Interfacing Computer Music to D/A Converter ?

A laptop (hard drive) can make for an excellent front-end if it is done right. Definitely stick to the lossless file formats to start. You'll need a USB to S/PDIF interface. The best one I've tried, and still own, is no longer made, but you may be able to find a used one on eBay: Waveterminal U24. Similar products are made by HAG and Edirol among others. You can also sell your Benchmark DAC and get a USB compatible DAC like the Apogee Mini-DAC (USB version). Alternatively, you can purchase a device like the Airport Express which allows the digital output from your computer to be streamed wirelessly to your DAC via a Toslink connection (in the case of the AE). I think the Squeezebox does similar duty, but I have no experience with it so can't say for sure. Will it be better than a transport? That'll be for your ears to tell. For me I can't tell the difference.

Marco

You have to make a choice: Wireless using Wi-Fi or USB cable. USB cable can give you better performance, and 24/96 capability. The only Wi-Fi box that has 24/96 is the Transporter. A good upsampler like SRC on a PC can bring amazing results, more like analog.

Airport Express only has Toslink output in stock form, so I would not recommend this. Toslink is the highest jitter interface. A modded version of AE is a different story. With AE you must use only iTunes player with either PC or MAC, so you have to like iTunes. Upsampling to 24/96 on MAC is not so great like on a PC.

The Squeezebox is quite popular as a transport, but also needs mods to sound good IMO. It will only do 16/44.1 and requires Slim Server as a player interface.

The possibility of eliminating the S/PDIF interface is another big advantage of computer driven audio. I2S interfaces are available to the Benchmark DAC-1 using USB interface to the computer. Using I2S can raise the quality of computer playback above that achievable using a transport.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer

I use the built-in wireless capability of a Mac to send from iTunes directly to an Airport Express base station, then via glass Toslink from the Airport Express to a Benchmark DAC-1. Files are in Apple Lossless format. It's extremely convenient and the sound quality is indistinguishable to me from CD's played on a transport going to the same Benchmark DAC.

For the total cost of about $140 for the Airport Express and a good glass Toslink cable it's a cheap experiment at the worst.

USB DACS can be purchased for less than 30.00 Alot Depends on what happens next, or what you really want to do. I sell the Dared MP-5 Tube Dac Amp. Its a all in one piece using the burr brown 2702 DAC. The total system is around 370.00 Actually USB direct to a DAC is a great way to go as there is no jitter that you might experience with S/PDIF outputs. It depends on how much of a audiophile you are and how efficient your speakers are, as the more efficient the more they allow you to hear the flaws in equipment.