Sound Card with External DAC

While trying to not delve into semantics, I had a problem with "any", not "should". But I dont think its necessary to argue with you, because I dont think we disagree.

You're right. It is an insult to an audiophile to conclude that all his hard earned money and time are misguided on useless CD transports and high dollar digital cables.

My point is, CD-audio data is read correctly in digital by CDROM drives, and nothing is loss until it is manipulated or converted to analog. Whatever is stored on disk is read "as is" by the stupid CDROM drive. Hehe, you want pure signal path, the digital signal path is as pure as you can get. :) Data integrity is always the case in the computer. If it is not the case, imagine corrupted files and data happening all the time as you're working with a computer. Since corrupted files and data happen like once in a blue moon on a healthy computer, then you can be sure that data that contains audio information is kept in its full integrity as well.

Well, we're not talking about error-correction stuffs when reading the CD by the CDROM, but the same error-correction is used for other types of data (i.e. spreadsheet, documents) as well.

At the end of the pure digital path, you got a DAC. This is where the action is. Some DAC do tricks like upsampling and others do tricks like dithering. As long as the CD audio data is concerned, it remains pure until this stage.

Dejittering? for what? a bit, is a bit.

Jposs, I figured we were on the same page, I just wanted anyone reading our stuff to garner good usable information. That, and the snobbery thing sorta lit a fire under my butt, but its all in good fun, without tort and retort life would be too boring. =)

Boogie, I think we are from different schools on this issue. Some, feel data is data, others, such as myself, believe there is something more, shall I say, ethereal.

I will acknowledge that it stands to reason that the data should be just that, data, but too many times a simple change, such as a transport drive or digital cable change, made a difference in the sound. Sometimes a very large difference.

I feel that by default musics 3 demensionality is more than simple data, it conveys both Time and Space.

I would like to be clear that, simply because I said most computers and their CD-ROM drives probably arent the best medium for garnering musical data, doesnt mean that they(computers) somehow dont have data integrity. They are marvelous machines, in fact after audio gear, they are my second hobby, and probably command more of my time than the audio stuff. I have and maintain several. I do not questions the computers data integrity. As a matter of fact they are designed for just that. However, data integrity, while critical, is not synonimous with high quality audio, IMO.

I think I am going to start a thread, in the digital forum, to gather some opinions on this matter. I think it will be enlightening and fun.

I see. Then I suspect that these transports doesn't maintain the purity of the signal, i.e. they manipulate the signal somehow.

I really want to see some strong argument that a bit is more than just a bit. In the analog world, we know how more expensive gears manipulate the signal to sound "expensive" with all the filters along the way. In the digital world, unless then data is manipulated, then it will remain exactly as what recorded on the CD.

I'm not questioning "high-quality" audio since my point is stressing that the digital data read by CDROM is as pure as what is on the CD. We all know that pure data doesn't necessarily sounds good, as well as expensive speakers never have real flat response. My point is audio signal purity, which comes from data integrity kept in a computer.

I sold my california audio labs transport/DAC pair, and am using my CDROM and my computer as the audio source. The signal is kept in digital from the CDROM till it gets out from the computer box, and converted to analog by the Stereo-link 20-bit DAC (CD audio is 16-bit).

I would never turn back.

Guys, what's wrong here is that "CD-audio data is read correctly in digital by CDROM drives". It's correct for audio extraction with CRC check, multiple re-reads, and error handling, but not for playing CD in CDROM drive. When you play audio CD real-time, the received audio data will almost never be 100% lossless. In this case much better built CDP or Transport easely outperfom any CDROM. But if you do audio an extraction from CDROM to hard drive using EAC and Plextor or another very good drive, that HDD may become a perfect source.