audiobomber

I'd be interested to hear about your results should you do any tests of Korg/VinylStudio as phono stage vs. the Slee. It's not at all clear to me whether one will be better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages for each.

The iPurifier3 has USB 2.0 output but USB 3.0 input. The 2.0 end connects to the DAC, the 3.0 end connects to the cable. I don't know the cables you linked. Roland is a well-respected pro audio brand but the cable you have shown is not USB 3.0. iFi say the speed of the 3.0 connection provides better noise processing. I bought this cable. I was very pleasantly surprised by the sound quality, warm and smooth. It may be available from Amazon in your country. At this price, it's worth a try? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003IRLYG6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The Belkin replaced a dual head USB 2.0 cable, with power leg fed by a battery supply. This setup is much more convenient than a battery I needed to recharge, and even better sound quality. The freebie USB 3.0 cable that iFi supplied with my iOne DAC did not sound very good, so it's not just the 3.0 spec that matters.

iFi recommend a USB 3.0 cable with the iDefender and iPurifier3. I'm using a cheap Belkin USB 3.0 cable in my headphone system with an iPurifier2.and Korg DAC and it sounds very good. IME, the iFi treatments are system dependent, so make sure you listen critically after break-in. "The better, faster USB3.0 connection equals even better sound quality." https://ifi-audio.com/products/idefender3-0/

I compared USB to S/PDIF via coax from an Oppo 980H, and optical via Vizio TV and Chromecast Audio. USB was noticeably superior via wi-fi to an sms-200. My Audiolab 8200CD has a CD tray, which means USB and CD play through the same DAC and power supply. They sound very slightly different but I have no preference for CD vs. USB and zero compression FLAC. I don't use any USB treatment other than the sMs-200 streamer and blocked 5V power on the USB cable. Thanks for your comments on the iDefender. I did some comparisons and you're right, it does degrade the sound. I only had it in the main system for a week and hadn't cross-checked after the break-in period. I've gone back to electrical tape on the USB 5V pin. The iDefender has been moved to a secondary system with RPI, 5V iPower and iOne DAC. It seems fine there.

Depends on the DAC I guess. My DAC designer says to use USB, and my listening tests show that it sounds better than S/PDIF. I commented because I read posts on the net where people say S/PDIF is better, and that should not be true, given proper implementation of both. The only thing I use between my DAC and sms-200 is an iDefender, to block the USB 5V power.

@sandykI believe what I said is correct. Properly implemented, USB and I2S are technically superior to S/PDIF.

As I understand it, asynchronous USB (and I2S) should be superior to SPDIF because the DAC clock controls timing. SPDIF has a sending and receiving clock.

As a sidebar, I lost the USB input on my DAC. I discussed repair with a tech and he said the only thing he'd be able to do is check that the pins aren't bent. He said that's almost always the problem. I thought I may as well have a look for myself, and sure enough one of the USB B pins was mashed out of place. I straightened it and all good now. Worth checking, even if you proceed with SPDIF. PS Properly implemented, USB should be better than SPDIF.

I have an Audiolab 8200CD, also designed by John Westlake. The unit has internal power supplies, does not use power from the USB cable. I found that blocking the USB 5V pin improves the sound, making voices in particular sound more cohesive. This may be worth a try with the Pro-Ject box. Initially I just blocked the USB A connector's 5V pin with electrical tape. I am now using an iFi Audio iDefender, which severs the 5V feed and helps with grounding if you have a problem (I don't). This is an inexpensive tweak and well worth a try. PS My last CD player was another Lakewest design, the Cambridge IsoMagic/DacMagic. John helped me upgrade the power supply to amazing effect. I'm patiently waiting for the FDAC.

Contorting my words makes it easier to argue against me, classic strawman stuff. I never said "don't worry how it measures". As I stated, I look for measurements before I buy, if I can find them. Weird technical stuff generally discourages me from a purchase. OTOH, specs are not always an indicator of SQ. My Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro headphones have a pronounced treble region. I find them fantastic, as do undoubtedly the Beyerdynamic engineers. If I were buying strictly by FR measurements I would have chosen something else, maybe the Sennheiser HD 650, which to me sounds muffled. You'll never convince me that an ABX Deaf & Blind Test is the way to judge audio. I encourage people to listen to their music in their system for an extended period. For those of you who don't hear a difference, don't buy, simple as that. But the audiophool stuff cheeses me off. The recent ethernet cable thread is a perfect example. My listening tests did not reveal differences in ethernet cables. I said so in the thread. Nowhere though did I tell others that they couldn't possibly hear what they say they hear. Everyone should craft their systems in their own particular way. There are audiophiles who go for a particular type of sound, with SET tubes or single-driver speakers or multi-channel, speakers priority or source priority, or dozens of other permutations. I think that's awesome, I'd love to hear them all. Regarding tweaks, I have friends who are music lovers, not audiophiles. They went big a few years ago, with Bryston preamp and CD player, a pair of 3B ST power amps and B&W Nautilus 802 speakers. The dealer set everything up for them. I listened and was very disappointed with the sound. The amps were set up as monoblocks, lot of voltage, compromised current drive. I undid the monoblocking and connected them in vertical bi-amp mode; one channel of the amp connected to the bass drivers, one channel to mid and tweeter. Big improvement. On another visit I changed a cheap interconnect connecting the CDP and preamp for a Cardas cable. They were ecstatic. Later I toed in the speakers for a more solid stereo image. Now their system sounds as great as it should.

If I were you, I'd start with the Pi and see if you're happy. IME the dirty USB bus on the RPI is best avoided, and you say you have an upgraded power supply for the Mytek. There are a few ways to separate the RPI power from the DAC power. I have experience with two of these, the iFi Audio iDefender, which allows you to feed the DAC with its own PS, or a dual USB cable. I would recommend the iDefender, as it allows you to use whatever cable and PSU you like. https://ifi-audio.com/products/idefender3-0/ (available on Amazon)

I believe the term was originally used in the computer audio sense by Schiit for their Wyrd USB decrapifier, but sometimes people use "decrapifier" in a general sense to describe USB treatment. https://darko.audio/2015/09/schiit-wyrd-usb-decrapifier-review/

LOL! Good one, but no. 🤣

I refer to Peter Aczel, Arnie Kruger, and the rest of the Borg collective as anti-audiophiles because they constantly trash audiophiles. On anti-audiophile websites and message boards, the term "audiophile" is a pejorative, intended as an insult. Surely you don't deny this? Just read @Sal1950 's signature for proof.

I arrived at the opposite conclusion for my computer audio system; multiples of 44.1kHz. The grand majority of my collection is zero compression FLAC, mostly ripped CD's. I ripped my vinyl collection at 24/88. I chose this resolution because playback is virtually universal, quality vs. storage was reasonable and should I want to burn a CD, there would be no algorithm interpolation. I only have a couple of 96/24 recordings and a handful of DSD's. Two of my systems play everything at 176kHz, so no interpolation for CD, LP, or DSD replay (DSD sample rates are multiples of 44.1). My main system plays PCM in native resolution up to 96/24, downconverts 176 and 192kHz, does not play DSD. Since I started this thread, I'll state for the record that I went with zero compression FLAC on my phone.