Schiit Eitr vs Berkeley Audio Alpha USB?

[Marcofrancesco]

Hello. I would like to know if anyone has ever had the chance to compare The Berkeley Audio Alpha USB digital interface with the Schiit Eitr and which of the two is the best.

Thank you

 

[Zenvota]

The Alpha USB for sure, better clocks, isolation, better psu.

What DAC are you using?

My chain is an uptone iso regen and the built in amanero usb to i2s board in my dac, which is usb powered with isolation on the i2s side, and both the iso regen and usb to i2s board are powered by an uptone ultracap lps.

 

[Marcofrancesco]

Thanks.

I’m using Bryston BDA1 with fully discrete output stage.

 

[Zenvota]

Whats your source? You may want to consider just using an uptone ISO Regen and use the bda1s usb interface if using a pc. Otherwise, some other usb interfaces include the Gustard U16 and Singxer SU1, I'd recommend those and the alpha usb over the eitr.

 

[Marcofrancesco]

Right now I have e raspberry pi 3b + Allo DigiOne I2S > SPDIF converter

However I need another converter to Use the usb output of my notebook pc. Because of its fuller sound

I can’t use the usb input of the bryston because it’s limited to 16-44

 

[Zenvota]

Ah k, I m gonna suggest the Singxer SU-1, only a bit more than the Eitr and quite a bit less than the alpha usb, gives you aes and i2s if you need it in the future. has isolation, nice clocks, and you can convert the power from the builtin unit to use something like an Uptone Ultracap LPS if you want. Might even be able to find used ones with the conversion done and buy a used ultracap lps, total only a bit more than the new su1.

 

[Marcofrancesco]

really ? all those who tried both of them prefer the Eitr over the Singxer

 

[Marcofrancesco]

Maybe through I2S input. But not in SPDIF

 

[Zenvota]

Id say they're pretty close, with the su1 having a bit better sound(the crystek clocks vs some vcxos) and more connection options. The eitr is a great option if you're using coax, not taking anything away from it. The SU1 with an ultracap lps is really great though, isolation and ultracap psus are no joke if you're looking for the best sound for the money, look into putting your bda1 and amp on an isolation transformer like a Topaz since youre looking at ddcs with isolation. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/top...ansformers-for-affordably-clean-power.857448/

 

[gordec]

If you are dropping Berkeley kind of money, I recommend going with the network renderer route like the rendu's or sms200s. I invested heavily on cleaning up USB audio with cables, USB reconditioners, linear power supplies, in the end ethernet just sounds better. It takes a little more setting up, so it creates hesitation, but the end results well worth it.

 

[Marcofrancesco]

If you are dropping Berkeley kind of money, I recommend going with the network renderer route like the rendu's or sms200s. I invested heavily on cleaning up USB audio with cables, USB reconditioners, linear power supplies, in the end ethernet just sounds better. It takes a little more setting up, so it creates hesitation, but the end results well worth it.

I’ll try

At this moment for me it’s the WiFi streaming the best choice.
Better than Ethernet (at least with raspberry pi ).
WiFi steaming is more important than reclocking in my experience.