Digital output question
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GlennDog
Posts: 3,093
Another newbie question. In a quest to determine which black boxes “control the sound,” I’ve pulled this quote from another audio forum.
thread title
Digital Audio Output Differences? Is USB Audio Really The Top-notch?
body
One big difference between AES/EBU, S/PDIF, I2S and USB is that in the former group, the clock in the server determines the overall jitter and timing performance of the system. In the case of USB, the DAC’s clock and receiver circuitry determine the overall performance
My question is, is this statement true all the time, some of the time or god forbid it depends??
This would help me greatly in determining which cable path to follow and which DAC and/or steamer/transport to pursue.
TIA for your help
Edit: personal experience suggests DAC and usb, albeit limited experience
thread title
Digital Audio Output Differences? Is USB Audio Really The Top-notch?
body
One big difference between AES/EBU, S/PDIF, I2S and USB is that in the former group, the clock in the server determines the overall jitter and timing performance of the system. In the case of USB, the DAC’s clock and receiver circuitry determine the overall performance
My question is, is this statement true all the time, some of the time or god forbid it depends??
This would help me greatly in determining which cable path to follow and which DAC and/or steamer/transport to pursue.
TIA for your help
Edit: personal experience suggests DAC and usb, albeit limited experience
AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
Pre Cary SLP-05
Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
Mains Salk HT2-TL
Rythmik F12
Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
Pre Cary SLP-05
Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
Mains Salk HT2-TL
Rythmik F12
Comments
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It really all depends on implementation. The clock is embedded in S/PDIF and the DAC must sort the clock out from data. Some DAC chips do a better job with it. ESS Sabre chips did a really good job with S/PDIF. They have a patent on their process. When I built ESS Sabre DAC's, I could get just a little better sound quality with USB to I2S.
With USB to I2S, the clock is separate from data and can sound better than S/PDIF. IMO best results are achieved with isolation and reclocking. USB to I2S or I2S over HDMI with no isolation can bring noise from the device feeding the DAC. If you go the streamer or server route, maybe look for a DAC with ethernet.
My only experience with AES/EBU was with a transport to the first DAC I built. IIRC there were two standards for voltage with it.
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