VLink II and VLink 192

[JonP]

Sorry if this has been previously answered, but I could not find anything using the search function.

 

What exactly is the difference between the original VLink and the new VLink II? Both seem to be 24/96 limited, so I wonder how different it really is to the old one.

 

Secondy, the VLink 192 is considerably more expensive and actually seems to be listed as the most expensive V series component to date. I see it listed at $399 US at Music Direct which puts it at double the price of the VLink II and priced between the Halide Bridge and Audiophilleo 2!

 

So again, I wonder what the difference is between the Vlink 192 and the VLink II, apart from the (obvious given the product name) 192 khz capability of the former. But that in itself would hardly justify doubling the price I would have thought. So maybe it might do the lower sampling rates better than the VLink II model??

 

Nevertheless, I am finding the prospect of the VLink II at least quite enticing as a possible means of resolving the issues I am having with the prone-to-failure USB inuts of my otherwise wonderful Project DAC Box USBs.

 

I have been running my Project via a very cheap clear 15 foot plastic optical cable from the output of my Xonar ST card and it sounds excellent. Maybe I might possibly achieve the same sound quality were I to connect a VLink II to my ASUS netbook and the VLink II to my Project using a high quality toslink cable such as the new Wireworld one...

 

[Paul R]

The difference between the original V-Link and the V-LinkII appears to be - the case. The new case is much nicer.

 

The V-LInk 192 is a different animal, and the sample rate probably justifies the cost in some way or another.

 

[Fitz Music]

Looks like the V-Link II, which is listed at $189 on a US site is the same animal in a gussied-up case. $20 more than the original V-Link for a more substantial looking box, probably.

 

I found a listing, without specifications, at Musicdirect for the V-Link 192 ($399) which includes pictures from which one can surmise the details: USB input; AES/EBU output; coax output; NO Toslink output; an array of 8 LEDs that indicate Power, Lock, and the various reports about bitrates. One assumes they've provided galvanic isolation, since they've abandoned Toslink.

 

Looks similar to the Stello U3 (which I use) in concept, but in a fancier case, and the ability to report information that I now get from a read-out on my DAC. Hope it sounds as good as it looks; the original V-Link, which ushered me into computer audio, was certainly a great value.

 

fm