[roosta]

ZERO DAC w/USB-optical out

hi there. ive been looking for a DAC + AMP for my ultrasone 780's and the ZERO seems to be pretty well loved here. only problem is my laptop doesnt have an optical out. i then found the above auction that advertises a USB to optical link so that i could use the ZERO DAC through USB.

is this convertor worth while or will it degrade the quality and make the ZERO pretty pointless?


how does the ZERO compare to the iBasso D10 and D3 as a DAC + AMP for my laptop? (through USB)


thanks guys.

 

[voxdei_aer]

I would also like to know about this as I am in the same predicament. Thanks.

 

[deaconblues]

That USB device with optical output will essentially be an external soundcard. It's not really gonna add another link to the chain, because your built-in sound circuitry will be bypassed completely. You'll probably be limited to 44.1khz or 48khz output with a USB device though.

One big advantage of using an optical interface is that your amp and dac will be electrically isolated from the laptop. This can reduce or completely get rid of the annoying noises the laptop power supply dumps into the ground cable without having to resort to a dangerous "cheater" plug.

 

[roosta]

so it will remain bit perfect? SCORE!!

 

[gregorio]

I was a bit confused by these two apparently conflicting specifications?

Signal to noise ratio : 105dB Dynamic range: 117dB

You realise, even if the higher figure of 117dB is accurate, that this isn't a true 24bit DAC, it's only about 18-19bit at most.

G