7/6/2023 0 Comments Hdmi 2.1 audio splitterAudiopraise produced a unique device that delivers on it's promise. I realize this is the wrong forum to give any kind of subjective opinions but for those who walk the line like myself between the subjective and objective, I hope my opinion helps. This is my subjective opinions for what they are worth. My guess is that Jriver read the Casablanca as a 48hz device and sent audio at that rate to the VanityPro. I don't know what role my older processor had. Typically, I don't notice that much difference when audio is sampled to other rates than what is on the disc. I would like to make a note on the sample rate observation. But Audiopraise, with the caveat that the input sampling rate matches the source material actual rate, does it. I just never have been able to reach satisfaction. I've thrown a lot of money at it with stand-alone dacs, monoblocks for front three channels, you name it. I have for about 20 years purchased various prepros and experimented with different methods to try and get multi-channel to have as much fidelity as what I get with two channel audio gear. Someone, finally for me, made HDMI capable of true high fidelity. I would give the VanityPRO when able to play back at the sampling rate as the source material an A and the Berkeley USB an A+. I'd give the Minidsp UDIO-8, Lynx AES16e, and Tascam UH7000 a C for audio. Some level matched switching still had me favoring the Berkeley. I actually wondered if it was as good as the Berkeley Alpha USB! I was/am very happy with the sound. After this for whatever reasons, the sound greatly improved. 16/44Hz stuff and 24/96Hz stuff all played at proper rate. I disconnected the Casablanca and ran HDMI out of HTPC with Jriver into the VanityPro and the HDMI out into my Samsung TV. It was always at 48Hz which the older Casablanca which is the rate at which the older processor runs. But as I was using my Theta Casaablana 3HD as it connects to my display, there seem to be a problem with the proper sampling rate. However, the sound was about the same as the Lynx AES16e and Udio-8. I expected this to be the better case scenario than audio out of my PC. I hooked it up to my Panasonic Blu-ray player to take a listen. However, this has caused me anguish because I want a multi-channel interface that does as well as the Berkeley. The audio gets much cleaner and clearer with the Berkeley USB. The Berkeley Alpha is clearly superior to all of these. Maybe the Tascam is a little better but I'm not sure. The Udio-8, Lynx Aes16e, and Tascam largely sound the same. I also have a Tascam UH7000 microphone preamp with a custom linear supply that also serves as a USB to AES/EBU converter. So far, I have used the Minidsp UDIO-8 and Lynx Aes16e to get digital out of the PC for multi-channel. with Dirac live, into three Theta Gen VIII dacs. Here is my subjective opinion of the Audiopraise VanityPro for what it's worth. You could connect external HDMI switcher (AVR, soundbar?) but again is this how it is intended?.Maybe eARC can be added by firmware update? To be used with TV/Projector it needs to support eARC to be able to hear TV audio and it has only one HDMI input, so you would need to use HDMI switching in the TV (which is actually a good thing if you do not have >4 HDMI devices).It would make for a nice PC sound card, but much cheaper miniDSP UDIO-8 is probably perfectly good as well and does not suffer from the limited HDMI standard support.I do wonder what are the recommended integrations for this device? For example Genelec GLM could do many of those things. I am sure the developers know all of this, just had to choose to make it or not at all That is why most companies skip the HDMI ports on their otherwise very advanced DACs (look at All Chinese DAC manufacturers, miniDSP and many others).īut for the "next step-up" - those features may be available in the source or receiver. I agree, but remember that this product already does something unobtainable.
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