[chesebert]

I have a Schiit Bifrost 2 on the way and I'm trying to read up on what makes its new Unison USB interface so popular. Apart from Schiit's own description on what it actually is I'm having a hard time seeing what makes people so excited for it.

So per their description it's an in-house implementation tailored specifically for delivering PCM and provides electromagnetic isolation. The creators claim it's better than spdif. I guess my question really is, how can a different USB interface provide better quality sound? In my mind it's an interface for delivering bits, 1s and 0s, which may or may not have error correction to a source that then translates it to sound. Regardless of how the interface is implemented the bits coming in should always be the same right? Especially given that it's the same interface used for delivering data in computers where a single bit of difference corrupts the whole file.

Did you figure this out? I am guessing better analog design and careful clock and noise control.

 

[AudioEarthling]

@gregorio fair and well argumented answer! What is your current and/or favourite Audio DAC?
Im still hesitating what DAC to buy for my PC. I am looking for something for my desktop to connect a headphone amp to via XLR balanced connections.

 

[gregorio]

[1] What is your current and/or favourite Audio DAC?
[2] Im still hesitating what DAC to buy for my PC. I am looking for something for my desktop to connect a headphone amp to via XLR balanced connections.

1. My current/favourite/most used DAC won't help you much, it's a pro audio ADC/DAC made by Avid for studio work. I use it 8-10 hours a day but it has 16 ins/outs and other features that aren't relevant for you. Outside of work, I have an Apple dongle which I use occasionally, just use the built-in DAC of my laptop and don't currently use a standalone DAC, although I've had several in the past.

2. Personally, I'd look at one of the decent pro-sumer ADCs/DACs you can get for around $100 or so, such as the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or Behringer UMC 204HD, because they're audibly transparent. If you go down the audiophile route, you'll generally pay more for the same or worse performance. Paying a lot more can get you performance improvements, although they'll be inaudible. So if you're into great but inaudible specs on paper and want to pay around $400, the Topping D30Pro would appear to be a good option.

G

 

[castleofargh]

Those ADCs/DACs/headphone amps are what most poor artists use.
Poor artists are most artists.
Therefore those devices give the sound that the artist heard(the audiophile dream), and a cheap horse is expensive.