New Musiland 01USD

Available on-line (in China): tmall

Musiland is starting to refresh all of their offerings. Here is a photo of the new 01 USD

• Supports USB3.0 power, USB 2.0 high speed interface protocols
• Capable of 32Bit/384kHz audio processing
• Precision clock synthesis algorithm, high-precision timing mechanism for handling ultra-low jitter digital processing. (I think this means they are using the larger FPGA)
• MULINK digital interface (not very useful for us for the time being)
• Uses Musiland  “sixth generation”  USB-powered circuitry to provide a stable, clean power supply
• Driver supports Windows 8 operating system

(I am waiting to see the inside of the Musiland 03 Dragon :-))

Soomal just published a “first look” article on this device [link]

Indeed, the FPGA and USB chip have been upgraded (Same ones are use in the 03)

The spdif signals are generated by the FPGA and buffered by a TI HCU04 HEX inverter. This is the same as the previous version, but without the output transformers. Probably a good thing, since may diyers replaced the transformers with higher quality ones.

The 1117 regulators have been replaced by these regulators (S5EBI). Can anyone identify these regulators?

Musiland 03 Dragon and CD11T

Here is an innovative device from Musiland. The CD transport is targeted at RMB 2000 (a bit over US$300).

The main feature of this transport is the use of a MicroSD card (also known as TF -Trans Flash) to buffer the data first and then played out of memory card in order to avoid mechanical noise (and jitter). In other words, it seems it is an SD card player with a build-in CD reader/ripper. It would be interesting to see what other features it has including what format is the data stored in the SD card…

There is no announcement on shipping date, and I’ve never seen the device powered-on. So probably still in prototype stage.

Slot loading with a large display spanning across the front plate

All possible digital outputs, including the proprietary MULINK. I read that some of the newer self-powered speakers are MULINK compatible so that you can connect the CD11t straight to a pair of speakers.

The MicroSD card can be replaced through the bottom compartment. I wonder if there is a facility to update the firmware. It could be updated through the SD Card. The feet are too low-tech. This must be a mock up device…

24/96K capability. Seems after the data is extracted from the CD and stored in the SDCard, it is then passed through an ASRC for further jitter removal before it is transmitted through the different interfaces. The ASRC function may be accomplished in an FPGA. Musiland’s devices are all FPGA-based.

MUSILAND MONITOR 03 US DRAGON

Then there is soon to be released Musiland o3 Dragon Edition. I couldn’t find any details about it… I read in the forums, that they are planning on using of a more accurate clock, better power section and improvements in the layout. There is also talk of the “03 USD” which is purely a “high-end” digital interface.

And even speakers

Driver looks like an LCao driver

More info (in Chinese): [link]

Musiland 03 – IL715 -Buffalo III

A reader sent me this photo of  his implementation of the IL715 (inspired by “project 1” in this post)

It works well with Buffalo-III and Musiland Monitor 03 – it solved my problem with hissing noise that was injected through GND. Sound is much better now – absolutely quiet background.

Musiland Mac Driver Beta Finally Out

Update 2/15/12: Discussion boards indicate that everyone is having the “license invalid” problem. Customer service “promised” a new version soon.

Check out the beta folder: http://www.musiland.com.cn/downloads/drivers/beta/

The file name is MlCyMon.pkg with date 2/13/12. It is compatible with all the Musiland USB Devices.

