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USB vs. HDMI vs. Toslink

I understand USB connections when going digital is the best possible, but, that isn't an option with my current setup. My two options are, 1: use my desktop as optical out (kernel streaming), or, 2: use my laptop as hdmi out (wasapi). What do you guys think is the best option? Both can do 24/192, but the optical maybe sounds a bit more dynamic, although sometimes it develops an annoying crackle noise. Thanks for the help
oedstrom11
ghdprentice
6,957 posts
 
It depends on what you are using it with. Did you buy the Yggi or the Gungnir multibit? I think in audio only the optical is the lowest on the list. USB is what is normally used from a laptop. Depending on how high a sound quality you are shooting for a dedicated streamer will generally perform better than a laptop. 
oedstrom11 OP
9 posts
 
While I plan on getting the Gungnir mb and Freya +, my current setup is laptop (jriver and HDtracks) > high quality hdmi > Yamaha tsr-7810 > Chord C line > Schiit Vidar > Speakers. The Yamaha doesn’t have any usb inputs sadly 
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
If you are using a laptop as a source, the best option you can probably do is to get a USB-to-S/PDIF re-clocker, such as the Wyred 4 Sound uLINK ($299). There are others, such as Singxer F1 ($200). Or go high end such as Audio-GD DI-20 ($550) or DI-20H ($1000). Or even Denafrips Gaia ($2300).

Then use a digital COAX cable to connect to your dac/receiver.  Or even BNC if you have the connections.
oedstrom11 OP
9 posts
 
So while getting a converter is a good option for my current setup, when I get a new dac with a usb input, I would assume laptop > very nice usb > dac would be of better quality than laptop > very nice usb > converter > nice coax/bnc > dac?
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