WaveLink HS 24/192 vs Bel Canto 24/96 USB to SPDIF

Are you wanting to play higher res files or just wandering if the sonics will be different?

I would also include one of the new Bel Canto USB convertors in your search as they are very impressive.

**Bel Canto dealer disclaimer**

I have the old Bel Canto Light Link 24/96.

It is a synchronous USB connection. IMHO these are easily supplanted by a good asynchronous USB connection.

I have had great results with the WaveLink HS but if there is one challenge I find, it is the BNC cable. I have a good coax cable but using adaptors on both ends of the coax causes audio drop outs. So I am forced to use the supplied BNC until I can find a more suitable cable.

I think the Wavelink is one of the best performing USB-SPDIF adaptors out there. It might be outperformed by the OffRamp4 that my friend has but I feel that because it supports INT and Direct Mode in Lion/Mountain Lion and Audirvana Plus, it actually outperforms the OR4 in that configuration.

I haven't heard the new Bel Canto async USB boxes (there are 3) but my friend who has the REFLink can't say enough good things about them. And no, he's not a dealer. I like that it supports INT/Direct modes and also has the choice of interfaces (coax/AES and the ST link). If funds allow, I might try that, and ask them for a VBS version so I can use the third DC output from my VBS :D

Let me ask you this. If on a budget, would it not be best to use mini Toslink from MacPro into an Empirical Synchro Mesh and from it into the RCA/BNC input of the DAC? This platform can do 24/192khz.

Like the OP, i have the Bel Canto USB 24/96 Link using my MacBook Pro into an ARC DAC7 which has been modded by Steve Huntley. Only 5% of my entire music collection is digital so i have no desire to spend $20K on digital front end when i have $30K invested in the analog front end. I really like the DAC 7. I think the 2 weak Links (no pun intended) in my set up is:
1) the USB converter
2) using Itunes on its own (no Pure Music or Audirvana+ or similar)
Thanks

There is only one problem I found with the synchromesh.

I believe it only does 16/44 or 24/96. You have to specify it when you order. You can't have both in the same box.

I understand it was done to provide the best performance but if you have a mix of RBCD and HR downloads, it might be a concern.