USB CARD XE - Xtreme edition USB Audio output with ground-breaking performance

[Pablooo]

On 5/27/2020 at 12:30 PM, Marcin_gps said:

NEXT BATCH UPDATE

 

I'm afraid I have unfortunate news. 

 

I've just received an email from Digi-key regarding availability of the OCXO oscillator we use on the USB Card XE. The original shipping date when we placed the order was June, 6th. Now the date is June 30, 2020, with an additional, approximate 6 business days transit from the manufacturer to Digi-Key.

 

The SiT5711 is popular and SiTime has not been able to get ahead of the demand. Regardless, we are pushing to get the oscillators sooner, but it seems that the USB Cards XE will not ship sooner than in July.  

 

I know this is disappointing, but there is very little we can do. 

 

I will keep you updated. 

 

On the bright side:

 

 

Sorry I ordered already and canceled 3 days ago cause of my already great sounding server but I heard it at a friends server and it’s a musthave….

 

 

Best regards,

Marcin

Hi Marcin, 

 

Could you provide us with an updated delivery schedule of the XE card?

 

Thanks!

[Pablooo]

From what I understand is that the oscillators were in backorder and this causes the delay of the delivery of the XE card.  However, the oscillators were sent to Jcat 2 weeks ago so I figure the delivery of the XE card is about to take place. @Marcin_gps could you confirm a more precise dispatch date?

[Pablooo]

To the end user I assume?

[Pablooo]

Would it be a good idea to share the track and trace here from the shipment from Adnaco to Poland? 😉

 

But seriously, have you received the cards and when are you going to send them to your ‐ patiently waiting for 4 months ‐ customer(s)?

[Pablooo]

I agree!  Sometimes things have to be put into perspective, there are worse things in the world than a delayed delivery of a USB card 😇

 

On the other hand, Jcat could make communication about the delivery more reliable. There will be good explanations for all delays. But every time one occurs, a customer has to inquire about the revised shipping date. That is annoying and gives me the feeling that things are not in control. 

[Pablooo]

I have 120 hours on the Jcat USB XE now and it's really starting to open up. Lots of ambient information and the lower bass has never sounded this good. Stereo image seems also improved compared to the Femto card. 

 

Very happy so far! 😊

 

[Pablooo]

I recently built a new server based on a Gigabyte Aorus Master B550.  This mobo has 3 pcie slots, 1 x16 which goes directly to the CPU and 2 other that runs via the B550 chipset.  From a theoretical approach I figured the Jcat usb XE had to be plugged into the pcie x16.  However, the server would not boot with the card in this slot, so I was forced to choose a different slot.  After trying all the settings in BIOS (thanks for the help @Marcin_gps) I finally decided to update the BIOS.  And that worked, the x16 slot accepts the XE card now! And things changed...

What I hear now is hard to describe.  It's all so realistic, more micro dynamics, stereo image wider, deeper and higher.  And all those details, wow! There are people on this forum who have a much greater talent for describing sound quality so I'll leave it at that.  But if you have this mobo or something similar, try the usb card in this slot!  I never expected it to make such a big difference. 

[Pablooo]

On 10/1/2020 at 8:00 PM, Vlaag said:

And that without having a linear power supply, still awaiting the duo3.

You might want to wait for the ATX power supply that Jcat has in development. I have no experience with their power supplies, but if it is just as good as the other components that Jcat supplies, I am confident it can compete with the best in the market

 

[Pablooo]

2 hours ago, Vlaag said:

Marcin said in another post that for low voltages the (like usb+net card) the duo still performs better for that purpose.

I would find that a bit of a strange proposition.  The ATX power supply will have a separate circuit for the 5v lines.  In order not to make them obsolete from the beginning, they should have at least the same quality as the Optimo 3 in my opinion. I realize I am off topic here and will ask my questions in the appropriate thread.  To be continued 🙂

[Pablooo]

8 minutes ago, Marcin_gps said:

The quality is exceptional, but slightly below optimo for that purpose. What is possible for 3A, is not for 23A in terms of noise level. 

Okay clear! Thanks for the clarification.