Audiopraise VanityPRO

[The Computer Audiophile]

There are so many uses for this. The wheels in my head are turning.

[The Computer Audiophile]

I should have an article about this done this week. Let me know what things people want me to try. So far this thing is really cool. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

51 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

DSD playback with conversion to PCM into your Berkeley DAC….please and thank you.

What are common ways people would get DSD into this unit? 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I haven’t had a disc spinner for over a decade. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Here's my article on the Vanity Pro

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Yes, HDMI output for ripped Atmos content would be killer. Sometimes HDMI is required for the height channels to work. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, DigiPete said:

I can do better - I'll direct you to Quadraphonicquad - the central hub for all surround stuff.
Here is a good thread to start you off: Converting MCH discs 101: Overview

While I love 'Quad' for all the useful info (and yes we are some CA's there), I still lack the razor focus on high end I find here.
Let's hope the mix will send us on a good projectory!

Man, I've been waiting over 10 years for streaming Multi Channel to AES . . . .  🙄

 

Hi Pete! I plan on only focusing on Atmos for audiophiles. I won't even have a screen in my listening room :~)

 

I want to reproduce what the artist intended, whether that's two channels or 7.1.4. 

 

Are you doing multichannel to AES right now?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

53 minutes ago, DigiPete said:

Hey Chris

I've been doing 5.1 from ripped files direct to AES since 2011!
My Genelec SAM series monitors has AES direct input (as well as analogue XLR), so this has been my goal from the get go.
And yes - Genelec SAM's are still insane value for the money if you want high-end! 👍

Weiss AFI1 DDC was my daily driver for years, but the proprietary driver didn't get updated, so I had to give up this great HW.
I talked to Daniel Weiss, but nothing can be done short of running a very old computer with old OS.
Interface chip company went bust 😒

The modern Motu 8D DDC is my new go-to, with no obsoletion in sight. And at $595 / €645 it's an absolute steal.
And it can naturally be daisy chained for more channels - gotta love PRO audio!
For my use, it's an absolute gem with 8 channels out - 4 AES and 4 S/PDIFF (with converters to AES), and it sounds just as glorious.

Tidal multi-channel / Atmos is my challenge, so I'm following AS with renewed interest!
Yes, Apple music will give me 5.1, but I way prefer Tidal's offerings. 
It would be so awesome! 😃

 

Very cool and creative. I agree, pro audio is a crazy value and so flexible. 

 

Tidal is going to be a challenge. The company is limiting devices that can play Atmos for some reason. I have an email in to Tidal, but don't know if anyone will respond. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

23 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

Here are some quick update on the VanityPRO development. Audiopraise is designing 2 new output boards as follows:

 

One with USB Audio interface with ASRC. The main idea is to be able to feed 8-channel HDMI audio straight into a PC for multichannel processing with the option to fix the USB Audio sampling rate via a bank of ASRC. The is an output card with USB Audio Device capable of 8-channel operation. On top of that, there is a bank of asynchronous resamplers which will allow the USB Audio to run at fixed sampling rate set from the host PC. There will be an ASRC bypass mode for bit-transparent transmission. There will be also a digital audio output (from the USB interface) and digital audio input (auxiliary input that can be routed to USB).

 

The second board is a multichannel I2S with four HDMI connectors (for 8 channels), which is a fairly simple board that just converts I2S to LVDS signals via HDMI with PS Audio/ Sonore pinout. 

 

Nice!

[The Computer Audiophile]

7 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

What is ASRC ?

Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter

[The Computer Audiophile]

44 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

Here is what to expect in the next firmware update on the VanityPro.

 

With the ASRC active, you can set any sampling rate from the PC you want, e.g. everything fixed at 96kHz. In the new fw, there is a switch in the menu to bypass the ASRC and then you have to manually set the sampling rate in your PC for USB Audio session and change it every time the sampling rate of the HDMI source changes. The advantage is that the datapath is then bit transparent so you can get the compressed HBR audio into the PC.

 

There will be a EDID configuration for number of audio channels to report to the HDMI source per CTA/CEA standard infoframe.

 

There will be 7 DB of attenuation possible to adjusted each channel. 

This is great! 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, vortecjr said:

Introducing the Vanity^PSU

The Vanity^PSU is a very low-noise linear power supply designed specifically for the Vanity^PRO, but it can be used as a universal power supply too. It has three independent power rails, two with 5V and one with 12V outputs. Each 5V rail has two USB connectors USB-A and USB-C and each connector has its own secondary regulator. The 12V output has standard 2.1mm DC jack. All outputs are fully protected against overvoltage, overcurrent, and short circuit. It comes in an enclosure design-matched to the Vanity^PRO.

 

Some more eye candy...

Very cool.