Guys - USB was created for the very reason of PROVIDING CONVENIENCE. These sham PC Audio guys embraced the wrong protocal years back because they did not believe the average Joe would open his puter and install a sound card, deal with drivers, IRQ settings, etc, so they dumbed everything down with USB and some of these guys are still stuck in the dark ages with antiquated USB. You can easily improve your USB sound by installing an actual USB card into a PCI or PCIe slot - notice how no one tells you that. Steve, care to elaborate on that? Or, again, on how no CD transport outputs usb. Or, how engineers TODAY are planning on phasing out USB in a few years. Sticking your head in the sand on that one? My arguments don't hold water? But, yet, you have been unable to dispute me.
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.
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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- 57 posts total
- 57 posts total