[dmoffitt]

I've been researching a number of external cards, I've got a huge music library on an external FW drive, all AIFF / raw cd tracks, and I'm connecting to a fairly high-end D/A (Musical Fidelity TriVista DAC 21, approx $2400 retail) and thru that to a Mu-Fi X-Can powering some Grados (currently, a pair of 225s that I gave to my roommate but am borrowing again, but I work at a place that stocks Grado so I've toyed with going up to some of the 'big guns'). Setting aside which headphones I ultimately choose, lets talk source / transport briefly.

What are good external devices that have a good quality optical or worst case digi-coax on them? I'd also like one with good fixed/line level outputs in case I choose to put my DAC back into my main rig in the livingroom... I was sorely disappointed with the Transit from M-Audio, which makes me a bit wary of the Firewire Audiophile if it uses the same or similar drivers. Right now I'm looking at the M-Box from DigiDesign / ProTools, the Edirol products from Roland, still (re)considering M-Audio, any others? I think I'd prefer a bus-powered device as then I can use an optical cable so there is zero electrical coupling between the computer and the DAC.

Damnit, if only the powerbook had an optical in/out on it like my G5 did...