Computer USB to S/PDIF converters, which one do you use?

Well isn't this always the case until you hear something better? I lived happily with HiFace over a year before I tried other options. V-Link was worse and Digital Interface better. Bel Canto USBLink I actually tried way before HiFace but I couldn't hear any improvement over the internal sound card I then had.

Someone mentioned ESI Juli@ soundcard earlier in the thread. That's the sound card I owned before trying out different USB to S/PDIF converters. I've also owned M-Audio Audiophile 192. Juli@ a good soundcard but HiFace (which was my first USB to S/PDIF converter) crushed it in every area. Overall clearer and more dynamic sound compared to Juli@, probably because of much improved handling of jitter. I heard the same difference when comparing Digital Interface to HiFace, but the difference wasn't as big. 

I would love to move from these converters to real streamers (like NDX or UnitiQute) but my budget doesn't allow it for now. I just asked if my local dealer would have used UnitiQute, let's se what they answer.

Sorry, I haven't read through all the replies here.  I''ll just say that the EVO is very, very good, significantly better than the Hi-Face for not a lot more money.

Patu,

Were you using the DAC in your SuperNait when testing all the converters in your above posts?

Stu

When I compared Digital Interface to V-Link, I already had Naim DAC. HiFace and Digital Interface I compared with SuperNait's integrated DAC. When I tried USBLink I didn't have Naim at all.

Hi Geoff,

I use a BNC Hi-Face bolted onto the back of the Naim Dac with a BNC coupler,

and run a Female to Male USB cable from it to the Mac.

It cuts out the need for a Coax cable.

Stu

Isn't the USB jitter determined by the PC/Mac, and nothing to do with MF?

The only point I was trying to make is that asynchronous USB is no guarantee of quality.

Geoff

IMHO of course - 

Sneaky DS is nowhere near as good as UQ (nor is the Accurate DS I auditioned).

I'd be surprised, nay amazed, if any asynchronous USB converter sounded as good as a direct network connection to a Naim streamer like the UQ or NDX. If this is an option for your then go for it.

Guy 

I was actually proposing using the Sneaky DS purely as a Network to Digital S/PDIF 'Bridge' into a bespoke DAC I am considering building from a kit. The Sneaky seems to be not much more to buy than the best USB - S/PDIF converters, and I am setup to use a network source already

regards

Geoff

I used to use the Halide Bridge. My second one has now failed. I will be sending it back shortly.

On the plus-side, they sound great and the customer service was great last time 'round. 

I don't understand this - what were Hi-Fi News measuring - I usually see measurements for jitter associated with the digital out, but this seems to be some kind of internal measurement. I'm not familiar with MF V-DAC, but the measure jitter from the S/PDIF out on the V-Link is < 10 ps, which is pretty low if not quite up to Wyred 4 Sound figures. However, I think as long as it is low jitter then you are fine. 

I have compared hiFace, INT202 and V-Link and my slight preference was the V-Link - though the difference was really very small. I haven't heard a hiFace EVO. I think all three devices I compared are very good and a vast improvement over the Mac's optical out. However, none of them in my opinion sounds as good as streaming music through UPnP in to the Naim UQ from my DIY Vortexbox. I don't really like using UPnP as it doesn't seem very Apple friendly so I was trying to prove to myself that streaming in this way was a waste of time if the best SQ was the aim, but I failed to do so. I'm now of the opinion that the best SQ is using achieved by feeding the data stream over IP into a Naim streamer/DAC or another quality streamer/Naim DAC. 

So I'll be moving to VB/UQ soon for my office system. 

Though I still think the V-Link is super VFM. 

All the best, Guy

Hi Geoff

So the Sneaky DS is acting as a rendering engine with S/PDIF out - not heard it like that and I would guess its SQ would depend on how much jitter it sent to your DAC and the quality of its rendering engine. The Sneaky DS DAC and amp are redundant then? Did you know Cyrus makes a box like the Sneaky DS without the DAC or Amp - mighty be worth a look. However the Sneaky DS might work really well in this guise - be interested to hear about your findings. 

