Asking for experiences and recommendations for 8-ch DA conv.

[Bernhard Guettler]

Hi all,

Eventually I will need a more contemporary 8-channel DA converter for monitoring. I have no need for DSD and expect utmost neutrality from a converter. AES is a must and Madi would be nice as an option. My monitoring is done with two Geithain 933K and for 5.0 additionally Geithain MO2. The monitoring controller is the SPL Surround version.

Without having done much research yet, I have a shortlist of two units in my mind, having not tested either of them yet.

Either the new RME ADI-8 QS
http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_adi_8_qs.php

or the often here recommended Mytek 8X192 Series AD/DA
http://www.mytekdigital.com/products/8x192adda.htm

What other units worth consideration I have overlooked?

Your input on this topic would be very appreciated. Thank you.

Best regards

Bernhard

[Thomas Grubb]

Hi Bernhard,

I can certainly recommend the Mytek as I've been using it for a few years now - very neutral, detailed and open sound. I don't know if supply is now better (as they were quite hard to get), and I had to have it modified to quieten the fan (though mine is one of the early ones).

You probably also can't go wrong with the Lynx Aurora 8 (I'm going to use one with the Mytek for 16 channels at 192kHz via firewire as the Aurora also has 8 AES/EBU I/O) - both of course don't have MADI, but RME have the AES-MADI converter.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Tom

[Mario]

Hi Bernhard,

you can follow thomas suggestions, but if you want MADI built in you can check the Euphonix DA and also the Sphynx 2, the sampling rate is software upgradeable, so ask for an 8 channel DA only, AES and/or MADI I/O (if you want it now) and the sampling rate of your interest.

regards
Mario

[mpdonahue]

If 96k is the top of what you need, I would seriously take a look at the SSL Alphalink SX. It has 24 channels of AES and analog I/O (AD's and DA's) as well as MADI. And here in the States if is going for a bit more than $2500usd.
All the best,
-mark

[ashok]

i would go for the mytek as i bought one last year and think it is excellent.
i will buy another one before christmas....

cheers

[stephanc]

Hi Bernhard (hope you`re fine, btw)!

We have the Mytek - and it is unsurpassed in this league. We've tested a bunch of converters during the last year, and we did not have another converter in our hands with this quality and the features it offers.
The 8x192 is not as neutral and clear sounding as our dCS 905s, but it makes a lot of fun to listen to music with the Mytek. Regarding the RME, I can only compare the Mytek`s A/D side. We had several RMEs here (lately the Micstasy), and all of them were years ago from the superb quality of the Mytek. I would not pretend the Mytek to be neutral, but it has a charming color, a little warmth and an extended low end. It reminds me on the Decca sound of the 60's We've noticed that the unit sounds much better with higher sampling rates above 48kHz.

I have to point out that the clock is excellent, and as a Mastering D/A, it is a clear pro that it has six wordclock outputs.
You won't get MADI without 3rd party products, and no DXD. The guys at Mytek are brilliant designers but extremely slow. There still is no firewire card out - it is in a prerelease stadium since 2 years and should really hit the market now ("this time it is real - I mean real real")...

In february, we plan to test the Mytek against the DAD/Sphinx2. But the price of a comparably fitted DAD A/D-D/A is twice the Mytek...

If you want to test the Mytek, you should contact Andreas Balaskas andreas@masterlab.de . He is the German dealer and located in the Nalepastrasse - just around the corner

Best wishes,


Stephan

[Pyromanic]

Go with a EmmLabs Meitner DAC8....you won't need more

[Bernhard Guettler]

Go with a EmmLabs Meitner DAC8....you won't need more

That's unfair, now I can't really want anything else anymore

Thank you all for your feedback. For those with first hand experience, I do have doubts, that some of the finest units have fans in the chassis (Meitner, Mytek). No problem when they are outside of the control room or in a sealed rack. But what do you do for location recordings, where this is often not so practical? It seems paradox to me, to build converters that show their strength in subtleties, that are by a big margin overshadowed by the noise an average fan, even the low noise versions, makes. I would prefer units with passive cooling, even though that means the dimensions and weight must be much bigger, or am I being unreasonable?

Best
Bernhard

[Graemme]

Hi Bernhard,

The latest ('been out for a while, now) revision of the Meitner DAC8-Mk IV has no fan. The heat-sinking has been expanded internally and I regularly use mine on location as you wish to do. Sonically, it is still the reference for me.

In addition to the Mytek, I'm also a fan (sorry!) of the fanless Lynx Aurora 8 and 16 - they are also worth a listen. www.lynxstudio.com

Best,

Graemme

[Bernhard Guettler]

Hi all,

coming back to you after an interesting listening shootout between the Mytek 8x192 and the RME ADI8 QS.

We were concentrating on the DA side and most of the tests were done with 1fs Material, since this is for us where bread and butter still are. The converters were level matched to <0.1 dB.

To make it short, the sonic qualities of the RME were disappointing, even though it was developed later. The biggest difference for us was in the low frequencies, where the RME was veiled and muddy, compared to the Mytek. The frequency response was equal, but probably in the time domain the RME did not give the same accuracy than the Mytek. That was independent from the clock source, both units were tested internally clocked and slaved.

That resulted also in a narrower stereo image in the lower frequencies for the RME to the degree that the low frequency band appeared to be almost detached from the rest of the image.

In the higher frequencies the Mytek sounded a little "smoother"and warmer, creating less fatique while listening to baroque violins, harpsichord or sharp organ tones. The differences were subtle though and more prone to subjective preference.

After we were done with the RME we compared the Mytek to the DA section of an eight year old Tascam DA-78HR. Surprise, surprise, at 1fs the Tascam was very much alike the Mytek, here blindly we couldn't reliably verify which is which...

Also interesting with the Mytek: it has much more residual noise in the audible band than the RME even though the specs suggest otherwise, possibly due to different noise shaping implementations. Listening to the lower level side of the units we turned down the Bus fader -40 dB and compensated in the monitoring. The Mytek's noise floor is equivalent to the here cleaner RME with a 18bit dither inserted in Pyramix. Is that maybe the secret for the Mytek's "musical" sound, 20/21 bit dither(18bit+15 dB headroom) added well above the chips nonlinearities and distortion?

So we are undecided, if in the year 2008 we should still settle for only true 20 bit performance... Nevertheless the Mytek is in its price range a very good sounding converter and with its features (integrated headphone amp etc.) a swiss army knife for location recording.

Looking one step up we have Meitner and the Sphynx2/DAD AX24, but are they worth the double/triple/quadruple price tags?

Maybe we will look also in what we think is possibly the best available DA converter made today, the Stagetec XDA+ within their modular Nexus Systems. They might well give the most value within the price range of Meitner, DAD and Prism (if you don't need DSD/DXD).
http://www.stagetec.de/stagetec/e_nexus ... og_xda.htm

Best regards
Bernhard

[Jonathon Stevens]

Although not as feature rich as the Mytek the Lavry Blue series is really nice.