I went with an Audiophelio usb to spdif converter, and this dramatically bettered the straight usb to usb connection in every musical sense.Kennythekey, I am considering trying a converter (Off Ramp 5) with a server that has only a USB output. I would be interested to hear specifically how the USB to SPDIF converter bettered the straight USB connection with your server. Also, what server were you using at the time, and were you using the 5V power leg of the USB cable into your DAC? I am wondering if the reason some who report better sound with SPDIF connections through converters are experiencing worse sound because of noisy 5V power going through the USB cable.
Server to DAC connection
Robert Harley recently reviewed the top Aurender server, which offers several choices of connection to a DAC. He preferred USB via a Berkeley Alpha USB converter. By adding a cable and complicated piece of hardware, this seems to go against the 'simpler is better' philosophy. But, I wonder if there might be an overall gain with the Berkeley. I have the Aurender N10, and I'm currently using the SPDIF connection, as my DAC does not have a USB input. I'm thinking of trying the Berkeley Alpha USB. Has anyone else compared the Berkeley to AES or SPDIF? For those with a USB DAC, how does the Berkeley compare to a direct USB connection?