Looking for a DAC for the Squeezebox Touch

FWIW, I'm also looking for a DAC to pair with my Touch, and my top list includes W4S DAC2, Bryston BDA-1, and possibly Burson DA-160 (to be released soon). All three have discrete analog sections. A couple forum members tried the DAC2 and BDA1 in their systems and preferred the BDA1. A used BDA1 sells for about $1600, close to DAC2.
Hopefully Burson's DAC is a good contender.

Also, have you checked Soundchekk's toolbox to improve on the Touch's sound? These are mostly software options you can set up yourself: will cost you nothing, and is likely to improve sound.

Ronrags: as you look into power upgrades for the Touch, don't overlook the battery-power alternatives for it.

Mizuno: If I were to settle on S/PDIF output from the Touch I would probably choose the Bryston over the W4S DAC2 or DAC1. The big question in my mind is whether S/PDIF out is good out of the Touch.

You might have heard about John Swenson's software mods to make the Touch output through the USB port, which sounds as an intriguing option when connected to an asynch USB DAC, like the DAC2 or DAC1. W4S said the DAC1 can be sold with 24/192 capability, but after that upgrade and the very much recommended caps upgrade, the price of the DAC1 is almost the same as the DAC2...and it would be easier to resell a DAC2 than an improved DAC1, I think.

On another thread Steve Nugent from Empirical Audio mentioned people are reclocking the S/PDIF output of the Touch. Other than Cerrot's solution (great, I'm sure, but expensive), anybody reclocking? How?

Mizuno,

Did you mean to say you have yet not heard differences between 24/96 and 24/192 files?

Maybe you could try John Swenson's software mods and decide for yourself between S/PDIF and USB from the Touch. The mods are resetable, just in case. I would be interested in your findings too. I'm also uncertain about S/PDIF vs asynch USB in the context of DACs and transports in this price range.

You are not alone! Several people report the same as you. I haven't been able to try it myself as I don't have any hardware capable of decoding 24/192, but I suspect I won't hear a difference either.

Ronrags,

I am also after a DAC to pair with my Touch, but funds don't allow to make a move yet. However, I am very interested in the Metrum Octave. It's just under $1k. Has only a coax and an optical input (dealbreaker for some). It's a non-oversampling DAC, with a totally different topography compared to most DACs. Take a look at the 6moons review, and from the Metrum website you can also access a HiFi Critic review. Natural, organic sound is what most people report (reviews and users). I'm really interested in this one.

BTW, Steve at Empirical Audio is working on a new device designed to be placed between the Touch and a DAC, that allegedly handles jitter from the Touch and should be an improvement. That's another device that caught my interest.

Please keep us posted. As said, I'm after a DAC for the Touch too!

I don't know, guys. I have no vested interest in neither answer, but reducing jitter at the source makes sense to me. The way Cees answered the question seems he might be referring to no device needed to lower the jitter introduced by the Octave, why is very low indeed. But I believe the issue at hand is jitter included in the signal supplied to the Octave. Another designer, Steve Nugent from Empirical Audio, is constantly saying he believes reducing jitter at the source (before the DAC) is the single most valuable thing in digital audio - I know, he sells a USB to SPDIF converter, but he also sells asynch USB DAC.

When several users consistently report improvements using USB-to-SPDIF converters, and the better regarded converters consistently outperform the lesser converter+Octave combos...I tend to believe there is something to it.

As far as the Touch (the original subject of the thread) + Octave, in a couple of months I expect to start reading reports about Empirical Audio's yet-to-launch Synchro Mesh placed in between, which is exactly aiming the jitter at the source issue. We'll see what users have to say!

Such interesting times in digital audio! Enjoy!

Yeah, you are probably right. Bunch of fools hanging around here taking the time to try different USB to SPDIF converters, then taking the time to share their findings with the rest of us. And gets worse: it's group thinking too, as they all tend to agree!

You might want to educate yourself about what jitter is. I don't think a DAC can reduce what jitter is being fed. Might have ways to mitigate the nasty effects of a jittery signal it receives, but can't reduce it. DACs do introduce their own share of jitter, though, and I believe that is what 40 ps is. But you can believe what you'd like...you are likely thinking I'm a fool already! :-)

Earlxtr,

Please tell us more about the way you used the Audio DG: Was it SB Touch > coax > Audio DG > coax > Metrum?

Thanks!