Mytek Stereo 192

[lintweaker]

I am finally listening to mpd outputting native DSD (packed to dCS spec) to my Mytek! I managed to modify the dsd2pcm output plugin so it puts out packed DSD the mytek wants for native playback.

 

Now I have to clean up the code and get in touch with the mpd developers to see how to get the code accepted so more people can enjoy it.

 

Any word on the mytek firmware update? I have no problem with 1.3.0 but I am curious what is changed/enhanced.

 

[57gold]

Still using WaveLink, so I haven't heard it as intended. Will download drivers this weekend and try FW. FW better than USB is what I come to understand from others owners on this thread, or did I get tha wrong?

 

Currently have FW connection to HD. Guess I'm supposed to USB for that connection if I use FW on DAC?

 

Well more on sound I'm getting. Played some recordings I know well, Steve Earles "Train a Comin'" and "I Fell Alright", both with great guitar playing and a variety of dense arrangements and I found the details intoxicating...hearing timbres and overtones that I did not realize were captured by the recordings, making familiar recordings seem new. Also listened to some Stones, CD rips of "Exile" and "Sticky Fingers", again more of the same...Keith's grinding intro to "Can't You Hear me Knockin'" just growls...turn it up and his Ampeg V4 is raging in the room.

 

Listening to one of my few "audiophile recordings", one that features awesome playing and sound as opposed to mediocre performance with great sound..."Meeting by the River" by Ry Cooder and VM Bhatt. Concerns about low end frequencies, which I have never had since I played the first tune through the MyTek, are unfounded based upon the percussion playing on this as I type. The resonant thud of the bass drum is hitting my chest...all of the subtlety of the tabla and dumbek hits are presented. Cooder's and Bhatt's interplay and technique, especially Bhatt's, is just beautiful. Agree with previous post on music eminating from blackness.

 

Just put on "Shades of Jade", a Marc Johnson (bassist) led enterprise with great performances by Joe Lovano, John Scofield...but the bass playing is rock solid and Joey Baron's drum playing rocks. No low end worries here.

 

Have had MyTek on for a week and break in has added body to the sound, mids are richer than when unit was cold/new...was the one concern I had. The Wadia gives singers, saxes and big dreadnaught guitars a measure of fullness that seemed to be diminished with the MyTek cold...not any more.

 

Last night, accepted an offer for my Wadia 861i...that's how much I'm digging this thing.

 

[ted_b]

drivers for Mytek are not Class 2 Audio compliant (nevermind the dCS work you did)? IOW, how did you even get MPD to talk to Mytek at 24/176k? I haven't tried with one of my Linux servers (Auraliti PK90USb or Alix) cuz the USB driver is Rigisystems which isn't Class 2 audio. ?

 

[Jud]

Also listened to some Stones, CD rips of "Exile" and "Sticky Fingers", again more of the same...Keith's grinding intro to "Can't You Hear me Knockin'" just growls...turn it up and his Ampeg V4 is raging in the room.

 

Ah, back to my college days. :-) Just wanted to mention I am very much enjoying HDTracks downloads of Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed, and may think about Sticky Fingers and Exile. Already have the CDs, but the thought of even better-sounding Can't You Hear Me Knockin', Sweet Black Angel, Sweet Virginia, etc., is very tempting.

 

Also have and like "Meeting by the River." I'm a sucker for all things Ry.

 

[ted_b]

not underestimate, right? I also feel the same way about the low end. It doesn't produce an artificial midbass hump (classic EQ trick) bass, but when it's there on the recording, it's there in your room at tight, tonally correct levels (at least that's the feeling I get..I wasn't there at the recording ).

 

[Miska]

I haven't tried with one of my Linux servers (Auraliti PK90USb or Alix) cuz the USB driver is Rigisystems which isn't Class 2 audio. ?

 

Firewire works, as well as AES/Coax/Toslink.

 

I have only occasionally connected mine to Windows, most of the time I'm using Linux since I do all the development on Linux anyway.

 

 

[ted_b]

On a Linux machine?? My Linux servers all are USB only. I have the MAc Mini connected firewire of course, and all is well..but asked about MPD. Didn't know MPD works with dCS over toslink...

 

[Miska]

Miska, are you saying dCS's packed DSD works over toslink?? On a Linux machine?? My Linux servers all are USB only. I have the MAc Mini connected firewire of course, and all is well..but asked about MPD. Didn't know MPD works with dCS over toslink...

 

Sure it does, I've attached picture of DSD playback from Linux over Toslink.

 

I don't know about MPD, never touched it. I'm not interested on it.

 

 

 

[ted_b]

and my response (all MPD servers), is all about MPD. I should've made my point better and realized Linux is quite generic, sorry. But dCS and Linux, regardless of version, is very cool. Thanks.

 

[Miska]

I should've made my point better and realized Linux is quite generic

 

It is important to draw the difference that MPD != Linux and Linux != MPD. MPD is just one of the gazillion pieces of software for Linux.

 

I would split the thing into two categories, since those are completely different things:

1) Linux audio drivers for a device X

2) MPD support for DSD or something else

 

(1) is about driver support of the core OS while (2) is about feature in one particular application. Of course (2) may depend on (1), but not vice versa...

 

Mytek uses Dice Firewire chipset that is very common and well known. And there are actually even two different ways how this chipset can be used on Linux.

 

 

[lintweaker]

I am currently only using firewire to drive the mytek from Linux. I have not tried using Toslink or S/PDIF. I do not think my onboard audio cards are up to it, I will try to see if it works.

