[jlbrach]

freud???

 

[Sonic77]

freud???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud

 

[jlbrach]

I certainly know who that is lol I just didn’t see the relevance

 

[Triode User]

I assumed he meant fraud.

 

[miketlse]

deleted

 

[SuperBurrito]

I'm really enjoying my Dave. My current digital source is my PC (USB and JRiver).

I'm thinking my source may be a weak link. Any thoughts on what the ideal source would be, e.g. Roon with a NAS and a renderer, Roon with a standalone music server, or something else?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ray-dude]

I'm really enjoying my Dave. My current digital source is my PC (USB and JRiver).

I'm thinking my source may be a weak link. Any thoughts on what the ideal source would be, e.g. Roon with a NAS and a renderer, Roon with a standalone music server, or something else?

Thanks in advance.

Congratulations!

When I first got my DAVE, first thing I did was implement Roon, and I absolutely love it (I have a hybrid of local content and TIDAL). Before the DAVE, I had my Mac Mini home server directly connected to my Oppo HA1 DAC in my living room.

What I did is install Roon server on my Mac Mini home server, physically move the Mac Mini to my closet (where my cable modem comes into the house...I connected the Mac Mini via ethernet), and purchased a Sonicorbiter SE as a Roon Bridge that I connected to the DAVE via USB.

Separately, I bought a RasberryPi for my office and installed DietPi and RoonBridge on that, and another RaspberryPi with an amp from HiFiberry that I connected to my patio speakers.

I now run Roon local on my laptop and on my Mac Mini server at home, and have Roon Endpoints on all my audio systems. Fantastically convenient.

As to quality, I have seen significant issues with different USB cables connecting the Sonicorbiter SE to my BluDAVE (now tracked down and mostly addressed), but I haven't noticed any notable variance when connected directly to the DAVE.

 

[Jawed]

I'm really enjoying my Dave. My current digital source is my PC (USB and JRiver).

I'm thinking my source may be a weak link.

Does your PC have an optical output? If so, use the optical cable that came in DAVE's box. Make sure that you disconnect all other source inputs from the back of DAVE, so that optical is the only cable connected. See if you like it more than USB...

 

[SuperBurrito]

Does your PC have an optical output? ..... See if you like it more than USB...

Thank you for the suggestion. I really never even considered trying to use the PC's optical output since I thought that USB was considered far superior. Guess i'll have to find a Toslink cable and try it out.

 

[Jawed]

Thank you for the suggestion. I really never even considered trying to use the PC's optical output since I thought that USB was considered far superior. Guess i'll have to find a Toslink cable and try it out.

DAVE's box includes cables, amongst them is an optical cable.

 

[marcmccalmont]

DAVE's box includes cables, amongst them is an optical cable.

Lifatec tos cable is the best I’ve heard and reasonably priced

 

[Paul Bjernklo]

I use canadian Sysconcept which I think is really good and ship to uk with reasonable costs. I have not compared to Lifatec but seem to understand that these 2 are among the best. QED also make a glass one that has great reviews. Have you or anyone else compared any of these as I have not?

 

[Mediahound]

Thank you for the suggestion. I really never even considered trying to use the PC's optical output since I thought that USB was considered far superior. Guess i'll have to find a Toslink cable and try it out.

According to Gordan Rankin (actual inventor of asynchronous USB audio):

"No matter what asynchronous USB is going to be better than most any SPDIF system, especially Toslink."

from: http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/05/gordon-rankin-on-why-usb-audio-quality-varies/#comment-133007

I also think (but am not certain) that USB audio is capable of higher res files than optical, at least on Macs.

 

[rayl]

According to Gordan Rankin (actual inventor of asynchronous USB audio):

"No matter what asynchronous USB is going to be better than most any SPDIF system, especially Toslink."

from: http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/05/gordon-rankin-on-why-usb-audio-quality-varies/#comment-133007

I also think (but am not certain) that USB audio is capable of higher res files than optical, at least on Macs.

It is absolutely true about resolution... that's why BluDAVE requires 2 x SPDIF whereas USB AC 2 can handle 768kHz.

This becomes more of a factor with DSD than PCM....

And on the jitter (optical) vs electrical noise (electrical, be it SPDIF or USB), I guess it depends on quality of your optical output on PC, environment, length, etc -- horses for courses....

 

[Jawed]

Jitter on SPDIF makes no difference to DAVE. So that's not a reason not to use optical.

The sample rate limit of 192KHz is a reason, so if you own music with higher sample rates then you should be using USB (you literally have no choice!).

On the other hand, USB cannot offer perfect galvanic isolation like optical.