2. digital
  3. 159217-149317

USB sucks

USB really isn‘t the right connection between DAC and Server: depending on cables used, you get very different sound quality if the server manages to recognise the DAC at all. Some time ago I replaced my highly tuned Mac Mini (by now-defunct Mach2mini, running Puremusic via USB) with an Innuos Zenith Mk3. For starters I couldn‘t get the DAC (Antelope Zodiac Gold) and server to recognise each other, transmission from the server under USB2.0 wasn‘t possible because the server is Linux based (mind, both alledgedly support the USB2.0 standard) and when I finally got them to talk to each other (by using Artisansilvercables (pure silver) the sound quality was ho-hum. While I understand the conceptual attraction to have the master clock near the converter under asynchronous USB, the connection‘s vagaries (need for exact 90 Ohms impedance, proneness to IFR interference, need to properly shield the 5v power line, short cable runs) makes one wonder, why one wouldn‘t do better to update I2S or S/PDIF or at the higher end use AES/EBU. After more than 20 years of digital playback, the wide variety of outcomes from minor changes seems unacceptable.

Since then and after a lot of playing around I have replaced the silver cables by Uptone USPCB rigid connectors, inserted an Intona Isolator 2.0 and Schiit EITR converting USB to S/PDIF. Connection to the DAC is via Acoustic Revive DSIX powered by a Kingrex LPS.

The amount of back and forth to make all this work is mindboggling, depending on choice of USB cables (with and without separate 5V connection, short, thick and God-knows what else) is hard to believe for something called a standard interface and the differences in sound quality make any review of USB products arbitrary verging on meaningless.

Obviously S/PDIF gives you no native PCM or DSD but, hey, most recordings still are redbook, anyway.
Conversely it is plug and play although quality of the cable still matters but finally it got me the sound quality I was looking for. It may not be the future but nor should USB, given all the shortcomings. Why is the industry promoting a standard that clearly isn‘t fit for purpose?

Finally, I invite the Bits-are-bits naysayers to go on a similar journey, it just might prove to be educational.
antigrunge2

Showing 3 responses by uberwaltz

uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
I did swap out the original fairly cheap Straightwire usb cabLe for the Audioquest Carbon for what I perceived to be a slight uptick in SQ.
The Carbon came free with the UltraRendu so I have zero skin in the game for any financially implied placebo effect imho.
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
I'll get flamed for this I'm sure.
Why?
It sounded perfectly reasonable to myself.
I always wonder about the integrity of that connection, not that I have any proof or comments either way.
If it does not hurt anything then why not?
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Not sure how relevant my setup is but will throw it out there.
Running Roon core on an old Dell laptop that is stripped bare and that is all it does.
That is connected to my network main router by short ethernet cat8 cable.
Long ethernet cat7 cable goes down to my network switch in music room powered by 5v LPS.
Short cat8 ethernet cable connect to Sonore Ultrarendu bridge fed by 7.5v LPS.
1M Audioquest Carbon USB cable from rendu to Metrum Onyx dac.

SQ?

Off the charts and all instant plug and play, Roon finds everything on my network including the Onyx.
More to discover