[DaveBSC]

I meant that BNC is easier to implement and more practical than AES/EBU. I'm not sure how close the standard XLR connector can get to 110 Ohm, but I doubt it does a better job than BNC. Most high-end DACs have RCA and AES/EBU digital inputs, yet leave out BNC. Toslink is always there though, even though its pretty much useless in truly high-end applications.
 
What would really be nice is if everybody could agree on an I2S standard. No more DINs, RJ-45s, HDMI, etc. Just pick one already and stick to it.

 

[ROBSCIX]

That unit you posted seems great but it is way out of the price range of the HiFace.

 

[regal]

And I wouldn't trade a battery powered hiface for one either.
 
I'll be back on Monday with pics of the finished mod.
 
 
Hopefully that troll sniper will be gone by then, sounds like he targeting everyone who posts,  be careful out there.
 
 
Quote:

That unit you posted seems great but it is way out of the price range of the HiFace.

 

[ROBSCIX]

 
Quote:

And I wouldn't trade a battery powered hiface for one either.
 
I'll be back on Monday with pics of the finished mod.
 
 
Hopefully that troll sniper will be gone by then, sounds like he targeting everyone who posts,  be careful out there.
 
 

 

Hopefully I will be able to test out a battery powered unit myself very soon.  Hopefully it is as good as everybody suggests.
I learned along time to put negative -trolling people on ignore...it makes the forums so much better.
Pretty bad that a few of us cannot have a conversation without some jerk coming in and telling us we shouldn't be talking about those topics!
Large threads are always circular and topics come up again and again.
 

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

That unit you posted seems great but it is way out of the price range of the HiFace.

Yeah, it probably sounds better than the standard Hiface, but I really doubt its a match for the battery mod. Definitely not worth the money they are charging, and the Hiface EVO walks all over it in terms of capabilities.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Yeah, it probably sounds better than the standard Hiface, but I really doubt its a match for the battery mod. Definitely not worth the money they are charging, and the Hiface EVO walks all over it in terms of capabilities.

If you look around there are some very expensive S/Pdif sources out there.  Many suggest that for the price the Hiface can hang with most of these higher priced units.  However, it is hard to say without actually doing the comparisons.
 

 

[Rudivanb]

Quote:

Those are a bit better looking for quality.  Thanks for the link.
I still may just make a small adapter for fun but buy one also.

A while ago I promised to experiment and compare between these connections:
1. USB port -> USB cable -> USB hub (ext. powered) -> hiFace -> BNC male/male adapter -> DAC
or
2. USB port -> USB male/male adapter -> ext. powered USB hub -> hiFace -> BNC coax cable -> DAC
Took me a while, but now I have Oyaide DB-510 BNC S/PDIF 1,3 meter and an USB Wireworld Starlight cable of 0,9 meter both burned in.
I realize there are two factors in this comparison, the different cables and way of connecting.
So which sounds better? Well at least it sounds different. Here are my two pennies worth:
 
Connection 2. with the S/PDIF cable sounds warmer, more natural, conveying the emotion far better, where as
1. with the USB cable in between sounds more hi-fi, more hiss and some details jumped up more.
Will repeat this comparison later to see if I hear and feel the same, I am also curious what some friends of me have to say when they will hear it.

 

[dburna]

Funny you should mention this, Rudivanb.  I just undertook a similar experiment today:
 
Config #1: HiFace S/PDIF -> Stealth Varidig digital (S/PDIF) cable -> AudioSector S/PDIF DAC
 
Config #2: Crap-ass (Ativa) USB extender cable (male-to-female) -> HiFace S/PDIF -> RCA male-to-male adapter -> AudioSector S/PDIF DAC
 
Configuration #1 won out for me.  It was a little warmer, but the bigger problem was that the soundstage shrunk a good deal in Config #2.  It was pretty flat and uninvolving emotionally. 
 
Admittedly, it was a quick listen, and the Ativa USB extender cable was not broken in (everything else was).  I think it would be worthwhile to repeat this experiment in a little more detail once I get a somewhat better USB extender cable.  From what I had heard around the water cooler, a short S/PDIF should be better.  Also, the USB cable should be more immune to reflections than the S/PDIF.  Anyway, that was the theory I was testing, but initial results did not bear this out.
 
