[donunus]

Maybe non i2s dacs really benefit from gizmos like the thingee and the trends for good USB to spdif conversion

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe non i2s dacs really benefit from gizmos like the thingee and the trends for good USB to spdif conversion

How doesn i2s work with USB?

USG

 

[donunus]

I think I2s is a process where from usb the data doesn't go through spdif any longer before it gets to the dac chip . Most usb dacs without i2s goes to some sort of converter to spdif then to the dac chip. So the coversion process from usb to spdif is what is skipped when having an i2s usb dac. So in your case, the thingee does that part for you instead of the internal conversion when you use the constantines usb.

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think I2s is a process where from usb the data doesn't go through spdif any longer before it gets to the dac chip . Most usb dacs without i2s goes to some sort of converter to spdif then to the dac chip. So the coversion process from usb to spdif is what is skipped when having an i2s usb dac. So in your case, the thingee does that part for you instead of the internal conversion when you use the constantines usb.

My North Star has an I2S jack but I have nothing to plug into it..... Thingee is supplying optical and coaxial from USB.

 

[donunus]

Oh, I was talking about just a regular usb input that they call i2s because it bypasses spdif and goes directly to i2s inside. Ex the pico dac

 

[qusp]

i2s is just the transport medium in traces on circuit board; the benefit being that the clock is separated from the musical data stream in its own trace or other type of wire. with spdif the clock is embedded in the same stream and must be extracted for use. but yes you are correct; its the conversion from USB to spdif that is skipped when a USB to i2s convertor is used. otherwise it is USB->spdif->i2s->dac and not USB->i2s->dac.

i2s cables must be very short and if even a regular length of cable is used, must be well shielded. that being said I feel that this latest trend of i2s for all these devices seems more of a gimmick than anything else; if implemented properly AES or spdif will do just as well IMO, especially if anything more than short distances are used. elcheapo USB->i2s convertors just shift the problem to another area IMO. I will be buying one of the USD's though once they get the OSX drivers sorted just to see, as its such a small amount of money that its worth a go. especially since my B32 accepts i2s and/or spdif. what I dont understand though is converting spdif to i2s anywhere but the dac; just seems to me to be making the stream vulnerable unnecessarily early. the thingy truly is the most obnoxiously ugly devices I think i've kever seen. so much so its almost cool

I am endeavoring to tap the i2s on my RME 9632 though, to feed my B32; as that really does skip the conversion altogether. currently i'm using a custom digital breakout to feed BNC and AES. but i'm trying not to use it at all, kbecause oits sitting there on a piece of cardboard until my case arrives

 

[baka1969]

I just picked up a Thingie to use as a USB/SPDIF converter to run between my laptop and DacMagic. I'll report back after some A/B (with/without).

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I just picked up a Thingie to use as a USB/SPDIF converter to run between my laptop and DacMagic. I'll report back after some A/B (with/without).

Hopefully you hear the same gains that I'm hearing with my Thingee/PS Audio DLIII with spdif over USB straight into my DAC!

 

[leeperry]

the real question is whether it's filled w/ gooey stuff for mass dampening or because they're ashamed of the $2 16/48 max PCM2704 IC being used

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

the real question is whether it's filled w/ gooey stuff for mass dampening or because they're ashamed of the $2 16/48 max PCM2704 IC being used

Regardless....the rule of thumb "if it sounds good it is good" very much holds. And the improvement for me over standard USB is quite clear. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the many M2 owners who have sold theirs off.

 

[leeperry]

 

 
Regardless....the rule of thumb "if it sounds good it is good" very much holds. And the improvement for me over standard USB is quite clear.

 
I find it astounding that anyone would spend $180 on this +3yo obsolete 16/48 transport when there's MANY more capable transports within this price range. It's obviously using PCM2704, that was good 3 years ago indeed.
 
It's like someone buying an Audigy II for a soundcard in 2010...technology does evolve, especially in the computer world

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
 
I find it astounding that anyone would spend $180 on this +3yo obsolete 16/48 transport when there's MANY more capable transports within this price range. It's obviously using PCM2704, that was good 3 years ago indeed.
 
It's like someone buying an Audigy II for a soundcard...technology does evolve, especially in the computer world

Regardless....the rule of thumb "if it sounds good it is good" very much holds.

 

[leeperry]

 

Regardless....the rule of thumb "if it sounds good it is good" very much holds.

 
Compared to what? You know as much as I do that the best is the enemy of the better. Regardless, I didn't mean to threadcrap, but I'm quite sure that an Hiface/Bravo/TeraX2 would kill this +3yo thing. PCM2704 isn't the best sounding chip in many ppl's experience.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
 
Compared to what? You know as much as I do that the best is the enemy of the better. Regardless, I didn't mean to threadcrap, but I'm quite sure that an Hiface/Bravo/TeraX2 would kill this +3yo thing. PCM2704 isn't the best sounding chip in many ppl's experience.

Have you heard it?
 
Define "kill"? Aren't we bit of a "chip snob"? (BTW...the chip specs aren't given...so did you crack one open or are you guessing what's in there?)
 
BTW...a couple friends (upstateguy and baka1969) does (or did) own both the Hiface (which they absolutely detested) and the Thingee (owned by upstateguy) and swears by it...so again, have you heard it?

 

[leeperry]

 

Aren't we bit of a "chip snob"? (BTW...the chip specs aren't given...so did you crack one open or are you guessing what's in there?)

Oh, hehe.....all I was saying is for the same price you can get much more capable chips than PCM2704. Nothing less, if it sounds good it's great then

 
Except if they made their own custom firmware for the TAS chip, it's got to be using a PCM270x chip(as that's pretty much the only USB chip available back then)....and if they did, they'd boast about it instead of hiding the board in gooey