Battle of S/PDIF vs USB: which is better?

[Corock]

I have a question regarding the usb resolution vs optical resolution on my Denon DA-USB300. When I am stream Ultra HD from Amazon using optical it will go up to 192KHz, but if I switch to USB it will only go up to 48Khz. The Denon DAC specs to 192KHz/32bit so I'm not sure why when connected by USB it shows the device only capable of 48KHz?

 

[jockel77]

I'm using PC USB out to feed my AK4396 based DAC (direct out moddes - with no opamps only coupling caps)

For USB to SPDIF conversion I use a CM6631a based usb to SPDIF converter.

I'm wondering if a change of the digital interface into xmos 208 384K (see link) would improve the sound.
USB Digital interface xmos 208 Support PCM32bit/384K DSD256 output coaxial optical IIS(RJ45) AES/EBU
USB Digital interface xmos 208 Unterstutzung PCM32bit/384 K DSD256 ausgang koaxial optische IIS (RJ45) AES/EBU|Digital-Analog-Wandler| - AliExpress

There are good reviews of the unit on audiophonics.fr
AUDIOPHONICS XMOS U208 Interface digitale USB 32bit / 384kHz AES / I2S 2x TCXO Alimentation 230V OTG - Audiophonics


There are three versions of this digital interface available. Does anyone know differences soundwise?

There's also a much cheaper digital interface on Alieexpres
XMOS XU208 AK4490 USB DSD256 DSD Native 384K DAC MAX9722 Kopfhorer Verstarker|Heimautomatisierungs-Sets| - AliExpress
But I'm not sure if it's of the same quality.

 

[Veri]

@jockel77 just a couple of measurements here
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/ddc-warm-up-time-technical-measurements.4178
It looks ok but not particularly imo.

For USB to SPDIF conversion I use a CM6631a based usb to SPDIF converter.

I'm wondering if a change of the digital interface into xmos 208 384K (see link) would improve the sound.

Very doubtful as long as there's nothing horridly bad about your CM6631a device.

 

[jockel77]

@Veri thank you for measurements of the Weiliang XMOS U208 interface. As I found out the XMOS U208 interface linked above is the updated 2nd version of XMOS.
A lot of actual DAC's use the XMOS USB interface internal. I didn't find any newer DAC's with CM6631a chip inside.
Maybe the TCXO chips do improve the signal clockwise (to avoid jitter).
Does anyone know if thes TCXO chips do their work well ? Or - do these TCXO chips only offer placebo effect - to impress nontechnical users?

 

[Veri]

Does anyone know if thes TCXO chips do their work well ? Or - do these TCXO chips only offer placebo effect - to impress nontechnical users?

It is to impress non-technical users. These clocks do not look like anything particularly special or impressive
PS this is the device I am using: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001309244821.html (or alternative seller)
it offers 3 clocks. I picked the cheapest, but the alternatives are true reference grade expensive ones.

 

[jockel77]

I've detected an USB / SPDIF converter that looks very nice and inexpensive
https://www.amazon.com/Douk-Audio-C...show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
Audiophonics.fr sells this unit for 79EUR with 2 TCXO chips on board.
For my use it would be enough to feed my AK4396 DAC via SPDIF in.
Any comments about quality?

 

[Veri]

I've detected an USB / SPDIF converter that looks very nice and inexpensive
https://www.amazon.com/Douk-Audio-C...show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
Audiophonics.fr sells this unit for 79EUR with 2 TCXO chips on board.
For my use it would be enough to feed my AK4396 DAC via SPDIF in.
Any comments about quality?

For just a bit more you can get a high-quality Topping interface for SPDIF
https://www.audiophonics.fr/fr/dac-...dsd-256-xmos-u208-es9038q2m-noir-p-14686.html

 

[jockel77]

Thank you ! This is a complete DAC unit. Is it possible to use it only for USB - SPDIF conversion?
Are there special drivers available for this unit (i.e. ASIO)?

