Still trying to dig into the specific of computer audio, so if I ask something stupid, just tell me.
Pondering the difference between using USB direct in to my NFB-3, vs using the optical output of my X-Fi Titanium. Assuming foobar with WASAPI is the same player used for both options, which would give me a more "direct" throughput from foobar to my DAC? I have a nagging feeling that something isn't quite set up right in my Creative console to ensure everything is going bit-matched dandy without any weird DSP effects, unwanted upsampling, or the like being applied. I do like how optical gives me galvanic isolation from any electrical sock-eating gremlins in my computer, but sticking the X-Fi in the signal path (even assuming I do have everything right and it's acting as only a transport) makes me wonder about the merits of both methods.
I'll be switching between USB and optical tonight to get real-world results, but I'm interested in the academic side, too (ergo, this post).
