@lalitk N200 is USB out with coax only for "legacy" or second system DACs. Which DACs in the =/< $5k range are specifically optimized for USB input? (External clocking is out of the question).
USB yet again
For a few years I have had an Intona Isolator with Oyaide Continental 5S upstream and Intona Reference downstream connecting Streamer and DAC. Given the Strong benefit of filters on the upstream Ethernet connection I added a LHY Audio USB 3.0 purifier with a Grey Knights power cable. The tightening of the transfer and resultant SQ was remarkable despite having used superior cables before.
While USB remains a compromised transfer format, asynchronous USB is the only protocol synchronising the server’s and dac’s clocks unless both have master clock connections. AES/EBU may have better noise rejection but has imbedded clock signal,SPDif is outdated as well as speed constrained and I2S not standardised. Hopefully the industry comes up with a better solution. It is interesting that there seems to emerge a trend to combine server and dac: one wonders why?
Showing 2 responses by hickamore
@lalitk Appreciate the tips as ever and will check out those mentioned. Top two would be a stretch at present but Konus has my interest. I gather all are plausible candidates for USB-only streamers such as N200. Current DAC takes mini-USB only, which can't be ideal. |