2. pc-audio
  3. 1385145497

What is the missing element?

My pc audio setup currently is as follows

PC (Lossless audio through Jriver) > V-link (first model) > Rega Dac > Jolida JD1501 > KEF LS50s

The Rega was probably the first component I bought that completely transformed the sound of my system. The difference it made was simply huge.

I then added the v-link to support higher resolution audio through the s/pdif connection. Again, the sound noticeably improved. The soundstage was bigger, and the music just sounded fuller. Without the v-link the music sounds quite a bit smaller through the usb input.

The Kefs were the next big leap forward for my system. I simply cant believe how big a sound these tiny little speakers put out.

Now, originally most of my listening was through the setup listed above. However, the addition of a thorens TD-160 has gotten me into vinyl in a big way and now I really don't like the sound of digital. By comparison it sounds like congested chaos, has a rough texture (especially noticeable in voices)and overall is just very brash sounding. I simply can not stand it at loud volumes. Nothing like the polite orderly smoothness I hear on vinyl which constantly has me turning up the volume.

I had all but completely switched to listening to music on my turntable while the rega was relegated to streaming pandora or youtube as background music and always at low volumes. Then, some time spent with a naim cd player reminded me just how good a digital source can sound. So my question is how can I bridge the gap? I have been reading a lot about jitter and I am wondering if that is holding the rega back. I've read that the v-link measures at right around 400ps while other digital transports like the audiophilleo measure well below 100ps. Would replacing the v-link with an audiophilleo or another s/pdif converter give me the sound I am looking for? Is the problem with the nature of computer audio itself and I should just be looking for a good CD player? I am slowly driving myself crazy over this.
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cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
No note for me to take. USB was an afterthought. It will be gone in 2 years. I will still have my $150 soundcard but what will everyone do with their USB converters?

Besides, they do sound very poor. Just listen!
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
Al, all due respect, there is enough 'wrong' with the packetized USB data flow to allow 'streamed' spdif data to just sound better. USB can sound better if you use a real USB card, not the crap found in a puter, but still not as good as the soundcard. Comes down to output voltage and stability and isolation (and jitter) of that signal.

I totally agree it comes down to implementation. What I am trying to explain is that USB is the poorest implementation. Just because everyone exploits it does not mean it is better.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,238 posts
 
Al and Steve,
Thanks for your explanations and technical expertise.
I have to confess that Cerrot makes an interesting case, is this convenience/ universal use(USB) vs ultimate sound quality(SPDIF sound card). Historically sometimes "better" loses the battle vs convenient pragmatism.
Charles,
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,442 posts
 
All tech stuff thrown out for a second, my USB cable from my 2009 mini to my Lampizator dac USB input is sonic heaven beyond anything I have ever heard on my front end.

No separate USB converter, just beautiful sound beyond any CD player or disc spinning transport I have owned or heard in my system.

Follow Steve's advice and get a late model 2009 mini, power supply for the mini, perform all software mods, use Amarra with EQ option to negate poor room response, and yes a good quality USB cable (WyWire and others). Boom, Done, Killer Sound!

So the devil is indeed in the details wether sound card or USB cable.

Steve, can this sound card Cerrot speaks about be loaded into the 2009 mini? If so, any real sonic pluses? My Lampizator has a nice USB port so no outboard converter is needed for great sound with my set-up.
clio09
3,346 posts
 
I really do not think enough credit is given to the advances made to enable USB to be a very viable solution for computer audio. I was a skeptic for a really long time. I still have my CEC TL-51X transport lying around. With my Lessloss DAC I can slave the CEC to the DAC which is a superior implementation. However, even I have to admit that my DAC slaved to my Audiophilleo 1 USB converter yields no sonic degradation. I cannot tell the difference.

I have a good amount of experience with the Lynx sound card as a friend of mine has a server that uses one. We did a comparison against a laptop system using an Offramp 4 and the difference was definitely noticeable. The USB converter was better, even with the USB signal coming off a laptop versus a dedicated music server.

I have to admit the Juli@ intrigues me because it has a clock input. As my DAC has a clock output it might be possible for me to slave the card to my DAC. Unfortunately I may never find out since my email to the fine folks who make the sound card seemingly went into the black hole.
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