Installation Instructions [link]

• Make sure you update the firmware by first using it with the latest Windows driver in a Windows PC
• If you previously installed the (non-working) Mac driver, you must delete that software first. Look at system/library/extensions/MlCy* files (there are two files) and the Musiland application in the applications folder (one file). The new driver installer does not seem to overwrite the extensions.
• Install the driver without connecting the USB device. The installer will then ask you to restart.
• Connect the USB device. There is no more “installation”. (After a little while the new USB device will show up in the Sound control panel as an output device)
• Restart the computer. (Probably not necessary)
• Select the output device in the sound control panel
• Start the Musiland application which is in the applications folder (it will show up as in icon in the menu bar. Click on it to see the pull down menu and then click “show”)

I am getting a “license invalid” message and therefore no sound. Maybe some of you will have better luck. I am using MacOS Lion and a Musiland 03. Share your experiences in the comments…

Musiland CD11T

ore information here: [link]

Musiland Dragon with True 32Bit/384kHz DAC

Update 2/15/12: Comparison of PCM5102 and WM8741 and other information on the DAC (see below)

Musiland has released yet another update of their USB interfaces. This time the “02US Dragon” in commemoration of the year of the Dragon.

Enhancements:

• 200K gates FPGA, Similar to 03US
• Support to 32Bit/384kHz. with PCM5102 DAC
• Better headphone amp, similar to 03 US
• Support for external DC supply (in addition ot USB power)
• MULINK output
• Lower distortion sound. (PCB layout enhancements?)
• Volume knob (digital)

Comparison of PCM5102 with WM8741 [link]

• Sercona “foamdac”: [link], a PCM5102 DAC on a chip carrier board
• Gamma 2: [link]

Some “clipping” problems with the PCM5102 when the input is at 0db: [link]

Some information on the DAC from the product manager [link]

More photos over at Soomal [link] and Jinti [link]

Power regulation

I analog power seems to be regulated by the MP8715 DC-DC converter

Comparison with 02US and 03US

Feature	02US	03US	02 Dragon	Comparison
USB Interface	CY7C68013A-56PVXC	CY7C68013A- 56LTXC	CY7C68013A- 56LTXC	Same device, different packaging SSOP vs QFN. Still USB2 speeds
Clock	24 Mhz Crystal	24 MHz CTS-CB3 Oscillator	24 Mhz Crystal	The clock used in the 03 has a Phase Jitter (12kHz-20MHz): < 1 ps RMS. Dragon uses a crystal, the same as the old version
FPGA	XC3A50A;2 CMs	XC3S200A;4 DCMs	Soomal confirmed it is a XC3S200A;4 DCMs	According the Dragon user manual, there is no “fast” and “precision” Sample Rate Control modes. This indicates the use of 4 DCMs that can be dedicated to independently generate the 44.1 and 48K family of sample rates.
DAC	PCM1793DNR: 113 dB THD: 0.001%	PCM1798DNR: 123 dB THD: 0.0005%	PCM 5102DNR: 112 dB THD:0.0022%	Dragon uses Ti’s true 32-bit, 384KHZ DAC. This version has the best specification of the 510x series.
I/V	OP275	MC33079	This is a voltage-out DAC so there is no need of I/V conversion	The industry is moving towards using V-out devices to facilitate design and lower costs.
Head Amp	None	TPA6120	TPA6120	Similarly to 03, Dragon has a high performance headphone amp: SNR: 120 dB; THD+N: 0.00014%
Output	Toslink, Coax	Toslink, MULINK	Toslink, Coax, MuLINK	More output options than 02 and 03
USB Interface	USB2	USB3	USB3	Dragon has a USB3 connector, leveraging the higher power of USB3 (900mA vs 500 mA). The interface speed is still USB2 because of the CY chip used.
Power	Mains DC-DC supply	USB DC-DC supply	USB and External (5v-12v) DC	Dragon will allow the user to use any external DC supply. There is a relay next to the DC jack. Seems to be used to cut the USB power when external DC is used
Other	–	EEPROM on backside of board	Volume knob (digital)
Street Price	$125	$160	Same as old 02	Already available in Taobao for ~700 RMB
More Photos	Soomal	Soomal	Soomal

02 Dragon or 03?

From the comparison above, the 02 Dragon comes very close to the Monitor 03. The DAC in the 03 has better specifications, but the 02 Dragon has a DC jack for external (cleaner) power. The only other potential difference is the use of a crystal vs clock (the 24MHz part). Seems that if your goal is to use the device as a USB interface to your DAC (you will still need to tap the I2S signals), the 02 Dragon will not only save you money, but will allow you to use a cleaner external power supply.

