M2TECH Vaughan User Manual

M2TECH

VAUGHAN

384KHZ/32BIT DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

USER MANUAL

------- PRELIMINARY -------

REV. PrA – 5/2012

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

Warning!

Changes or modifications not authorized by the manufacturer can invalidate the compliance to CE regulations and cause the unit to be no more suitable to use. The manufacturer refuses every responsibility regarding damages to people or things due to the use of a unit which has been subject to unauthorized modifications or to misuse or to malfunction of a unit which has been subject to unauthorized modifications.

This unit is compliant with the following CE regulations when an USB cable less than 3m is used: CEI EN 55022:2009 Class B (Radiated Emissions), CEI EN 55024:1999, CEI EN 55024:A2/2003, CEI EN 55024:IS1/2008 (Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 50Hz Magnetic Field Immunity Test and Electrostatic Discharges – ESD).

For a proper operation of this unit, all connections to other equipment in the system must be done when all equipment are off. Failing to comply to this advice may lead to damage to the unit.

Recycling

The label above, printed on the product case, indicates that the product, when no more usable, can’t be treated as generic garbage, but must be disposed of at a collection point for recycling of electrical and electronic equipment, in compliance with the WEEE regulation (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment). By making sure that this unit is correctly recycled, you will help preventing potential damages to environment and human health, which could be caused by a wrong treatment of this product as generic garbage. Materials recycling helps saving natural resources. For more in-depth information about recycling this product, please contact M2Tech Srl.

WARNING: the information contained in this manual are considered to be reliable and accurate. M2Tech reserves the right to change or modify the information any time, without prior advice. It’s up to the customer to ensure that the manual being consulted is the latest version.

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

Dear customer,

thank you for purchasing VAUGHAN. What you have is a first-rate digital-to-analog converter with many unique features conceived to obtain the best audio performance out of a music file.

Even if getting music out of a PC or a Mac is nowadays quite simple, much harder is to obtain the best sonic performance from it, due to intrinsic limits in USB 1.1 audio standard and the implementation of digital audio interfaces in computers. Please visit M2Tech website (www.m2tech.biz) to find extensive literature about this topic.

VAUGHAN overcomes all the limits of usual USB digital-to-analog converters by implementing the latest generation hiFace technology, which uses proprietary drivers and

asynchronous data transfer, along with a sophisticated electronic design.

VAUGHAN features a comprehensive set of input connections which suit virtually all digital sources around.

We feel that your expectations will be fulfilled by VAUGHAN: you’ll hear your CD’s, DVD’s and music files in a way like never before, prepare for a whole new experience!

Nadia Marino, CEO

Please annotate here your VAUGHAN serial number for future reference:

S/N: ____________________________________

Date of purchase: _________________________

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

INDEX

1. Unpacking and placing the unit........................................................................................5

2. Front Panel ......................................................................................................................6

3. Back Panel.......................................................................................................................7

4. Remote Control................................................................................................................9

5. Connecting and powering the unit .................................................................................10

5.1. Standby and power off ............................................................................................10

6. Driver installation ...........................................................................................................12

6.1. Obtaining the driver .................................................................................................12

6.2. Installing the driver on a Windows-based PC..........................................................12

6.2.1. Automatic (guided) installation.........................................................................12

6.2.2. Manual installation ............................................................................................14

6.3. Installing the driver on a Mac ..................................................................................15

6.4. Unistalling the driver................................................................................................17

6.4.1. Uninstalling the driver on a Windows-based PC after installation with

setup32.exe or setup64.exe .......................................................................................17

6.4.2. Manually uninstalling the driver on a Windows-based PC ................................17

6.4.3. Uninstalling the driver on a Mac........................................................................18

7. Configuring the computer to use the VAUGHAN ..............................................................19

7.1. Configuring a PC with Windows XP ........................................................................19

7.1.1. Configuring for Direct Sound with Windows XP ................................................19

7.1.2. Configuring for Kernel Streaming with Windows XP .........................................20

7.1.3. Using VAUGHAN in both Kernel Streaming and Direct Sound mode. .................20

7.2. Configuring a PC with Windows Vista or Windows 7...............................................21

7.2.1. Configuring for Direct Sound with Windows Vista or Windows 7 ......................21

7.2.2. Configuring for Kernel Streaming with Windows Vista or Windows 7 ...............22

7.2.3. Configuring for WASAPI with Windows Vista or Windows 7 .............................22

7.3. Configuring a Mac ...................................................................................................22

