DAC connection: which type gives highest fidelity?

WOW my computer to DAC connection is schizophrenic. My older DAC does have USB, It's a CAL Alpha.  My newer Mini Mac does not have Toslink/Fiber.  I use a USB to Coax Adapter.  Sounds great if you considering the age of my gear.

jjss49

Thx for the warning!  There goes THAT idea .......

I would suggest optical network-based raw data transfer (e.g. a UPnP renderer) as it has both error-detection and retransmit while also being electrically decoupled.

But, in practical terms, it pretty much depends on the implementation of your sender and receiver. For some devices, the USB input may be better than the coaxial one, while for others it will be the opposite.

Ethernet!    Data send in packets, ability to resend data if if errors, data integrity from IP layer, simpler implementation with  synchronized data transmission ...

bobbydd OP
DAC connection: which type gives highest fidelity?

The very best was/is?
If you have the optical AT&T bnc type high speed optical glass fibre connector’s that Wadia and ML’s some used in their top models, these are the best, and you use them with a dab on the ends of the expensive "optical indexing fluid" that gives them an air free mating connection. The glass fibre lead is very fragile and can't be bent too much as the glass fibre cracks.

Cheers George