USB SQ, what can one expect

Redcarerra,

I have a RA Cantata and use a fine usb cable my dealer provided me with (I don't even know who makes it but it's not fancy)...

But anyway I have a PC and Jriver as well and I have NO problems with USB audio and have compared files on my computer via USB to the actual CD and could not hear much of a difference at all. The CD MAYBE being a bit fuller..

Some folks have good suggestions already in this thread, of things for you to try. Your ears will be the final say of course. All I know is my system sounds great when using my Cantata's USB input. It's nice and simple and I have no desire to try any tweaks with it :)

My experience was the mirror image of the OP. I had a Wadia transport running coax to a Benchmark DAC. When I ripped the CD's to FLAC using JRiver, then to the same DAC using Wireworld Starlight, things sounded noticeably better. Maybe some DACs do USB better/worse than other inputs. There are some optimizations for JRiver, easily found with Google. I'm running the tracks out of memory.

I second the recommendation of dBpoweramp made above. Computeraudiophile.com made a "guide to ripping CDs", a 2 or 3 years ago which Is based on dBpoweramp and which I follow to a t. Takes away the learning curve and you do the setup work once and then forget about it and every time you start up the program it remembers the setting.

Since my server PC has no CD drawer - you don't want that in an optimized computer - I rip on another (general purpose) computer and move the ripped files.

USB is for your mouse, printer and keyboard - not music. How can good sound come out of such a utalitarian output? That is the anus of your computer and you really don't want to use that. Crap comes out of that.

I love it! Steve is the only engineer in the world who says "Another option for you is to use (his) Off-Ramp 5 ... This will match or beat your CD transport" without ever hearing the CD transport! Truly amazing. Steve, you can contribute, I know you can. I know you can add to these forums without trying to sell or promote your products. Why dont you look at Atmasphere's threads? he offers an incredible amount of info and you would NEVER know what he sells. EVER.