Dacs

[savvypaul]

Problem with USB sudio is that the datastream is prone to jitter and a lack of timing synch. Reclockers / regenerators help a lot and quality cabling does make a difference.
Also the USB bus in a PC is electronically noisy and often busy performing several tasks together.

There's a lot of debate about whether reclockers are necessary when a DAC's USB input is well designed.

There's also a school of thought that the clock should be as close to the dac chip as possible (i.e. the clock should not be external to the dac).

As always, trust your ears.

[slinger]

Paul has it right, obviously - - As always, trust your ears.

You'll probably find an equal amount of recommendations for S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) and optical (not an acronym) on t'internet. As Fretless said "the USB bus in a PC is electronically noisy" and that was even more true when people first started using the Raspberry Pi for streaming, because not only was the USB noisy to start with, it had the 5v supply running through it too. It was only with the ASUS Tinker Board, and the Pi Model 4, which both separated the power and signal paths via USB, that it became useable, and I have to say, pretty good, which is why I use it.

Once "acceptable" USB outputs proliferated so did USB inputs on DACs, with XMOS XU208 and Amanero USB being the front-runners the last time I looked. The DAC I bought (a Chinese Topping D70 clone) and many current models on AliExpress, offered a choice between the two types and they are modular in that respect, in that both USB input types are on a separate card/PCB which simply plugs into the DAC's mainboard. Fortuitously, although I bought it pre Pi 4/ATB days, I decided to fork out the extra twenty-odd quid (I chose the XMOS option as at the time it had fewer compatibility problems) just for the sake of completeness. A good decision for once.

The specs given for the inputs on my DAC were...

Coaxial Supports up to 32bit 192khz
Optical supports up to 192khz
USB support up to 32bit 384k

[Fretless]

Looks like there is no definite answer to this one as it is all dependent upon what you use and what you expect.

My Metrum Musette doesn't sound too great on USB either.

But plenty of room to play about and try things until you're happy.

[savvypaul]

Looks like there is no definite answer to this one as it is all dependent upon what you use and what you expect.

My Metrum Musette doesn't sound too great on USB either.

Which they fixed with The Amethyst...

[antonio66]

One question, on a pc should you have the volume set to the max, 100, or turn that down and turn the volume up more on the amp?

[montechristo358]

if its a digital volume control, set to max and modulate with your amp

[savvypaul]

if its a digital volume control, set to max and modulate with your amp

I tend to agree...but worth trying both. If you don't hear any difference then go with what is most convenient for you.

[Fretless]

There are USB DACs like the AQ Dragonfly that have internal volume control, adjustable via the host computer. This is not the same as a media-player programme that uses software to alter the volume of the outgoing signal.

Again, as Savvy says, try the options and see what sounds best to you.

Another note on USB via SPDIF is that if you want to play Hi-res files like DSD or MQA you will need USB as coax SPDIF connections usually max out at 24bit / 192KHz (96KHz for Toslink)

[Lindsayt]

A question I have on DAC's is that I'm sure I've read somewhere, someone reporting that USB is not the best connection for sound quality.

If that's the case what is the best connection? Or a better connection?

Looks like there is no definite answer to this one as it is all dependent upon what you use and what you expect.

My Metrum Musette doesn't sound too great on USB either.

But plenty of room to play about and try things until you're happy.

It depends on the the implementation. In my experience, Coaxial, Toslink and USB can all sound excellent...and can all sound bad.

As an example, when I listened to a Cambridge DAC via USB, I thought it sounded poor. When I listened to the same DAC, in the same system, via Coaxial, a few minutes later, I thought it sounded decent. But, it was the opposite way round with the Chord DAC that I owned.

Thanks for that.

It seems bonkers that sometimes USB is better, sometimes toslink etc.

It's like the DAC manufacturers don't entirely know what they are doing. And they just chuck together these DAC's withour really understanding what it takes to get the best sound out of each type of input.

You'd have thought that by now they'd copy the best USB input section and the best Toslink input section from other manufacturers...

[slinger]

I think some of it may simply be down to synergy, Lindsay. Some things work better with some other things, some don't, and that includes the cabling too. Something you own might sound the mutt's nuts in your system, and crap in your mate's system; same principle.