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Hard drives and usb converters: Ext versus int

Hi all:

I’ve been following the many threads on getting clean PC audio to an external DAC. The following questions have been batted around quite a bit, but I’ve never been able to put together a complete answer.

Hard drive: external versus internal
Many recommend an external hard drive, presumably due to increased physical distance between the drive and all of the electrical noise created by the internals of the PC. Since hard drives function in the digital domain (and benefit from extensive error-checking, from what I gather), isn’t there a high degree of immunity to electrical noise regardless of location? Is there really an audible benefit to using an external drive, or is an external drive just a good hedge?

USB to S/PDIF converter: external versus internal
The following question concerns only the conversion of the USB signal to a coaxial S/PDIF digital signal (I’m not interested in analog or optical). Again, everyone likes the idea of an external converter (eg, Waveterminal U24) versus an internal converter. So same question as above…if all I’m after is a coaxial digital output to feed an external DAC, is there really an advantage to having the device located outside of the PC? If there is an advantage, is it due solely to the fact that the unit is external (and away from the noise), or are there other variables at play? Let’s assume I’ll be using a high-quality DAC with strong reclocking features.

Sound card versus usb converter
Sound cards seem to get maligned in general, but I can’t tell if that’s primarily due to the fact that they are mounted in the PC (see question above), or due to their general design. As an example, take the Audigy 2 NX, a sound card that’s an external USB device (and has the recommendation of at least one user on this forum). With this card, the entire conversion process is happening external to the noisy PC environment. It has a coaxial S/PDIF digital output, just like the preferred items (U24, etc.). Is the Audigy (or any other external sound card regardless of price) capable of equaling a converter like the Waveterminal, or do sound cards degrade sound due to something inherent in their design and implementation (additional processing, driver quality, etc.)?

Thanks,

Steve
skubasteve

Showing 1 response by millenium

millenium
62 posts
 
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bill
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