8. Configuring the player for Kernel Streaming: some examples .......................................23

8.1. FooBar ....................................................................................................................23

8.2. Winamp and MediaMonkey.....................................................................................23

9. Configuring the player for WASAPI: an example ...........................................................25

9.1. FooBar ....................................................................................................................25

10. Cleaning the unit..........................................................................................................26

11. Tips on using the USB input ........................................................................................26

12. Tips on using the I2S input ...........................................................................................26

13. External clock input......................................................................................................26

14. Stereo and dual mono modes......................................................................................27

15. Power supply, battery and battery charger ..................................................................27

16. Configuration ...............................................................................................................29

16.1. Navigating the menu by the front panel controls ...................................................29

16.2. Navigating the menu by the remote control...........................................................29

16.3. Configuration options and values ..........................................................................29

17. Tecnhical Specifications ..............................................................................................32

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

1. Unpacking and placing the unit

Place the carton box on a table and open it by removing or cutting the adhesive tape. Extract the foam upper cover. You should find the following items:

• one VAUGHAN DAC;

• one mains cord;

• one A-B USB cable;

• one remote control;

• this manual;

• one pair of gloves.

Should one or more items be missing, please contact your dealer or local distributor.

Extract the VAUGHAN from the foam container and place it on a stable base, far from heat sources. Avoid the direct sunlight on the unit. Allow for enough room around the unit for venting. The VAUGHAN is a high efficiency design so little heat is produced during normal operation; anyway, it’s better allow for adequate venting. Avoid smoke, humidity, moisture and water from reaching the unit. Do not place the unit on thick carpets or inside a box or piece of furniture, or in close contact with curtains.

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

2. Front Panel

select

ESCAPE

STANDBY

OFF

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

PHONES

1 2 3 4 5 6

Figure 1

1) Menu/select button. It is used to access the menu and to select a menu option.

2) Escape/standby/off button. It is used to abort a choice in the menu, to put the unit in

standby and to switch the unit off.

3) Left display. Displays the selected input or the menu item.

4) Right display. Displays sampling frequency or the value for the menu item.

5) Encoder. It is used to set the volume or to scan through menu items values.

6) Headphones output. Connect a headphone jack to this output. 6.35mm (1/4”) stereo

socket.

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

3. Back Panel

M2TECH

VAUGHAN

384 H /32bit D AC

K Z

HOT (+)

GND

COLD (-)

OUTPUTS

RIGHT LEFT

AES/EBU

PUSH

B/R

PUSH

A/L

S/PDIF

INPUTS

TOSLINK

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

WARNING!

ELECTRIC SHOCK H AZARD! DO NOT OPEN!

NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE

EXT.

CLOCK

I S

MADE IN ITALY

USB 2.0

REFER ALL SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

RATING: 100-240V AC - 50/60HZ

POWER CONSUMP TION: 75VA

FUSE: 2.5A Slow BLOW

S/N:

7 8 78 9 10 11 12 13 14 1516 17 18 19

Figure 2

7) Balanced analog outputs. Connect to a left-right pair of balanced inputs of the amplifier or preamplifier. XLR male connectors.

8) Single-ended analog outputs. Connect to a left-right pair of single-ended inputs of the amplifier or preamplifier. RCA female connector.

9) AES/EBU digital inputs. Accepts AES/EBU datastreams in either professional or consumer format. Can be configured as two stereo inputs or one dual-mono input. XLR female connector.

10) S/PDIF BNC digital inputs. Accept S/PDIF datastreams. Can be configured as two stereo inputs or one dual-mono input. True 75 Ohms BNC female connectors

11) S/PDIF RCA digital inputs. Accept S/PDIF datastreams. Can be configured as two stereo inputs or one dual-mono input. RCA female connectors

12) ToslinkTM optical digital input. Optical input for ToslinkTM cables. Can be configured as two stereo inputs or one dual-mono input. ToslinkTM connector.

