Jump to content
IGNORED

HXMelody HX500 digital transport


Recommended Posts

4 hours ago, pm325 said:

Nice review, Dennis!

Please specify the hdmi cable used for the LVDS connection and which mode is on the Terminator DAC (NOS with x2 filter, isn't it?).

 

Thanks German.

I now use a rather cheap (€ 27) 60cm AudioQuest Pearl hdmi cable. I do not want to start a new nervosa immediately. Another not so expensive one is on its way from China. Only when I hear important differences between several cables I might spend more. When I know my 'final' setup I may order an even shorter custom made one from https://aerialpixels.com/ as you recommended.

 

These are the Terminator I2S LVDS pin-out settings:

image.thumb.png.a74b79856d7c0cb1f91e1738e069ff00.png 

The SDTrans384 has the PS Audio '100' configuration.

 

I asked the seller (Shenzhen Audio) for the HX500 config and the sent me this:

image.thumb.png.33383701161ddc2a7be2540656a1c3ef.png

To me this seems like the '111' setting, but when I set the Terminator to that I get strange noises. However, with '100' the HX500 plays well, and that is good news as I do not have to change anything on the Terminator when switching between the SDTrans and the HX500.

In the output settings on the HX500 there is an 'I2S reverse' option (enabled or disabled) and when I translate the big yellow block above with Google Translate camera it says:

image.thumb.png.e874537df82a59853d724b19002ecc70.png

 

So -- although I notice no difference in the sound -- I enabled the I2S reverse option.

 

Actually I play with the Terminator in OS (not NOS) mode as this sounds better for PCM. For DSD there is no difference as the Terminator then automatically switches to NOS mode, even when the NOS light is off.

 

audio system

 

Link to comment
5 minutes ago, pm325 said:

There are two options for signal polarity inversion - "I2S reverse" at HX500 and corresponding mode button at Terminator DAC. You can use both, because they have identical functionality.

 

That is also how I understand it. So using polarity inversion on the HX500 seems the best option as then I do not have to change anything on the Terminator when switching between SDTrans and HX500. 

 

5 minutes ago, pm325 said:

In case of SDtrans384 LVDS output can be configured as "pcm/dsd mode" or "dsd only mode" (please, see manual). The first one has reversed left/right channels for dsd output.

 

Thanks, I hope to receive the SDTrans in a week or so.

 

5 minutes ago, pm325 said:

I suppose, that OS mode preferred for RedBook content.

 

Yes, but I think also for higher resolutions. I believe the Terminator upsamples to 1536 kHz.

 

audio system

 

Link to comment
  • 2 months later...
1 hour ago, Symphony said:

very well documented and triggered the interest to buy one
Which android player needed with HX500 connected via Ethernet to a NAS with minimserver?

 

I just ordered one and I wish to confine to the minimalistic SD card way but I have large music on my NAS.

 

Any android player will do. When set to DLNA the HX500 should be recognized by it.

There is also a HX500 specific app for remote control. As it is in Chinese out of the box I used the Google Translate camera to find out where to find the language button, and then switched to English.

 

To my ears SD card sounds best, but it is nice that the HX500 offers so many possibilities.

 

audio system

 

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Symphony said:

Hi 

could you help in choosing the best options flat/ribbon and connector at either  end Male/female to the HDMI cable in the mentioned site. 
 

sorry I s as m new to this I2S & HDMI ball game. 
thanks

 

I love this cable:

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/4000730036117.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4b8a4c4dD2MUbe

You can choose your length (the shorter the better for SQ they say although I heard no difference between 20 and 30 cm versions) and terminations (right angle -- mind the orientation! -- or straight).

 

audio system

 

Link to comment
  • 4 months later...
  • 6 months later...

Actually, I bought the HX500 and the SDTrans384 at the same time to compare them. They are very close in SQ but I slightly prefered the SDTrans384 (I think due to better clocks which I had upgraded and better power supply). The HX500 was much more user friendly though. I gave the HX500 to a friend. Alas recently the SDTrans died on me and I am now looking for some replacement. I am considering Shinrico D7 or SHD20. These are better known in Russia and China but are supposed to have really good SQ and connectivity.

 

audio system

 

Link to comment
26 minutes ago, gstew said:

 

@bodiebill, curious if you SDTrans is repairable. What happened to kill it? I had another friend who had one who killed it with a power supply overvoltage. Looking at it, I suspected it might have been repairable depending on the behavior of the local regulators... if they died without passing the overvoltage on, it should be repairable... according to the designers only the screen directly use the 5V and that is easily replaceable. Let me know, I'd be willing to take a look at it.

 

More importantly, how well did the HX500 work with higher sampling rates (384 or higher) via I2S? I am curious to try PGGB, but am not interested in going back into the massive complex computer player world. The SDTrans384 is limited to 384 due to the data transfer protocol off the SDCard... I suspect that can be remedied with different hardware nowadays, but not with any reasonable upgrade to that HW. Hence my interest in the HX500.

 

Greg in Mississippi

 

Hi Greg, good to hear from you!

 

Thanks for the kind offer, I might take you up on it...

 

I never tried the HX500 with sample rates higher than 192 and it is no longer with me (now at a friend's). But I was pleasantly surprised that to my ears it closely approached the SDTrans384 in terms of SQ.

 

I will PM you re the SDTrans384.

 

audio system

 

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...