Any ideas from other Head-Fi'ers about whether they have tried a similar experiment (and what results you got)?
 
Thanks in advance,  -dB

 

[xdanny]

@dburna;
 
I'll be doing a lot of tests in the next few days, when my bnc cable arrives. 
 
So, in config #1 you had the hiFace plugged directly into the pc whereas in Config #2 you used an extension usb cable and had the hiFace plugged into your dac via an adapter.  Am I understanding this correctly?
 

 

[dburna]

Correct, XDanny, with one modification.  I use a MacBook, so I had the HiFace plugged into the MacBook in the first configuration, and in the second it was a USB extender cable (hard to find higher-end USB extender cables) -> HiFace -> male-to-male RCA adapter -> DAC.
 
Will be very interested to hear what you find.  I am going to try a somewhat better (Belkin) USB extender cable and run this experiment again.
 
Regards,  -dB

 

[FauDrei]

Might be wrong, but I suppose the 2nd config sounded crap because of impedance mismatch caused by RCA to RCA adapter. Impedance mismatch on such short length (and with hiFace's 5x higher than rated signal) must have caused havoc of reflections...
 
Better on such "direct mechanical connection" would be 75Ω BNC male to BNC male adapter (better impedance match = fewer reflections) with 6-10dB 75Ω BNC attenuator (as per previous suggestions - hiFace SPDIF signal closer to prescribed values and faster "dying" reflections of lower amplitude).
 
IMO, the advantages of better USB cable in same "direct" RCA to RCA hiFace connection would be minimal, if any.
 
But let's see what will you find out...

 

[DaveBSC]

 
Quote:

Better on such "direct mechanical connection" would be 75Ω BNC male to BNC male adapter (better impedance match = fewer reflections) with 6-10dB 75Ω BNC attenuator (as per previous suggestions - hiFace SPDIF signal closer to prescribed values and faster "dying" reflections of lower amplitude).
 
IMO, the advantages of better USB cable in same "direct" RCA to RCA hiFace connection would be minimal, if any.
 
But let's see what will you find out...

 
I'd be curious about a direct BNC connection and USB extender vs. a S/Pdif cable with BNC as well. The Vardig is one of the best digitals out there, only the Sextet and a few other ultra pricey cables are better. I'm sure it's much better at getting near 75 Ohms than a basic RCA M-to-M.
 

 

[dburna]

Agreed with the previous couple of posters.  The RCA male-to-male is a bargain cheapie from Radio Shack.  It's just a stub, but who knows if it meets any sort of decent specs at all.  The USB extender was likewise the only one I could find in several stores -- finally had to resort to getting it from Office Depot (horrors!!).
 
If all this sounds less-than-rigorous, it is.  Unfortunately, due to being downsized a couple months back, I wasn't going to commit to making this a pricey test -- I had to do this on-the-cheap.  And yes, the Varidig is pretty special as digital cables go.  According to Sergei, it's supposed to measure out at a true 75 ohms (believe that if you want to, but it might be close).  Since my DAC doesn't have a BNC, I didn't have that as a option for the HiFace.
 
When things turn around, I may be looking to upgrade my AudioSector DAC, but I'll probably look at the Audio-gd DAC19, so even then....no BNC.
 
Anyway, I was hoping vaguely that I would learn something conclusive from this test, but alas it was not to be.  Those that know better than I (and whose judgment I trust) seem to feel that the USB cable will not make too much difference across an asynch. USB interface, so you are probably right that a better USB cable will not improve the situation appreciably.  If so, the only way to better this test would be to find a better male-to-male RCA adapter....but where?
 
Thanks to everyone who contributes their knowledge to this forum and this thread in particular.  I learn so much from reading your posts.
 
Best,
 
-dB (a unit measure of noise)

 

[Pacha]

If you want BNC on the DAC19 just ask Kingwa to replace the RCA input with a BNC one and he'll do it for you.

 
Quote:

When things turn around, I may be looking to upgrade my AudioSector DAC, but I'll probably look at the Audio-gd DAC19, so even then....no BNC.


 

 

[ccschua]

hi regal, awaiting your pictures of the hiface mod. wonder if u had located a new ground instead of the one at the usb. Is it right to say the coaxial cable is grounded at the dac and so that ground is the better ground for the clock ?