Which personal confuser for ultra high end audio, MAC, PC, notebook, tablet or desktop?

I have used a high-end Dell laptop running Windows10 Pro for streaming Tidal, recording my CDs to AIFF files with iTunes and to run Roon.

The key things with a computer are 1) the quality of the USB port and 2) having more memory, the speed of the processor is not as important as the amount of RAM.

Windows requires that you install a USB driver from the DAC manufacturer and Windows does not support DSD, only PCM and only up to 192kHz/24 bit.  I believe that most modern versions of the MacOS support USB, so no manufacturer supplied drivers are needed.

I have never had personal experience using a Mac to do my digital audio, so I can't say for sure if the USB port is of good quality, I suspect it is, as Mac's seem to be well engineered and not cheap to purchase.

If your USB port isn't the best, you can purchase an outboard device (like the Schitt Wyrd device) to isolate the USB ground and reduce the noise.

ejr1953 > If your USB port isn't the best

blindjim > sorry for the late reply. many thanks for the input.
Like yourself, I’m a Personal confuser only to this point user. I use DB Power amp to rip discs with. Another app for high def disc rips.

Every box gets a shot of added RAM right after it lands here.

My Win 7 box oddly is not my ‘go to’ PC. I use and strongly rely on my XP machine as my daily driver. The issue is XP.. is dead. Now even its apps are being dropped from support across the digital landscape from many if not all third party app makers. Crap.

A new machine is needed and this time at least, I will be getting an Apple something or other. Ibook or imac. Not sure which way to go there.

Online resources say the Retna’ versions have a lot of noise from its display refresh. rates Super.

Everybody has something bad I guess. Like politics we pick from the lesser of the evils.

If very good gear is used, very good results will occur.

I ran a few DACs via USB using very cheap USB wires. Enjoyed the sound immensely. Never did I notice any noisey junk, jitter or other non musical garbage during listening sessions.

Now it is said USB has issues! Beware! USB protocol itself induces or exasserbates jitter!! OMG. Well, get the data to the dAC by another interface! Or do the best you can to diminish the USB gremlins.

There is a thingy called a Jitterbug I think which goes for $49 and it is supposed to help de-jitterize somewhat or entirely such noise off the upstream (?) USB connection just plug it into a port! Violin!

What I find curious here is I’ve been using either USB directly, (briefly) and a Lynx AES 16 xpress sound card to feed my DAC. Using USB was so brief I can’t properly say if or how much noise was actually there from PC to DAC just off my memory.

Additionally and prior to the Lynx connection via AES, I got an early Hiface USB stick and used that for a good while longer. It sounded fine enough as I recall..

The Lynx SC was indeed the better path of these 3 choices.

So if not in practice, in philosophy I tend to believe getting info or data into a DAC be means other than USB is a good thing.

Several reports from those definitely in the know, Rankin, PS Audio’ Ted Smith, and more, say USB is littered with issues… yet the ‘Ethernet conduit’ has greater advantages.

USB does and will work IF the ancillary deleterious concerns of USB are addressed. Some new devices are doing exactly this, attending to the USB issues to clean it up.

My EXP has shown me so far, the better a signal I can get into the DAC, the better the audio will be. So which ever ‘bridging device’ one chooses to use, the better off you will wind up. BNC is better, as is AES, even TOS optical eliminates jitter from USB grounding concerns though many recent streaming and DACs are formally attending to this in their designs and constructs. .

Looks like a De-confuser is needed here. I'm using a MAC Mini with the above mentioned signal cleaners, reconstruction, ground plane devises, etc. I will say the sound is very good. A Music Server with Ethernet in would be the next step up.

Each brand of Music Server or Streamer requires their own OS and supporting accessories.
I use a separate DAC for DSD only, and a PCM DAC for most commonly recorded music. The ones that do both are usually very expensive, proprietary, and like most thing digital, become superseded or obsolete in some way.

My budget doesn't permit the purchase of all the stuff I want for an upgrade. For those that do, I would say stick to one or two manufacturers who are advancing in the field, and who are not too esoteric and exclusionary in their approach.  

Rilbr > Each brand of Music Server or Streamer requires their own OS and supporting accessories.

Blindjim > Wow. Really?
I see where some ‘streamer renderers’ do have an IOS app associated with them at times. Also I see that some of the ‘middle man’ R/S thingys can be operated via some media players like J River, Roon, and others.

My priorities would be that whatever is inline between the NAS and the whatever DAC can be operated via the easiest remote pathway…. Probably an iPad, or iPhone, tablet or laptop. What ever seems the softer easier way for file play back while improving SQ in the doing, of course, works for me.

Two DACs is interesting yet Two DACs is a fair amount of dough. Each one alone would have to be exceptionally good at each of their jobs. So much so owning a one size fits all remedy would be nonsense.

Given another set of IC and another Power Cord is as well an added outlay, running 2 converters is kind of pricey, IMHO.

A friend of mine says Mojo Mystique PCM DAC is a superior PCM only DAC and it runs over $4K. more than $6K if you want it to run as XLR instead of SE analog out.

My present line of thinking says to update/upgrade my Bel Canto DAC 3.0 first. Its PCM only. Add in amp (S) & speakers, wires, etc., then when the system is more competent, try out new sources or ‘DAC’ and some of those Render/Server thingys.

I’ve been viewing a lot of info on various audio setups online via youtube. PS Audio’s Ted Smith has some videos where he discusses DACs, DSD, PCM and so forth. Very interesting. It/they sure put the PSA perfect wave DAC in a whole new light for me.