Seems to me the negativity associated with Toslink is a hold-over from days long past, when it sucked. Some DAC designers (Rob Watts comes to mind) managed to figure out how to implement it with great results some time ago. Back when Chord released the first iteration of their Qute series (HD) Rob posted on the topic (Head-fi IIRC). Some naysayers gnashed their teeth and dismissed the idea Toslink could sound good, even argued with him. It was fascinating in a car-wreck kind of way. I still have my Qute (upgraded to EX) and use it on occasion with Lifatec’s glass cables, which easily handle a 24/192 signal. (The plastic variety I’ve tried all maxed out at 24/96.) And I have other DACs whose Toslink implementation sounds great. I think it’s been figured out.
Ditch your USB cable for Toslink? Might surprise you!
I recently embarked on experiments with an updated USB cable between an Aurender N100h and a Qutest dac. (cables were Pangea, Curious and DH Labs) Bottom line, it most definitely revealed improvements but also exposed some flaws. So I looked into other tweaks to improve the chain...reclockers, decrapifiers and the likes. All these devices designed to fix inherent issues with USB. So I had the "duhhhh" moment and thought instead of fixing it....replace it.
I went out on a limb and got Aurender's UT100, a device which converts the USB output to Toslink (best option as the N100h only has usb out). I connect a modest Audioquest Cinnamon cable to it and I've been testing and burning in this new device and the input on the dac for several days now, Redbook all the way up to 24/192. And I must say I'm impressed, really impressed. I'll summarize my experience by saying it's just as detailed, but with a more relaxed presentation, no digital "grunge". This is the first time I've even considered trying the incisive filters on the Qutest.
I think Toslink is looked down on as a digital interface, but I'm seeing some big advantages to it now.
- You gain 100% isolation, it totally "air gaps" your dac from every form of interference. I've personally experienced some Bermuda Triangle kinda weird issues with USB and there have been lots of posts lately regarding this. Fiber puts an end to that....period!
- The price of admission is downright cheap, most streamers and dacs already have the connections and I don't think you have to pay a lot for a quality fiber cable.
- On some dacs it's generally accepted that the SP/DIF connections sound better than their USB counterparts. I've also read that disconnecting the USB cable from a dac, turns off it's internal clock and associated circuitry, thus less noise internally.....?? I have no clue but what I am warming up to is the idea that I want to stay away from USB. I've had great results with coax too, going back to my Theta and Sony ES days, but Toslink is cheap, allows long cables if needed and does truly isolate the dac.
I'd encourage everyone to just try it, perhaps your equipment will respond favorably like mine did. I'd love to hear other's experiences, especially Node3 owners. I'm planning on getting one for my office rig.
Tim