Thanks! I am on holiday now, and will take a look at the program later. |
First the good news. I brought the Tascam and harddisk along on holiday - as source in the Ming Da amp and Aurum Cantus speakers system at our cottage. It sounds great. Better than the Korg Mr1. Not surprising perhaps, but i am glad i can get such a large percent of the sound in the main system - in a very modest system like i have here. It is more open and layered than with the Mr1. Less sterile and cold than Sacd from my other source Oppo 981. Also, changing the driver tubes in the Ming Da to NOS Rca 12bh7 and 12ax7 has helped.
Dsd pcm debate - agree with both sides. Dac means a lot. But to my ears Dsd is better. Not heard top class pcm dacs though.
Happy listening! |
I have moved some steps further. I found a utility, fat32format.exe, that did the job – the usb-connected Seagate disk was now recognized by the Tascam. To be sure, I also did a Quick format on the Tascam. I am glad to report that disk size remained 930 GB, I was afraid the Tascam would take it down to 32. And the disk was still recognized when I plugged it back into my PC. Good news!
However, I could not quite make it work, in wireless mode – the disk insisted on coming up as a media unit, treated by the Windows media player, which does not recognize .dsf files or the like (as if DSD never happened).
Nevertheless, I now have a portable library of analog-sounding music, 250 albums or so with a 1 TB disk, that can be brought along with the Tascam or any other DSD-capable player that accepts an external USB-connected drive. Great. I don’t have to bring a little box of SD-cards, but can have it all in one place. Also, the disk works fine in USB 3 mode, files transfer at 105 mb/s - very good. Perhaps it is the battery inside - I don't need an external mains adaptor (which I hate, anywhere near my analog system), the disk works just fine connected just from the Tascam USB port.
However, I met a brick wall regarding recording to the hard disk. Whatever I tried, a message came up: “Format limit – cannot record”. As in George Harrison: It don’t come easy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p5yzdCa2GE |
Hi Mark
>It sounds like you do in fact have it working as a USB DAC directly from your hard drive?
Yes. You can use it for playback from a large external drive formatted by Fat32format.exe. Although I have not (yet) managed to record to the drive, I can record to a SD (or CF) card, and then transfer to a PC.
>How do you catalog 250 albums with the User Interface on the Tascam alone?
I don’t. I just take note of what LP sides go to which dsf file. Then, when the SD card is full, I put it in my PC and transfer the files wherever I want them. I do all the folder naming and file tasks on the PC since the Tascam like all similar devices I have used is inferior in this regard.
I can use the Tascam is several modes:
1 Recording vinyl (or live music), just described.
2 As a standard DAC for playback of digital sources. I set Monitor on, and select between AES/EBU from my CD player and Spdif from my Logitech Touch.
3 As a semi-portable vinyl playback unit – bringing the drive along, I can playback ca 250 albums in 2x DSD format. Or live recordings, etc. This includes playback of LPs I borrowed and recorded.
So for me, the DA-3000 is a very good value, even if the DAC in the UD-501 is probably a bit better (and the Astell & Kern 240 more portable).
I have never used J-River. Since it seems to recognize .dsf files, it should work? I saw this debate:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/jriver-media-center-and-direct-stream-digital-12469/
Best of luck. Fully agree regarding digital coming of age. Should have happened long ago. |
A little update, regarding the DA-3000. All in all, in my situation, it does very well. The DAC is fairly good, not much worse than my former Stello, and in some respects better (so I sold the Stello). Mind you, I am not that much into digital anyway, since in my system, it is outperformed by the vinyl / analog source. So "fair enough" mid level DAC performance is good enough for me, and the DA-3000 used as DAC delivers that.
Also, it delivers recordings from analog - and it is this capacity that matters most for me. Especially now, when my Aesthetix Io Eclipse phono stage is in for repair. I can't play LPs but I can play the Tascam recordings of some of some of these LPs.
All in all, the recordings sound good, much better than web downloads, with the exception of some very good hi-res web downloads. Most of the problems I hear, reside in the source, not in the DA-3000. Although it is not quite the "direct" analog. There is a little extra digital "sheen", even with 2 x DSD speed recordings, especially in high dynamic parts of the music, but mainly, the recordings are much better than lower format digital recordings.
So the DA-3000 is maybe not quite a replacement for my old work horse, the Revox A-77, the analog tape recorder, but it is getting close... |
Hi - an update from my side.
No, I cannot record directly to my external hard disc. But it mostly plays OK, used as a file library.
I have about 600GB of DSD files on my 2TB Seagate wireless plus external hard drive, cable-connected to the Tascam USB port. I am not sure, how much the disk can take, before the Tascam gets into trouble (too many files, out of filename space, or whatever) - but so far so good. I have had some problems though. Once, doing a huge 100 or so gigabyte copy from my pc to the Seagate, something went wrong, and Tascam would no longer recognize the disc, I had to reformat it.
