[Katrar]

Hi all,
 
I'm hoping your collective expertise can help me with my first big Head-Fi decision: to go USB or Toslink from PC (an ALC 1150) to DAC?
 
First I should mention that my anticipated chain will be PC -> DAC -> Amp -> HD 650s. The Senns are on the way, everything else is still up in the air. Second, I should mention that I already have a hand-me-down Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2... I am really unsure whether or not I should stop there and simply move on to the amp, or if I should consider an alternative connection to my PC.
 
From what I generally understand, Toslink with a good cable (to minimize jitter) is generally - albeit slightly - superior to USB. I can see how that would be the case, I'm just not sure how much extra I would need to spend to outperform the Dragonfly. If I'd need to spend $300-400 in order to get a tiny advantage, it probably would not be worth it. $150 for some concrete advantage, I think I could work with that...
 
Thanks for any thoughts or insight. =)
 
-Katrar

 

[PurpleAngel]

My two cents.
For now just keep using the DragonFly as a DAC and buy an external headphone amplifier to drive the 300-Ohm HD650.
The DragonFly's USB connection does Asynchronous Transfer, which Toslink lacks.

 

[MindsMirror]

The only appreciable difference is that USB will completely bypass your on-board sound device. So if your Realtek chip does any digital processing that you still want to use, go with a Toslink connection. Otherwise, it all comes down to the DAC. Don't spend extra money on a DAC because it uses S/PDIF instead of USB, or on a fancy USB or Toslink cable, there's no advantage to be had.
 
I've read that the ALC1150 is a respectable DAC. You could use it or your Dragonfly and just get an amp for now, with the option of a DAC upgrade after you've heard what you have if you still feel it's necessary. If your DAC is already decent, you usually need to spend significantly more to get much improvement.

 

[Katrar]

Solid advice and I agree, it's probably smartest - especially from a $$$ perspective - to give the both the Dragonfly and the 1150 a fair shot. It also means I get to move on to the fun part... determining which amp will eventually sit here next to me. =)
 
Thanks.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Solid advice and I agree, it's probably smartest - especially from a $$$ perspective - to give the both the Dragonfly and the 1150 a fair shot. It also means I get to move on to the fun part... determining which amp will eventually sit here next to me. =).

 
Might consider reading up and asking here about what amplifiers work best with the HD650.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/197776/sennheiser-hd650-impressions-thread

 

[Katrar]

Will do, thanks PurpleAngel.