11
Digital Inputs: OPT, COAX, USB
The Halo Integrated’s built in 32 Bit DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) uses a very high resolution
384 kHz ESS
®
Sabre32 Reference DAC IC. Since the Halo Integrated’s DAC is superior to the
DACs in most source components, they will sound better if you connect one of their digital outputs
to the Halo Integrated's DAC instead of connecting their analog output jacks.
Opt (Optical)
The Optical input is a high speed Toslink receiver. It accepts PCM digital signals up to
192 kHz with 16 or 24 bit word lengths.
Optical Interconnect Note
:
176.4 kHz and 192 kHz sampling rates will only play
reliably with a short optical cable. Be careful when handling the optical cable. It cannot
be bent at a sharp angle without impairing its ability to transfer the digital signal from
your source to the Halo Integrated.
Coax (Coaxial)
The Coax (also called S/PDIF) input connector is an RCA jack. It accepts PCM digital
signals up to 192 kHz with 16 or 24 bit word lengths.
Coaxial Cable Note:
A digital coaxial cable is different than a typical analog audio
cable. The Coax input works best with a true 75 ohm cable which typically has 75
ohm, RG6 or RG59 printed on the cable jacket. The use of ordinary audio cables can
make the signal unstable resulting in high levels of jitter, significantly impaired sound
and even audio dropouts.
USB –
Windows
®
Users Must First Install Drivers
The USB input is used to connect your Halo Integrated to your Windows
®
PC or Mac
computer. This allows high quality playback of any music files that are stored on your
computer and streaming music services you access over the internet. The USB Input
accepts PCM sampling rates up to 384 kHz with 16, 24 or 32 bit word lengths. The USB
input also accepts native DSD and DoP (DSD over PCM). The Halo Integrated uses USB
2.0 which requires Windows
®
users to first download and install drivers on their computer.
Please visit the Downloads section on the Halo Integrated’s web page
www.parasound.com
for the Windows
®
drivers and installation instructions.
USB Cable Note:
Inexpensive USB cables that are longer than 12’ (4 m) are often
unreliable and could cause audio drop outs. If a longer USB cable is required, a
higher quality USB cable might offer more consistent results.
Using a Blu-ray, DVD Player or Gaming Console’s Digital Output
If you use a Blu-ray player, DVD player, cable TV box, satellite receiver or gaming console’s
digital output with the Halo Integrated you must go to the device's setup menu and set the digital
audio output to stereo PCM (2.0). The Halo Integrated’s DAC accepts only two-channel stereo
PCM. It does not accept signals in Dolby Digital or DTS formats.
