Computer To Dac... Best Option

It would appear by the number of threads that you have started, that you are more inclined to have some help than to read all the infomation that's available both here and on the internet elsewhere. Nothing wrong with that. Some just don't get all the lingo or computer speak.

Seems to me that you are bringing some preconceived notions about computer audio to the table that you have either read or heard somewhere. You keep mentioning "movin the signal around" and "make my dac/amp the bottleneck" and I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but I'm gonna take a stab and say that you want your computer to be "all that it can be," and have someone here tell you what you need in order to do that, using a usb to spdif and/or toslink converter to send an spdif signal to your dac. 

Before going any further, are we getting warm?

yep, I reread all your posts before posting here.

The thing from newegg, it only does 44.1kHz(CD sample rate) and 48kHz(DVD sample rate), which is fine if all you're gonna listen to is CD anyway. Also that device requires software with drivers. Not sure what's up with that if the only sample rates supported are 44 and 48, so ....stuff that only uses 44 and 48 doesn't usually need any external software or drivers, but this device also supports 5.1 and 7.1, etc. so i'm gonna take a stab and say that it probably won't be the best solution on the planet.

There is a thread on the other firestone device(I think) somewhere here on this forum.

I'm no expert on computer audio, but have done a fair amount of research and tried many different software players and devices to do exactly what you want to do. My main rig is a laptop (I actually play around with 2 different laptops for audio) and so I can kinda see where you're coming from. I also take USB and turn it into spdif coax(for the RCA digital spdif plug on the back of your dac), although my latest device doesn't need a coax, but instead just plugs directly onto that RCA digital spdif connector on the back of any of my dacs.

Do you have a ballpark budget in mind, or just keep it as simple as possible and cheap as possible?(You never know when you might be speaking to someone in school or on a fixed income)

Can you tell me what your dac is again, so we can be certain of what is being used?(EDIT: nvm, i see it's the Lite am dac)

yea, I looked at the Bravo converter. I think leeperry has had it for a while now. I don't know all that much about it, and it seems like few people have it on this forum, so can't really advise for or against it. I've never listened to it.

Another option in that price range would be the M2Tech HiFace, which does usb to spdif conversion. I think there are some here on the Cables, tweaks, etc. FS forum, one may be a little cheaper than new. I have listened to the HiFace and it is a step up from some of the others I have owned and listened to.*

Maybe I can just rank the ones that I have owned.

#1. Halide Bridge(a wee bit out of your price range, but by far the best sounding yet, I think there is one her FS for ~$350)

#2. HiFace(you might find this one here for somewhere in the $120 to $130 shipped range, new for ~$160 for the RCA output one)

#3. Musiland 02 US(this is a good converter somewhere in the $100+ range, also has a headphone amp which you can compare to your Lite am dacs amp)

#4. Emu 0404usb(this one also has a headamp, and can do async conversion using ASIO drivers, but is VERY hard to get set up right, and takes a lot of fiddling around to work right, and I didn't care for the sound anyways)

Another one that I haven't tried yet but seems to get OK marks would be the Teralink X2 which looks to go for around $80 shipped. Possibly find it here for less used.

Basically what all these converters do, aside from the Teralink, is use a form of usb data transfer known as "async" which means the device that's plugged into the usb port is doing the timing control of the computer and telling it when to give audio data, as opposed to some other previous converters(and stuff made today even) that are known as "adaptive" that take the audio data as the computer gives it and try to time it as best as can be done. Aside from the technical aspects, I have to say that I enjoy async better than adaptive myself, just speaking from actual listening experience alone. You would think that just supplying the dac with ones and zeros would be enough to work, and it is, up to a certain point(apparently) and then the timing plays some part of the overall sound output.

I'm guessing you have a digital spdif coax or toslink cable to use with these.

*Although I didn't experience any problems at all when I owned a HiFace, others here have reported some problems with the output using certain media players. This device does use drivers that must be installed on your computer to work. I suggest some reading before making any hasty decisions, about any device, not just the HiFace. Aside from that, I think you might like it.

Thanks for the comparisons digger. Very informative.

I'll just add that the Teralink-X2 isn't as good as the HiFace or Musiland 02US IMO. Its attack and transient response are slower and soundstage, while big, is fuzzy and diffused.

Yea, I believe you can only go so far using other people's opinions and suggestions*. At some point you gotta just break down and try something and see how it goes. There are so many options available now. As a side note about he HiFace, there are 2 recent reviews released, one on enjoythemusic.com, and the other on Computeraudiophile.com. The one on CA.com has some interesting technical points about the device.

I think if I had to pick the next one up to try out(armchair picks I've never heard), it would be the ART Legato, or definitely a Wavelink product like the Proton or just-released Wavelink. An interesting new dac to try would be the Arcam Solo rDac which uses dCS async USB and a Wolfson 8741.

Too many options and not enough play money.

*edit...I was speaking to ambush here.

Good advice. Aside from preferences, these things will also sound a little different sometimes depending on the supporting gear they're used with.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by digger945 

Yea, I believe you can only go so far using other people's opinions and suggestions*. At some point you gotta just break down and try something and see how it goes.

Originally Posted by ambush276 

got the bravo and so far very happy with it.. very happy!

the good sides of the Bravo are:

-compatible w/ ADUM4160 to kill any groundloop from the computer

-compatible w/ their linear regulated Supplier DSP w/o any soldering or DIY skills required, for a much improved SQ.

-no beta drivers required, and no need to whine for bugfixes

-WM8804 reclocking to output 50ps coax no matter what: http://hifiduino.blogspot.com/2010/02/programming-wm8804.html

the bad sides:

-no 88.2 or >96kHz...tbh, I only have one 88.2 DVD-A from Seal and one 192kHz DVD-A from Grover Washington Jr., so it's not much of a big deal to me.

-it's not USB powered(only a drawback for ppl on a laptop).

Anyway, I keep upgrading my rig and this transport scales amazingly well...I've never been this close to my music

Of these, an external converter is clearly the winning choice. We used both interfaces like M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496, Assus Xonar Essence, as well as Lavry DA10 converters, Rockne RD25, MHDT Havana. They finally delivered a superior signal.