The best digital connectivity solutions are (best to worst):
I2S
AES/EBU
S/PDIF
Toslink
I2S DAC's include:
Perpetual P-3A
Benchmark DAC-1 (with mods)
Northstar 192
Lite Dac-60 (with mods) |
Kpavey wrote:
"Then build up a USB to I2S convertor - such as one at www.dddac.de and you're away."
I looked at this design. I uses the PCM2707 TI chip. This means that it can only use the Windows drivers and will not pass 24/96. IMO, this chip is only useful for Wi-Fi, which is already limited to 16/44.1 and does not require any driver because it is networked. For USB, you need a non-windows driver to get good sound quality.
Steve N. |
racerxnet wrote:
"If you are concerned about noise from the PC, you can put a ferrite core on the cable to the sound card. Use a Toslink or SPDIF cable to the DAC. That should eliminate the interference problem for the majority of users."
This technique will certainly attenuate HF noise from the computer, however it will actually make the jitter worse. It will slow the risetimes of the S/PDIF or AES signal edges and cause the receiver to switch at less accurate/predictable times as a result.
The best solution is to isolate the digital conversion and final clocking from the computer completely. This way, the jitter can be made extremely low. Either USB or Wi-Fi accomplishes this.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer |
"This goes to the digital lens which eliminates all jitter and then to the Tri Vista."
I'm sorry, but this is "wishful thinking". The only de-jitter device that I've seen to be really effective is the Apogee Big-Ben, and even this is not as good as what you can get with a USB converter IME. Even this does not eliminate "all jitter", nothing does.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer |
If you want to use your own stock DAC, then the best solutions IMO are S/PDIF interfaces with low jitter, such as the modded Squeezebox3 from Bolder or Red Wine with a good Digital cable (wireless and limited to 16/44.1) or Empirical Audio Off-Ramp Turbo 2 (USB interface), which comes with a captive S/PDIF cable (will do 24/96).
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer |
Kana813 - you can spend your own money any way you want, it's your money. BTW, are there any reviews of the Maui mods?
Steve N. |
I put up a long post answering this, but it seems to have dissappeared....
The short answer is that most manufacturers dont know how to design this and they are also afraid of starting a new I2S standard. Of the few that are doing USB interfaces on DAC's only a couple know what chips to use for best sound and some even put S/PDIF in the middle because they evidently dont know how I2S works.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer |
Best execution. Well, I'm of course biased because I build these things, but contrary to popular belief, it is possible to build a world-class I2S interface that is external for both Wi-Fi and USB. However, there can also be advantages to burying it in the DAC.
Best Execution is probably USB to I2S currently because the chips are just better, particularly the TAS1020A and the TUSB3200 from TI. Wi-Fi does not perform as well due to the 270X chipset. Wi-Fi is also limited to 16/44.1. The best results from these chips requires a good custom S/W driver. The PC drivers are just not any good, so far. Chips like the 270X series work with the native PC drivers, but they sound crappy IMO.
Chips aside, the implementation of the USB interface, clocking and the I2S interface is critical to getting low-jitter results. The circuit design is critical to getting no pops or DC out of the DAC when the power or USB cable is pulled. This is why most designers cannot pull-off external I2S. It's tricky.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer |
I'll give it a shot too:
1) rip my CDs to WAV files on the hard drive(s) of my choice
I have found that the fast DVD-R/W drives in Toshiba laptops work great with Exact Audio Copy. They do error-free rips at 5-8X speed. This is extremely important. I purchased a Sony laptop with what I thought was a decent DVD drive only to find that it would only rip at 1X. This takes 45 minutes to an hour to rip a single CD. I returned it immediately.
2) "tag" these WAV files with album and track information
EAC has functions that you select that automatically retrieve the data from FREEDB database on the web.
3) export bit for bit perfect data without insulting my other components by using a cheesey cheap sound card or "interface"
This is tricky. There are a lot of soundcards out there and most of them have high jitter outputs. The lowest jitter will come from external independently powered converters, the best being I2S, followed by a well-implemented AES and then S/PDIF interface. The best sound comes from USB converters that use custom software drivers, not Windows drivers IMO. I would not recommend ANY internal PCI sound card.
4) implement "best execution" for connections, whether USB, XLR or some other acronym that I dont necessarily understand
Avoiding S/PDIF or "digital coax" is best if you are wanting USB conversion. USB conversion supports higher sample rates, such as 24/88.2 and 24/96. Wireless "Wi-Fi" does not support anything other than 16/44.1, but can be easier to set-up and has the wireless convenience. Wi-Fi can also sound great.
and
5) Get all of this with a minimum amount of "jitter" or other nasty artifacts into the DAC of my choice.
Again, the design and clock quality is key to obtaining the best result.
I would give you the list of components, but this would be advertising.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio |
Kana813 - Are you certain that the transporter does 24/96 wirelessly? I could not find this in the specs.
Steve N. |
If this is true, sounds like a good one to mod.
Steve N. |
Jamscience - yes I read all of this. Does not specify whether this is supported wirelessly. You can direct internet wire to the box also. |
Unclejeff - the term streaming also refers to what the computer does when it sends the data to the converter at the native rate.
My customers tell me that 24/96 upsampling on MAC is not as good as native 16/44.1 As for PC, there are several upsamplers that can be used with Foobar2000. Some sound great. |
Kana813 - when it comes to mods, I have very little competition. I have such a backlog (12 weeks) that I am turning most of them away now. I dont see any info on the website about the nature of the Transporter mods BTW..
Steve N. |
"With word-clock, (and the addition of a master-clock and compatible DAC, digital amp, or digital speakers) the home audiophile can put the kabosh on the sonic artifacts of interconnect generated jitter once and for all (the way the studios have been doing it for years)."
Sounds good, but the reality is that noone that I am aware of has made the word-clock work yet. The fact is, most modern consumer DAC's, such as the Benchmark DAC-1 use D/A chips that perform the D/A using the bit-clock, not the word clock. No improvement in the word-clock will make any difference at all. It's the bit-clock or master clock that need to be low jitter, not the word-clock.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer |
I believe this device is very similar to the M-Audio Transit, but it probably uses the PCM270X chips instead and no software driver. Unlike the Transit, it would be limited to 48kHz.
You could get digital S/PDIF output from it just like the Transit from the optical output. Like the Transit, it uses a cheap clock inside, so very jittery I suspect.
There is also a D/A and an A/D inside, so you get analog outputs. Like the Transit, the power supply on this comes from the 5VDC off the USB cable which orginates at the computer. You can guess how clean this power is..... |
CWlondon - No, we are not in the dark ages, you are just looking in the wrong places IMO.
Steve N. |
