Why USB to SPDIF and not optical?

Okay i have the same confusion... i also have a DAC3...which has spdif AND USB inputs.. and i read on the Bel Canto site...

"The USB Link 24/96 includes a Stereovox XV2 BNC/BNC cable with RCA adaptor to feed your audiophile DAC of choice – most likely a Bel Canto DAC3!"

So... all i can derive from this is that the device must just be a usb based sound card?

One last potentially obvious question...

I have a minipc (like a mac mini, but wintel based - made by Aopen) with a realtek high definition audio output section on the motherboard...

If i was to hookup up one of these Bel Canto usb gadgets we started the thread with, then i would be bypassing the Realtek to use the bel canto in the digital bitstream on it's way to my Dac3?....

The reason i asked.. is that i just installed the foobar2000 player with the wasapi plugin that bypasses all the windows digital processing and volume controls.

That actually made a huge difference already...

wondering what the bel canto doohickey would do in addition (assuming it might do anything)?...

Maybe TTVJ is on my next email agenda for a try out... :-)

I just spoke with the folks @ Bel Canto...

and they essentially mirrored Steve's comments

(not that i didn't believe you Steve... i just didn't know you had responded :-) )

I asked why i'd want this 24/96 doohickey if i already had a Dac3 and a 24/96 toslink connection from my computer to the Dac3.

First (according to Bel Canto) the usb->spdif conversion in the 24/96 link is a better implementation than the one already in the Dac3 (plus the fact that the usb input doesn't do 24/96).

Secondly, he believed the optical Toslink from the computer didn't perform as well as the usb anyway.

So that's the retransmission of my conversation this afternoon.. :-) Enough for me to try one..

Happy listening