Halide Bridge vs hiFace Evo vs Sonicweld 192

sakahara, I'm not a MAC guy but I'd like to share my experience with you in building a PC music server. Over the last 4 months I've played around with multiple hardware configurations and a few basic rules have emerged

1) processing power is king
2) faster memory is a close second
3) SSD drive for your OS partition will make you smile
4) swap files, prefetch, indexing, all those cycle stealing background tasks are your enemy for musical transparency

How old is this iMac? Your initial comment makes me suspect many years old i.e. underpowered. I thought initially that I could use a 3 year old PC as my music server but when I compared the older, slower processor/memory machine to a newer faster machine it lacked the transparency of the faster machine with the same USB DAC. Are you able to try a faster MAC to see if that helps? Im pretty happy now with the proximity of my machine to CD, but like you I am looking for the right choice for USB digitalI/O since I distrust internal sound card digital output.

Davide256: My iMac is previous model (purchased new a year ago); iMac,8.1, 2.8GHz INtel Core 2 Duo, 4GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. And I have nothing running except iTunes/SW player (Amarra, PureMusic). The device is also on it's own High-Speed USB Bus (not shared and up to 480 Mb/sec).

I don't think it's my computer or system. It's USB (converter and DAC's). It doesn't sound good to me, nor through my system. Compare to Wadia 170iTransport, also SBT, to Reimyo DAP-777 (via COAX), which sounds better then $6K Accustic Arts CDP.

One question, Davide256- why can't SAKAHARA (or yourself)
get help from the actual Manufacturers of the MAC/PC Products? Why are Customers being forced to seek help from
those who never Manufactured or Produced these products, WHEN it comes to PC Audio? Rely soley on other Customers
to resolve issues, and keep your fingers crossed that it is
accurate information? Well, THAT it is not exactly
working out for SAKAHARA, and he is not alone. Who does he turn to now? PC Audio has a Disease, and its spreading
like Cancer-" Would you mind if I kindly ask you to take your Silly-___ problem down the Hallway "! What has started
out as a saying, has become the Holy Bible of PC Audio
Customer Service! PC Audio Community will crucify anyone
who dares blasphemes against PC Audio, constructive
criticism or not! Manufacturers skinning the Customers
alive, if not taking a pound of flesh out of their hides,
when it comes to PC Audio Customer Support. No, you just
don't have the proper Tools to do the Job, when it comes
to making PC Audio a real sustainable thriving Industry.
The ad-libbing that struggles on, is laughable! If it was
any other Product, say your Car, would you even tolerate
being forced to use other Customers as the ONLY source of resolving problems with your Vehicle? Manufacturers on
permanent vacation! You would be pulling your hair out by the roots, and you know it! People have a certain expectation with ANYTHING they buy, of a certain level of Customer Support. When it SUCKS, people complain, because that is what they do! THEY have to spend the extra
valuable Time, and Money, to compensate. Why is PC Audio
the ONLY Retarded Stepchild exception to these Rules of the Market? AIN'T-THAT-SPECIAL! Fine then, cut the Price in half, and everyone will be happy. I am getting sick and tired of PC Audio Manufacturers having their Cake, and
eating it too. PC Audio Customers forced to eat dirt, with a PC Audio Community physically whipping them into being grateful for that dirt! PC Audio marketing model spreading to other Industries, Car, Refrigerator, Washing
Machine.....etc? AHHH...NO! "But its more convenient"-
HELL NO! Customer Support isn't necessarily that great in
other Industries, but atleast you are not castrated for
complaining about it! "If you don't like it, don't buy it",
isn't used as a fig leaf, because it won't cover EVERYTHING you buy! That boat will not float. "If you don't like the boat, don't buy it". Sure, if I survive by
bailing water, if I don't drown, I will be sure to get right on that!

M2Tech Support still hasn't replied to my request for help with using the hiFace Evo. At least it was a friends who let me borrow it to try so no loss. Hopefully he'll have more success since it's being set up by someone who knows it.

I'm not even going to bother trying the Halide Bridge after the less then satisfying experience with the WaveLink HS.

I was about to buy the new Wadia 171iTransport but decided to try the Sonos ZP90 first. Then I just came across comments that it doesn't support 24/96. Is this true? Does that make any sense if it's to be used with a high-end audio system connected to a DAC (SPDIF/COAX)? I only play Red Book CD's ripped in Apple Lossless. What does it mean in terms of sound quality?

SAKAHARA-M2Tech Support only understands Italian. You have
got to send it to them in Italian. How good is yours?
I have the M2Tech EVO, and you have to have EVO plugged into Computer and powered up prior to installing Driver.
Without it, you are making configuration changes in
reference to an attached device that MAC can't see.
Could be reason OS X is acting flaky. Still having problems, try another USB Output. Verify Power light is on
with EVO (make sure it is getting power). Eating dirt here,
and being grateful for that dirt! Yummmm!