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Why does USB feature so much in discussions about DACs when the newer HDMI seems better?

I am a bit confused about the frequent mention of USB in the context of stand-alone Digital to Analog Converters (DAC).  Why is HDMI left out?  Is this a US versus Europe / Asia thing?

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) was introduced in 1996 by a group of computer manufacturers primarily to support plug-and-play for peripherals like keyboards and printers.  It has only two signal wires, plus two wires that can supply DC power.

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) was specifically designed by a group of television manufacturers for transmitting digital audio and video in many formats.  It hit the shops around 2004.  There are 19 pins supporting four shielded twisted pairs, and seven other wires (3 of which can instead form a shielded twisted pair for Ethernet).

I have three universal disk players from Sony, Panasonic and Reavon, which all have two HDMI outputs, one can be dedicated to audio only, the other carries video or video plus audio.  (Only the Panasonic does not support SACD).  My Marantz AV 8802 pre-processor has 11 HDMI connections and only two USBs.

Of course, both USB and HDMI continue to evolve.  Then there is the Media-Oriented System Transport (MOST) bus designed by the automotive industry, which looks even better.

Why is it so?

128x128richardbrand
mike_in_nc
1,155 posts
 

The best connection is the one supported both by the streamer and by the DAC. Some manufacturers have their own connections (like Auralic’s Lightning Link) or use I2S, and many say that the sound is best if those are used. I have no experience with that.

Leaving aside specialty links, if USB is available, I like to use that, as it supports the widest range of sampling rates. Also, over USB, the DAC controls the clock entirely, without depending on the source. I will say, though, that with the new equipment I’ve tried recently, I cannot hear any difference between USB and SPDIF or AES3.

artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,970 posts
 

@richardbrand 

Why is it so?

You'll have to talk to the Accountants, then Marketing, Then the Lawyers who must grease the palms of the proper officials who will make sure they have  your complete cooperation with the proper authorities who will keep your competitors off your case should one arise.

 

rbstehno
1,458 posts
 

USB is a terrible interface to a dac. Ethernet is better and i2s is even better. Most won’t know this because they buy cheap stuff and the cheaper stuff doesn’t include Ethernet or i2s. For a decade, all your high end manufacturers provided a proprietary link from their space player into their preamp or integrated or possibly a dac. They used hdmi/i2s for this. I use a streamer that doesn’t even include usb out, only i2s into my dac

bassbuyer
126 posts
 

It depends on the manufacturer in my experience. I have a Holo Audio Cyan 2 DAC.  It has multiple inputs.  Holo makes a Red streamer which connects through i2S which is tailored to connect between the two units.  I didn’t like the Red and the apps I needed to use.  I went with a Innuos Zen Mk3 streamer instead which only connects using USB.  It sounds excellent in my system.  Would i2S sound better- possibly if I could even tell the difference with my old guy ears.  I love the Sense app that Innuos uses, even better than the BluOs app which was my previous favorite.  I only use HDMI connections with my TVs.  So many connections and so many different cables.   Pick what sounds good to you in your system.  

vinylshadow
498 posts
 

Glass Toslink likely better than cables. No interferences. 

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