Hi Tboooe,
The Xonar S/pdif output sounded much better than the stand alone MOBO S/pdif. I didnÂt have the KingRex UD384 & PSU, and Unaimous UART USB Y-cable on hand when I got the Xonar working to try out the MOBO USB output. My guess would be the Xonar sound card should elevate the sound throughout PC playback regardless which connector is used, USB or S/pdif.
Audiophile USB cards, SoTM, and JCat are all excellent suggestions. For now, those peripheral items will need to wait since I do not own a USB-S/pdif converter. My next move will be installing a dual boot using Window Server 2012 Standard with AudiophileÂs Optimizer and adding linear power supply to power SSD & HDD and Xonar Sound Card. Both of these additions will automatically elevate the performance to any peripherals that may be added later.
Hi Lewinskih01,
The Audiophilleo & PSU converter are highly sought after pieces. For the next little while I will be placing my resources on installing WS 2012 and slowly migrate some of the switching power rails with linear power supply. I am undecided to add a USB/Spdif converter or retire the ML combo entirely and get a current DAC with built-in USB and IS2 inputs. Both my ML digital pieces are highly modified. As it stands currently, I like the ML combo sound better than the PC + No. 360 DAC. The PC beats the No.37 transport in many areas. The No. 37 has better in tonal texture; the music has more weight, richness with a more natural sound. I am not saying the PC cannot achieve all those things, it just needs more work.
Best regards,
Norm