Audiophile grade analog to digital converter

24 bit instead of 16 bit will give you more digital headroom to play with. AKM make excellent chipsets used in many devices. Clocking is critical for any converter but this has been a well known concern for over 10 years....so most modern well built devices with good power supplies should perform well.

Personally. I'd go for device features first (inputs/ouputs/formats etc.) rather than buy a device based only on the ADC.

There is no best. That's like asking what is the best flavored ice cream?

You'll get many different opinions, my favorite is the dcS La Scala, at $15K it's a bit pricey though. I wouldn't say it is the best, simply the one that suits my tastes best. I can't say that I've heard them all either though.

Everything dCS seams to be DSD, which won't work. I'm looking at these things and considering their use for vinyl transfer.

But I think I have to agree with Shadorne, and the CEDAR ADA is the best unit to use.

The Lynx is a popular sound card. There is also the EMU-0404 style input box.

For LPs, I designed "The Ripper". Matches an audiophile phono section to a 16-bit ADC. Everything you need (except for a PC and turntable) to rip your own CDs.

jh

I've been researching similar systems for vinyl archiving and transfer. Two hard-disk recorder products come to mind: the Tascam DV-RA1000HD and the Alesis Masterlink ML-9600. The Tascam recorder will support up to 24-bit resolution at sampling rates as high as 192 kHz (DSD or PCM). The Masterlink can handle up to 24/96, but seems most suitable for Redbook CD. Both units seem like excellent value for the money; the Tascam has a street price of $2K and the Masterlink can be gotten for just under $800.