Playback Designs MPD-3, Руководство пользователя

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MPD-3 User Manual
8
CONNECTING THE MPD-3 TO A WINDOWS BASED PC OR APPLE MAC
Supported PCM audio resolutions: all sample rates up to 384kHz and word lengths up to 24 bits.
Supported DSD audio resolutions: 2.8224MHz (as on SA-CD) and 5.6448MHz.
Connection protocol and method: USB 2.0 / Audio class 2.0 compliant, asynchronous mode where MPD-
3 generates high precision clock master and computer is clock slaved.
PC requirements: Windows 7 or later
ASIO compatible player software such as Foobar, MediaMonkey etc.
USB port, Internet connection for downloading software from
www.playbackdesigns.com
.
Mac requirements: OS X (10.6.6 or later)
iTunes with or without plug-in to automate sample rate switching.
USB port, Internet connection for downloading software from
www.playbackdesigns.com .
In order for your computer to communicate with the MPD-3 and to exchange audio data custom driver
software needs to be installed before you can connect it to the MPD-3. If your computer is a Mac running
OSX 10.6.6 or later you don’t need any driver software as OSX already supports all PCM formats up to
384kHz sample rate. DSD file playback is supported via the DoP standard using PCM frames which is also
supported by OSX without any additional driver. A driver has to be installed on all Windows based PCs for
any kind of audio playback via the MPD-3.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PC USERS:
The Windows operating system is by design not a real-time system. It is designed to allow certain processes
to take time away from real-time processes such as playing audio. This can result in audible dropouts,
sometimes very short, but sometimes also quite long. Some PCs are pre-configured with drivers and
processes by the manufacturer that cause such dropouts, and others are user-installed with additional
software that do not allow flawless real-time playback of audio. Fortunately, there is a free utility software that
allows you to test your PC for real-time capability:
1. Go to: www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml and download the utility program DPC Latency
Checker. There is also a good description of the program and some more technical background on
the same website.
2. Run DPC Latency Checker.
3. If you see yellow or red bars, the program will already tell you that most likely your PC will have
dropouts when playing audio. Follow the instruction on the same website for how to identify a driver
or process preventing real-time playback. Leave the program running for 10-15 minutes and if you
see only green bars and no message then your PC is good to go.
If you are considering purchasing a new PC, this utility program is small enough and doesn’t require any
installation which allows you to load it onto a flash stick and test it on the PC you are thinking about buying.
Most computer stores will allow this test.
Driver software installation and first time connection:
1. Do not connect the MPD-3 to the computer yet.
2. Turn on your computer.
3. Windows PC users only: Launch your favorite internet browser and navigate to
www.playbackdesigns.com . Use “USBAudio” for password to enter the software download section.
Download the latest driver:
 akdesigndrv.zip for PC. Unzip it to the desktop.
 No driver software is required for the Mac platform.