Firewire to Coaxial or SPDIF conversion

[Orangeboot]

I was wondering if I could ask you knowledgable folks for some advice, I currently run a headless Mac mini fed by ALAC files from a ReadyNAS NV+ into a Cyrus DACX, which only has optical or co axial inputs, I am therefore using the mini Toslink connection to feed the DAC. I have read a lot of comments both for and against the use of this connection and for comparisons sake I would like to try a firewire output from the Mac, which would have to be converted to SPDIF or coaxial to feed my current DAC.

 

Could you recommend a soulton that would allow a comparison so I can determine which sounds better to my ears. I would add that I like the current sound from my Cyrus DAC but the temptation to experiment seems too great!

 

 

[silverarrows]

I am currently using a Focusrite Saffire LE with my G5 and am very happy with the results. You can look for them on eBay or other places, should run you about $250 these days. Using a 6' GoldX PlusSeries QuickConnect firewire cable and a custom Furutech s/pdif coax cable to my DAC. While firewire can provide power, I use the AC adapter that came with it.

 

[musiciseverything]

Another idea is to use a USB to spdif converter such as the Bel Canto or the M2Tech Hiface (which I have).

 

[Orangeboot]

Thanks for the rapid feedback, The Focusrite seems like a good bet, but in the LE form am I correct in thinking it is limited to 96KHz 24 bit? I don't have any music recorded at anything greater than this at present but for future proofing I was wondering if it would be sensibvle to look at something that could do 192 KHz?

 

Has anyone any experience with the M audio Profire 610?

 

[silverarrows]

Yes, it is limited to 24/96. My entire collection is 16/44 so for me it's not a problem and there isn't enough hirez material out there for me to pursue that route at the moment. My DAC is also old and is limited to 16/48. The Profire 610 is double the price of their Firewire Solo. Personally, I'd save the money and either put it towards another device to compare or wait till other devices show up like the Hiface. The Focusrite and M-Audio are DACs themselves so you're paying for more than just something that converts firewire to s/pdif.

 

[Nicholas.Bedworth]

You should get considerably better results using a Firewire (Weiss INT 202, for example) or USB (Lindemann USB-DDC) between your computer and your DAC. Either of these will be much, much better than even glass-fiber TOSLINK, which isn't bad, but it isn't in the same category as a quality Firewire or USB converter.

 

Be warned that digital interconnect is critical; you'll need quality cabling and also may need to try out various lengths to get best results. There are apparently lots of EMF "issues" at play here.

 

And also unplug your laptop and run from the battery. The laptop switchers are very, very noisy.

 

[SteveChicago]

I've been using the Profire 610 (Mac Mini > firewire into the 610 > SPDIF into Esoteric D70). The sound IMO is excellent and works seamlessly. I found the 610 for $349, which is comparable to the Stello U2 (USB) and less than the Lindemann, etc. Yes, the 610 is also a stand alone DAC, but for the price it's an excellent piece, IMO. By the way, I tried the Stello U2 and the HiFace previously. The HiFace sounded thin and tinny. The Stello never played above 44.1 for some reason I could never figure out.

 

Steve