USB DACs with 24/192 via USB

Bigamp
Are there any "audiophile" quality DACs that can receive a 24/192 input via USB?

It appears that the PS Audio Digital Link III has an internal native mode of 24/192KHz. It also has a USB input. As to whether it can actually receive 24/192 over the USB link, I don't know, but if it gets a 16/96 or 24/96, it's going to upconvert it to 24/196.

upconversion is wrong way.....native is needed

I may repeat some of what has been said:
-there are various USB Dacs that go all the way to 192 but I believe most stop at 96 for now
-firewire may generally produce better results, primarily used through Weiss equipment
-all high end manufacturers I spoke to assert that for very best performance you still need to have the interface be outside the DAC. Use a computer card or other interface
-so for best quality, run a firewire into a Weiss AFL1 or maybe a usb into other device. You can then run single or double XLRs into DACs such as the Scarlatti, Weiss Medea/DAC1, Accuphase DC801 etc and have the best possible sound you can get these days. I have not tried wavelength or the Wadia 9.

You can download from HDTracks, Linn, HDTT, BSO's site, etc. But get ready for some quality time with your computer as most of these sites are amazingly bad at bundling the metadata, so you will have to move things around manually at times. I assume at some point they will get it right, get cheaper and we ll hear most master recordings such as Reference Recordings online.

Of course, all this is only to get us closer to vinyl!

07-29-09: Kops
upconversion is wrong way.....native is needed

I get the impression that the PS Audio DAC III is 24/192 in native mode. It upconverts lower sampling rates and shorter word lengths to 24/192. Therefore, I presume that if it receives a 24/192 digital bitstream, it will decode it in native mode as there's nothing to upsample.

BTW, the $299 Musical Fidelity V-DAC also runs internally at 24/192 and has a USB input.

Therefore, I presume that if it receives a 24/192 digital bitstream, it will decode it in native mode as there's nothing to upsample.

Not all DACs can receive a 24/192 stream even though they upsample. In particular 24/192is only possibly via USB if the unit requires special drivers to be installed on Windows or OSX (see for example EMU0404 USB). A USB input on a DAC does not necessarily mean it goes all the way to 24/192.

For example:
- Bryston BDA-1 (only 16/44 and 16/48 via USB)
- Bel Canto e.One DAC3 (only 16/44 and 16/48 via USB)
- Benchmark DAC1 USB (16/44, 16/48, 24/88.2, 24/96 via USB)
- PS Audio DLIII (only 16/44 and 16/48 via USB)

This websites list the USB input rates for different DACs with USB input (if available):

The Well Tempered Computer