I've always suspected that Jamie's errors were actually the result of the JB3 > USB > computer path and not the result of the source > CO2 > JB3 path. It's not like the CO2 processes the bits or anything like that. It's a format converter. If the input is high, it turns the TOSLINK's LED on. If the input is low, it turns the TOSLINK's LED off. It's accomplished with logic gates, not buffers and processors, etc... The only way I can imagine the CO2 appearing to be anything but bit perfect is if it does not turn the LED on bright enough to reliably detect the 1's in the data at the optical S/PDIF receiver in the JB3.
By the way, I'm not questioning Jamie's integrity. I'm just questioning whether he really tested what he thought he was testing. Everyone that I know of that has used a CO2 has had good results. And if I remember correctly, Jamie gave up on the JB3 before he was able to verify that the JB3 was bit perfect itself.
are you serious you haver NO CLUE what the hell youre talking about
its a format converter alright but it IS transferring bits, hence why we like BIT PERFECT things
usb is sending the info THATS ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN, usb and firewire are just interfaces to send data, nothing more, nothing less, they dont have to be bit-perfect because it the devices did theyre job CORRECTLY already, then the info theyre sending is BIT-PERFECT
Bean, of the two of us, I'm the one with the clue. I'm an electrical engineer with over 25 years of experience at circuit design.
The fact is that the CO2 is just logic gates(inverters, probably of the 74HC04 variety), an LED and a phototransistor. It does not interpret the data that comes into it. If it receives a logic high level on its S/PDIF input, it applies current to the LED on the optical output. When that logic level goes low, it quits applying current to the LED. Simple as that. There is no way to screw that up, unless the LED is not turned on bright enough to be detected by the optical input to the JB3. If the CO2 does not produce bit perfect transfers through the TOSLINK (S/PDIF optical) port, then this is the only thing that could cause the problem.
The other fact is that USB transfers are not always bit perfect, especially if you are hooked up to an AMD Athlon-based computer that's about 3 to 5 years old. The VIA chipset used in those things is notorious for buffering errors. If you don't get a good transfer out of the JB3, the resulting file will have errors. Simple as that. (Why do you think that people sometimes have problems with firmware updates through the USB port? Hint: it's related to the fact that the transfers through the USB port are not always bit perfect.) On other machines, similar problems can occur on the firewire interface. Whatever computer you use, it's important to verify that multiple transfers of the same file will reliably produce multiple files with identical contents.
i actualluy really ap[preciate that info, but what doesnt make sense is, weve all tested the hosa digital format converters, and upon testing ONLY the Hosa boxes, they seem to be the ONLY ones that are consistently bit-perfect
so im def not calling you a liar or anything, but when converting digital formats(ala coax(spdif)/aes>coax(optical), youre DEF dealing w/ bits being transferred, so thats why some recordings have clicks/pops, and some dont, its really a luck of the draw, some get lucky and CANT hear dropped samples, some CAN hear dropped samples that are common as hell in the CO-2
so really my questuion to everyone who asks this question all of the time, 'why not just buy the hosa and spend 50-70 bucks on it and be done w/ it, that way youre 100% sure youre getting BIT-PERFECT transfers, ALL OF THE TIME
ive personally done hundreds of dat>odl-276>jb3 transfers and theyre all bit-perfect, its a proven combination, so why not use it
otherwise, just get an opti-mod v3 like i have and just run BIT-PERFECT from mics>v3>jb3
no worries there at all, grace rawks