Halide Bridge vs hiFace Evo vs Sonicweld 192

Sakahara-I am currently using Hiface EVO between Windows 7
PC and Space Tech Labs DA-64XT Super Vacuum Tube DAC via
AES/EBU Digital Input. Every DAC is particular to type of
Input from PC, as well as Design of DAC, and its type of
Output Stage, even the DAC's Power Supply. My DAC uses Tubes, which are highly vulnerable to PC Switching Mode Power Supply. This is only particular to my type of DAC,
not relevant to any other DAC. Each DAC is going to have its own particular needs from PC Audio, based on its design, and the type of Input the DAC is optimized for.
There is no, "ULTIMATE", Converter/Input for ALL DAC's
with PC Audio. All DACs are different, and not all Inputs
will perform the same. Because of this, there has been such a mixed bag of results with; Firewire, USB, AES/EBU,
Toslink, Glass Fiber Optical, Wireless, SPDIF, Asynchronous, Non-Asynchronous, Soundcard based on PC
Switching Mode Power Supply, External Converter with separate Power Supply. You are just not going to be able to
design a DAC that sounds wonderful with all of these.
I would contact Reimyo, and find out which Digital Input
performs best with DAP-777 with PC Audio. Was DAP-777
designed to sound best via its USB Input, AES/EBU, or
whatever Inputs it utilizes. Will DAP-777, based on its
design, sound better with Digital Soundcard or External
Converter? Don't assume anything! With PC Audio, compatibilty is more critical with three more times as many different types of Inputs. Others can defer, I will still say feed DAC what it was designed to be optimized with for maximum performance. This will be different for every DAC, because each DAC IS radically different.
Upsampling, Non-upsampling, Oversampling, Vacuum Tube Output Stage, Solid State Output Stage, Fully Balanced
Output Stage, Balanced Input, Vacuum Tube Rectified Power
Supply, Solid State Power Supply, Switching Mode Power Supply, Analog Power Supply, and this doesn't even include the DAC Conversion Rates and different types of Inputs.
If Reimyo DAP-777 is your DAC of choice, then design your PC Digital Input around your DAC's design. Then try to choose a Converter that works best with your Reimyo DAC.
Try a friends $1200.00/$1790.00 Converter first to
determine Compatibility with Reimyo DAC. Try a High End Store with MAC, DAP-777, and various PC Converters to determine best Compatibility.

I get it - too many variables, no way to know for certain. Thanks.

Reimyo-DAP-777 doesn't have USB. OPT, COAX, BNC only. Probably designed/suited for COAX, which is what I use. And I actually had the perfect matching music server; iTransport/iPod. Should have kept it. May buy another one if these USB converters don't work out. I realized after trying different priced USB DAC's and converters a few years ago that I would need a very special DAC to give me the sound I was accustom to hearing with my previous CDP (Accustic Arts). So once I decided on the Reimyo DAP-777 and had heard what the SB3 could do it was clear that the iTransport was the best solution at that time - still is. But I wanted a larger GUI.

As for now, the SBT is being returned and I'm going to try AirTunes from both AE and AppleTV, followed by the Halide Bridge. Hopefully one of these will be the one. The only way to know for sure is to try it in my system.

Sakahara-You only get 1/2 of it. Too many variables to
just guess, there is a way to be reasonably certain.
Contact Reimyo, look up past Reviews of DAP-777 on
The Absolute Sound/Stereophile Websites. Reviewers have
a tendency to try ALL Inputs to find Sweetspot Input. You
can contact others who own Reimyo DAP-777 here and other Forums on Audiogon. Try to find someone using DAP-777 with
PC Audio, or CDP, and has tried various DAP Inputs. Contact
the Dealer who sold you the Reimyo, he probably has experience with other Reimyo Customers, and what works best
for them. This can either be CDP or PC Audio Input. The more info the better. Need to really research the DAC to
determine best Input. So many who don't, end up buying
$1790.00 Converter which should sound great; but, doesn't
due to Compatibility issue. Compatibility issue can be just using alternate non-optimized Input on DAC. Not the
Converters fault. Any Input can be the optimized Input on
DAC, the other Inputs not so much. Design of DAC can be made to sound best around BNC, different design around
COAX-SPDIF, different design around OPTICAL to sound best with these. You want a DAC that sounds best with ALL Inputs, be prepared to shell out $10,000.00 for other Inputs you will never use. Many Inputs on many DACs are just Window Dressing pretending to be Swiss Army Knife,
which does sell alot of DACs. Other Inputs will function,
but not nearly as well. It is whats under the hood, that
corresponds to what is plugged into the back that counts.
Some DACs have no problem dealing with Switching Mode Power
Supply from Computer and Audiophile Grade Digital Sound Card. Some DACs have Switching Mode Power Supplies themselves, their Power Supplies designed robust to reject
SMPS noise. Other DACs desperately need Power Supply
isolation from PC via Analog self Powered Converters. So even concideration of the Power Supply of the DAC is a critical factor with PC Audio. IMHO, all of these missmatches are the true cause of radical differences in the positive/negative results with PC Audio. Please don't ask me to drag the PC Software into this as well. Five times more possible combinations means five times more
opportunity to get it wrong. Yeah, the connections will fit, they were designed to fit, but don't assume that they were ALL designed to sound the best simply because they do fit. This is one of the greatest misconceptions of all Audio, and five times more complex with PC Audio. Know your DAC to minimize variables, you will know yourself, and you will know for certain. Things suddenly get allot easier after that!

To make things more complicated, one has to consider three variables in this connection: the digital cable, the USB cable and the USB converter. I definitely don't want to spend the time and money trying to figure out the best combination.
Which makes the simplicity of the Halide Bridge appealing and probably the best bang for the buck when considering the costs of the two other cables needed otherwise.

Lokie-Spending $1,799.00 on a Converter, that would normally sound great; but, sounds awful due to compatibility problems with DAC IS a waste of time and money. Turning this into Russian Roulete, or Crap Shoot is
never more simple, and definitely more complicated. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any one of these Converters, except they will benefit certain DACs; but,
not others. The critical factor is the design, and type of
DAC, the optimum Input based on that design, not to mention the Power Supply for the DAC. All DACs are nowhere
near the same, and not all Converters will behave the same
with all DACs-no matter what the price or quality. Some get
best Sound Quality with Firewire, others with USB, some
with Fiber Optic, Wireless, SPDIF, BNC, AES/EBU. They can't
be all optimized for best sound quality for all DACs, that
would be impossible. The only deciding factor here is the
design of the DAC, and the optimized Input based on that
design. This will limit what Input to use, limit what
Converter to use, and which type of connector. Process of
elimination doesn't make things more complicated, guessing in the dark does! Try Halide Bridge before you buy, if you
want to make things simple. If you even want to make things
more simple, do a little research on your DAC. Wonderful thing the Internet, saves time and money! Do a search on
Reimyo DAP-777, who knows what you might find out.
Knowledge is Power, lack of it is never simple!