If you had a choice to run a long cable (5m) to a DAC would you choose Optical or USB?
If you had a choice to run a long cable (5m) to a DAC would you choose Optical or USB?
Location: Dagenham Essex
Posts: 11,215
I'm Allen.
Optical
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Optical: both in terms of sound quality and convenience.
I use these and can recommend them. Also available in black https://www.amazon.co.uk/XO-Optical-...rds=5m+optical
Geoff
Location: gone
Posts: 11,519
I'm gone.
Unless you are also using a decent USB to digital co-ax converter as well as the USB cable, optical.
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Optical it is then -thanks chaps.
(Raises Head slightly above the parapets )
A vote here for USB !!
Not Bandwidth limited in case you want to experiment with super-dooper Hi-Rez material in the future.
Plus I've never got on with Optical Sound-Quality wise. Very harsh and fatigue-ing whenever I have heard it. IMHO of course !
Jim.
Location: Troon
Posts: 2,476
I'm tony.
try and get a glass one-fisual do a couple at reasonable money.
If you have a galvanically isolated, asynchronous USB connection, then it'll spank optical. Otherwise, things can be more variable, so try both. FWIW 5 metres is within spec for USB 2.0 requirements.
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
The DAC I will be using will have fully galvanically isolated USB but reading more about it from the designer either USB or optical are fine and there is not much in it. Probably best try both and see which works best from MacBook laptop?
I was more concerned about using a 5 meter length and how this would affect a USB cables performance ?