All the best, Guy 

I use the JKenny modded HiFace MK3 and love it to bits.

I use it combined with JPlay minimalist software player and have to hear anything better.

-

aleg

Hi Nick -

Sorry, just now caught up on this thread and noticed your post from a couple of days ago.

I am running Asset on a PC sever running Windows 7, and not WHS. This used to be my music server running JRMC, but I redeployed it as a UPnP server after I got my NDX.  It's a small Atom-based, DIY build based on the "CAPS" spec from computeraudiophile dot com from a couple of years ago.

I had planned to migrate this PC server to WHS for fear of stability issues, but now that it has had 3+ months of perfect uptime with W7, I've placed that project on the back burner.   If it is easier for you to create a W7 VM (versus WHS), you might as well just do that (and especially if this VM is going to be a single app environment).

Good luck!

Hook

That looks a very interesting device Mr Fawkes. I think I'll get my hands on one for a try & report back.

Excellent Tony - very interested to hear what you make of the U3. 

Well I have a SNEAKY DS on order ( popular as a player so 2 weeks away), but thats OK because the DAC it will provide S/PDIF delivery for I have yet to build.

In the meantime will be interesting to see how good it sounds as a streamer DAC since it is a inexpensive little fella. I don't expect much.

I am currently having a bit of fun with my PC Netbook ( An ACER Ferrari ) which low and behold has an audio capability to stream up to 192/96 as a TOSLINK  Optical output thru' its headphone socket. I have a Denon A/V receiver with 192/24 DAcs and amazingly it allows 192/24 thru' a TOSLINK connection ( it reports the PCM rate as it locks to the incoming signal so it is a genuine 192 rate playback which again is a surprise. 

I am using ASSET 'Control' on the netbook to serve music from ASSET 'UPnP' on my NAS and dBPoweramp 'RENNAISANCE', a little command line program which turns the Netbook into a music renderer and allows Bit Perfect playback via WASAPI. It doesn't sound bad.

I will also try out the Digital delivery from the SNEAKY on the A/V receiver once it gets here.

All relatively inexpensive fun.

Geoff 

Geoff,

Are you going to build the same one Tony has?

Stu

No...I am giving the DAC kit from K&K, whose phono stage I built, a bash. I get a lot of fun out of DIYing ( when it works of course ) but since it has to come from the US it will be a while before a report on music quality can be made.

Of course the other attraction is in Euros it is only 1500.

When the Sneaky arrives I will be setup to go either way. Direct network  or S/PDIF and as this whole digital thing evolves who knows, maybe one day Naim might do the so called ND-S or DAC-S some of us are shouting for.

regards

Geoff

Patu,

Are you sure you have the UPnP set-up correctly in Foobar, i.e. ensured you are not trancoding to mp3 (Default setting).

-Patrick

Hi Patrick

Transcoding was turned off all the time. I checked all the other settings also and everything was fine. 

Patu,

How about letting Foobar convert to WAV vs having the Qute decode?

Let us know if hat brings any benefit.

-Patrick

Sorry, I already unplugged UQ from my system. I came to a conclusion that I don't need network player at the moment since I have my PC not so far away from my equipment rack. I can easily connect it with a 3m USB-cable. Also when foobar + apple remote works seamlessly together, I have no actual reason to move to the network player. I just wanted to try it out if the sound quality would've improved clearly or if the usability would've been even on par with foobar + apple remote.

I'm getting macbook pro soon and I think my PC will be used more or less as a server after that. Changing to a little quiet PC (some fanless solution) would actually work fine. I could remotely control it and I wouldn't have to give up foobar + apple remote.  

I heard something about a new release to Naim's digital product family on Thursday. Let's see what it brings to the table. 

An update; having waited to get one for home trial, I've now been informed that unfortunately the Stello U3 can't be legally sold here because it doesn’t have CE or RoHS compliance.

A shame. It seemed to hold promise.