Am I in the minority?

"Are these great sounding Computer/DAC systems connected via USB? Is that the only way? And, is it true that USB remains a compromised audio transfer of data to a DAC?"

Yes, USB. There are no technical compromises with USB, just some existing designs that are poorly executed. New technologies always have this effect. Think about the very first CD transport. Complete junk. Now CD transports are quite good because the designers have finally figured out that jitter matters etc.. Likewise some of us have figured out USB.

You can also get great results with networked WiFi devices and a reclocker, but these are typically limited to 44.1 and maybe 96. USB will do 24/192.

Both of these interfaces use packetized data bursts, buffering at the end-point and then establishing a new master clock. Once you have this, the details of the interface are less important.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

i like both for different reasons. the convenience of computer audio can not be matched. i've rediscovered my cd collection since getting my pc based system up and running. tunes i haven't heard in years are now getting regular play time. playlists are a blast as is jumping around depending on what you're in the mood for.

that being said, i still prefer the sound when my perfect wave transport is spinning. when it comes to critical listening, cd's and dvd-a(hi res)are still my weapon of choice.even though 80% of my listening is done via streaming, my cd collection still occupies the bookcase a few feet away. no boxing up and storing away for me. i still love these archaic little discs.

regarding how i acquire my tunes....will only download hi-res music. everything else is still purchased on disc. don't see this changing anytime soon.

Personally I prefer a computer source, primarily for its ease of use. I don't enjoy getting up and changing a disc. Maybe I'm lazy.

One thing I didn't see mentioned so far is the space required for physical media. It can be difficult to accommodate thousands of discs/albums, especially if you don't have a large home. When I switched to a computer source and put all my cd's in the garage, I freed up a lot of space. I wish I could do the same thing for my movie collection, which is now at 1000+ titles. It takes up a lot of space and is not particularly attractive to look at.

The one physical medium I still cling to is books. Although I own a Kindle and use it often, I still prefer a hard copy of a book. Don't know why I have a double standard.

Bryon

No! you definitely are not the minority. I like the idea of computer based music servers and their convenience, but. I am still buying the shinny little platters, I am like you I like the ritual and I like having something to hold on to, I guess I am just an old fashion guy. I am actually adding a new SACD player to my system, this will be platter spinner number three.

Likely, you’re not in the minority, but certainly you - as well as many others - are "behind the times" and missing out on something that is truly hard to explain in writing.

Computer audio (USB and Network) has advanced to the point that the sound quality not only matches, but potentially exceeds the "old fashioned" CD transport protocols. This fact combined with the flexibility and near "miraculous" user-experience of having an entire library accessible via the touch of a button, leaves me literally amazed every time I listen to my system – which is literally every night now that I have a music server setup.