Musiland Driver for MAC

This just in:

No release date yet…

Check out the thread here: [link]

Update: Customer support indicated that the driver is “still buggy” and there is hope of a beta release “this year” [did not say solar year or lunar year :-)]

Musiland Driver 2.X: Release Version

(Update Oct 26, 2011). Another update: MlCyMon_2.1.0.0_build20111026.exe in the main driver folder.

WHAT IS NEW IN THIS UPDATE

Slight changes in the UI (notice “System Volume”, and other small details)

According to this post:

1. New technology and software algorithms to improve the accuracy of the signal to improve sound quality
2. Improved compatibility with 64-bit systems, AMD chipset, systems with 4GB or less of memory, WDM and ASIO
3. Minor tweaks to the user interface (as shown above)
4. Support Windows 8 Preview
5. New DMA playback mode, for improved high sampling rate playback (352.8kHz and 384kHz)
6. Improved compatibility with a variety of playback software
7. Reduction of system latency

(Update Oct 13 2011). Yet another update: MlCyMon_2.0.1.0_build20111013.exe in the  main driver folder. All of these releases are “out of the beta folder” but they are still called beta releases.

WHAT IS NEW IN THIS UPDATE

• Better support for 64bit Windows, Windows 8 and AMD chipsets
• Improved 352.8kHz and 384kHz playback in Monitor 03US
• Utilization of undocumented 32-bit API for full 32 bit support across the entire Musiland Monitor series
• New “DMA playback” mode for reduced latency, and better 32 bit support
• “White” interface

You can download MlCyMon_2.0.1.0_build20111009.exe from main driver folder. You can find more information in the Musiland Tab.

NEW FEATURES

The main visual difference is the HDCD indicator which lights up when it detects an HDCD encoded track.

In order to enable the HDCD feature (and indicator) , you must change the “hdcd” value from 0 to 1 in the Config.ini file found in C: \ Program Files \ MUSILAND \ Monitor Series (USB). After you change it, close (exit) the Musiland control panel and restart it. [The installer installs the config file with only read permission. You need to add the write permission to the config file in order to edit the value]

FIXES:

– Fixes a noise problem when playing 352.8KHz material through the Musiland built-in DAC/Headphone amp. There used to be a hissing sound when playing at that higher sample frequency. This was supposed to be fixed previously, but previous version would not install in my system due to “invalid license” problems.

– The default sample rate setting is persistent across reboots. The old driver would reset to 48 KHz after a system reboot

In addition:

• Support for Windows 8
• Support for Chinese language (yes, they released English menus first)
• Digital volume level can be saved

REMAINING PROBLEMS

• At min or max setting, the volume will jump to max or min if you keep “turning it”
• MMDI does not work
• For Monitor Series 01 and 02: a second consecutive click on the sample rate generation mode will turn off the indicator like this:

STILL NEED SOME POLISHING

Installed for the Monitor 01 USD (no Analog output)

Note: there have been two earlier releases (one day apart) that are no longer available. If you downloaded MlCyMon_2.0.0.0_build20111007 or MlCyMon_2.0.1.0_build20111008, they have some minor problems (not compatible with Monitor 01 and 02 series, not announcing to the OS as 32 bit drivers and not being able to save the default bit rate in the sound control panel)

Hifiduino-BII-Musiland in Japan…

Atsukita blog describes hacking a Musiland 03US for the I2S and feeding a BII controlled by an Arduino.

