View Full Version : Rega Dac trhough USB
nbaptista
30-07-2011, 10:04
Hello,
I would like to know if going through USB this DAC maintain a good perfomance. I´m asking this because the DAC is not asynchronous, so jitter might be a problem!
technobear
30-07-2011, 10:11
...jitter might be a problem!
Precisely! It will depend entirely on the computer and cable. Noise is also a problem unless you use a USB galvanic isolator (or does the Rega have this already?).
Personally I think we need an educational campaign to enlighten people that asynchronous USB is the clear way forward and that adaptive USB DACs should be used as a last ditch for convenience only.
Others will disagree with that view but most of them have a vested interest so take it with a pinch of salt.
nbaptista
30-07-2011, 10:16
Noise is also a problem unless you use a USB galvanic isolator (or does the Rega have this already?).
the Rega has a galvanic isolator
technobear
30-07-2011, 10:30
In order to ensure that you give the DAC the best possible feed, here are some things you can do:
Install foobar music player software and ASIO4all driver software on your PC. I have tried many other applications - MediaMonkey, J. River, WinAmp - and drivers - Kernel Streaming, WASAPI - and the foobar/ASIO combination works most reliably and sounds the best.
Use a good quality USB cable. I use Kimber USB. It's not too expensive and it certainly makes a difference.
Disable as many services as you can on the PC so that it is lightly loaded.
nbaptista
30-07-2011, 13:54
I´m using Foobar with Wasapi drivers and EAC for ripping.
My DAC is a CA DacMagic, for the moment, because I have the intention to listen the Rega and if I like it there is a great probality to buy it!
. . . because I have the intention to listen the Rega and if I like it there is a great probality to buy it!
You will if you hear it, just make sure you get to try one that is well burnt in, at least 100+ hours. They can sound harsh straight out the box, but when thoroughly burnt in, it's the DAC to beat at this price point IMO.
nbaptista
30-07-2011, 14:28
, it's the DAC to beat at this price point IMO.
That´s why I want to listen it,great feedback from the foruns :lolsign:
wee tee cee
30-07-2011, 15:42
Musical fidelity sell the v link.It would resolve your jitter problems.I run one in conjunction with the m1 dac to great effect.Well worth a comparison with the Rega.
Personally I think we need an educational campaign to enlighten people that asynchronous USB is the clear way forward and that adaptive USB DACs should be used as a last ditch for convenience only.
IMO, like many other things in hi-fi (such as turntable drive systems - direct vs. idler vs. belt etc.), I suspect the technology used is 10% of the performance, the other 90% being in the implementation. Not as black and white as you are making out.
IMO, like many other things in hi-fi (such as turntable drive systems - direct vs. idler vs. belt etc.), I suspect the technology used is 10% of the performance, the other 90% being in the implementation. Not as black and white as you are making out.
+1, I reckon at this time.
Rega are not marketing led people, prone to change and "update" models every year or two. They also hated all things "digital" with a vengeance twenty years or so ago and I reckon it took a huge leap of faith for them to launch the original and dear old Clamshell Planet CD player back in the late 90's. This new DAC would have been very carefully researched, as Rega just don't make "me too" products. Of all domestic-audio companies, I trust Rega implicitly to do a good job, as they do with almost everything they make (I still reserve judgement on some of their pickup cartridges though ;)). That DAC will be about the best around at the price and I'm sure about the best CD can give, unless you spend thousands on it of course and then the heart takes over in any case - IMO :)
Musical fidelity sell the v link.It would resolve your jitter problems.I run one in conjunction with the m1 dac to great effect.Well worth a comparison with the Rega.
Or try a Hiface or Audio GD digital interface as a SPDIF converter - lots to choose from and avoid the USB route.
StanleyB
30-07-2011, 16:24
Personally I think we need an educational campaign to enlighten people that asynchronous USB is the clear way forward and that adaptive USB DACs should be used as a last ditch for convenience only.
Others will disagree with that view but most of them have a vested interest so take it with a pinch of salt.
asynch USB preachers have had a vested interest from day one in the new snake oild ;). SPDIF is not async, neither is the connection between audio equipment such as between amp and speakers.
