SPDIF output: Is there anything better (soundcard or USB-to-SPDIF) than the E-MU 1212M?

Typically comparing digital outs be it transport or other media is all about jitter.  It was shown some time ago that jitter is the sole cause of the primary auditory differences between transports / digital media.  In fact, a good low jitter USB DAC can sound just as good as a very expensive and presumably high quality transport.  The trick with transports and often other digital media is telling which clock to be the slave and which the master.

So in the end it is more about having low jitter than having the best gear ( i.e. expensive ).  I did a pile of tests with transports against my USB DAC ( Grace Design m903 ) and honestly heard little to no difference in the test tracks going between sources.  I was pretty surprised when I fed my ultra cheap Sony Discman into the DAC via digital out and heard again little to no improvement.

I would say if you hear little to no noise in your system at high volume and no music playing then your DAC is at least low noise.  Without actually measuring it or comparing it against other systems I have no way of telling for sure, but if you are satisfied with the DAC performance perhaps look elsewhere in your system for improvements.

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitter

http://www.stereophile.com/reference/1290jitter/

Headroom tells us:

"As mentioned above, the source is generally (keep reading!) the most important aspect of an audio system. We build a variety of digital to analog converters (DACs) to further improve your audio source. HeadRoom amps with internal DACs, and our stand-alone DACs, both contain high quality DAC chips in our designs; and, these contemporary high-end digital recievers and DACs are extremely good at reducing or virtually eliminating jitter from the digital bit-stream. Now, here's the exception to our rule about sources being so critical: when constructing a front-end for your stereo system, it is much less important where the digital signal is coming from when a very high-quality DAC is used. We've even found, in fact, that sometimes very expensive CD transports sound only slightly better than the digital output of inexpensive CD players or USB audio outputs from computers when using a good DAC. So, keep that in mind when putting together your rig!"

--http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/top-picks/top-headroom-amps-and-dacs.php

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorander 

I'm personally happy with my setup though it could be the case of either it being indeed jitter-free or me used to the sound. I have no comparison to make (not even a spare digital cable to play around with).
I don't believe there is much noise coming from the DAC (certainly not above the inherent background hiss of my amps). Correct me of I'm wrong but I had thought that a jitter-riddled DAC translates into a not-so-stellar sound, rather than a very obvious fault such as noise?
I guess I'm just curious if the 1212M is a good enough digital transport or if there is a much better suited sound card (or USB-to-SPDIF unit) for this purpose. It's something I potentially will have to consider when I upgrade my PC (and the lack of PCI slot and/or Windows 8 driver will force a replacement).

When you upgrade your motherboard, just get one with a built in S/PDIF (optical & coaxial) output.

If you feel your getting a lot of jitter from the new motherboard's S/PDIF, then just add an internal sound card.

Or just use the USB to USB connection.