Please Help!! looking to get into computer audio.

Erik - You obviously have a pretty low opinion of Bryston engineering. They understand these timing issue very well. You seem to think they just kind of hacked this together. Guess what - I think they understand buffering issues. A sync usb is only very slightly off in timing.  I do not know for sure, but I bet they are not using a 10 byte buffer.

You act like the usb input on the BDA-1 is total crap, with just awful jitter. Well, I think Byrson engineering is better than that. They understand buffer and timing issue.

You throw around ASRC like it is some sort of technology. Well, it is not a specific implementation and how Byrston implemented its reclocking should not be jumbled with all other ASRC techniques.

Somehow you want to make this into some big discussion about all timing issues in PC audio. The issue I brought up is that the reclocking in the BDA-1 makes it much more immune to jitter than a typical sync usb interface. You seem to not believe that. You seem to think that the reclocking the BDA-1 implements is just as bad as sync usb. Well, I simple do not believe that, Bryston does not think so, and Stereophile does not believe that.

Give it a rest. I agree that async usb is better than sync usb. But, reclocking is implemented for a reason, whether it is in the BDA-1, the W4S unit you referenced, the Empirical Audio reclockers, etc. And, sure, I would rather have an async usb DAC rather than an async one. But the BDA-1 is a fine DAC, with pretty low jitter because of its reclocking.

You might want to look at a used Antipodes Audio DS server they are spectacular
and their customer service is incredible.

Sorry - correction

" And, sure, I would rather have an async usb DAC rather than a SYNC one. "

I am also a little confused by all this. I have a large LP/CD library. My turntable desperately needs upgrading but I have an excellent universal disc player (Ayre). I have an Oppo BDP-105D which is not such a great disc player to my ears but works fine with USB and streaming Tidal. Here's my dilemma: If a music download can't equal the sound I can get from a SACD or DVD-A then it's not worth bothering with to me. I have downloaded a couple of HD Tracks albums in FLAC 192/24 and they sound very good but the files are HUGE, more than 5 GB. My entire music catalog in this format would require an entire farm of HDD's which seems like a sideways shift from physical media. Secondly, these downloads are pretty pricey IMHO, especially when you consider I can pick up mint condition used LP's, SACD's, DVD-A's, and what-not from sites like Discogs. I know that everyone more knowledgeable than I are making the shift so I must be missing something.