Scaring users away from one technology with bogey men tales of loads of jitter etc with anything not async related has more of an agenda than anything else. The poor punter won't know he has been fleeced till it is too late. And then he is too ashamed to admit having been taken in with the new clothes for the emperor.
I'm with Stan on this one. Async USB is being touted as 'you can use any crappy old transport you like - Async USB removes all of your poor quality clock and jitter woes' - Well, it's all marketing twaddle (as per).
I've owned 2 async DACs now and they're as affected by the quality of your transport as any non-async DAC I've had.
Just as with everything else, there'll be good and bad examples of both types. Async is not the cure.
technobear
03-08-2011, 16:38
I'm with Stan on this one. Async USB is being touted as 'you can use any crappy old transport you like - Async USB removes all of your poor quality clock and jitter woes' - Well, it's all marketing twaddle (as per).
I've owned 2 async DACs now and they're as affected by the quality of your transport as any non-async DAC I've had.
Just as with everything else, there'll be good and bad examples of both types. Async is not the cure.
Since there is no such thing as a 'USB Transport', this post makes no sense!
What on Earth are you talking about?
Vincent Kars
03-08-2011, 18:46
The difference between a normal cheap (16 bit/48 max) adaptive mode and a async can be found here:
http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Linux/Sound3/TimeForChange.html
It is a comparison between the adaptive mode of the DAC Magic and the same DAC Magic feed by a Halide async USB to SPDIF converter.
StanleyB
03-08-2011, 18:57
What's the logic of going from USB to SPDIF and then into the DAC? Is the processor in the DAC able to handshake better and produce lower jitter that way? I personally don't think so.
The SPDIF connection is not asynchronous, so why convert the async USB signal to non-async SPDIF,a nd then feed it into the DAC? You mighta s well cut out all that extra signal degradation conversion process.
This whole async USB to SPDIF process sounds so dodgy the more you think about it.
Vincent Kars
03-08-2011, 20:54
It is very simple:
All PC’s have USB, few have a decent SPDIF out
All DACs have SPDIF in, few a decent USB input
This is why there is a market for USB to SPDIF converters.
Since there is no such thing as a 'USB Transport', this post makes no sense!
What on Earth are you talking about?
Apologies, my terminology may be a bit over-reaching. What I'm getting at is that anything which provides a digital audio output is a 'transport' and yes with USB this would mean a PC, Mac or streaming device, Squeezebox etc. and what I am saying is that having tried all of the above, async USB does NOT mean they all sound the same, or all sound good.
I can certainly see the point of something like the HiFace though (even more so having owned one). The optical output of a Macbook is *CRAP* and the HiFace did a great job in getting a decent SPDIF signal into my 7510.
technobear
04-08-2011, 09:02
I can certainly see the point of something like the HiFace though (even more so having owned one). The optical output of a Macbook is *CRAP* and the HiFace did a great job in getting a decent SPDIF signal into my 7510.
Wow! Tha MacBook must be bad because I wasn't impressed with the standard HiFace. I judged it no better than a Squeezebox Classic.
Wow! Tha MacBook must be bad because I wasn't impressed with the standard HiFace. I judged it no better than a Squeezebox Classic.
Easily the worst digital output I've heard on anything, even far worse than my el cheapo DVD player. The Squeezebox on the other hand is a top piece of kit. I'm just amazed that in the space of a month of owning a SB Touch, I've completely dropped the use of my Macbook connection to the DAC and now use the Touch exclusively for anything Spotify/Internet Radio/Apple Lossless streaming related.
technobear
04-08-2011, 10:01
The SB Touch is a very different animal to the SB Classic. The Touch sounds much better because it has far lower jitter.
...and has a much improved power supply from what I can gather. For a wallwart it's actually pretty good. The only drawback with the Touch being that it's a lot harder for us tweakers due to there not being a lot of space in the box.
Anyway, I think we've crapped on this thread enough, apologies to the OP.
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