ULN-8

Hi Key,

Don't need a blank file, even for a stereo target. Importing dual mono "knows".

I haven't the RIAA myself and don't know for sure if the signal is converted or not. I do know the A-D-A in the ULN-8 is, for the first time in my experience, transparent. (I know, I know. All I can suggest is listening and finding out what you hear. This is one of the reasons I was popping out of my skin for the past 3 1/2 years as this box amazed me and amazed me some more, yet I could not talk about it publicly until last week.)

$6k is a lot of money. Yet, for what this box does and how extraordinarily well it does it, it is simply a steal.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

For Terry and klonk

Bringing dual mono files into Audiophile Engineering's WaveEditor

Terry, klonk and perhaps a few other folks asked earlier today about bringing dual mono files, like those created in the Record Panel of a Metric Halo MIO (2882, ULN-2 or ULN-8).

Here's the process:
1. Select File/Open...
2. In the window that opens (see attached), navigate to where the two mono files are and select both mono files. Also (this is the key) be sure to select "Channels in new document" from the "Open multiple documents as:" drop down list. Then click "Open".

That's it. WaveEditor will open a new file and build a stereo view of the joined mono files. Remember to Save (and select the appropriate format in the Save dialog box before clicking the "Save" button.)

Have fun!

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Thanks Barry, going to keep it brief as I am using an iPhone.

 

Hmm. I just realized I never finished that sentence. (Been a long day.)
I meant to add "into Audiofile Engineering's WaveEditor".


I guess the header said it.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Thanks Barry.

 

Perhaps this is of interest to somebody else. I asked MH about the PSU that comes with the ULN-8, here is their answer:

Hi Werner the power supply that comes with the ULN-8uis the same one we ship with the ULN-2.

Hope this helps.

Best regards.
Sales Support Team
Metric Halo
[email protected]

 

Hi klonk,

I wonder if they changed the PS for the ULN-2. I thought I remembered it being smaller than the one with the '8. (It has been several years since I had my ULN-2 though. Perhaps I just remembered wrong. )

Ah! Perhaps not. The ULN-8 supply attaches to the box with a 4-pin connector, not the barrel type used by the 2882 and ULN-2. (The '8 also has a barrel connection but its own supply uses the 4-pin.)

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi Barry,

Judging from the pictures on MH website of the ULN-8, it seems to have exactly the same connectors as my ULN-2.

Werner

 

I don't see any digital ins, put perhaps I am just blind on one eye. I would be very surprised if they had omitted the digital ins, since I find the digital ins on my ULN-2 very handy.

 

Whats the cost of the ULN-8, and how are the dacs as measured against other metric halo products like the 2882?

 

Cynermantis, the cost of the ULN-8 is approximately US$6,000.00.

 

Hi Werner,

You are correct. The ULN-2 does have the 4-pin power connector in addition to the barrel connector.
(I haven't had mine in almost 4 years now. I just forgot.)
It is the 2882 (which I've also had) that lacks the 4-pin connection.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi Werner,

The ULN-8 has AES digital ins and outs, all on a single DB25 connector.

Rather than purchase the usual DB25 "snakes", I made very short adapters so I can use my own cables of choice. Here are photos of two of them.
One is for stereo line output (out of a possible 8) to RCAs.
The other uses 4 XLRs (out of a possible 8) for mic inputs.

I made similar connectors for AES input, etc.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi cybermantis,

The '8 retails for $5995.

Good as the DACs are in the 2882 and ULN-2, this is another Universe.
The beta team has conducted blind shootouts against the likes of Apogee, Lavry, Weiss, Meitner, UA, Cranesong, Lynx, even Pacific Microsonics and several others. It beat 'em all and not by a tiny margin.

The converters in the ULN-8 mark the very first time in my experience that I cannot identify the A-D-A conversion. Sounds a bit odd when a <$6k DAC goes against some selling for more than triple its price and it beats them, right? Odder still when you consider the <$6k box also happens to contain 8 channels, not 2. And that it also has 8 A-Ds (and a separate DAC for the headphone amp), as well as all of its other capabilities.

