Ammonite Audio
05-10-2013, 20:54
On a bit of a whim, I recently ordered a cheap USB to S/PDIF converter from that well-known auction site. It is well-specified and keenly priced: see http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300980603403 . The main reason for trying this device is that my resident HiFace Evo converter is incompatible with the SOtM audiophile USB card in my audio PC. That SOtM card elevates the humble Arcam RPac from "quite good for the price" to "really very good by any standard" so is well worth exploiting.
The new converter arrived with the predicted tax bill and is very nicely built and finished. It's so nice to have a piece of equipment that does not have a separate PSU - this one has an inbuilt PSU with a standard mains IEC plug at the back. Connectivity goes way beyond what I need, eg just coaxial and optical. Installation of the drivers in win7 was hassle-free and I was quickly up and running with the thing hooked up to the Lyngdorf amp via MIT Shotgun RCA lead and to the Bushmaster (for headphones) with a Lifatec glass optical cable. I selected the device in JRiver and sat back, to be greeted with a rather unimpressive sound. Going back into the JRiver settings, changing from WASAPI Event Style to ASIO (which the HiFace did not support), an immediate transformation occurred; indeed the sound reproduction became vibrant, organic, spacious, detailed, musical. It's only gotten better with time.
The rather shocking realisation for me is that the HiFace Evo was clearly not in good health, and this resulted in my pointing an accusing finger at the Bushmaster for a rather coarse and gritty sound, which characteristic was not so apparent via the Lyngdorf amp, but which in retrospect was clearly there too. Now, via the new USB converter, the BM is sounding quite wonderful, and so is the rest of the system too. I am a bit puzzled about why ASIO should be so dramatically better than WASAPI, but it is and I'm happy with the result!
So, a very good result for very little expenditure. That the Bushmaster has finally revealed its capabilities to me is a great bonus, since I was looking at alternative USB headphone amps (the new Musical Fidelity V90-HPA is shockingly good even without knowing how cheap it is).
And my apologies are due to Stanley Beresford for doubting the Bushmaster's capabilities.
The new converter arrived with the predicted tax bill and is very nicely built and finished. It's so nice to have a piece of equipment that does not have a separate PSU - this one has an inbuilt PSU with a standard mains IEC plug at the back. Connectivity goes way beyond what I need, eg just coaxial and optical. Installation of the drivers in win7 was hassle-free and I was quickly up and running with the thing hooked up to the Lyngdorf amp via MIT Shotgun RCA lead and to the Bushmaster (for headphones) with a Lifatec glass optical cable. I selected the device in JRiver and sat back, to be greeted with a rather unimpressive sound. Going back into the JRiver settings, changing from WASAPI Event Style to ASIO (which the HiFace did not support), an immediate transformation occurred; indeed the sound reproduction became vibrant, organic, spacious, detailed, musical. It's only gotten better with time.
The rather shocking realisation for me is that the HiFace Evo was clearly not in good health, and this resulted in my pointing an accusing finger at the Bushmaster for a rather coarse and gritty sound, which characteristic was not so apparent via the Lyngdorf amp, but which in retrospect was clearly there too. Now, via the new USB converter, the BM is sounding quite wonderful, and so is the rest of the system too. I am a bit puzzled about why ASIO should be so dramatically better than WASAPI, but it is and I'm happy with the result!
So, a very good result for very little expenditure. That the Bushmaster has finally revealed its capabilities to me is a great bonus, since I was looking at alternative USB headphone amps (the new Musical Fidelity V90-HPA is shockingly good even without knowing how cheap it is).
And my apologies are due to Stanley Beresford for doubting the Bushmaster's capabilities.