Just Get A Better DAC?

Of the many DAC's we tested, The USB connection was always inferior sounding compared to the other inputs (i2s, AES, coax and optical). The i2s input seems to be slightly better on some DAC's.

If you have a streamer that only outputs USB I would recommend a good DDC to convert the USB to ether i2s or one of the other outputs. A good DDC will strip, rebuild the clock and clean up the power from the noisy USB output. This makes quite a large improvement in sound quality. Jitter and noise is your enemy here when using USB. If your streamer outputs i2s, AES, optical or coax I would use one of them (Most likely no need for a DDC). If you want to output higher resolutions of 384 kHz / 2x – 4x DSD or higher you would need to use the i2s as the other outputs only support up to 192 kHz and 1x DSD.

You might consider a DAC that is not designed around reclockers at all--use the money to upgrade to a DAC that already has a great master clocker.  Years back, I had a high end (at that time) Denafrips then added a DDC reclocker and it was a sonic improvement--in that environment.  I evolved away from that setup with a clearly more refined Lampizator (no need for reclocker) and now with SW1X.  The price tag for the upper SW1X models may be prohibitive but they make some excellent models in their lower-tier DACS. These are designed specifically to not need any "enhancements" or signal shapers.  If considering them, be sure to make sure you have a streamer that blends well with SPDIF connections.  Here is their philosophy about reclocking: 

 https://sw1xad.co.uk/technology_post/why-re-clocking-of-sw1x-dacs-is-a-bad-idea/

Hi,

I am an importer for audio. 

I have personally had over 60 different dacs, stopped counting. From my experience the digital cable has a huge effect and also making sure the DAC and source like the same digital connection. Some DAC manufactures like i2s so hooking the DAC to a source that is USB focused can be a mistake. 

IMHO find a great DAC and hook it to a compatible source with a great cable. I am also a huge fan of Reiki products. 

Cheers,

Robert Neill 

President 

Worldwide Wholesales 

Thanks for the advice which come from an expert..

 Welcome on audiogon in the name of all here ...

Hi,

I am an importer for audio. 

I have personally had over 60 different dacs, stopped counting. From my experience the digital cable has a huge effect and also making sure the DAC and source like the same digital connection. Some DAC manufactures like i2s so hooking the DAC to a source that is USB focused can be a mistake. 

IMHO find a great DAC and hook it to a compatible source with a great cable. I am also a huge fan of Reiki products. 

Cheers,

Robert Neill 

President 

Worldwide Wholesales 

519-619-9924 

www.worldwidewholesales.com 

www.wellfloat-global.com

www.akikoaudio.com/en 

www.hornsolutions.de
www.aries-cerat.com

www.in-akustik.de/en 

www.arya-audio.com

www.brodmann.at

I agree with convenience and “savings “ of one unit versus seperates plus interconnects. But I see adding seperates as a way to (hopefully) hear the impact of the DAC, clock, etc as added. And with evolving tech, will their be something significantly better in near future?

Having said that with so many other variables in my listening room I’m betting a good upper end DAC with all the bells will be just fine.