2. pc-audio
  3. 136384-5400

Is USB audio dying?

It seems inevitable that USB audio will be replaced with TCP/IP network based audio, either WiFI or Ethernet NICs built into an endpoint/dac as a transport for the audio stream. I have a nice USB audio rig, DAC + USB NAA, but I cant help thinking that pure network based interfaces are a more elegant solution.

At the high end, Mytek has done this with the Manhattan and its network streaming card, as has BluSound with their BluOS products. Many other products are doing this in the more general consumer friendly space like Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, Pioneer etc.

Are there any inherent advantages to handing off audio to the dac via USB?
128x128robr45
tonocasa's avatar
tonocasa
35 posts
 
Dying?  No.  But as with most interfaces, they change and get refined.  IP seems to be the future, and some of the best sounding digital sources currently use IP.

In my experience, our systems and installs continue(d) to use optical Toslink on most projects because we found there was less noise and drops than USB, most likely due to the elimination of the USB Bus (they get busy) and any EMI/RFI interference.

Most of our current designs and systems use IP.  For clients that appreciate the performance and are willing to cover the cost, a properly terminated and deployed fiber network can have audio benefits.  Some audio designers and integrators are afraid of fiber, but we love it and highly recommend a proper fiber network to anyone wanting the best performance out of their music system.

Allan
www.In-Tone.com
jbny
38 posts
 
USB is not dying at all. Like others have said it is getting better. That said, putting Ethernet right in the DAC can eliminate the Ethernet to USB converter that many of us are using (sonore, sotm, etc). I still see the initial stages of audio over IP being as problematic as USB though. As DAC manufactures implement IP with little understanding of how the protocol works, sort of like we saw with USB when it first came out. 
jb0194
476 posts
 
My player/DAC/int amp (Naim) accepts Ethernet input  by patch cable from music server (with only server directly connected to router), and it is a most convenient connection. Even Supra CAT8 is inexpensive compared to all but generic USB. Sound quality isn’t degraded to my ears. 
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,394 posts
 
Are there any inherent advantages to handing off audio to the dac via USB?
Asynchronous USB has the same advantage as Ethernet or Wi-Fi  - making internal DAC clock completely independent from computer clock.  In contrast S/Pdif transmission is prone to jitter, that DAC has to reduce, either by syncing (PLL) internal clock to average S/Pdif clock, or by use of asynchronous rate converter (my Benchmark DAC).

Ethernet seems to be the obvious solution for digital audio, but for some reason it is less popular than USB.





cheapbob
50 posts
 
I have been testing the Network of my Music library on server and Raspi end points. I use the Allo DigiOne and SPDIF to the DAC. There is simply no comparison in SQ. Bit perfect digital beats USB direct from host to DAC. USB is riddled with noise that neither the Schiit Wyrd or iFi iPurifier2 could correct in direct comparison. We at Affordable Audiophile recommend the digital coax over the USB on any application. And we also endorse HFC magnetic adapters which will make any stereo sound like Audiophile quality.
More to discover