 

[Veri]

Thank you ! This is a complete DAC unit. Is it possible to use it only for USB - SPDIF conversion?
Are there special drivers available for this unit (i.e. ASIO)?

-Yes, plenty of people do so
-up-to-date driver here! https://www.tpdz.net/download

 

[jockel77]

oh great. at audioscience this unit was highly recommended (even by amirm)
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...topping-d10s-usb-dac-and-bridge-review.14859/
What makes me wonder is that there is no external power connect possible only usb.
Is that o.k.?

 

[Veri]

What makes me wonder is that there is no external power connect possible only usb.
Is that o.k.?

Sure, there are regulators inside to manage the power. USB + regulator tends to be cleaner than your average external power supply... as long as device doesn't need additional amperage there's no real need! Audiophiles like to obsess about power, but honestly unless you have grounding noise issues power is most of the time nothing to obsess about.

 

[jockel77]

There are some newer models of this Topping DAC (D30, D50) available (sure in another price league).
Do you think D10 is at the same level? For my understanding most differences in sound are caused by opamps in output stage - this is not important for me - using a DAC AK4396 with direct passive out (only coupling caps for filtering DC offset).

 

[Veri]

There are some newer models of this Topping DAC (D30, D50) available (sure in another price league).
Do you think D10 is at the same level?

Only D10 has digital out that is what you're looking for, right?
D10s is an upgrade of original D10 so that's the one I'd recommend.

 

[jockel77]

Yes, that's right, for my purpose I need coax spdif out.
For my understanding the only difference between D10 and D10S is the newer generation of Sabre DAC chip.
If this is the only difference, I'd go for a uses D10 (which is on ebay today).
Do you know if there're more differences between the old D10 and the actual D10S?

 

[Veri]

If this is the only difference, I'd go for a uses D10 (which is on ebay today).
Do you know if there're more differences between the old D10 and the actual D10S?

No, your understanding is correct. Used D10 will do fine for your use:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-topping-d10-as-usb-to-s-pdif-converter.2699/

 

[jockel77]

Thank you, I'll give it a try to get the used D10 for a good price ... if not I'll go for a D10s (new one).
Btw. does USB cable make a difference? There are high priced shielded versions - is it worth the money?
Up to now, I used a standard USB cable, 3m

 

[Veri]

Btw. does USB cable make a difference? There are high priced shielded versions - is it worth the money?
Up to now, I used a standard USB cable, 3m

Short answer, "No". Longer answer, if you have a truly bad USB cable it might be more prone to noise or issues, but as long as your cable works fine there is no problem. Getting a better cable won't somehow change the sound. That being said, I personally use a half-decent one with ferrites on both ends. Buying a €60-100 or even more expensive USB cable is silly though, don't fall for those snake oil scams

 

[jockel77]

Right, as my cable worked well up to now, there's no need for a change...

 

[Rockfella]

SPDIF as in Toslink optical, coaxial might not solve the issue.

Today I finally installed my good old Xonar DX and used it's optical out and connected it to the K5 Pro. BANG! All humm/ noise gone! It was all in the USB. My monitors used to buzz even when the K5 pro was off. Now the thing is my brother's PC is on crappy onboard audio (He has Swans M50W. DX does make a huge diff in audio quality). I have to either buy Topping D10s for him OR return the DX and live with the humm (while playing games) OR do a final test by connecting the monitors directly to the DX and see what happens. The GTX 1650 Super is a great value card, I don't want to sell it now. The problem only happens when the GPU is on load (gaming)

 

[Sal1950]

Today I finally installed my good old Xonar DX and used it's optical out and connected it to the K5 Pro. BANG! All humm/ noise gone! It was all in the USB.

KOOL, Yes it was a ground loop hum, that's why I said to use Optical, coaxial would just switch the ground connection from the USB to the Coax shield. You might try a USB to Optical converter and see if it sounds OK to you.
https://www.amazon.com/LiNKFOR-Coax...o+Optical+Audio+Adapter&qid=1605679667&sr=8-5