DAC or. Lynx 2 sound card with Vista OS

hard question...

if you will not record music/sound, go for the DAC.

the lynx its an amazing soundcard, best drivers, verry nice AD/DA, nice wordclock, i own the AES16, and RME hdsp too, nice DSP mixer, but the DAC its a DAC.

if the DAC usb drivers are not working ok,
most low quality soundcards can output s/pdif from the 1/8" trs, any hi quality DAC with s/pdif in and jitter removal will work, Great! no need for USB. just good cables.

While USB is not the ideal form of transmission neither is S/PDIF. Having an internal soundcard (PCI, etc.) is also inherently a bad idea as you will output the noise, of which there is plenty, and interference from inside the computer.

An external connection whether it is called a DAC or soundcard is preferable. Firewire beats USB, but is far from a holy grail. An external power source (not computer powered) is also highly desirable. It then becomes product specific once you limit the basic disadvantages.

I fully agree with the above poster about the noise output with a detailed system. I have one. I'm still experimenting with output options, and my Paradisea+ DAC (non-USB) which enjoys a good synergy with my system. I also have Windows Vista and prefer to avoid soundcard driver issues. ;)

A well designed USB or Firewire DAC seems to be the best solution. There are assorted choices in these categories, and as usual one needs to try and hear for themselves in his/her system. USB chipset, DAC chipset, jitter reduction, capacitors, etc. all assembled leaves lots of variables. Welcome to the never ending hobby, lol.

Shaq

What was your decision ultimately, or for the time being, and how do you find it performancewise?