USB to I2S conversion and reclocking quality doubt

[Spacehound]

57 minutes ago, doraymon said:

As a matter of fact I have the opposite problem, that is my upstream devices have supposedly better clocks than the D/D converter.

This is my chain: SOtM sMS-200ultra > SOtM tX-USBultra >(over USB)> Singxer KTE SU-1 DDR >(over I2S)> Holo Audio KTE Spring DAC L3

So the better clocks are upstream and the worst downstream...

Essentially the SU-1 is there to take care of the USB to I2S conversion (using its Crystek CCHD-575 clocks).

I could indeed skip the SU-1 and feed the the DAC with the USB signal out of the SOtM devices but than the DAC would in any case internally convert this to I2S, using its internal clocks which are much less precise than the 575's.

So the question is: am I wasting my money in placing $2.2k worth of "USB signal cleaning" devices before the SU-1?

I tried to do some tests by adding/removing the tX-USBultra but due to the limited space I have I can't really do a real time A/B comparison and difference was not immediately perceivable.

To add to the confusion I tried to remove the SU-1 and feed the good quality USB signal to the DAC and contrarily to the theory what I am hearing has slightly more detail, fuller bass and the sound is much less fatiguing.

 

I confess I am lost.

You've got too many gadgets,

The DAC's clock will override  them all.

 

And  it's not only the clock.

The  DAC doesn't give an ra how 'improved' the signal is because it isn't really a 'signal' at all in the conventional sense. Basically  it's just  on and off.

 

it's not even interested in the 'edges'  because a lot of the  time there aren't any.

It's not interested in 'measuring' the voltages either,  it just needs to be 'aware' of them. And a lot of the time a 'zero' and a 'one' look exactly the same 'signalwise' as  their   voltages can be the same whatever 'electrical value' ; they are.

 

If in doubt use USB with a  cable  from the local supermarket. If it's got the USB logo on the connectors it meets the USB specification. And that's all the DAC cares about.

 

A picture of a USB signal. It may help to clarify some points  I made.

 

[Spacehound]

1 hour ago, mansr said:

USB actually encodes 0 as change and 1 as no change, the opposite of this figure. The principle is the same, though.

Good. That obfuscates it even more. Two things, one the opposite of the other, both called NRZI, and the 'I'  can stand for  two different things as well. Who ARE these people?

[Spacehound]

1 hour ago, doraymon said:

Thanks for your valuable contribution to the thread!

You asking a question  or telling us to buy some more magic boxes?

[Spacehound]

1 hour ago, doraymon said:

 

 

Despite all my efforts I still fail to understand what do you want and why are you asking such questions.

if you are not interested in the topic I am rising whiny don’t you kindly do yourself, myself and all the community a favour and look somewhere else.

What efforts?

I've not asked anything, that's you. And you need to be careful about 'rising whiny'.

I said get rid of them all, with reasons,  (and one with  ten times more expertise than most, agreed).

 

Later I expanded it with further explanations,  advice what interface to use, and a format diagram.

What on earth's wrong with that? Do you do the same  to your wife/physician/accountant?

 

Are you wasting money? The answer's still yes.

[Spacehound]

14 minutes ago, doraymon said:

Apologies I have mistaken you for another member... 

Thanks for your posts earlier, still I don’t understand why are you asking me if I am telling you to buy more magic boxes.

Apart from the irony of the “magic boxes” which implies that I’ve been chasing snake oil, what makes you think I am trying to sell anyone anything? It’s a genuine question, don’t take it as a provocation.

I am here to learn and understand what I’m hearing so I can progress in the pursue of a better sound for me.

Please advise what you see wrong or funny in this approach.

thanks

 

Fine. My wife does it sometimes too 

 

I thought you were 'objecting' to my answers. I was wrong.

 

Snake oil? When they show me their Nobel Physics prizes I will buy their stuff - This applies particularly to expensive cables - I've never seen 'price' in a physics equation. And  they can't even explain their cables themselves. And for the rest,  this 'improving the signal' is gibberish, . 'digital'  either works 100% or it stops. That's the whole concept.. So many people are stuck in their 'analog' safe space. Because it's what they understand.

 

Cheers.

[Spacehound]

2 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 Why do you care what someone spends money on?

I don't. I've got some real silly things (as have you judging from your $10,000 magic cables.)

 

So how does we  were asked about this stuff grab you ? Perhaps I should  have said he should sell it rather than he's wasted his money.

 

What's more, he  apologised and said he mistook me for somebody else.

[Spacehound]

6 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Fantastic. I’ll hold you to it :~)

I can outbid you on silly thing easy. I bought something at auction September 2017  that Ringo Starr purchased brand new in 1963.Though not because of him

 

PS: As my keboard misses letters out (I must buy  a magic cable)  I  corrected it and added some more, so you might like to read it again.