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  #1  
Old 06-14-2016, 07:00 AM
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Default About D-02 DAC

Hi, i´m using a D-02 DAC.
My question to the experienced user´s is what would be the best way to connect to the MacbookPro.

I usually used the USB but can only lock in to PLL1.
PLL2 should be more precise, right?

The only way to get locked in PLL2 is with optical connection.
With my Wireworld Platinum on PLL2 there will be always a error message on Display.

The MAC system is running Snowleopard on SSD with the recommended Driversoftware from Esoteric, 8 Gig of RAM, PureMusic, Amarra...
helpful note would be great.

PS: why does it take so long to develop a Driver software for ElCapitan OS.? The Units from Esoteric as a HighEnd Trade mark should be lot faster with Upgrade and support. Especially in Germany the Brand act as almost not existing. No wonder they sell no units over here.

thanks
karl

Last edited by audiokarl; 06-14-2016 at 08:04 AM.
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Old 07-27-2016, 04:59 PM
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I´m surprised that nobody had information about the d-02 DAC for me.
I thought the D-02 was a well selling machine, especially in US, but maybe not!
Anyway, i read at 6moons that PLL2 is the best Clock option. They tested a D-03/P-03 combo.

The Pll2 option works flawlessly with a Spdif connection but still not on USB with my Starlight cable.
I always thought the optical connection does not benefit from the clock pulse comparing to USB.

Experienced thoughts about that from Esoteric DAC users would be overgrateful.

Karl
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  #3  
Old 07-27-2016, 05:59 PM
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Karl... The D-02 is not a popular model here in the USA.
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  #4  
Old 07-27-2016, 08:37 PM
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What about new D-02X?
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  #5  
Old 07-27-2016, 08:58 PM
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Hi Karl, El Capitan has been a real pain for anyone with a DAC requiring a Mac driver (as you know). Sort of a side note, but I'm wondering if the new PS Audio LANrover is a potential back-door solution to this El Capitan driver issue, since it's the LANrover plugging into the Mac rather than the DAC itself. Probably wishful thinking, but keeping me eye on results as people start to receive and test their first LANrovers. All the best with your D-02, I bet it's incredible.
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  #6  
Old 07-27-2016, 11:34 PM
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Since the USB connection is asynchronous (the D-02 is the clock master) there's no need for the PLL to recover the clock from the datastream.

Make sure you have HS_2 option selected on the front panel.

The Esoteric D-02 Dual Mono D/A Converter | AudioStream
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  #7  
Old 07-28-2016, 08:21 AM
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Thanks for the advice Anatta, but with Pll2 and HS_2 option there is a Error displayed so the mac/snowleopard has always this lock failure.
With HS_1 it stay for about 20 minutes, than break for some second and stay locked for another 20 minutes.
With Toslink, PLL2 works flawless!

To my ears Pll2 and Toslink sound better than HS_2 with Pll1.

Yes, Nacho, the D-02X would be the solution to all problems i have with the DAC.
I bought the DAC 2 years ago and in Germany we have to spend 27.000 dollars for it.
So its a bitter Pill selling the D-02 and loose so much money in short time.

Next i try to get a Mavericks OS on my MacBookPro, which has the Snowleopard system running.
Using a USB/coax Converter like a U2 is another try, but with the older one i have here right now, i hear some quality loss in sound.

As i remember (but im not sure) i had no problem with the Retina MacBookPro with Mavericks. At that time i used the Esoteric just for the STAX unit.
Updating the Retina MBP to the newest OS was a mistake i really regret!
Karl

@rns
Thankfully i still have one MBP SSD and 2 older 17" Powerbooks on snowleopard. Thanks, if i decide to go for music streaming in future, the PS Audio LANrover is a nice option. Good to know!

Last edited by audiokarl; 07-28-2016 at 07:08 PM.
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  #8  
Old 07-28-2016, 09:10 AM
Anatta Anatta is offline
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You don't have to use the PLL with the USB connection. The purpose of a PLL is to recover the clock from an SPDIF stream; but since with an asynchronous USB connection the D-02 is the clock master it doesn't need to recover anything, so there's no use for PLL1 or PLL2 with a USB connection. That's why you get the error.

From the manual, p13:

"PLL2
Word sync is not used, and master clock is generated by the PLL circuit following the input digital signal."

Word sync is a much better option for low jitter, with the D-02 acting as the clock master, than the use of any PLL for clock generation.

From the manual, p13:

"W_OUT
When this unit's WORD OUT connector and the word input connector of the digital audio source device are connected, the source device is synchronized to this unit's clock, and it will operate with this unit's high-precision crystal oscillator as the master clock."

Think of the USB connection as a regular SPDIF one in which the D-02 sends an Word Clock signal (from the Word Clock BNC output) to the P-02 transport. This way the D-02 is the clock master to which the P-02 is slaved, so it doesn't have to use the PLL to recover the clock from the SPDIF stream. The same thing happens with an asynchronous USB connection.

From the manual, p14:

"HS_2
Connects at USB high-speed asynchronous mode. The sampling frequencies that can be input are 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz. In asynchronous mode, audio data transmitted from a computer is played back following this unit's clock."

http://www.grimmaudio.com/site/asset...ock_basics.pdf
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  #9  
Old 07-28-2016, 09:42 AM
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Very interesting, thank you for your advice.
Alway great to learn from expert´s.
So i can stay on snowleopard with the MBP audioserver, nice!

UPDATE:
Now, after more than 2 hours of late night listening i´m quite satisfied.
Not a big difference in sound at first impression but maybe a little more relaxed or balanced separation of instruments.
Very important that HS_2 setting without reclocking works flawless too.

kind regards
Karl

Last edited by audiokarl; 07-28-2016 at 06:03 PM.
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  #10  
Old 08-06-2016, 12:33 PM
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Update2:

To bad, now that i tried some 192khz files, witch i don´t have too many, there is a Word clock error again!!!

So W_out as setting cant be right for using the D-02 as it should be!
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