Kijanki and 4est,
The Benchmark DAC and the Wavelength/Ayre DACs are both asynchronous, and neither is "adaptive." Meaning that in both cases the d/a conversion process is accomplished with a clock that is independent of the computer's clock and that is not periodically "adapted" or re-synchronized to the computer's clock.
However the techniques used in the Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter (Benchmark) approach involve some very small degree of interpolation as part of the jitter elimination process, as mentioned on the first page of the datasheet Kijanki linked to, while the Asynchronous USB (Ayre/Wavelength) approach does not.
Charles Hansen's well-written white paper on the Ayre DAC addresses this further and provides some good additional background.
Under what circumstances and to what degree that interpolation may be audibly significant, I have no idea.
Best regards,
-- Al
The Benchmark DAC and the Wavelength/Ayre DACs are both asynchronous, and neither is "adaptive." Meaning that in both cases the d/a conversion process is accomplished with a clock that is independent of the computer's clock and that is not periodically "adapted" or re-synchronized to the computer's clock.
However the techniques used in the Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter (Benchmark) approach involve some very small degree of interpolation as part of the jitter elimination process, as mentioned on the first page of the datasheet Kijanki linked to, while the Asynchronous USB (Ayre/Wavelength) approach does not.
Charles Hansen's well-written white paper on the Ayre DAC addresses this further and provides some good additional background.
Under what circumstances and to what degree that interpolation may be audibly significant, I have no idea.
Best regards,
-- Al