But it mainly works fine and the only problem with this solution - as long as the disc and recorder cooperate - is a long starting time. The Tascam tape recorder icon starts to spin and keeps on spinning for 2-3 minutes for the Seagate disk.
On the other hand, the Tascam is then transformed into a formidable media player with a 300 album library at hand, so for me, this has been a great solution.
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There has been no comments from me, due to no recording on the Tascam. My main source, the Aesthetix Io has been repair for a long time. Now, it is back.
Rushton: using the Tascam to its best capability double DSD is the best way, I believe. And, I prefer recording to the Tascam through a good preamp (I use Einstein The Tube) rather than direct from the Io. An ideal might be the Io through the Callisto or an Atma-Sphere MP1 but the Einstein does a good enough job for me, now. I tried some recording from the line out SE taps on the Einstein, but the balanced out (with volume) sounds better, Volker at Einstein writes - "by far".
This makes the recording more of hassle - I have to change the balanced out cables, unplug from my amps, plug into the Tascam, to record. Such is life.
Better digital streaming (Tidal Master, etc) has narrowed the gap to my vinyl drops, but vinyl still has an edge.
Jwm - why 24/176 - not 24/192? Not impressed with DSD - maybe you have the wrong DAC, it is not optimal with the Tascam? Judging from the Tascam alone, I have experienced that double DSD is what it does best..
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I am using the Tascam as my main DAC. I either record from vinyl, play vinyl recordings, or play digital music. My source for digital is the Squeezebox Touch. This can play 192/24 bit files, now, with the EDO plugin (Enhanced digital output and Kernel updates). The Tascam performs all tasks, but switching between recording mode and digital input DAC mode is a bit of work. Recording mode - DSD 5.6. Digital playback mode 192/24 PCM. Recording levels need adjustment too. I sometimes get a warning message "Digital input is illegal" in playback mode, yet it plays and records ok.
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I was a bit surprised that a preamp maker told me to use balanced out (volume controlled) rather than line out, for recording. In the old days it was always "use line out". I recorded many vinyl drops on my trusty old Revox A77, and the line out was the way to go. Are there others, recording from vinyl, who have experiences in this regard?
The purist philosophy has been formulated as 'straight wire with gain'. My experiences point to the fact that the right combination of gain stages is a key for this 'with gain' part to work.. For example, having a Riaa with volume controls, I can tune it optimally as a source for my preamp. My preamp volume takes over, from there. Much like getting the right juices flowing, or mixing a sauce right. One might think, introducing one more gain stage is bad, but sometimes, it is not. However, it is very dependent on the quality of the gain stage. A lower quality gain stage will compromise the whole amplification chain. A nice thing about the "mixed" approach where amp stages can be volume controlled, is that you can tune them to the level where they sound best. - Just my five cents, from testing various Riaa stages and preamps, in my system.
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While I am at it - one last thing. Don’t record too polite and low, on the Tascam. I went down too low on my early DSD recordings, and have to turn the volume way up - 15-20 percent to sound standard loud, on playback devices like the Fiio X3ii. It sounds pure but too weak. It is probably OK to record DSD files a bit lower than the over-compressed "modern" sound standard, give them more room to breathe, but I overdid it. I am testing, what is the right level.
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Ozzy - nice to hear. So what do you use as Dac?
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Reporting from using the Tascam unmodified.Comparing my vinyl rips with Tidal. The rips are better. Comparing to sacd on an oppo player results are more equal but even here the vinyl recordings are best.
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I had 250 gb of files on my Seagate wireless plus disk, recognized by Tascam OK. I transferred 50 gb more, from my pc to the disk. I reinserted the disk in the USB contact on the Tascam. Result? The disk was no longer recognized. It came up with Root and Playlist, or just garbled letters "L – L", when I pressed Browse. If I select it the Tascam hangs and must be restarted. I upgraded the firmware from 2.00 to 2.02 but it did not help. I tried a Quick format on the Tascam, but again, no help. I had to do a Full format, which went fairly quickly (20 minutes) this time. Is the Seagate compatible with the Tascam, used as a music library, for playback? This is the second time the disk has failed, after transferring files from the pc to the disk. It could be semi compatible, and still work OK, if I had known more precisely why things go wrong. After the full format, I copied ten LP recordings, 38 gb, to the disk (ca 6 minutes, from my pc). The Tascam read the disk (5 minutes) and played the recordings OK. My best guess is: the Tascam stops recognizing the disk (requiring a full format) , if 1) some size limit, maybe 250gb, is reached, and / or 2) too many files are copied in one batch. I don’t think there is any physical disk problem, it seems to be a FAT limit, or how this is implemented in the Tascam. Too much – too many files, whatever - and the whole disk must be reformatted. I give it a new go, copying 20gb of files. Does Tascam recognize it? Yes, so far, no problem. Another 30gb is copied. Is OK? Yes. Windows recognizes that the disk is 1.8TB, Tascam thinks it is ca half that size – 860 gb. So it is obvious that some limit is reached, already in the disk info. For now, with 90 gb of files, it plays OK. That is, ca 20 LPs, in double dsd format. Not too bad. But not very convenient, either. Copying 20gb of files and then make the Tascam reread the disk takes me 15 minutes. This makes me wonder if, even if Tascam can “also” do playback, I should use it only for recording, and then get some trouble-free device able to playback dsd files from my pc hard drive (over ethernet). I use a Squeezebox Touch in that role today – with upgrade so it can do 24 / 96 pcm, and the DSDPlayer plugin. However this outputs dsd downconverted to pcm. The Tascam must use SPDIF input and the recording format must be pcm (not dsd) for it to work. And the sound is notably poorer, more congested and dull, than true dsd from a disk or card connected to the Tascam. |
Suggestions welcome - a good dsd capable dac able to read my dsd files on my home network, ethernet input.
