[WarrenR]

Hi.
 
I would really like to improve on the Mac Mini digital out so I have been drawn to the world of USB-S/PDIF interfaces.  It will be feeding a Dacmagic.
 
First things first I don't have any 24bit 192Khz music, only redbook.  So being able to play high res files is not needed.
 
At first I have settled on the M2 Tech Hiface after reading plenty of good reviews.  But the Head Fi thread about the dongle mentions that the output if very high and can cause a harsh sound with some DAC's.  People have mentioned buying attenuaters to try and combat the problem, which is really starting to get a liitle complex for me.  I just want a basic box that works well.
 
I've also seen the MF V-Link and some people seem to really like it.  But I've read that its not galvanically isolated, which the Hiface claims to be.  How much does galvanic isolation make to the sound?
 
I've also stumble upon the Audio_gd DI.  This seems really interesting and I like Kingwa's philosophy and designs.  Plus it seems vert affordable and in stock   I would probably just go for version B.
 
So I'm at a dilemma.  I'm really unsure which one to go for.
 
What do people think??
 
Cheers.
 
 

 

[yossi126]

Search for slim.a reviews. They are very good and thorough.

As a past owner of the hiface and a current owner of the DI, I can vouch for the di's superiority.

The hiface is exactly as you read, harsh and unnatural.

The V-Link is quite new and doesn't seem to get the rave yet. Probably MF are late on board of this market.

 

[WarrenR]

Thanks for your reply Yossi

 
So you've got a DI.  Do you power it from the USB or mains?  Do you know if it works well with Mac OSX??  When I emailed Edwin at Audio_Gd he wasn't 100% about Mac compatibility.
 
Do you know what sort of jitter reduction the DI will give - the website doesn't give any specs?
 
Edwin has done a invoice for me for a Version B and I'm very tempted to go for it. 
 
Still undecided though.
 
Cheers.

 

[yossi126]

I have the class A psu. Even when usb powered it is very good.
I have no experience with mac.
About jitter, There is a number from which the jitter is "inaudible" and the DI is well below that. What makes it good is exclusively its build quality.

 

[shabta]

Try the V-Link thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/537080/musical-fidelity-v-link-usb-spdif
 
There is some talk about the differences between V-Link and DI.
 
I ordered the V-Link, but it hasn't arrived yet. I didn't like the software solution of the hi-face....

 

[skillianplankm]

I too am interested in comparisons between the V-link and the hiFace.  I currently have the hiFace and am concerned with the dry/harsh/decidedly-not-so-pleasing sound I am hear more often that I want to hear it.  What I would like to ask, if permitted, is a description of the change going from hiFace to V-link (DI).
 
Thank you.

 

[paquiem]

I'm also thinking about buying a USB to spdif converter. I think I'm going to go with the Audiophilleo 1. It is in a different price class but has gotten very good reviews and has a 30-days return policy. I'm also very keen on hearing the artificial jitter feature to really find out what jitter sounds like and what it really does to music reproduction.
 
Just to give you another option if price is not an issue (Audiophilleo 1 about $900 and version 2 about $500).