FORGETTING the Digital to Analog conversion part, what is BEST Digital source?

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CD is the best digital source.  Avoids all the problems (listed above) with computers and connections.  If you want to pay subscription fees, I would say a streaming service would be the way to go.

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2 hours ago, barrows said:

Hmm.  When I switched to computer based audio, I kept my excellent $6K bel canto at hand to use as a reference until computer based audio playback exceeded what the bel canto could deliver, this did take a little while, but that was years ago, and my playback system has made many strides beyond what virtually any disc spinner is capable of since then.  In addition to that I now own many, many high resolution files which are better than their CD counterparts (I have both in many cases).  While there are now some very, very expensive transports which can equal some computer based playback systems, the notion that there is some drop off in sound quality with computer based audio vs a traditional disc spinner is false.  If you have this experience, you have some serious errors in your computer based system.

 

@barrows  I see that you are a computer expert:   "Design/Build Consultant with Simple Design /Sonore".  Good on you!

 

What about the rest of us that do not have your education, work experience and skill?  What about the rest of us that had to sell off a W4S DAC 1 because it would quit working with each so called "upgrade" from Cupertino?  My opinion only; "computer audio" is for experts such as yourself, or the serious hobbyist who likes to experiment with all manner of DACs, USB Cables, external clocks, and god knows what else.   I like to kick back play a CD or an LP and enjoy the music.  I am also unconvinced that high resolution files sound much different than redbook.  If a recording is well done, it should sound good on the common CD player and on a high resolution platform.  A poor recording will sound even worse on a high resolution file and given the state of the recording art industry today, you have a rather good chance of getting some horrid recordings.

 

I do have a modest computer audio system which does work, most of the time!

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, barrows said:

@marce, yes, I work as a consultant with Sonore.  But I am an audiophile first, and the advice I give on these forums is sincere, and based on my own experiences, not on trying to promote our specific products.

I do believe our products can offer a benefit to some, so when appropriate to a question I might recommend them, but I try to do it in a general way.  If you take a look at my posts I think you will see this.  I might say something like: you should try an Ethernet renderer, like the ones offered by Auralic or Sonore.

The level of compensation in my work is not such that I stand to gain much anyway!

The difference between running, say, a standard consumer computer via USB to a DAC, vs. a good purpose built audio source (like a good audiophile company produced server, or Ethernet renderer) is not subtle, so of course I recommend doing that. 

 

 

 

+1.  "The difference between running, say, a standard consumer computer via USB to a DAC, vs a good purpose built audio source (edit) is not subtle."

 

Agree.  The home computer is a poor audio source.