Laptop > ? > DAC = which would you go for?

[Loftprojection]

Hey, I've got a laptop and I just ordered myself a DAC that can take only digital signal (optical or RCA/BNC).

So now I need to pass the signal from the laptop to the DAC, here are the solutions I'm looking at. Which would you choose or do you have other suggestions? My one and only goal is sound quality, ideally less then $300 but will look at other solutions if it provides ultimate SQ. If you've already tried a few of those options, which was nicer?

- HagUSB
- M-Audio Transit
- Squeezebox
- Airport Express

Thanks for your help.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Transit is probably the smartest buy, plus it's fairly small and powered of USB port, no exta wires to tangle with. 24/96 support is a plus as you can do software upsampling in foobar to help DAC filter a bit.

 

[Loftprojection]

Thanks Andrew. Well actually I also found another option, the PCMCIA Audigy card has an optical output so as far as convenience goes, this would be the best option of them all. However, sound quality is what is important so I have to continue the research, I don't want to get a card that will provide poor quality.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

If it does bit-berfect digital output, the quality of its internal DAC should not matter as you are using external one.
PCMCI though is not that versatile as you cannot use it with the desktop. (reason I sold Indigo DJ). Not sure how good it is jitter wise, might be actually better than USB. Probably someone else will chime in on that.
Are you getting Zhaolu?

That's next on my list when they start shipping one with BB1794 DAC.

 

[Loftprojection]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT If it does bit-berfect digital output, the quality of its internal DAC should not matter as you are using external one. PCMCI though is not that versatile as you cannot use it with the desktop. (reason I sold Indigo DJ). Not sure how good it is jitter wise, might be actually better than USB. Probably someone else will chime in on that. Are you getting Zhaolu? That's next on my list when they start shipping one with BB1794 DAC.

No, I just bought a MHDT Paradisea on ebay!

I already have a very good CDP (Arcam CD23T) so I wanted to try out a NOS DAC and after much reading I decided that the TDA1545 chip was more to my taste then TDA1543 based DAC and I also love tube sound so the Paradisea fits the bill perfectly. The only problem is that it accepts optical or RCA/BNC but not USB and I don't have anything to output digital from my laptop at the moment...

So yes, I don't plan on using the Audigy's DAC, just it's digital out. The only thing I have to figure out for now is which of these solutions is the most "bit perfect". Unfortunately with this sport of ours, nothing is ever perfect, not even ones and zeros! Thanks for your help and comments Andrew.

 

[ComfyCan]

What we need is some one with time , money, and knowledge to do side by side comparisons of these various solutions with common DAC's. There is a lot of information on the different tools to get optical out, but not much in the way of comparison testing.

I'm leaning toward the M-Audio transit, but the Hag seems to have a smaller, but very loyal following. The Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro is also tempting because it's so tiny. Then, there's the M-Audio Audiophile USB, which is overkill just to get digital-out, but has a separate power supply. That is marketed as a good thing, but does it really matter? I haven't a clue.

The good news is that most of these are not expensive, relatively speaking, and resale is always possible.

 

[Loftprojection]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComfyCan What we need is some one with time , money, and knowledge to do side by side comparisons of these various solutions with common DAC's. There is a lot of information on the different tools to get optical out, but not much in the way of comparison testing. I'm leaning toward the M-Audio transit, but the Hag seems to have a smaller, but very loyal following. The Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro is also tempting because it's so tiny...

Yes that's the perfect idea, you want to be the guinea pig?

There is all sorts of good/bad feedback on each of these low cost options but not many seem to have really a/b tested more than one or two. Personally I'm leaning right now to the PCMCIA Audigy but I have to find a store where I can plug it in before buying or be able to return it if I can't configure it to output 44khz. If the Audigy does not work then I'd fall to the HagUSB. Those are the most convenient but I would not be surprised if the Squeezebox and AirportExpress have an even better "digital bit perfect" performance.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Keep in mind that HagUSB is coaxial not optical SPDIF.
Coaxial might not be a the best choice for computer to DAC wiring as it transfers all that electrical noises and creates ground loop. With optical you are free of all these issues.
But based on reviews it sounds like a hell of a device for the money.

 

[ComfyCan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT Keep in mind that HagUSB is coaxial not optical SPDIF. Coaxial might not be a the best choice for computer to DAC wiring as it transfers all that electrical noises and creates ground loop. With optical you are free of all these issues. But based on reviews it sounds like a hell of a device for the money.

Yet another thing I didn't know; it happens every time there is a discussion of getting digital out of a pc. It drives me nuts, but it is also fascinating. I need a book or something to learn this stuff.

Re: Guinea Pig Option from Lofton's post:
Sadly, I am lacking in all 3 requirements (time, money, knowledge), but I tend to compensate for that via obsession. Therefore, while I don't want to be the guy who buys all of these toys and compares them, don't be too surprised if over time I wind up doing just that. If I do, I'll certainly share what I hear.

The quest for audio Shangrala continues...

 

[Loftprojection]

Hey guys, I'm picking up the pcmcia Audigy tonight. I should get my Paradisea DAC tomorrow so this weekend I'll let you know how it goes.

Any of you know how long an optical you can have before have sound degradation? I'd like to go about 10-12 feet.

 

[pingalep]

what about this?
http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...ADME:B:SS:IT:1

 

[Loftprojection]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pingalep what about this? http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...ADME:B:SS:IT:1

Hum, interesting. Basically it's like the HagUSB but looks really well made and very cheap. It's also like a Transit but without all the useless functionality that the Transit has. They don't seem to ship to North America though.

 

[pingalep]

the hag-usb has also an headphone out, that is absent on the item i've linked. there is a www address on the little box, do you know that site?

 

[jim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT Keep in mind that HagUSB is coaxial not optical SPDIF. Coaxial might not be a the best choice for computer to DAC wiring as it transfers all that electrical noises and creates ground loop. With optical you are free of all these issues. But based on reviews it sounds like a hell of a device for the money.

Actually, the SPDIF output on the Hagusb is isolated with a transformer, so the ground loop issues are minimized/eliminated, I think.

I haven't gotten around to buying a dac for it yet (I'm waiting until I get my Shure e500 before I make anymore audio purchases), but eventually I'd probably be able to do a shootout between my hagusb, emu 1616m, and squeezebox.

I've been using the hag for it's headphone output at work; it's actually pretty decent with my ER4S, which is sort of a bonus to me while I hold out for a proper dac. It's not as good as the 1616m output I use for my limited headphone listening at home these days, but it's relieved me of the cacophony that spewed out the headphone jack on the dell minidock.

 

[uzziah]

optoplay audiotrak (am i saying that right?) has bit-perfect optical via usb for $40 i believe