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USB reclocker pecking order?

Opinions on what the pecking order, best market options are for USB reclockers to a DAC via fiber optic or coax SPDIF? I've seen comments on the Hi Face (~$180), the Hiface EVO (~$500) and the OffRamp (~$800) Had the MusicStreamer II for a while but as I improved the music server my modded Adcom DAC won out for musical ease.
I've stripped my PC music server into a lean, sweet kernel streaming machine (6.7 on windows user experience rating), but I can still hear edge/grit in the highs on various sound card SPDIF sources from my PC that I don't get direct from CD source.

Is there any clear winner for $500 or less that would make a difference at 48Khz? Or am I possibly picking the wrong priority to resolve?
128x128davide256

Showing 3 responses by cbw723

cbw723
89 posts
 
There is a USB to SPDIF converter comparison in a recent issue of Positive Feedback Online. An interesting option is the unit from Audiophilleo, which can be connected directly to your DAC, avoiding the use of a SPDIF cable. (The Halide Bridge does this, too, but you are stuck with the Bridge's built-in USB cable.)

Wavelength also has a converter for $900.
cbw723
89 posts
 
It may be that in some particular systems one converter is as good as another, but there is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence that the various converters "sound" different in some reviewers systems.

For the record, the Audiophilleo can be had for $495. It appears to perform identically to the more expensive model, but lacks the display, some options, a Wireworld USB cable, a choice of colors, and a fancy case. I haven't used this product, but it's interesting and I wish there were more reliable reviews of it and other converters head-to-head.
cbw723
89 posts
 
Larry, while I agree with you in principle, the current reality is that a lot of people have DACs that don't have async USB, or don't have USB input at all. For those people, a converter allows them to get sound out of their computer, and a good converter allows them to get better sound. The growing number of USB to SPDIF converters on the market attests to the demand for these products, though I do think that over time the need for them will diminish.

What I'd really like to see would be some ethernet to USB or SPDIF converters (but that might require a layer of software that would make the products less convenient).
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