13) STTM optical digital input. Optical input for STTM cables. Can be configured as two stereo inputs or one dual-mono input. STTM connector.

14) I2S input. Accepts I2S audio signals. RJ45 8-pole female connector with M2Tech proprietary pinout (see Section 12 on Page 26).

15) External clock input. Accepts both master clocks and word clocks with automatic detection (see Section 13 on Page 26). True 75 Ohm BNC female connector.

16) USB 2.0 input. Connect to a PC or MacIntosh with an USB 2.0 compliant A-B cable. USB 2.0 B female connector.

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

17) IEC mains input. Connect the power cord provided with the unit or any other power cord provided with IEC 3-prong female connector.

18) Fuse holder. Contains two 2A thermal 5x20mm fuses. One is in service while the other is for spare.

19) Power Switch. It’s a temporary (monostable) rocker switch. It automatically reverts to the off position after the user release it. Operate it for a few seconds to switch the unit on. (see Section 5 on Page 10).

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

4. Remote Control

Figure 3

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

Stby/On. Activates the unit when it’s in

standby and puts it in standby when it’s on.

Dim. .Allows for choosing 6 different intensity levels for the display, plus an “auto” mode in which the display is always off, except for a few seconds after a command is sent to the unit.

Bat Lvl. Displays the battery status on the display.

In+ and In-. Allow for sequentially choose the input.

Mute. Toggles mute on and off. Mute is 20dB attenuation over the set volume level.

Phase. Toggles output signal phase between 0° and 180°. Useful to restore absolute phase of certain recordings made with inverted phase

Vol+ and Vol-. Allow for setting the volume, except when the volume control is disabled.

Arrows and Enter. Allow for navigating the menu.

Esc. Exits the menu without changing the displayed option.

Back. Recalls the active value of the displayed option.

Note: the remote control is powered by two AAA type batteries. To replace them, unscrew the screw that holds the bottom cover and open it by sliding it to the back. Please pay attention: when the bottom cover is extracted, the front grill may fall down.

VAUGHAN 384kHz/32bit digital-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

REVISION 1PrA – MAY 2012

M2Tech

www.m2tech.biz

5. Connecting and powering the unit

ADVICE: all connections to other equipment in the system must be done when all equipment are off. Failing to comply to this advice may expose the VAUGHAN to the risk of damages.

Please refer to section 3, “Back Panel Description”.

Connect the “B” plug of a 2.0 USB A-B cable to the USB connector (Figure 2, 16) of the VAUGHAN.

Connect the “A” plug of the cable to a 2.0 USB port of your computer.

Connect two interconnects to the balanced or single-ended analog outputs of the VAUGHAN (Figure 2, 7/8) and to the input of your amplifier/preamplifier.

Connect digital cables from your digital sources (CD player, DAT tape recorder, DAB/DVB/sat tuner) to the VAUGHAN’s digital inputs (Figure 2, 9-14).

If needed, connect a clock generator to the external clock input (Figure 2, 15).

Connect the power cord to the supply connector (Figure 2, 17) of the VAUGHAN. Then, connect the mains plug of the power cord to the wall outlet.

Now, operate the mains switch (Figure 2, 19) for a couple of seconds to activate the unit.

After releasing it, it will revert to the off position: this is a normal and desired behaviour. In fact, after the initial operation by the user, necessary to activate the unit, The VAUGHAN will take control of the mains supply.

If the selected input is “USB” and a driver hasn’t been installed on your computer, an automatic driver installation wizard may appear.

Note: If you want to avoid the automatic driver installation, please connect the VAUGHAN to the computer after manually installing the driver (see Section 6.2.2).

5.1. Standby and power off

Once the VAUGHAN is active, it’s possible to put it in standby pressing the “Escape/Standby/off” button on the front panel for two seconds or the “Stby” button on the remote control. The unit enters a low consumption mode and eventually starts a battery charge. The unit can be reactivated by pressing the “Escape/Standby/off” button again. While entering the standby, the unit stores its working configuration in its non-volatile memory.

When a long idle period if planned, to avoid wasting battery charge cycles it’s wise to completely switch the unit off. This is allowed by pressing the “Escape/Standby/off” for at

+ 23 hidden pages

M2TECH Vaughan User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual