My Okto Dac8 Pro failed, find alternative.

[Ibanez]

Hello

I have to return my Okto dac8 Pro to Okto due to failing headamp. Issue with volume increasing without showing it on display.

They agreed to rebuy it from me at full refund.

I believe that they don't give a new unit if I asked them neither, then they have would done that already, my friend got a new one when he had an issue, because they had an extra one that never got shipped to customer. But there it is something else than the dac that is misbehaving in his equipment.

My dacs failure happened like 3 weeks after I got it last year when it was new.

So I think it Is something else that is already failing but it is the headamp that fails first and then it spreads over the mainboard. 

But this is specific to my unit. 

I actually like the Dac very much.

But if he only swaps that part of the mainboard with a new one the origin of the fault will never be solved. 

 

Butt as I know, the alternatives is not so many that measure as good. 

Exasound E68 or S88, Hapi/hours Nadac way to expansive for my budget. I can save up to Antelope Orion 32+ Gen3 after the refund, but nothing pricier.

 

What are the alternatives?

 

I have looked at 

Topping DM7 good price

Motu Ultralite MK5 good orive

Antelope Orion 32+ Gen3 very good price / channels out, a bit of interest

(Not sure if I need an preamp with the orion)

RME UFX3+, low thd+n, 

Universial Audio X8 (thunderbolt only, need to buy a new motherboard to pc, so actually not an option)

Marian Seraph 8 MKII, pcie internal card 8 xlr in/out 9028pro dacs.

(need inputs on this card, is this good for this purpose, 3-4 way active?

Pretty good price actually for being an pro audio card), 

When having owned an Okto nothing seems comparable measurement wise, and maybe not soumd wise neither. Maybe the orion, but their good measurement according to specs is for the two monitor outs as usual on pro audio external devices, except Ultralite MK5)

 

Give me some ideas and your thougts.

 

Thanks in advance

[Designsfx]

I’m not sure about alternatives as I don’t use multi channel dacs but there is another for sale here-

Okto Research dac8

[Ibanez]

Thanks for the tip, but that was the stereo version unfortunately.

:)

[Norton]

Something from miniDSP, maybe?

Is this a mch DAC, for example 

 

https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/flex-ht

[Kal Rubinson]

Why not the Topping if all you need is the D/A?  It sounds great although the VC is tedious.

[Ibanez]

Thanks Kai, I have considered that one.

What do you think abou an pcie card like Marian Seraph 8 MKII XLR?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

9 hours ago, Ibanez said:

What do you think abou an pcie card like Marian Seraph 8 MKII XLR

I know nothing of it.

[Ibanez]

It is very few that writes anything about these cards online, but the few that seems to have any of Marian products seems to be happy about them, not just the Seraph 8 cards. But I am not in any stress about what to get, haven't get my money back yet, the dac is still in it's way back to Okto.

Thank Kai for your answers.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

1 hour ago, Ibanez said:

It is very few that writes anything about these cards online, but the few that seems to have any of Marian products seems to be happy about them, not just the Seraph 8 cards. But I am not in any stress about what to get, haven't get my money back yet, the dac is still in it's way back to Okto.

Thank Kai Kal for your answers.

 

You are welcome.  (I fixed your post.)

[Ibanez]

14 hours ago, Kal Rubinson said:

You are welcome.  (I fixed your post.)

Thanks, sorry for writing wrong name of yours. Hope you get an nice weekend, here in north of Sweden it is -12c at night and around -4 in the days, but windy, so you think it's warm, but it's not.

[Kal Rubinson]

1 hour ago, Ibanez said:

Thanks, sorry for writing wrong name of yours. Hope you get an nice weekend, here in north of Sweden it is -12c at night and around -4 in the days, but windy, so you think it's warm, but it's not.

It's +8c here and we think it's chilly!

[Ibanez]

It maybe will be an used Hapi Mk2 if it's still aviable when Okto repays me. 

[Ibanez]

Hello, a little update.

I bought an used Antelope Orion Synergy Core.

Still waiting for some parts to arrive, db25 male connector, backshells, and some shrinkingtubes.

I will solder my own db25 to xlr cable.

So I have only listened to it via headphone section to my Denon ah-d9200, and I like the sound so far, really good actually. 

 

[Kal Rubinson]

18 minutes ago, Ibanez said:

I will solder my own db25 to xlr cable.

Is that really worth the effort?  I decided it was not.

[Ibanez]

I bought 1 meter 110 ohm Mogami gold 3162 cable, and making my own was cheaper with that cable.

If I just bought the premade 0.5m 75ohm I had choosen the Mogami 2932 Gold and still being happy, I believe. But I like the DIY side of it also. Bought an Panavise 250 and an Jonard wsa-1024 also, those will also be good to use when playing with my other audiohobby in the car.

I will update when I have setting it all up and listening for a few days.

I'll be back

[Ibanez]

Now i had soldered the Mogami 3162 cable and pvh backshell.

And first listening impressions is that it has an more clearer and pristine sound. More open

/airy sound.

And i will be happy with this interface as i also can record my guitarplaying with it if i want to do so in the future. Really good routing/matrix system as soon as you understand it. 

I am sure i will never use the full potentioal of this incredible studio interface when using it as 16 ch dac. And even if i ever record with it i will never use the full powes of it, i also got the Edge Solo mic, and i believe also the bundle with all of the cool plugins and programs that the previous owner had bought, and it's tied to the unit, so he also gave the account connected to the interface to me.

This will be fun for me. Now i need to fix the room also.

I will start a new thread soon about this DAC / Interdace, and my setup.

 

[Ibanez]

Hello again, I have an question, 

If I route pc audio straight to output on an interface (now my antelope)  is the channels panned or not?

And if going through mixer, should I pan l/r or leave the panning in middle?

 

I ask because I have trouble to getting qsound on Amused To Death to play correctly, the dog that barks. 

Same position on speakers as when the OKTO dac8 pro was in use, and it was more correct then it is now, now the dog barks in just above right speaker, and back then it was angled behind to the right.

And some other music doesn't sound right neither.

Tested with 0 panning, now the dog was in the middle.

Why can't i this work at all, had no issue with the Okto

 

[Ibanez]

I have now being using the Antelope Orion Studio Synergy Core for a while.

 

And i must say I like it a lot actually.

It sounds really good. 

 

My setup is as follow:

Bubbleupnp, Qobuz on S20 or Tab A8 > PC Jriver as renderer (bubbleupnp installed as windows service) > dephonica > Orion OSSC > to 6 power amps. 

 

I mostly run Dac on full scale and uses the volume in Jriver because the line-out volume control on the Antelope cannot be used with the keyboard knob, so windows cannot control it's volume, that must be done with Antelopes software console or walking to the unit and do it from the volume knob, this is when using Asio. When watching YouTube or something else the windows wasapi is used. 

 

I am so far very pleased with it, driver works rock solid as long as I don't misconfigure Jriver Live asio. Now I  just need an measurement mic, and learn how to use REW, and then I'll buy Acourate or Audiolese when money has filled my wallet enough to buy it.