 

And yes, unfortunately the mytek does not support standard usb audio when using the usb2.0 port.

 

[ted_b]

(the Auraliti PK90USB is USB only, period, and not a DIY opportunity). I will take this topic elsewhere, just thinking out loud. I;m not sure why I'd do this (Mac Mini is sounding great via firewire) but I guess it's just the hobby.

 

[57gold]

OMG...even more music.

 

Everything got bigger, deeper and more natural.

 

Listening to Buddy Miller, 'Poison Love" a hot recording with bordering on excessive high end...sounds great, fiddle and Tele drivin' with a hard hitting drummer. Images outside speakers and 6' behind back wall (love when that happens) on a recording that was all up front previously. Hearing the nuances in Buddy's gut bucket playing.

 

[orgel]

@ 57gold:

 

So now that you have the Mytek connected via FireWire, do you have the external HD connected via USB?

 

This is the arrangement I'm contemplating, whenever mine arrives.

 

Have you (or will you) try with both the Mytek and the external HD daisy-chained on FireWire? Someone around here (Barrows?) speculated that this might sound better than putting the external HD on the USB bus.

 

Good news on the FireWire sound vs. with the WaveLink. All your feedback is much appreciated.

 

--David

 

[ted_b]

I found the Granite Digital (6pin-9pin) for $40 was best investment. If needing only 6pin-6pin then go 24k GoldX for $18.

 

http://www.granitedigital.com/firewire1394-b3ft6pinto9pinwithled.aspx

http://www.firewiredirect.com/product/89/

 

[blaine78]

Hi,

Has someone compared it to the Weiss DAC2/minerva? Or has the owners of the Mytek had experiences with the weiss that are able to give comparisons? I've owned a Weiss DAC2, and now I own an Ayre DAC at the moment, and not sure if trading it for the Mytek is a stupid thing to do? As I've posted here before, i am unable to test this unit out, so purchasing would be blind. From what i'm reading, it seems neither would be better, just different?

If it sounds anything like the benchmark DAC1, then i'll keep clear of it.

 

[57gold]

Thought I was covered, at least for a test. Downloaded drivers installed, took WaveLink out of loop. Pulled my firewire and it was a 9 to 9, then went digging in the "wire box"...have dozens of guitar cables, USBs, mini USBs...with 5 of us all with a couple of generations of laptops, towers, my audio and guitar and effects gear...found a 6 to 6 firewire. So, went to CompUSA...none, Walmart...same, finally Best Buy and they charge $36 for a Belkin 6 to 9 so I bought it. Then ordered a Granite one, we'll see if I hear any bump when it comes.

 

Have an AQ USB Coffee hooked up to HD...perhaps overkill.

 

Buddy and buds on "Majestic Silver Strings", which I felt was muddy like much of T Bone Burnett mixes, sound freakin' great...like I'm in the mixing room and hearing what that dude with the perpetual sunglasses was after (he does think he is cooler than us!). Love this Marc Robot space guitar and bought "Chocolate Genius" CDs just this past month because of getting turned on to Marc...don't know how I missed that group/guy/collective?

 

 

[ted_b]

before my Antelope Gold/Voltikus combo. The Mytek, via firwewire, is quite a bit better in my system than the Weiss...blackness, imaging, bass control, but the Weiss does have that magical albeit slightly bloated midrange. And it doesn't do DSD, nor have any capability to go direct (i.e preamp mode) if you are so inclined. It sounds nothing like the Benchmark, but then I dislike the Benchmark a lot, and find it fatiguing and analytical.

 

[ted_b]

Will love to hear your feedback. Several folks on another forum/thread spoke surprisingly high on the Belkin fw by the way ("surprisingly" their words, not mine).

 

[blaine78]

Thanks Ted_b,

 

that's valuable info to help me out

Regards benchmark, i found it terrible to listen to aswell.

 

[blaine78]

Quick check,

Does Mytek change sample rates on the fly if using USB 2 and WASAPI?

Is USB 2 ASIO working ok with PCM?

ASIO DSD is on the way soon?

 

One thing that's confused me, the manual says

'Conversion: 32bit, PCM up to 192k, 64xDSD, 128xDS'

'Internal Async Hardware Upsampling- 16bit 44.1k etc. can

be optionally upsampled prior to conversion to

192k/24bit with clock jitter eliminated'

 

Is there a conversion going on, and not native?

 

[ted_b]

That is what I'll call "user upsampling". But like any DAC, the internal processing is done in their own code at oversampling frequencies. This is not an NOS DAC.

 

Net/net, it handles all frequencies native as you and I know them (i.e if you have user upsampling off, Audio Midi shows same sample rate as same as song).

 

[Jud]

which I felt was muddy like much of T Bone Burnett mixes

 

T-Bone Burnett mixes "muddy"? Wow, not getting that at all (don't have Mytek, so apologies for the OT). He does seem to like to have his vocalists stand in a booth, which you can hear on the Jakob Dylan solo albums and the latest Ryan Bingham.

 

[Miska]

Does Mytek change sample rates on the fly if using USB 2 and WASAPI?

 

No, it allows only the rate set in USBPAL control panel. Firewire allows sample rate changes using WASAPI.

 

Is USB 2 ASIO working ok with PCM?

 

Yes, works without problems and allows sample rate changes on the fly. Same for Firewire.

 

 

[blaine78]

thanks Miska,

odd, so WASAPI and USB no auto sample rate change,

but ASIO it does auto change via both USB and FIREWIRE?

I'll be using ASIO anyways.