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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
jim204
881 posts
 
I don't think it is dying but just evolving as it was never in the first place meant as a music carrier and when used with a good Dac and a really good reclocking device then it gets up to the standard of other connections.
1graber2's avatar
1graber2
303 posts
 
Is USB audio dying?
 
one can only hope ..... 
too many inherent flaws . as implied above, USB is only good for convenience, not for SQ. the USB was chosen by DATA programmers, not audio programmers, to the the "universal" link to/from computers. it was driven by business decisions, NOT audio decisions.

stay away from USB, suggest ethernet or wifi as alternatives 
robr45's avatar
robr45 OP
319 posts
 
https://darko.audio/2018/08/ethernet-or-wifi-which-is-better-for-high-end-audio-streaming/


robelvick's avatar
robelvick
619 posts
 
@robr45 

John Darko is great.  I did the same test with my Auralic Aries streamer.  Wifi sounds better to me, and is also recommended by Auralic.

I use a AQ Carbon USB between the streamer and my Vega DAC.  I've tried toslink, coax, Aes... USB sounds best by a far margin.  YMMV.
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
Here is Mr. Darko himself (very recently):

"No single audio reviewer gets to properly assess more than 1 or 2% of any particular product category in a single year. And with such a large pool of hardware to choose from, we’re often drawn to products we’re reasonably sure we will like. It’d be downright stupid of me to single out a review subject that didn’t, on paper at least, play to my own proclivities."

He clearly states that Auralic is the exception and that he DID NOT find a difference between WiFi and Ethernet for the Auralic.

We need to recognize this as a sample size of one. One reviewer. One component. One comparison.
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