Inexpensive USB DAC

I saw that review of the ASUS, but forgot about the reference to the V-DAC. I'll have to check it out. Thanks again.

Dfhaleycko, I read the review again, didn't see any reference to the MF V-DAC, just the SB and the Ayre QB-9.
Besides, my friend has a Mac and the Stereophile review says the ASUS is only PC compatible.

Well, I guess I didn't read the article all that carefully (I tend to treat S-pile as bathroom reading).

I checked the article again, based on your comment. The only comparison to the V-Dac was the statement that the ASUS board uses the same Burr-Brown PCM 1792 D/A converter as the Musical Fidelity V-Dac. That's not a bad thing.

I have read some reviews of the V-DAC which suggest that it is sensitive to jitter (and thus choice of USB cables makes a difference). But given your Mac situation, it sounds to me like the V-DAC should be a good choice.

My own preference is to avoid USB. Maybe Gordon's Wavelength/Ayre asynchronous USB solves the inherent jitter issues, but I prefer using ethernet, via a Squeezebox and a separate DAC. Or more recently, for the past 2 years I've been using a Logitech Transporter modified by Modwright with a tube analog output stage. The Transporter lets me input other digital sources, so I can use the DAC as a standalone too, altho it's a pain in the butt to switch back and forth. You can find used squeezeboxes for about $100 or so, and that lets you have all the computer stuff in another part of the house, well away from the stereo.

HTH!

Dfhaleycko, I agree with you, but I'm having a hard time even convincing this guy he needs a DAC, so I think it's going to have to be the V-DAC. Also, he's going to be sitting at the computer when playing music, so the functionality of the SB is not critical.
I love my SB, but I'm running it through an Audio Logic DAC, so it's really just an interface.
Thanks again.
--Neil