I’m afraid of USB!

[Kal Rubinson]

29 minutes ago, Martin Herløv Andersen said:

So is USB safe and maybe a better connection type than S/PDIF?

Totally safe and I prefer it.  Don't bother with any of those doohickeys.................................unless you discover a problem..

[Kal Rubinson]

2 hours ago, hopkins said:

Reading professional reviews is a complete waste of time, and should be avoided :)

Are saying that amateur reviews are more reliable?  🙄

[Kal Rubinson]

5 hours ago, hopkins said:

No, unfortunately a lot of other people have lost their minds as well! 

 

More seriously, I completely understand the OP's dilemna. When you read about all this, it is very difficult to get a sense of the "value" of any of these components. I don't find reviewers make it any easier for customers to decide.

I try.

[Kal Rubinson]

1 hour ago, R1200CL said:

I hope USB will be a dead format. 

Only when there's better.

1 hour ago, R1200CL said:

There exist many good DAC’s with god SPDIF or AES/EBU interface. 
Those DAC’s will benefit from an Ethernet to a SPDIF converter. Which isn’t many of around, and those good ones that exist is expensive. I’m hoping John Swenson will make one. 

I can see a limitation of SPDIF and AES/EBU, as 24/192 is max I think. 

Neither S/PDIF nor AES/EBU can do multichannel.

1 hour ago, R1200CL said:

I hope more DAC’s implement RJ45 or SFP / SPF+ interfaces. I think that’s the future. 

Amen.  👍

[Kal Rubinson]

5 minutes ago, botrytis said:

Apple had a digital output IS400 but it never went any where.

In my personal experience, nothing from Apple ever went anywhere..........................except for iPad/iPhone as remote controls.

[Kal Rubinson]

Just now, sandyk said:

That's funny coming from someone who uses a USB doohickey to control volume .😉

Yes but it is not in the signal path.  😎

[Kal Rubinson]

33 minutes ago, sandyk said:

 Unless you need DSD etc. ,.........................

.........................and/or multichannel.

[Kal Rubinson]

11 hours ago, Blake said:

Seriously, who cares about multichannel?  You and about ten other people in the world.

Seriously, that is not the issue. 

[Kal Rubinson]

6 hours ago, Superdad said:

I do seem to recall you enjoyed and recommended our original USB REGEN:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/uptone-audio-usb-regen
Just sayin’... 

 

Guilty.  Here's the windup:

Quote

Because it's obviously built to a price, the U-DAC8 would be a likely candidate for some of the many devices offered to improve USB transmission or power supply; of the several such things I looked into, the first to arrive was UpTone Audio's USB Regen ($175)............................................................

......................I inserted it between my Mac mini (running Windows 7 via Apple's Boot Camp) and the U-DAC8;

 

Here's the pitch:

Quote

If it could work the same magic with higher-priced DACs such as my exaSound e28, the UpTone USB Regen, at $175, would qualify as a logical addition. But I don't yet know, because I lent the e28 to JA.

 

And here's the swing:

I stopped using the USB REGEN when the exaSound DAC returned to my system and I adopted the Baetis Prodigy (including the SoTM tX USBhubIN) as my source.  The insertion of the USB REGEN into that setup made no apparent difference.   

 

I do use it (thank you!) with the looooong Corning Optical USB cable to insert the missing 5V supply when necessary.  And I have no complaints about it in this application.  

 

So, I have no problems using add-ons (or doohickeys) when they are useful and effective but the climate here seems to deter USB users by implying that even a basic setup, regardless of what is on each end of the cable, demands several of them.