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Which Digital PC-to-DAC Interface Do You Prefer..???

post #1 of 8
8/25/10 at 12:46pm
Thread Starter 

I think as of late all the buzz has been around USB to Spdif.  Have you found that through listening USB-to-Spdif or even straight USB-to-DAC sounds better than Coax from your computer?

 

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post #2 of 8
8/26/10 at 12:02pm

USB >  S/PDIF is a possible option only if you already own a non USB 2.0 or Firewire DAC and are emotionally attached to it and the USB 1.1 device in question costs less than $50 .

 

It makes far more sense if you haven't already made an investment in old technology to buy a pro audio audio interface using direct async USB or Firewire and skip the low quality an unnecessary S/PDIF complication. .

 

The leading suppliers are RME, Focusrite, ESI and E-MU. If you are skint consider M-Audio (decent sound, average build quality).

 

If you own a Mac also consider Presonus and Apogee (good quality) or at a pinch MOTU (poor software).

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post #3 of 8
8/26/10 at 12:21pm

spdif converter purpose is solely to connect your legacy dac for computer based transport through usb. i believe it wont give any sonic benefit to the outcome nor (in my experience) reduce the sq though some people believe it will introduce more jitter (in which i dont really give a nuts about jitter)

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post #4 of 8
8/26/10 at 12:28pm

I prefer USB.

Used to be a strong optical S/PDIF fan, but after giving USB a try with the Isabellina I seem to have changed my mind.

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post #5 of 8
8/26/10 at 1:04pm

Async Coaxless USB to SPDIF converter, to legacy or NOS DAC(s).

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post #6 of 8
8/28/10 at 5:42am
Thread Starter 

I take it people generally don't take the SPIDF straight from the Motherboard....

 

Anyone have bad results from using the SPDIF from the motherboard as compared to using a USB/SPDIF converter?

 

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post #7 of 8
8/28/10 at 5:54am

Normally I would say optical is the best way out of a PC to isolate their crummy power supply from the rest of the gear. Some DAC's like the RWA Isabellina achieve the same via USB and to my ears it sounds very good. The use of USB is very convenient and I can see many wanting to use it.

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post #8 of 8
8/28/10 at 6:06am

Halide Bridge from my iMac to my PSAudio Digital Link III mod IV.  Asynchronous USB-Coax SPDIF, 24/96. This was very clearly an upgrade.

 

CE DACPort for the road now with a laptop.

 

Still optical in my other system, but the Wyred4Sound DAC2 has shipped, I will be USB at home as well.

 

From all the reading I do, the async USB has less jitter than the other optical/coax SPDIF from computers.  An exception might be the AES XLR from the Lynx audio cards, but those are PC, and I use Mac.

 

Then again, they think that the Firewire interface of the Weiss units is perhaps the very best, I am just not doing $6K Dacs at this point.

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