Audiophile USB to PCM

The Sonos ZP80 has Optical and coax digital output for superior audio quality. I use it with Mark Levinson DAC, N32 Pre Amp and Wilson speakers. Not as good as vinyl but easy to play and quite good.

Could someone please explain what the benefits are of going USB into a device that will output SPDIF, as compared to going ethernet (network) into a device that will output SPDIF?
What determines the quality here is the device that creates SPDIF signal, not the type of async transport to it?
So the question is, why not using SB3? Why insist on USB as transport?

I have finally tried out the Trends UD-10. Damn good unit. For the price, best USB to SPDIF converter I have heard, hands down -- this is stock, USB powered. I have not even tried the battery supply yet.

Benefits of USB - Currently the implementations are superior to networked, and most wirless networked servers do not support 24/96.

Networked is superior technically to USB because the clock is regenerated at the receiving unit. It is being held-back performance-wise by the implementations only IMO. This will change for the better in the near future.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer

To original poster: your ship has come in. Check out the new dCS Puccini u-clock which is both a separate word clock and asynchronous USB to PCM converter. For your setup it is probably the best device on the market, and if I understand correctly it would be a double upgrade for you. First, it is an external wordclock for both your Purcell and Delius AND your transport which in this case would be a USB capable computer. Second, and I am not entirely sure about this, but using proper asyncronous USB has some inherent advantages with respect to jitter over SPDIF and so it may be better than what you are using now in that respect.

Also the price is expensive but not too bad--about $5,000?