Which USB to S/PDIF converter?

The ones you mention work fine - didn't know MF had updated the V-Link: mind you they always did bring out new products every other week. 

I prefer to the MF V-Link to hiFace because it worked with my Mac straight out of the box and I could you use a quality optical cable rather than coaxial.  

Unless you have 192 music then I wouldn't concern about it - most of it is audiophile stuff or for fans of Dire Straits, Rumours and so on which is not really my cup of horlicks. However, if you like those kind of things (and why not musical taste is subjective) then perhaps the new 192 MF V-Link is a good one to choose. 

I'd recommend the V-Link because I've used the original and liked it, but the hiFace works too as do lots of other variants. I'd go for an asynchronous converter, which both of these are. 

In the case of the new Mac Mini, its optical out is so good I no longer need one of these things; I don't know if that is true of modern PCs. 

Good luck with your search - don't pay too much for one. For USB I'd recommend the Wireworld Ultraviolet and for optical I'd recommend the excellent Wireworld Supernova. 

The ones I've tried put out exactly the same bitstream to the Naim DAC and the Naim DAC has a jitter reducing buffer. The SQ was the same - very good. Your laptop will probably give out RFI and that is why I recommended the Wireworld cables as they'll kill this unwanted extra. 

Unfortunately modern pc's - laptops don't have a spdif. So an alternative in the long run might be to get a mac or a unitiserve,

Thanks for mentioning cables.

Halide do one which gets good reports, but I have never actually even seen it.

Something to investigate though.

I shall try their further development that runs the USB straight into the DAC doing all the business in one very tidy looking little box. A search will reveal that these may be had on a thirty days money back offer, so if you do not get on with it, then nothing is lost.

ATB from George

The John Kenny modded MK3-version of the HiFace is deemed to be very good (I own one actually ).

This is better than either the stock HiFace or EVO.

Also the Audiophileo 2 is very well received.

VLink I hear has issues with its drivers in combination with e.g. JPlay software player.

I would look at John Kenny mod or Audiophileo.

musical fidelity link two  £99

"Unfortunately modern pc's - laptops don't have a spdif. So an alternative in the long run might be to get a mac or a unitiserve,"

Some of them do (including mine) - there are so many available that you can pretty much get the spec you want. Spdif direct into my Uniti enables me to play anything including streamed music from the internet - the main reason I'm not interested in a NAS.

Yes I couldn't get the V-Link to work with JPlay, and swapped about 40 emails with Joseph the developed to try and resolve this but without joy - to be fair though this wasn't the V-Link but JPlay trying to go into its hibernation mode.

Otherwise, the V-Link worked very well and was plug and play with everything else I threw at it including vortexbox.

The John Kenny modded MK3-version of the HiFace is deemed to be very good (I own one actually ).
This is better than either the stock HiFace or EVO.

Is this the battery powered one? I have seen a review where they mention that one should use an attenuator to lower the output.

Originally Posted by Aleg:

The John Kenny modded MK3-version of the HiFace is deemed to be very good (I own one actually ).
This is better than either the stock HiFace or EVO.

Is this the battery powered one? I have seen a review where they mention that one should use an attenuator to lower the output.

I followed John Kenny's advise and fitted a 20db Mini-Circuits attenuator (BNC to BNC) between my HiFace and home made 75 ohm coax cable. It's supposed to reduce reflections in the cable. There's a thread on the forum somewhere that alerted me to this. I'll try and find it.

Here it is:

https://forums.naimaudio.com/di...409#5086599872531409

Here's an image of the attenuator. It's about 4cm. x 1 cm. in size.

Has anyone been able to get hold of a v-link 192?

I'll resurrect this thread because, at the suggestion of Mr Fawkes, I investigated the Stello U3 USB/SPDIF convertor. It certainly has rather interesting specifications but, alas, wasn't "CE" approved at the time.

The nice man at Igloo Audio (the UK distributors) has just informed me that this device is now fully approved for UK use. I'm no longer interested, being in the process of doing something else, but it would be worthwhile for someone in the market for a USB/SPDIF convertor to borrow one of these & give it a try.

Stereophile magazine has, in recent years, extensively covered the subject of USB/SPDIF converters. A search of the website should provide useful information.

A new offspring of the main site is called Audio Stream and is dedicated to PC audio.

M.

Same here Tony - when my computer had relatively high jitter it was an interesting unit, but now the latest Mac Mini is relatively jitter/noise free then I'm no longer looking at these devices. I can see that for anybody who uses an older computer or one without a low jitter S/PDIF out then these have a roll to play. I hope April Music learns it has to be quicker off the mark and build its products to suit the UK if it wants to sell its products here.

I would still think the U3 would be high quality and well worth investigating for anybody looking a USB to S/PDIF convertor. The other one that is likely to be very good is the BAD Alpha: I say this because the DAC they make is quite superb and of DACs I've heard has only the Naim DAC/555 PS as a peer. 

Hi, fitting an attenuator will not reduce reflections I am afraid. To reduce reflections the device would need to be a transformer to match the source and destination characteristic impedances. Who ever told you that doesn't understand transmission line theory unfortunately.

I would be concerned about putting an attenuator in, as you are effectively reducing the amplitude of the SPDIF signal and therefore increasing the risks of errors in the transceiver.

You would use an attenuator to match AES3 to SPDIF ( to match the line voltages), but even then a trasnformer would be preferable to be used with the attenautor.

Simon

This seems like as good a place as any for me to whine a little about how hard it is to find a good optical cable or, in fact, a dealer interested in them.  Maybe the high return rate is a factor?  I called the only reseller of Supernova 6 listed in my area operating with more than a P.O. Box, and reached an installer in his car who told me the mini to Tos cable is special-order exotica.  The only hifi shop in Seattle that carried it went out of business six months ago.  Magnolia HiFi (a good store, founded in Seattle, now owned by Best Buy) only carries the Audioquest mini end-converter for a standard Tos cable.

My experience with a so-so optical cable vs an M-Audio FireWire Audiophile into the nDAC is conclusive in favor of the latter.  It would be a win if a better optical cable would eliminate the FireWire box; reducing the count and complexity is always good.  Maybe one of you can direct me to a good source.

Thanks.

Nick

Interesting thought about Mac Mini's optical mini Toslink out. I'm thinking to get the v link and the Mini as media server to my Dac soon.

Mind elaborate your experience? Is the Mini's optical that adequate for 96khz?