The Tascam is very attractive as an allrounder but it is really a recorder with addons for playback that are limited, and every change of role of the Tascam is a hassle, with a limited user interface and maybe some cable change at the back. The DAC in the Tascam is good, no worse than my former April DAC, although not high end. I don't do high end digital. That is limited to analog. What I need is a fairly good dac, no worse than the Tascam dac component, able to do dsd over ethernet.
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Direct A/B testing confirms this. The same recording of Joni Mitchell's Hissing..., either A from the Seagate disk connected direct to the Tascam through USB, or B from Squeezebox Touch, playing the file on the ethernet connected pc (music server), into the Tascam digital input (coax), adjusting for volume difference (usb louder). Result: the direct usb connection smashes the ethernet / touch connection. Much better sound.
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tgraber2 - rack mounted yes, well, even better, everything on its own dampened shelf, audiophile style. Trying to get the best environment for the recorder.
PCM better than DSD on the Tascam? Not so in my system. DSD is the reason I bought this recorder. In my system, recording from a top level vinyl rig, the format difference is very clear.
No one is up there with direct analog. Thats the way it is. All digital formats are poorer. More or less. Double DSD is closest to analog. Then single dsd. Then the best pcm 192/24, then the next best, and so on, down to mp3.
Prove me wrong - this is what I hear.
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tgraber2 - i dont want to sound like a "format fetishist" proclaiming the value of the recorder at its top capability - good sound depends on a lot more than the format, like your write.
I have been wondering, should I use the DA3000 only as a recorder, and get another / better DAC. Not as simple as it seems, however. The DA3000 plays DSD raw / native, while external DACs are less reliable, may introduce noise, not to speak of down conversion (DoP) etc. Although the use of the DA3000 in dual roles - switching between playback DAC and recorder - is inconvenient - and the playback user interface is restricted, no remote control, etc.
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My mistake - the DA3000 does have a remote, it is just not very convenient when using the recorder as a player, selecting from a music library. You have to select files from the front panel.
Get a better DAC? If I want to pass the signal "unharmed" from the hard disk through the recorder, to a DAC, I will need to use SDIF3 connectors to the DAC, as far as I can see from the DA3000 manual. The other digital outputs are more dubious - these are made for DSD transmission. Has anyone tried it, and what was the result, compared to using the internal DAC?
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Regarding upgrading the DA3000, especially the input / recording part, Chris as Busman Audio writes: "The mods bring the recorder into another realm of quality with a much more smooth response that is clean and clear but not harsh at all. I felt the original sound was very harsh on these so I worked through capacitors and ICs to find the sound that I was looking for.I have had some very happy feedback from customers that have had this done."
He will do this for a reasonable price.
"The mods replace every op amp in the signal path up to the A>D. I also upgrade the capacitors in the signal path as well. It is done for both the RCA and XLR inputs. " Has anyone tried it?
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I am doing a new work batch recording from vinyl. Using the DA3000 without any mods.
Some notes:
- the advice i’ve read is "dont push it", keep to defaults. That way, poor op-amps and similar will have the lowest detrimental effect. So I use the default values, reference level -16, input volume adjustment 0. This is a bit low, for my vinyl rip source (phono and preamp), but I turn the volumes in my source chain up. Rather than pushing up the incoming signal sensitivity on the recorder. This gives the best sound.
- recording from vinyl is a lot of work and one wonders, why bother. Testing is needed to get the best sound. The recorder sounds best with its best recording format, double DSD - no doubt about it.
- these files are very big - typically 1.7 to 2 gb per LP side. Transfers of the files takes a long time. Everything - file handling, listening, testing - gets slow and takes time.
- however, a curve appears that I recognize from former recording - it is repeated now also. At the beginning, there are many frowns, while later, there are more smiles. Meaning that, at the beginning, it is much work to adjust the recording "just so", so that it sounds optimal. But when this is done, the rest is mainly downhill, "smiles" all the way.
- The DA3000 may not be the ultimate solution - what is - but it does an excellent job, recording music from vinyl LPs, in my situation. This is based on a top tier analog source (turntable, cartridge, etc).
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