|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
73.34.178.186
In Reply to: RE: USB vs S/PDIF posted by beppe61 on October 08, 2016 at 09:03:58
Hi bg,
Thanks for the information. I have the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus.
"i like the usb to spdif converter approach a lot."
So this is something I've been very curious about, as it would be the next logical upgrade to my system. However, I don't feel I have a complete picture/grasp of the USB converter topic/debate. My concern is that my DAC is already performing the cleanup operations that a USB to S/PDIF converter would perform, thus the pricey USB to S/PDIF converter would be redundant in my system. Any insights here from the Asylum community would be greatly appreciated.
Follow Ups:
Hi !
a lot depends on the execution quality of the usb input on your Cambridge dac.
Many people using usb to spdif converters have dacs with usb input.
This would be redundant but if they use them i guess they perceive an improvement with the converter in the chain.
You will never know unless you try.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 10/09/16
Duster and bg,
Thank you for the information. Still chewing on it.
This is my take on the matter. Other than Apple's built-in S/PDIF digital optical output, a Toslink output jack is not a common thing for PCs, so the use of a USB port is the only option for digital audio output in that case. Using a USB to S/PDIF converter still involves a USB port, so it's questionable if that approach is even possible to be superior vs. a USB to USB interface, whether asynchronous or not. I can understand how attractive it is for audiophiles to travel down the rabbit hole of USB when it can offer higher resolution playback vs. S/PDIF, but a listener must ask themselves how important it is to use a noisy USB port originally intended for computer peripherals rather than high-performance audiophile applications. The decision is not difficult when you consider the previous audiophile matter of Red Book CD vs. SACD. Just how important SACD vs. 44.1/16 Red Book CD was/is to a listener can be a good analogy in this case.
Prior to the onrush of the popularity of computer audio servers, configuring a high-performance Red Book CD digital front end was my only interest when it came to any digital audio application. SACD was never an interest of mine, but I fully understood why other listeners took it so seriously, and that perspective still continues in the realm of computer audio servers. So if hi-rez digital audio is a key factor, USB is the only way forward at this time. Compromise is a common thing in the audiophile world, and in this case, a compromised USB port vs. a lower resolution S/PDIF digital optical output are the only computer audio options, at this time.
From my perspective, even though it can be of great convenience, a computer is a necessary evil for audio purposes, not unlike how I considered digital CDs vs. vinyl albums back in the days when I refused to switch to digital audio vs. an old-school phono set-up. It wasn't until vinyl records became more and more awful sounding due to digital masters not transferring well to vinyl made me concede to even buying a CD player years after its introduction to the audio marketplace. Fortunately, digital audio is far more acceptable to my ear after many years of development, but I still have greater fondness towards the golden years of vinyl vs. digital audio in any form, but there's no going back now that the cat is out of the bag.
In a nutshell, while my attitude and approach is against the prevailing trends, I simply want a Red Book quality digital signal to exit my computer as straightforward as possible via S/PDIF digital optical, then optimize the Toslink interface by the use of a Monarchy Audio DIP (Digital Interface Processor) for jitter reduction and then conversion to an S/PDIF digital coaxial interface, or AES/EBU digital interface, which can be used with any DAC that features the corresponding digital input jacks. Other than an effective power line conditioner, an audiophile-quality power cord for my iMac computer, and a Lifatec Silflex glass Toslink cable, I pay much more attention to what happens to the audio signal after it leaves a computer than potential audiophile benefits of hi-rez audio via USB.
Hi !
almost all decent usb to spdif converters do not rely on noisy pc usb power to function. This should be a basic requirements for a converter.
However for the ones that do not have a dc socket you can use a usb power supply like the one i have from Teradak (see link).
And the very best ones provide even complete galvanic isolation from the pc. A very nice thing to have.
I have converters from Gustard and Melodious and using the AES/EBU outs i am quite pleased with both.
The nice thing is that changing pc upstream from a powerful tower to a very cheap laptop (all with Win 7) has no impact on the sound.
The sound is always very very similar.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 10/09/16 10/09/16 10/09/16
beppe61,
Your perspective regarding an external PSU for a USB interface is well-taken. Based on my experience, the USB DC power output sounds no better than a cheap 5V switch-mode wall wart. The next step up was a basic 5V regulated linear wall wart, while an audiophile-quality PSU made the most difference for the better. I'm also interested in the tendency of USB digital signal output quality in itself when compared to other digital interface formats, regardless of USB power supply configurations.
Hi !
thanks for confirming my sensations about the importance of a good quality (i.e. not noisy) psu.
The usb to spdif converter has, among other things, also the duty to set the clock for the dac downstream. The better the power supply to the clock the better its stability i understand.
I remember that in many cd players one common mod was a better regulator stage for the clock circuit.
Unfortunately i do not have a very high quality converter and neither a high resolving system because i would like to verify one point.
I think that if the converter is very high quality, the resulting sound quality should be quite independent from the actual pc used as a source.
Another idea would be to try to test the digital signal out of the converter with some instruments.
But i have no idea how to do it. I think that with the right test signals something could show up.
Maybe there is out there a converter particularly well built and not very expensive.
One of the best instead is The Berkeley Audio Usb alpha.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 10/11/16 10/11/16 10/11/16
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: