TEAC NT-505 NT505 Worth Waiting for ?

[Miska]

50 minutes ago, mansr said:

1) It is not a problem that some packets contain one sample more than others. Besides, the slightest difference between the host and device clocks will have this result even for 48 kHz base rates. That's the entire damn point.

 

I just remember the rewrites of the UAC packet scheduling on certain implementations over time...

 

This makes it extra fun when you want to achieve low latency and have suitable small double-buffer ALSA periods, and when those small period sizes go out of sync over what goes on the USB. We had some extra fun on this on early days of JACK audio server implementation. But this is generic problem of braindeadness of USB design, regardless of isochronous or bulk mode. Not much problems on PCI/PCIe busmaster DMA audio interfaces (Envy24 & co).

 

50 minutes ago, mansr said:

2) Bulk mode uses the same 125 μs microframe interval, so the variation in sample count still occurs. And still isn't a problem.

 

But is not bound to the UAC protocol specification on how the asynchronous feedback is handled. Of course one could still implement vendor specific isochronous class too...

 

50 minutes ago, mansr said:

Bulk mode does have error correction, however at the expense of unbounded latency and no guaranteed throughput. In reality, errors are rare enough that isochronous mode works just fine.

 

Well, I've seen good and not so good implementations using both methods.

 

 

There are some aspects I really hate about UAC protocol. In some ways it is overly complex and in some ways it makes simplistic assumptions, like that it would be the host who defines sampling rate... So I totally understand when pro-audio companies implement their own protocols (isochronous or not).

 

[mansr]

27 minutes ago, Miska said:

There are some aspects I really hate about UAC protocol. In some ways it is overly complex and in some ways it makes simplistic assumptions, like that it would be the host who defines sampling rate... So I totally understand when pro-audio companies implement their own protocols (isochronous or not).

Sure, UAC has flaws. That doesn't mean what TEAC are saying makes sense.

[mansr]

29 minutes ago, Miska said:

This makes it extra fun when you want to achieve low latency and have suitable small double-buffer ALSA periods, and when those small period sizes go out of sync over what goes on the USB.

I can see this being tricky when you need very low latency. Plain playback doesn't need low latency. Kind of Blue was recorded decades ago, what's another millisecond or two? Also, bulk mode has the same restrictions.

[Miska]

8 hours ago, mansr said:

Sure, UAC has flaws. That doesn't mean what TEAC are saying makes sense.

 

As I said, I don't comment on TEAC's claims. I don't think it makes much sense to make any big number about the transfer method, others of earlier DACs haven't either.

 

If transfer method or anything at USB side makes difference to the sound, they are lacking isolation and should be fixing that instead.

 

8 hours ago, mansr said:

I can see this being tricky when you need very low latency. Plain playback doesn't need low latency. Kind of Blue was recorded decades ago, what's another millisecond or two? Also, bulk mode has the same restrictions.

 

Yeah, it doesn't matter for playback and as I said it is inherent to USB and not to the transfer mode. JACK was designed for recording and live processing purposes with minimal input-to-output latency.

 

[Acesn8s]

With TEAC's parent company, Gibson, in bankruptcy/reorganization, is there any news at all regarding the possible introduction of the NT-505, UD-505 and the clock into North America? And did these pieces ever get upgraded from MQA and Roon  "ready"  to fully functional in Asia and the EU?

[Acesn8s]

The NT-505, UD-505, and associated master clock are now showing at TEAC USA's website, which I found after seeing the following release:

 

AUGUST 7, 2018

Onkyo USA obtains exclusive distribution rights for Teac products in United States and Latin America

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ, August 7, 2018 – Onkyo USA today announced it has acquired exclusive distribution rights to market and distribute TESSAC’s home entertainment

[gixxer]

Hello,

For those that know this, or if you own one, can you help me out (besides what i'm reading here about current Roon support by the TEAC NT-505 unit)?

 

Does NT-505 have 1/4" (6.3mm) or 1/8" (3.5mm) headphone jack?

 

And does the headphone jack support balanced headphone connections?

 

The specs online says 1/4" (6.3mm), TRS.  But its manual document says 1/8" (3.5mm) and shows pin out of the plug as if it's TRRS, balanced connection.

 

Anyone know this, that can confirm whether i can connect using balanced connection to the headphone?

 

 

 

But the spec says otherwise,

 

https://teac.jp/int/product/nt-505/spec

 

Headphone output jack    1/4” (6.3mm) Stereo TRS×1

 

Thanks much.

[Norton]

To revive this thread.  The NT505 seems to have a great spec including TOTR AKM4497 chips (same as Linn Klimax, even though of course chips don’t matter...) every format and service you can think of, including the codec that cannot be named, and looks to retail for sub £1100 in UK, but very little exposure  in the way of journalist reviews or owner forum discussion.

 

So is this just another  case of spec sheet running ahead of  actual performance, or a giant killer being kept quiet?

 

Good to hear from owners and recent listening impressions, especially vs Esoteric or Lumin.

