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PC to DAC through USB or USB to spdif to DAC

S

sagi4422

Member
Hi.
I was wondering regarding the advantages/disadvantages by using
PC->USB->DAC like the M2TECH hiface DAC which received very good results OR
PC->USB to SPDIF->DAC like the M2TECH hiface TWO and V-DAC or other decent not expensive DAC
Thanks.
 
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In my view, there would be only two reasons for using a separate USB > S/PDIF converter:

1. You already have a good DAC that lacks USB input
2 You already have a good DAC that has an early USB input that is not asynchronous or otherwise doesn't sound very good

Situation (1) is what I'm in, but if I were buying a new DAC, I'd go for one of the many good ones with asynchronous USB input.
 
Another advantage to something like the M2Tech hiFace two is that is supports ASIO, and you have access to latency settings.
Most integrated USB inputs don't have this, unless it is a studio audio interface or something.

My Atoll DAC 100 has a rather poor USB input, and I need ASIO for FL Studio, so the hiFace Two fits in nicely.
 
One reason would be if DAC spdif connection has higher resolution than DAC usb.

I have nuforce u192s usb to spdif converter. It comes with usb driver. So you can select it rather than standard usb driver. The desktop icon it installs you can select the resolution.

It is hard to tell if it really sounds better because hooking and unhooking equipment to compare and then trying to remember difference etc difficult to do. But the system sounds really good.
 
I am still not convinced, in case I don't have DAC right now, why not to choose the hiface DAC over USB-SPDIF adaptor and DAC separately.
the hiface DAC has 384khz/32Bit which is way over the standards. it has dedicated drivers to bypass windows drivers and it removes the use of cables between the spdif to the dac (which in some cases will reduce the quality)
 
sagi4422 said:
I am still not convinced, in case I don't have DAC right now, why not to choose the hiface DAC over USB-SPDIF adaptor and DAC separately.
the hiface DAC has 384khz/32Bit which is way over the standards. it has dedicated drivers to bypass windows drivers and it removes the use of cables between the spdif to the dac (which in some cases will reduce the quality)
Click to expand...

If the hiFace DAC has the sound you are looking for, then go for that.

You are unlikely to need anything higher then 96KHz 24bit, it's nice if it's supported, but don't let that drive your decision.
 
I didn't hear it because it's pretty new in the market (I think May 2013). The reviews are good to superb. The price is OK.
On the other hand, getting a good USB-SPDIF like the hiface two + nice dac will cost much higher than the hiface DAC
 
This is good advice - asynchronous is best reason. If DAC is asynchronous then should not need SPIF converter. Mine is not.
 
I'm using the M2Tech HiFace II
It works very well, and sounds great
Much more stable than going straight into my preamp/dac with a USB
 
rwartner said:
This is good advice - asynchronous is best reason. If DAC is asynchronous then should not need SPIF converter. Mine is not.
Click to expand...

Asynchronous-usb really kicked things up quite a few notches. Brought the cost of a great-sounding DAC WAY-down. You'd be surprised what's possible. I'm currently running the HRT MSII. I've been very, very-happy with it in the year and a half I've had one. But whichever DAC you choose, make sure your computer is up to the task of powering it. First off, get yourself an external USB hub. That will lighten the load quite a bit. But you're also gonna' want a decent processor with some power. CPU-power has a big effect on the end result. The DAC itself was a huge improvement over the RCA-to-1/8th-inch cable, believe me (First off was that it got rid of a bunch of signal-noise I had), but things REALLY-started to happen as I tightened up things on the computer end.
 
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