. But it sounds like both wires (input and output) terminate within the HD26 on the 9/10 channel. Does this sound right?

 

Remaining questions / problems:

 

If ASIO is supposed to give me best sound quality, it looks like it doesn't work on inputs 9/10 from the Lynx card. Whereas the Waveout.dll shows all 8 pairs of the Lynx channels, the ASIO plugin config options only shows 1 option: ASIO Lynx, and it seems to output to channels 1/2 (as viewed thru the Lynx mixer.

 

When Media Monkey is set to the ASIO plugin, the Berkeley DAC does seem to see something, as it auto switches sample rates based on what song is playing (yeah!!) - even if it doesn't play sound. On the other hand, when playing songs form the waveout or MM Direct Sound plugins, the Berkeley DAC plays music, but it always shows sample rate of 44.1 - even when playing a 96k file.

 

Does best bet sound like going to Redco, and asking them to fix the cable (assuming it's configured wrong?). Or are their other ideas?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[casual viewer]

I didn't have a chance to test this, but I think this is the issue. Are you playing back material sourced from iTunes? If so, try burning a CD using something other than iTunes. Then, see if you can play through the ASIO plug-in.

 

[jbpsrca]

Ahh... thanks for the thought, but no iTunes in this house (I'm not a fan of it). All testing so far with Media Monkey, Goldwave, and WMP. All files ripped from CD via EAC. 96k files from HDTracks or recorded from LP with Goldwave. Cheers!

 

[Audio_ELF]

IIRC doesn't the Lynx have jumpers to select either Input 1-8 on one connector and Output 1-8 on other connector; or to have Input 1-4 and Output 1-4 on one connector and Input 5-8 and Output 5-8 on the other - are these jumpers set correctly??

 

[vortecjr]

make a chart and compare the pins on the cable to the pins in the Lynxs website. I don't want to guess what they did or did not do, but have them fix it.

 

ASIO4All: are you in the config in MM or are you running the config in Windows via start. Try the one in Windows via start to set the channels first then open MM. I'm not sure as I'm doing this from memory and it was a few months back.

 

Jesus R

www.sonore.us

 

[jbpsrca]

Hi folks,

 

Thanks for everyone's comments. I got it working. Combination fo some of the Lynx mixer settings, and the connections to the Lynx card. Everything is working beautifully now.

 

I appreciate all of your help. Couldn't have done it without you.

 

Cheers!