Beta Test: USB Output (Feature now publicly available)

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adias said:
A DAC uses what? 40W? A R/2R ladder design must be on 24/7. You may not hear the difference. Others do hear it.
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40W seriously. You must be joking. That would cost £87 a year to run 24/7. A Topping E30 consumes less than 2W.
 
I remember reading different in the specs.
The "Premium 32-bit/384kHz ES9038 Q2M SABRE DAC" would be able to do so.
But thats what follows:
"Up to 192 kHz/ 24-bit, varying sample rate, and bit depth based on the audio source without resampling via Line out, Headphone, USB, Coax, and Optical SPDIF"
 
Yeah, the only place I’ve seen WiiM confirm 32/384 is for analog output I.e. its DAC will process a 32/384 input file when it’s used to convert to analog, but on digital outputs where the DAC is bypassed, the limit is 24/192. I can’t confirm USB output being any higher than 24/192 as my Linn doesn’t accept a higher signal on its usb input.
 
I think it is a marketing trick. The DAC chip can support 32/384 so they put that in the specs but the WiiM is only designed for streams upto 24/192 so the reality is it is never going to be or possible to be used.
Brantome said:
Yeah, the only place I’ve seen WiiM confirm 32/384 is for analog output I.e. its DAC will process a 32/384 input file when it’s used to convert to analog, but on digital outputs where the DAC is bypassed, the limit is 24/192. I can’t confirm USB output being any higher than 24/192 as my Linn doesn’t accept a higher signal on its usb input.
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How do you actually "play" a 32/384 file through the WiiM? Where do you put the file?
 
d6jg said:
I think it is a marketing trick. The DAC chip can support 32/384 so they put that in the specs but the WiiM is only designed for streams upto 24/192 so the reality is it is never going to be or possible to be used.

How do you actually "play" a 32/384 file through the WiiM? Where do you put the file?
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Anywhere you’d normally get your tracks - from UPnP, LMS, file on your phone etc. I wouldn’t see a 32/384 flac being any different, apart from its resolution obviously , from a 24/192 flac file
 
I tried with 352.8 content when connected to ADI-2 over USB, but no success, it has been downsampled to 192 kHz.
 
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adias said:
There is an output choice persistence problem as you describe that happens when cables are disconnected. But turn it off? There’s no on/off switch. These devices should be plugged to power 24/7.
Click to expand...
I think perhaps you misunderstood! It surely can't be that I didn't explain it properly... :ROFLMAO:

My ultra is plugged in 24/7, and set to standby 'Never'.
My RME dac is plugged in 24/7, but goes to standby ("turns off") after 30 mins (or is it 1 hour?) of no input.
When the rme turns "off" the ultra no longer sees it as connected, and automatically switches to line out.
When I turn the rme back on I have to go into the wiim app to select usb out.
As far as I can tell, every other output (maybe not bluetooth) remains as the active choice no matter what, even after a reboot of the ultra, or any of my other wiims for that matter.
It's admittedly a minor annoyance, but I can't simply turn on the usb dac and just stream to it without having to reselect the ultra output, which I can't even do from the ultra itself at the moment.
 
Mr Ee said:
I think perhaps you misunderstood! It surely can't be that I didn't explain it properly... :ROFLMAO:

My ultra is plugged in 24/7, and set to standby 'Never'.
My RME dac is plugged in 24/7, but goes to standby ("turns off") after 30 mins (or is it 1 hour?) of no input.
When the rme turns "off" the ultra no longer see it as connected, and automatically switches to line out.
When I turn the rme back on I have to go into the wiim app to select usb out.
As far as I can tell, every other output (maybe not bluetooth) remains as the active choice no matter what, even after a reboot of the ultra, or any of my other wiims for that matter.
It's admittedly a minor annoyance, but I can't simply turn on the usb dac and just stream to it without having to reselect the ultra output, which I can't even do from the ultra itself at the moment.
Click to expand...
What you describe is also quite common in the case of Raspberry Pi's when used connected to a separately powered USB DAC and is the underlying kernel checking the existence of the hardware periodically and "disconnecting" when it can't see the DAC. The problem is that the Pi doesn't then see the DAC re-connect. The WiiM is also an SBC running Linux so I'm not surprised a similar problem is there but I do believe it is fixable in the WiiM or should be.
If you physically disconnect from the WiiMs USB port, then power on the DAC and then re-connect to the USB does it work?
This issue never seems to happen in the case of USB Bus powered DACs.
 
d6jg said:
If you physically disconnect from the WiiMs USB port, then power on the DAC and then re-connect to the USB does it work?
Click to expand...
No, but tbh I wouldn't expect it to.
The ultra is on line out, and without a setting in the app to auto detect usb being connected and switch output then it ought to stay on line out.
i.e. a bit like auto detection of an incoming signal can switch inputs, detection of a usb dac could switch outputs, if such an option were provided and enabled.
 
I just tested USB out from the Ultra compared to Coax out from the Pro feeding the same DAC (Pontus II). The USB output on the Ultra sounds more open and instruments have more definition. Some recordings it was a toss up but play something like Bill Evans-Sunday at the Village Vanguard or Do it Again by Steely Dan and it’s pretty obvious. I may be keeping the Ultra for the USB out alone.
 
Imsjry said:
Why are you guys shutting off your devices? Sonically it would be better to leave them on 24/7.
Click to expand...
Mine is due to arrive Monday. I will be connecting USB out to a Raspberry Pi running Linux. Sometimes Linux needs to be re-booted after updates (e.g., after kernel updates). It would be very nice to be able to avoid at fiddling with the WiiM every time I reboot my Raspberry Pi.
 
Terry Forsythe said:
Mine is due to arrive Monday. I will be connecting USB out to a Raspberry Pi running Linux. Sometimes Linux needs to be re-booted after updates (e.g., after kernel updates). It would be very nice to be able to avoid at fiddling with the WiiM every time I reboot my Raspberry Pi.
Click to expand...
USB Out would normally connect to a DAC. What is the use case for connecting it to a Raspberry Pi?
 
To provide support for services that aren’t supported on the Pi and related kit, such as Amazon Music?
 
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