[JiggaD369]

If Im going to use the following setup...

Computer> Sound Card> External DAC> M3 Amp> K701

is it best to provide the DAC with a optical signal? If I was to use optical, do I need a good soundcard such as 0404 or 1212m to export the optical signal? or can I use the Chaintech AV710? I ask this question becuase in the future if I decide to get a 24-bit/192kHz DAC, I want to enable a 24-bit/192kHz signal into the DAC through the soundcard via software. Does a quality of a soundcard matter for transporting a optical signal?

 

[fjf]

1-An av710 does fine.

2-Optical is best because you avoid electrical noise (and ground loops) from the comtuter to the DAC. Otherwise, digital out is digital out.

3-Good dacs upsample to 192KHz, and some people find it improves sound (I don't). Because the source (from CDs) is 44.1 KHz, there is no benefit in oversampling in the computer, because it does not improve the sound and increases the load on the CPU, producing sometimes interruptions in the playback (pops and cracks).