[Xozz]

Hey guys,
 
So I've been looking into getting a dac/amp combo and I think I'm pretty much set on either the audio-gd nfb 12 or maverick audio d1. Thing is, I've been doing some reading and ran into a bit of a snag. I saw on one thread here that USB is only capable of 44.1/16 rate instead of  96/24. Is there any truth to that? If it is, thats a problem, because I dont have any other output on my comp other than usb and a mysterious port labeled i394 (kinda looks like an optical out...but no clue). So should I give up at getting 24 bit out of my laptop, or is there something I can do? Thanks.

 

[GreatDane]

Your mystery:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FireWire

 

[JRG1990]

No usb can do 96/24.

 

[MR.X]

Its pretty simple, you need to get a usb/spdif converter and you will be fine. Something like
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J0IIEQ/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk
 
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Advantage-Analog-Digital-Adapter/dp/B0036VO4X4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1291752468&sr=1-1
 
There are lots of these available in all different price ranges

 

[Xozz]

Quote:

Your mystery:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FireWire

aha! thanks


Quote:

Its pretty simple, you need to get a usb/spdif converter and you will be fine. Something like
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J0IIEQ/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk
 
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Advantage-Analog-Digital-Adapter/dp/B0036VO4X4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1291752468&sr=1-1
 
There are lots of these available in all different price ranges

ok great...but I don't understand how that works exactly, seeing as the audio is still originally coming out of the usb. Sorry, I know I sound stupid, but I don't see how and adapter can up the sample rate. Also, if I buy one of those converters, would the other end plug into the DAC, or would I need yet another cable? thanks for the help

 

[ardgedee]

24/96 can be carried over USB 1.1, USB 2 and later. The key problem right now is that there still aren't many USB-based DACs that use 24/96-capable receiving chips without downsampling. So the problem is not whether your computer has high-res audio files, and the problem is not in using USB, the problem is in finding a DAC that doesn't downsample its USB data input.
 
A USB->SPDIF converter that's fully 24/96 capable can be used to take up this slack: Since many DACs support 24/96 through their non-USB connections, putting the converter between your computer and the DAC can increase the odds that the high-quality data stream can be converted to audio signal without downsampling.
 
Keep your music collection in mind, too. If you don't currently have any high-bitrate audio files (eg, everything's CD quality or worse), and don't plan on getting any soon, these concerns don't matter.
 

 

[Xozz]

Oh I see, thats what I originally thought. So the nfb-12 I'm looking at which states it has a 96/24 usb input SHOULD work fine through my normal usb port, correct?

 

[ardgedee]

That depends on the DAC. Many of them (for example, the Maverick Audio D1) can receive a 24/96 signal over USB but internally downsamples it to 16/48 before converting it into an analog signal.
 
This means that being capable of recieving 24/96 is not the same thing as being capable of converting a 24/96 data stream into analog: There's something in between degrading the data stream.

 

[Xozz]

hmm...ok I'll have to look into it. Everything I see about the nfb-12 seems to indicate that it doesn't downsample, but I'll have to do some more research. Thanks for the advice
 
 
Edit: Just talked to kingwa over at audio-gd and he says the nfb-12 usb is capable of true 96/24. Just if anyones interested.