2. pc-audio
  3. 1224335809

Direct from PC or wireless

I am using a multiple drive setup from my wireless router to transmit audio data to my Dell laptop where the data stream is sent off to the external DAC for processing. The link between PC and DAC is USB which seems to be quite acceptable. I find however that if I play music directly from my PC hard drive or CDROM, the results are far better. Is there, or could there be some degradation of the audio data stream as it is sent wirelessly to my laptop? My disks have been ripped to FLAC files on the disk station so the original WAV quality remains intact. Any thoughts are most welcome.
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frontier1

Showing 3 responses by guidocorona

guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Yes, on a wireless connection the data rate and subsequent jitter is at the mercy of the ether, the data rate and jitter can flutuate wildly, and no clock synchronization can really be performed by the DAC. Conversely, over a USB or Ethernet connection, the DAC's clock can synchronize data transmission from the source quite effectively.
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Thank you Robr45, care explaining/expanding? G
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
At RMAF several suites featured server-based digital systems of one form or an other. I got the general impression that wireless setups sounded hazy. One comparative confirmation of sorts came in the TEAC Esoteric suite, where I heard a server connected prototype based on the D03 DAC. . . when the system was connected via USB, music sounded much crisper, detailed, extended, etc. . . than when the wireless connection variant was activated.
In one other suite -- which shall remain mercifully nameless -- the vendor assured me that wireless and USB-wired server2DAC connection sounds exactly the same. . . that could very well be. . . at least in that room. . . that suite sounded uniformly terrible. G.
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