Thread: audio over USB v. optical

we're not using a rack mount in the car period. so I'm not sure where the discussion came from...lol

considering what it would require to use the area in the back of the seats and considering that at the point that we would need that much more space...we would be pulling the entire back seat anyways and the car will become a trailer queen.

There seems to be an USA patent on multiple audio DACs with PC compatibility.

Multiple audio DACs with PC compatibility
United States Patent 7151970
(http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...&RS=PN/7151970)
The URL is long!

I read it and in places it seems vague (like most patents). It is not clear if it has to do with multiple audio outputs from different audio inputs or all the DACs come to a set of audio outs. I wonder if this patent is influencing the market? The guy works/worked for Gateway computers.


Road_Dog

good info

I've been doing some research on this, & to me, I still see 2 different solutions to making this work... one would be all in the software relm, & allow multiple dac's to work togeather in harmony & to be configurable & inteface with something like console.... usb dac's are available, but not multiples togeather... I think a software solution could be an answer, but don't know the first thing about trying to impliment that... 4 usb dac's should give exactly what's needed if the software end is worked out... this could be a goal as a solution to this I think...

the second option I see is to start with an existing piece... I mean there are high end usb sound cards like the motu's, why wouldn't these be good for this? replaceable op amp's? maybe, but until one is opened it's hard to know,.... output voltage could probably be manipulated & modified, but I'm not 100% sure how to do that either, I'm sure an electrical engineer should make easy work of that... I know someone who might be able to look at something & give answers there, but without having something to look at it's hard to say....

my question red is, are you looking for a solution & willing to work with existing stuff & modifying it? or are you more after totally developing a new stand alone solution that you can say is yours & to market it? what is the end goal here?

I'm ok with current solutions, but here's my thoughts on them:

1) Multiple DACs...finding somewhere to put all of them, wiring them all up, etc it just messy and not very professional and it's definately not a cool thing if you try and convince people it's something they should buy at a later date.

2) The MOTU stuff...doesn't have RCA jacks. Not much out there does. There's just no point in going with an already made solution just because it's already made when it doesn't meet 9 out of 10 of our requirements.

I'm not willing to put forth all of this time into a project like this and have it only be used by 10 users at most. The thing is, as computers in cars become the reality, and not just a hobbiest thing, there will be a demand for a high end audio solution.

Rather than just piece meal together a system, a solution needs to be offered.

EMU 1820

1 PCI, 8 balanced 1/4 outputs, all in a small good looking box. I've taken these things apart too, we have the 1820M, which is 2 pci, but the 1820M would not be a problem to change to RCA's. Now, upping the output voltage and chaning the opamps may be an issue, but this is smaller then what you would get with most 4 dac configs anyway. It is an interface similar to an RJ-45 not usb though.

Why does the output format matter. RCA = 1/4 inch = XLR, they are all outputs and all can be converted to whatever you need them to be, if not by actually modifying the unit, then by an adapter.

This comes with the software to do exacty what you want it to do with their patchmix program as well. But it's a resource hog.

Originally Posted by comet28024

EMU 1820

1 PCI, 8 balanced 1/4 outputs, all in a small good looking box. I've taken these things apart too, we have the 1820M, which is 2 pci, but the 1820M would not be a problem to change to RCA's. Now, upping the output voltage and chaning the opamps may be an issue, but this is smaller then what you would get with most 4 dac configs anyway. It is an interface similar to an RJ-45 not usb though.

PCI isn't an option here. I have had to make MAKOR modifications to my system just to allow for a PCI card. As stated above, the idea for this is to be a solution for people that aren't interested in hacking together a computer necessarially.

Why does the output format matter. RCA = 1/4 inch = XLR, they are all outputs and all can be converted to whatever you need them to be, if not by actually modifying the unit, then by an adapter.

Because, like has been stated earlier, the goal for this project is to be an all in one, ready solution.

Aighty then guys, it seems that no matter how many times I lay it out, no matter how many times I try to explain it, it's just lost somehow.

I know what I want, I know whay I want it and I know how I want it.

I'll leave the rest of you up to this thread and I'm going to go off on my own and find a solution since the purpose seems to be so easily over looked and lost.

Enjoy!

don't think it's overlooked and lost, I think that, although there are some of us that want to achieve the same goals as you, we can't contribute that much, somehow.... At least, I can't 'cause I know too little about it all.