Audiophile USB to PCM

I'm using an M audio Firewire Audiophile. It sounds quite good, but it has some quirky volume problems. They are supposed to address this in a future firmware upgrade, but until they do that, I can not recommend it.

Yes, I mean convert mp3 to wav. I can't imagine it has anything to do with processing power. If my ipod can do it at all then my 3.0ghz machine should be doing it effortlessly. One thing I haven't bothered to do is a .wav on the hdd versus the same track on cd.

Edesilva, I've had the exact same experience too in comparing VBR mp3 and a .wav out of an M-Audio Firewire Audiophile. Interestingly enough, if I convert the VBR mp3 and burn it to disc (I use the program burrrn. It's free, uses LAME to decode and does gapless burning of tracks), and burn the .wav (or just play the original cd) the difference between the two decreases dramatically (though I still notice it on most tracks). I've noticed this on other setups as well. Something's going on which I haven't figured out yet. I've tried Winamp and Foobar and have had the same results.

I read about the Sutherland and it was panned as basically an expensive piece of junk (looks pretty cool though). If you can run a digital out from any external soundcard into your DAC, you would already be way beyond the Sutherland.

Winchell, I'm interested to hear what you think about the Audiophile. I'm still using it for the simple reason that I don't feel like shelling out more money for a product that isn't all the way there. We are very much in the early growing pains in terms of products dealing with hdd playback. A year from now, I am convinced, will present us with vastly better/more options. The M-Audio is fine, but it's definitely the weak link. The other reason why I'm still living with it is because my next product is definitely going to give me the capability of browsing with remote from the couch. It is a PAIN to not be able to skip around, pause or anything else. I know a few of these products exist already, but they either work 50% of the time, or they look like a bad alarm clock and none of them have the browsing capability I want.

I retrospect, I'm glad I only got the Audiophile, because I would not want to drop $1000+ and not be able to sit and enjoy the music without getting up constantly.