Convert USB to SPDIF

The laptop-Dragonfly-mini cable into the analog inputs of the AVR seems to work o.k.  I had bought a mini cable from Best Buy late yesterday but then didn’t have much time for comparative listening.  I don’t use this system for streaming very much, it’s primarily for video and surround sound music.
  Searching through my pile of unused equipment I came across a Musical Fidelity VLink.  I had bought one when it came out because I had a DAC that didn’t play asynchronous USB.  If I remember it worked for a few days then would sputter during replay.  I think it was a demo unit from a dealer who was going out of business so no refund.  Ultimately I bought an Oppo 105 which had asynchronous USB

Ok, the proverbial dumb question,  I'm reading this post and others, my question. is it always advised to convert USB to Spdif? I'm running from Windows 10 laptop to Schiit Wyrd( decrapifier) then in Project box S2.  Will converting usb to spiff always sound better? Better in all respects. Thank you, Otto

Ottoa63,
USB works great and is often preferred for connections of up to 10 feet.  Mahler123 is running from upstairs to his basement, so SPDIF cabling is indicated.

a further update...I have an Audioengine Bluetooth DAC in the basement system and discovered that it has a usb input, so I run the usb 2 from the MacAir to the Audioengine.  I hardly stream in the basement and frankly mile files streamed from my phone to the bluetooth part of the Audioengine DAC don't sound that different from the PC directly connected to the DAC, so I do either.

Ok, the proverbial dumb question, I'm reading this post and others, my question. is it always advised to convert USB to Spdif? I'm running from Windows 10 laptop to Schiit Wyrd( decrapifier) then in Project box S2. Will converting usb to spiff always sound better? Better in all respects. Thank you, Otto

It depends on how good the USB receiver board is in your DAC.  If your DAC has an Amanero USB receiver board with really good power supply, it's likely that you may not get much (if any at all) if you put in a USB-to-SPDIF converter box.  Also, Amanero boards usually have two separate clocks that generate the proper timing on the two main audio format sampling rates.

If you have a cheap DAC without a good USB interface, then a USB-to-SPDIF converter box is likely to improve things significantly.  In this situation, the relatively lower cost solutions such as the Matrix solution mentioned above or the Wyred 4 Sound Remedy Reclocker for $299 could be good options.  It's a little more expensive, but I would choose the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 USB Interface for $379 because it uses Accusilicon clocks which I know are excellent and I think better than the Crystek clocks typically used in these devices.  The Wyred4Sound and Matrix both use wall-wart switching power supplies (which can be upgraded to linear power supply if you want).

Or you could go for something totally high end such as Singxer SU-6 or Audio-GD DI-20HE interfaces. (full internal linear power supplies and high end digital clocks).

Your Project Box S2 really doesn't have any sort of good USB receiver / clocker, so I would definitely recommend a USB-to-SPDIF box for this DAC for sure.  If you did do this, I would just remove that Schiit Wyrd decrapifier because it's really not doing anything that these USB-to-SPDIF converters are already doing and it would be just another device and usb cable in the chain.