I like the use of a modular connector and using the aperture of the MULINK connector (which is not very useful for non Musiland DACs)

Here is the DAC playing 192K material over I2S:

Notice that the best DPLL setting for 192KHz is “medium”

Musiland 03 I2S to Buffalo II DAC: Playing 352.8Khz Music

Hurray! I can pass 352.8K Music to the Buffalo II DAC.  Even with the limitations of the older 80MHz Buffalo II, I was able to hear super clean music by optimizing some of the parameters in the DAC. Here is proof:

Downloaded a 24bit/352.8K file from 2L

(Photo of artists taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arvola/5692730311/in/photostream)

Played the file with MusicBee (to allow automatic switching of sample rates through WASAPI exclusive mode). Notice that the sample rate is measured to be exactly 352,800 hertz.

CLICKS and NOISE with 352.8Khz FILES

There is absolutely no underlying noise when playing the track, except there is an occasional “click” sound. The clicks are very short, low volume, sort of like a static “click”. Reminds me of the clicks when playing analog LPs. This was somewhat due to the wiring configuration I used. When I twisted the LRCK and DATA lines together (in addition to having previously twisted the BCK and GND lines), the clicks were largely reduced. In the above track I couldn’t hear them. In another  solo piano track, the clicks were also gone.

The other factors in getting rid of the clicks are the settings for the DAC. I used the slow FIR filter and 8-bit true differential in the quantizer setting.

Strange noise: when the track is paused, stopped or during the gap between songs with the sample rate remaining at the high rate (352.8K), the DAC will emit a loud hissing sound. The level and tone of this hissing sound changes with the DAC digital volume setting with some setting giving more volume than other settings but not related to the amount of volume attenuation. In addition, FIR sharp filter results in a louder noise than the slow filter. The quantizer bit depth also changes the amount of noise coming from the DAC. The IIR filter and the notch delay don’t seem to have any effect.

The situation can be replicated if you digital reduce the volume to zero using the volume control of the application, the OS or the device driver. If the volume is reduced to near zero, clicks and cracks noise will emerge.

The situation can be further replicated if you play a silence track. The problem has also been reported if using an ExaDevices EXAU21 USB interface.

Because of some of these issues related to rendering  ultra high sample rate files, The Buffalo II DAC was upgraded to 100 MHz clock.

JITTER

Unfortunately I was not able to get drop-free play with the DPLL setting at “lowest”. The level of jitter (as determined by the DPLL setting) seems equal to the modded Musiland MINI.  Keep in mind that I disabled the power to the analog section and replaced the regulators with low noise types in the MINI. The Musiland 03 is in stock form with the analog power section intact. So overall, there could be some improvements with regards to jitter.

Although disappointing, this level of jitter is expected as the FPGA has an inherent minimum amount of jitter when processing the clocks. Similar levels (as indicated by DPLL setting) have been reported with different USB interfaces.

Personally, this “quest” for lowest DPLL setting is pretty much “academic diy” as I hear no differences in sound with the different DPLL settings. In addition, one of my goals is to keep the headphone amp so removing the power to the analog section is out of the question.

Note: for 352.8KHz material I set the DPLL to “BEST”

SAMPLE RATE PRECISION

As seen in the display above, the sample rate generated by the FPGA is pretty much exact. The Musiland MINI had a variation of 4-5 Hz for 44.1K material. This is probably due to the fact that  24Mhz oscillator is used instead of the 24Mhz crystal that was used in the older models.

WIRING

I paired BCK with GND and twisted the wires to provide some shielding. The Buffalo locks to BCK

The wires are probably much longer than they need to be in this first iteration. LRCK and DATA are just single wires with no shielding. Even with this “rudimentary” setup, I did not experience any noticeable problems such as noise or dropouts.

Update: I also twisted the LRCK and DATA lines together and the occasional “clicks” went away…

SUMMARY

Al in all I am very happy with this device. Just as the Buffalo II sets a price/performance benchmark for high-end DACs, so does the Musiland 03US set a price/performance benchmark for high-end USB audio interfaces. On top of that, you also get a good headphone amplifier and another DAC