iPod -> Marantz SR6010 - which DAC is being used to play the music?

Howdy folks - just bought the just released Marantz SR6010 AVR and I'm wondering which DAC is playing the music when connecting an iPod Classic to the system via the front panel USB: the iPod DAC or the Marantz DAC? It would make sense that the onboard DAC would be used but I'd like to know for sure. The documentation for the unit is unclear.

Did a forum search for this and didn't see anything come up so forgive me if its already been discussed.

Also - it won't play .wav or .aif files off a USB as it should. Have an inquiry into Marantz Tech Support but its been a while and I haven't heard anything.

Appreciate anything y'all can share.

Regards,

~dm

 

Nice avatar!!!

 

USB has data and power, no analogue signals. Therefore your receiver's DAC is the one in use. If you ran from your ipod's headphone jack to your receiver's aux in jacks ( with the proper adapter cord), then you would be using the iPod's dac.

 

Thanks, folks. I also asked the fellow who sold me the unit and he confirmed that when connecting the iPod to the Marantz that it's the DAC on the Marantz that converts the signal. Also thanks for confirming that to be the case with a USB thumb drive as that would be the only way an audio signal can be converted from a USB drive.

Now if I can only figure out why I get an error massage on the Marantz playing a .wav or .aif file off a FAT32 USB drive

 

Try converting the FAT32 to NTFS instead. (insert USB drive, right click on the drive, Format, change it to NTFS and "format")

 

Might also be possible the Marantz is limited to a maximum USB size.

 

Hope this helps............

http://manuals.marantz.com/SR6010/NA/EN/GFNFSYrovixdpl.php

Click on the link that is shown in the above link for more technical info.


Cheers

 

Will try but according to Marantz it needs to be FAT32 so chances are that won't work either. I opened a support case and need to chat with them about it. Will report back when i have more info.

~dm

 

Then it's most definitely probably the size of the drive you're using. The documentation should state the maximum size of USB drive supported.

 

Don't believe so ... have tried two different drives. A 4gb and a 258gb with the same result. It sees the files, just won't play them. Also sees and displays photos on the TV.

 

Thanks, have referenced that section of the manual. I can see the USB folder structure on screen and navigate to the music file but when selecting the music file I GET A "File Error" message. Have tried both .wav and .aif files. My iPod plays fine even 24/48 ALAC files.

 

figured it out, the unit will not play .aif ... It plays .aiff - two fs not one. Go figure. Does anyone know the difference between .aif and .aiff? i sure don't.

Cheers,

~dm

 

I think its actually the same thing, but .aif is for windows that prefers three letter extensions. Try simply renaming song.aif to song.aiff, I'm sure it will work.

 

Ah so, iTunes on my Mac plays .aif fine. Will try adding the extra f and report back.

 

LOL.............unbelievable.

Sometimes technology can be just a bit too clever and impractical.

 

That's putting it mildly - I could come up with an alternate description but it would probably get me barred from the forum for life.

 

Tried it - no cigar. There must actually be a difference in the file format other than the suffix.

 

Weird, I googled it yesterday while a captive audience on my commute and people said they'd had that work. I guess the best bet is just to bulk-convert all your AIFFs to a "more traditional" format. (I laughed as I wrote that, it sounds like the "the audio compression scheme grandpa used to use").

 

I thought exactly the same thing but for some reason the unit won't accept the file with an altered extension. Going to ask my mixing engineer (recording in question is of the band I'm in) to export the files from Protools as .aiff .

 

I hope this doesn't derail your thread but I'm considering purchasing the Marantz SR6010 for use in a basic home theater. I still need to audition it but I'm curious as to the OP's thoughts regarding audio quality.

 

No prob - I think the SQ is amazing. Have listened to music DVDAs, SACDs, Blu Rays, DVDs, Vinyl, CDs, TV (via cable) and all sound fantastic to my ears. All my friends and family who have been subjected to demos of the system say the same thing. Very smooth, detailed, & plenty of power. Haven't reached any point where it was anything less than stellar. I bought the SR6010 specifically because it has a phono in. Its my first 5.1 system.

Of course it helps to have good sources i.e. well played, recorded, and mastered material as well as a good player and speakers. See my profile for details. I have had trouble playing music files from a USB thumb drive (have another on the forum on this). Haven't quite solved them yet but I'm working on it. FYI - I have learned it will not play .aif files. Only .aiff (TWO Fs) - weird.

It also does a good job on video. The up-scaling works wonders on SD programming. Not all Showtime and HBO channels are HD and sometimes there's a film I'd like to see on one of the SD channels and the up-scaling makes the SD picture very watchable. It automatically handles the aspect ratio as well.

Hope that helps. Not a lot of reviews on the unit as it just came out in October.

 

Thanks Duneman! The phono stage is a definite plus, and the few reviews I've seen echo your thoughts regarding sound quality. Looking forward to demoing it.

 

My pleasure - one more thing: the Audyssey calibration didn't impress me and the pro-installers didn't have much good to say about it either. Ended up calibrating the speakers myself and often adjust based on the program material. For folks who may not know a thing or two about sound and aren't comfortable tweaking I suppose it may be a plus.

 

duneman,


That is VERY odd about Audyssey especially considering it's XT32 which is very highly regarded.

I LOVE what Audyssey XT32 does for my M/C SQ.

Maybe you didn't quite do everything correctly.

I assume that all settings in your AVR and source are correct.........have you read their manuals?


Here is an awesome Audyssey Set up Guide for you.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/audio-processing/68407-audyssey-multeq-faq-setup-guide.html

I HIGHLY recommend having a look as IMHO you are currently missing out by not employing it.

Of course you may find, as I did, that a little manual fine tuning will still help to finish things off nicely.


Cheers