2. pc-audio
  3. 1259171452

ESI Audio Dr. DAC nano - USB to S/PDIF interface

I'm looking for a USB 2.0 to S/PDIF interface, and I came accross the ESI Audio Dr. DAC nano:
http://www.esi-audio.com/products/drdacnano/

These are my requirements for a computer interface:

(1) connects to a Windows computer (most likely running Windows 7) via USB 2.0. No PCI cards, no firewire... must be USB 2.0.

(2) has bit-perfect S/PDIF (or AES) output. It could be coax, optical, XLR (for AES), whatever kind of connection, it doesn't matter. But it needs to be bit-perfect S/PDIF (or AES).

(3) support for 24 bit / 96 kHz stereo files.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the ESI Audio Dr. DAC nano. I used to own a WaveTerminal 24/96 PCI soundcard made from this company, and was pleased with it. So that's a good starting point, but I'd really like to hear from someone who has used this specific product before I buy one.

Or alternatively, if anyone has any other recommendations for a different product that fits my needs (as outlined above), that would be great to hear as well.

Thanks,
Jason
jasonsobel

Showing 3 responses by jasonsobel

jasonsobel OP
29 posts
 
Thank you for your response.
One other consideration for me is cost. I am aware of the Bel Canto USB Link, and I'm sure it does the job very well. However, I think it's overpriced (i.e. it costs more than I want to spend on a USB S/PDIF interface). If I could less than $100 for this, that would be great.

Any other thoughts? Or comments on the ESI Audio Dr. DAC nano?
jasonsobel OP
29 posts
 
Cmalak,

Thanks for the continued suggestions. While both of those are a little more than my initial budget, the $100 is more of a "soft" limit, and I could go a little higher if absolutely necessary.

However, both the Trends Audio USB converter and the HagUsb are limited to 48 kHz, and can't handle 96kHz. So both of those are out of the running. I had looked at the Trends Audio device already and eliminated it because of that issue. But I hadn't yet taken a look at the HagUsb device. It's too bad that it's limited to 48 kHz.

Any other thoughts or suggestions?
jasonsobel OP
29 posts
 
Cmalak - thanks again for all your input. Indeed, I would like to continue to use my existing DAC, because I really like the synergy that my components have and I don't want to go changing anything. It seems like there are fewer choices here than I would have anticipated, but it also looks like I've got some more forums/reviews to read through as well.

and Daffyd54, thanks for that info as well. I'll read up on each of those devices.
More to discover