2. pc-audio
  3. 1385145497

What is the missing element?

My pc audio setup currently is as follows

PC (Lossless audio through Jriver) > V-link (first model) > Rega Dac > Jolida JD1501 > KEF LS50s

The Rega was probably the first component I bought that completely transformed the sound of my system. The difference it made was simply huge.

I then added the v-link to support higher resolution audio through the s/pdif connection. Again, the sound noticeably improved. The soundstage was bigger, and the music just sounded fuller. Without the v-link the music sounds quite a bit smaller through the usb input.

The Kefs were the next big leap forward for my system. I simply cant believe how big a sound these tiny little speakers put out.

Now, originally most of my listening was through the setup listed above. However, the addition of a thorens TD-160 has gotten me into vinyl in a big way and now I really don't like the sound of digital. By comparison it sounds like congested chaos, has a rough texture (especially noticeable in voices)and overall is just very brash sounding. I simply can not stand it at loud volumes. Nothing like the polite orderly smoothness I hear on vinyl which constantly has me turning up the volume.

I had all but completely switched to listening to music on my turntable while the rega was relegated to streaming pandora or youtube as background music and always at low volumes. Then, some time spent with a naim cd player reminded me just how good a digital source can sound. So my question is how can I bridge the gap? I have been reading a lot about jitter and I am wondering if that is holding the rega back. I've read that the v-link measures at right around 400ps while other digital transports like the audiophilleo measure well below 100ps. Would replacing the v-link with an audiophilleo or another s/pdif converter give me the sound I am looking for? Is the problem with the nature of computer audio itself and I should just be looking for a good CD player? I am slowly driving myself crazy over this.
128x128megido

Showing 2 responses by clio09

clio09
3,342 posts
 
First of all in addition to Steve Nugent you have Gordon Rankin. Both of these guys were pioneers in the computer audio world and have contributed a great deal to it. Without them computer audio wouldn't be where it is today. As to the best format for computer audio, IMO I prefer Ethernet or FireWire interfaces. I suspect USB won out for a number of reasons that were more product marketing driven than audio driven, but nonetheless there are some great USB converters out there and very little to choose from on the Ethernet or FireWire front. Maybe UPnP will get there some day. For me it was a failed experiment.

Sound cards are in the same group as Ethernet and FireWire. A well designed sound card (Lynx for example) should theoretically provide the best output. However, as has been evidenced in the past the best format theoretically does not always win out. You could see this in the days of analog tape, digital tape, and video tape (Betamax was clearly superior). Vinyl was supposed to die when CDs came out but has never been more alive and kicking), etc. What does it say when the vast majority of people listen to MP3 as opposed to WAV?

Maybe USB is not perfect, but it has mass appeal and two guys that put their money where their mouth was to make it a more than acceptable alternative to the traditional digital transport. It has server a number of audiophiles well from what I can gather. Even someone like me who is not a big fan of digital has found new enjoyment from my computer server set up featuring a USB converter.
clio09
3,342 posts
 
I really do not think enough credit is given to the advances made to enable USB to be a very viable solution for computer audio. I was a skeptic for a really long time. I still have my CEC TL-51X transport lying around. With my Lessloss DAC I can slave the CEC to the DAC which is a superior implementation. However, even I have to admit that my DAC slaved to my Audiophilleo 1 USB converter yields no sonic degradation. I cannot tell the difference.

I have a good amount of experience with the Lynx sound card as a friend of mine has a server that uses one. We did a comparison against a laptop system using an Offramp 4 and the difference was definitely noticeable. The USB converter was better, even with the USB signal coming off a laptop versus a dedicated music server.

I have to admit the Juli@ intrigues me because it has a clock input. As my DAC has a clock output it might be possible for me to slave the card to my DAC. Unfortunately I may never find out since my email to the fine folks who make the sound card seemingly went into the black hole.
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