Does this dac exist?


A dac with the following features:

1. I2S input.
2. Controllable with non-proprietary software.

I'm having a hard time finding one.

For example, the PS Audio PerfectWave dac has an I2S input (the Bridge), but cannot be controlled with second-party software like Amarra or Pure Music. And the various dacs I have seen that can be controlled with non-proprietary software do not have I2S inputs.

Does a dac with both features exist?

Bryon
bryoncunningham
"1. Can the EA Overdrive dac be controlled with Amarra or Pure Music when using the async USB input?"

Yes.

"2. Does the Overdrive require drivers with a Mac, or is it like the Pace Car in that you plug it in and it automatically shows up in Preferences>Sound>Output?"

It requires a driver be loaded. All of my Async USB interfaces need this.

"3. Is the Overdrive compatible with Mac's "aggregate device" function, so that the outputs of a software-based crossover can be sent to two different dacs simultaneously?"

I have heard of others using this with Off-Ramp 4 etc.., but I have not been successful when I tried it. I'm not that experienced with Mac.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Sorry for going of topic. But how come I2S is still not the digital standard for a CD transport and DAC interface. As far as I understand it istechnically far superior to sp/dif, thoslink, AES/ebu, AT&T optical etc.
I2S is not an external standard primarily because most manufacturers that have added it (about 10) implement it differently, and usually poorly. The designers simply dont understand transmission-line effects and termination techniques. S/PDIF standard was created by a standards committee, mostly staffed by Sony and Philips.

It's a lot like Word-Clocks on transports and DAC's. Very few of them are implemented well and it can be hit and miss whether they work well or at all. You dont know what signal levels are expected and the termination is questionable or not there at all. There was never any committee to my knowledge to standardize word-clocks.

The reason for the variability in I2S, besides the fact that no manufacturer seems to want to be a follower, is that most of the signals in I2S are high-frequency with fast edge-rates. Almost 20 times higher frequency than S/PDIF in some cases. Guys that have been primarily designing analog and maybe copying a little digital are lacking in experience to deal with this. This is the reason that some designers denigrate I2S on the forums. They dont want anyone to know that they are not competent enough to pull it off, so they call it a bad thing.

For someone with a digital background and experience with high-speed signalling, this is like falling off a log.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio