I keep trying USB interfaces on DACs and I just haven't heard one I think is very good. I have heard the USB interface on a Wyred4Sound DAC2 and compared it to spdif and toslink. If I owned that DAC I wouldn't use the USB interface, just like I don't use the one on my own DAC.
USB vs s/pdif
I'm using a Wyred 4 Sound DAC 1. It has the usual compliment of inputs, including USB. I connected my MacBook via the USB input and was surprised to hear how bad it sounded. At least compared to the s/pdif output of my Squeezebox 3 with Bolder digital mods. There was really no comparison. The USB/MacBook sounded flat, lifeless, constrained and not very extended at the frequency extremes.
Why is that? Is the SB3 that good or am I doing something wrong with the MacBook?
Why is that? Is the SB3 that good or am I doing something wrong with the MacBook?