I wouldn't have believed it without hearing it. Upon audition, it took only seconds to know I was hearing something very special indeed.
It was quite an exercise staying quiet about this for over three years during its development.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

I am glad there are digita ins, thanks for pointing it out to me Barry.
Your DB-25 connectors look cool. Especially I like the little cords around the plugs which indicate left/right

 

Sounds pretty cool- if it does beat the lavry/lynx for that price then its pretty impressive. Would love to see some benchmarks of it.

 

Hi cybermantis,

In my opinion, it doesn't beat the Lavry/Lynx. It wipes the floor with both of them.

Some competing converters do not use a monolithic clock and as a result, performance suffers, especially as the sample rate goes up. Most do not have very good phase response either. (That's why they don't mention phase response in the specs.)

The ULN-8 is has flat phase response from DC to Nyquist.
Metric Halo is currently measuring production units and will be publishing more elaborate spec details on their site soon.

Audition it if you get a chance to. But be prepared to do a lot of smiling.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Specs have been posted:
http://www.mhsecure.com/v5mm/ULN-8Specs.html

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

How did they determine this? I would really have to hear this for myself (i.e fail a blind test). I have never heard any analogue-digital-analogue process that is inaudible, so perhaps this is a world-first for me.

 

Hi JonP,

I wouldn't believe it without hearing it either. I hope you get the opportunity.

I've lived with this box for over 3 1/2 years now as a beta tester and have remarked elsewhere that it no longer feels like a "great digital recorder" or a "great analog recorder". With this box running at 192 (and unlike many another I've heard that claims this rate), I feel like I'm listening directly to my mic feed.

I've been critical of digital since I started working with it in 1983. Even with the best I've heard in the past few years, there were still reservations that the very best analog still did some things better. No more. As far as I'm concerned, it took digital 26 years (a bit over 22 for the beta team) to fulfill its promise. With the ULN-8, it finally has.

I very much hope you get the chance to listen to this.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

It would be interesting to know what the uptake of this will be in the classical music world. If anything is going to show up a weakness, recording a symphony orchestra is going to do it. Sadly though, my feeling is even low resolution equipment is still too good for many engineers (interestingly, some blame their equipment, rather than themselves, even though colleages in the industry can get excellent results using the exact same stuff). There are some engineers out there though, who can get such good results with existing equipment, I would love to see what they could do with the very best.

I am with you on the two and a half decades thing. I've noticed a significant improvement in the sound of classical CDs over the last few years and my guess is quite a lot of this has to do with the better quality equipment being used in the actual recording sessions. Many are quite listeneable these days, but I find mainly the recent ones from around 2006 onwards generally speaking. Still, there is work to be done, but I guess equipment like this will push things further.

It would be interesting to hear a classical CD where the original source material was 24-192 out of a ULN8.

 

Hi JonP,

A number of beta team members specialize in classical and symphonic music. I'm sure there will be releases of classical and all other sorts of music at some point.

I'm confident that as more producers and engineers get to hear this wonderful device, more and more will adopt it for their own use, in all sorts of musical genres.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

And then there is that enormous body of golden-age analogue mastertapes which have been remastered to digital on one or more ocassions in the past. Yet each time too much sound quality has been lost in that A-D process, let alone the entire A-D-A process.

With many of those analogue masters now over 50 years old, it is getting to the point where it might be the last chance to do it right but also to transfer it into the digital domain with no audible impact.

Anyway, yes, I would obviously really like to hear this device, because if to my ears it achieves what it claims, it is probably the most important contribution to audio since the analogue tape recorder. And no, I don't think I am exaggerating, if it really is truly inaudible to every human being on the planet.

 

Hi JonP,

I'd be very interested in your experience once you get to listen.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com