[crenca]

6 hours ago, Norton said:

To revive this thread.  The NT505 seems to have a great spec including TOTR AKM4497 chips (same as Linn Klimax, even though of course chips don’t matter...) every format and service you can think of, including the codec that cannot be named, and looks to retail for sub £1100 in UK, but very little exposure  in the way of journalist reviews or owner forum discussion.

 

So is this just another  case of spec sheet running ahead of  actual performance, or a giant killer being kept quiet?

 

Good to hear from owners and recent listening impressions, especially vs Esoteric or Lumin.

 

Good question.  How does it sound is the real question.  Does it retain the general character of most recent AKM implementations, or does it have its own coloration?  Do the analogue outputs keep up with the spec sheet props?  What more does it offer over less expensive AKM implementations from Schiit and others?

 

[Norton]

48 minutes ago, crenca said:

What more does it offer over less expensive AKM implementations from Schiit and others?

 

As it’s a Roon compatible streamer, I was thinking more about how it compared with significantly more expensive implementations from Esoteric or Lumin at treble the price and upwards.  AFAIK Schiit do not offer a streamer, nor indeed a DAC with the flagship AKM chip.

[crenca]

30 minutes ago, Norton said:

 

As it’s a Roon compatible streamer, I was thinking more about how it compared with significantly more expensive implementations from Esoteric or Lumin at treble the price and upwards.  AFAIK Schiit do not offer a streamer, nor indeed a DAC with the flagship AKM chip.

 

I understand where you are coming from, but I look at it from a different direction.  Since the AKM, ESS, Ti, etc. all have a line of chips, what's the real difference between them within the line and the equivalent from the other manufactures?  The late Charles Hanson argued that they all sounded much more alike than different (particularly when from the same manufacturer), and it was the parts/design/filters rather than the SD chips themselves that were the difference.  Given this, I want to know if this particular TEAC implementation offers anything more, different, or better than the many other AKM implementations around it and below it (price wise) before I begin comparing it to up market implementations.  If it is "the same" or "worse" than equivalent or downmarket implementations, what's the point of comparing it to more expensive implementations?

[Norton]

Maybe I’m a bit out of touch, but I’m not  aware of much around the price or cheaper that offers, in one box, Roon, Tidal, Quobuz, Hi rate  DSD and PCM  etc input over Ethernet and balanced/SE analogue out.  The fact the latter is via DAC chips which AFAIK  only feature on much more expensive  items just pique my interest further.  But again, eye catching spec headlines and actual performance are 2 different  things.

 

[crenca]

4 minutes ago, Norton said:

Maybe I’m a bit out of touch, but I’m not  aware of much around the price or cheaper that offers, in one box, Roon, Tidal, Quobuz, Hi rate  DSD and PCM  etc input over Ethernet and balanced/SE analogue out.  The fact the latter is via DAC chips which AFAIK  only feature on much more expensive  items just pique my interest further.  But again, eye catching spec headlines and actual performance are 2 different  things.

 

 

Good point, neither am I.

[Miska]

Main difference between this and the earlier generation AKM chip is that this one supports DSD512. They have also modified the DSD filters.

 

[Anderson]

Hi All, 

 

I'm thinking of buying an NT-505, but, my router is in a different room and they don't share crawl space so I'm unable to run a wire from the router to my hifi. 

 

Would using a WiFi extender to provide a LAN point next to my hifi be OK, or is that going to add lots of noise to the signal? I'm not sure such signal purity issues apply to the WiFi? 

 

Much obliged

 

 

[crenca]

6 hours ago, Anderson said:

Hi All, 

 

I'm thinking of buying an NT-505, but, my router is in a different room and they don't share crawl space so I'm unable to run a wire from the router to my hifi. 

 

Would using a WiFi extender to provide a LAN point next to my hifi be OK, or is that going to add lots of noise to the signal? I'm not sure such signal purity issues apply to the WiFi? 

 

Much obliged

 

 

 

 

The short answer is no it will "not add noise to the signal". 

 

WiFi is an ethernet protocol based network, so whether the digital packets are transmitted through a "wired" medium such as copper, or with light waves over fiber, or through the air with radio/microwave medium, the end result is the same.  The protocol itself is specifically designed to be medium agnostic.  Of course like any method if it is not implemented correctly (say, you don't have a strong enough signal at your endpoint) then of course problems of various kind can ensue

 

That said this is Audiophiledom and thus some people have certain beliefs about the "sound" of digital signals/transmissions mediums that you have no doubt read about 😉

[Anderson]

Thanks Crenca. As I thought. Yep, it's easy to fall down the wrong online audio rabbit hole and come out wearing a tinfoil hat. NT-505 duly ordered. Hopefully a vast improvement on the frankly awful BS Node 2i that the chap in the shop swore blind was "incredible". Even my outgoing Yam WXC50, at less than half the price, made i the BS sound like a toy. We live and learn. 

[arcman]

Give us a review. I am torn between the Teac, Lumin d2 and Brooklyn bridge

[Windows X]

Just came across this thread after searching about bulk option in Esoteric K1X. I think I prefer bulk 3 the most among 4 options.

[Wilderness]

I had the Teac NT 503 DAC.  It sounded pretty good, but with around one percent of the songs in my library there was unpleasant sibilance.

 

Not sure if the Teac 505 DAC avoids that problem.