That is weird. No way do I think my Wadia doc with an ipod sounds better than my Mac Mini or even my iMac streaming to an Apple TV. I've tried a bunch of USB DACs as well as use the Bel Canto USB link. I think the link sounds a little better than just USB but for me it's pretty close. Seems like there are a lot of guys pretty dang happy with USB and computer sound in general. I suppose if you are used to the sound of mega thousand dollar digital setups it could be a little lower in sound quality than that but for your average audiophile who has heard some pretty good digital sources seems to think computer audio sounds pretty good.
Sonicweld Diverter - USB- S/PDIF Converter
I'm curious if anyone has experience with this, especially someone who has/used either a Squeezebox or iTransport.
I had a very disappointing experience with a few USB->S/PDIF converters a couple years ago, but after recently discovering the Diverter, glancing over the glowing reviews, and speaking with Lee at Cryo-Parts, it definitely sounds like the real thing. When I initially decide two-three years ago to migrate to a computer based music server I wanted to use my iMac. But as mentioned it didn't sound pretty, even with USB DAC's costing up to $3500, hence my current music server source - iTransport/iPod. The SB3 was just as good too (actually tried this first), but plagued with drop-outs and I didn't care for the GUI. It would be more convenient to use my iMac as source for the obviosu reasons; screen size, iTunes/Front Row, storage capacity, and access to my entire music library.
And while we're on the topic of music servers and USB; imagine the iPad with Diverter as a source. Wow! Now that would be sweet. Of course it would need to be able to pull the pure digital signal, like the iTransport does (I'm sure Wadia is working on that). The iPad would need larger storage though to make it practical (unless it could stream), or at least a USB/FW for external bus-powered HD/SSD. Either way, it's a much better screen/interface over the iPod and $1K's less then the Sooloos.
3 responses Add your response