A few questions about the DAC-10

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porsche911

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A few questions about the DAC-10
« on: 23 Jan 2018, 11:27 am »
Hello guys,

Just a few questions if I may. I have upgraded to DAC-10 today to and hook it up with my 2 STA-9s and feeding music from Macbook as usual. I hear the difference immediately. It is more detailed and crisp and the separation of the instruments are more clear. But there are few things I would like to figure it out:

1_Why the DAC-10 does not work with the "Curious Cable" usb cable? (on my DAC-9 it was working perfectly. The $3 dollar printer usb cable is now being used and it works fine with DAC-10...  I bought 2 Curious usb cables plus the ISO Regen so I hope I can still use them with the DAC-10.

2_Feeding the same music from macbook to DAC-9 the front display shows 384 sample rate. But on the DAC-10 it's showing 48 only? Any chance to ups the sample rate?

3_Please help to advice which gain setting would you recommend? LL or HL, and why?

Many thanks.

RafaPolit

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Re: A few questions about the DAC-10
« Reply #1 on: 24 Jan 2018, 02:34 pm »
Hi Porsche, welcome!

I'll leave point 1 for others.

Issue 2: Is the music actually a 384Khz file? Or where you upsampling all your music to 384? If the first one, you may need to configure the sample rate to auto or something similar. If the second one, you should re-select the upsampling target. These instructions are missing from the DAC-10 manual, but can be found on the DAC-9 manual:
1. Power on NuPrime DAC-10, select USB input. The device will enumerate as a USB Audio device on your Mac.
2. In AudioMidiSetup, select the “NuPrimeDAC-10” device as your default Input and Output device.
3. The sample rate of the device can be selected using the dropdown menu.
Some names may differ.

Issue 3: Leave it a LL. This feature is intended for pairing with other types of amps which may require other voltages.  STA-9 are suited for 2v on RCA and 4v on XLR, so that should be the right setting.

Hope this helps, best regards,
Rafa.

rustydoglim

Re: A few questions about the DAC-10
« Reply #2 on: 24 Jan 2018, 07:11 pm »
May be that custom USB cable removes the 5V power.  DAC-10H USB communication chip needs that 5V.

porsche911

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Re: A few questions about the DAC-10
« Reply #3 on: 25 Jan 2018, 03:02 am »
Thank you Rafa and Jason. Believe or not. The curious cable is now working but the $3 dollar printer cable is not... I am so frustrated.

There is another interesting issue I discovered last night with the dac-10. When I unplug the charger on my Macbook, occasionally, the usb connection drops out. And I have to manually select usb output on my computer with no guaranteed success. And when the charger lead touches the computer's aluminium case it makes some sort of sparkle noise coming from the speakers.

Do you guys reckon there is some compatibility issue between the dac-10 and my Macbook pro? Or there is a need to upgrade the operating software?

The dac-9 has been worked flawlessly and smoothly with the Mac. Hope I can still archive the same again with the dac-10.

Regards

Evan 

RafaPolit

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Re: A few questions about the DAC-10
« Reply #4 on: 26 Jan 2018, 01:27 am »
The fact that the cable works now and the other doesn't may imply there is a loose connecting point: maybe te USB port is disconnecting sporadically? That may also be the reason between the behavior when you unplug your Mac: maybe the minor shake makes the USB port lose its connectivity? Have you tried with different port systems on the Mac? (Hopefully there's more than one?).

It sounds physical rather than software based on your descriptions.  The fact that one cable didn't work but then another did and the previously working one is no longer is certainly not logical at all, unless it's the port on either the Mac or the DAC.

porsche911

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Re: A few questions about the DAC-10
« Reply #5 on: 26 Jan 2018, 02:24 am »
Hi Rafa,

I agree with your thoughts and have decided to send it back to where I bought from. I strongly suspect that the usb port/module on the dac is faulty or less perfect. It took me a solid two nights trying to narrow down the issue and to communicate with the other party. Hard lesson learnt. I will not buying anything blindly again.

Thanks   

RafaPolit

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Re: A few questions about the DAC-10
« Reply #6 on: 26 Jan 2018, 03:12 am »
I was really thinking it was the Mac's port the one to blaim! Specially because of you 'unplugging' issue.

Hope you solve the problem!

rustydoglim

Re: A few questions about the DAC-10
« Reply #7 on: 31 Jan 2018, 08:12 pm »
Oh, the computer could have weak 5V power, especially if you have a lot of USB audio devices connected to it.
Do you use an external powered USB hub?

porsche911

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Re: A few questions about the DAC-10
« Reply #8 on: 3 Feb 2018, 01:23 am »
There was only one device(DAC-10) connected to the Macbook via usb port. I have also tried it on a PC with a similar result. In the end I returned it back to him with an restocking fee. I wish there is AD locally here in Melbourne down under. Cheers