Do we need a DDC.....? Or is it BS....

[Jungstar]

I really like some of Terrance's (A British Audiophile) reviews. But I have also seen some analysis of "re-clockers" and "digital cleaners". Most were questionable.
Love to get your feedback.
OJ

 

[mansr]

You need a converter if the source format is different from anything the destination will accept. Otherwise, there's rarely any point.

 

[RayDunzl]

Do we need a DDC.....?

What's a DDC?

Oh.

DDC | Denafrips

www.denafrips.com

A reclocker mostly, I guess.



DAC Spec/Measurement here in my audio dungeon:



I vote "No need" in my case.


Probably looks nice in the rack, though, if you're into that sort of thing.

I have enough stuff to not look at already.

 

[iamsms]

My rule of thumb, not just audio but in any aspect of life, if someone spells out a lots of technical terms (like the person in this video does) to explain why something is happening (change in sound in this case), but doesn't provide data to support such claims or point to experiments that support such claims - the person doesn't really understand those terms or they are too lazy or they are full of crap.

 

[JayGilb]

Was this video an advertisement for Denafrips ?

 

[dc655321]

the person doesn't really understand those terms or they are too lazy or they are full of crap.

Or any/all of the above

 

[Doodski]

My rule of thumb, not just audio but in any aspect of life, if someone spells out a lots of technical terms (like the person in this video does) to explain why something is happening (change in sound in this case), but doesn't provide data to support such claims or point to experiments that support such claims - the person doesn't really understand those terms or they are too lazy or they are full of crap.

I watched a Hegel amp review by this guy and it sucked. Ima not even going to watch this one as a result. That and he deleted my commentary from his YouTube webpage.

 

[FrantzM]

Or any/all of the above

+1

 

[tw99]

One generally "needs" a DDC in the same way that one "needs" an Audiophile Ethernet switch. I.e., in reality, not at all.

 

[deafenears]

One generally "needs" a DDC in the same way that one "needs" an Audiophile Ethernet switch. I.e., in reality, not at all.

Not true, there's legitimate use cases for needing a DDC (Digital to Digital Converter), say your DAC only supports one input type and your source(s) only outputs to another type. Or if you have multiple sources and one input type on the DAC already used up, one could use a DDC to convert to another type to hook up to the DAC.

 

[Tangband]

I really like some of Terrance's (A British Audiophile) reviews. But I have also seen some analysis of "re-clockers" and "digital cleaners". Most were questionable.
Love to get your feedback.
OJ

It depends - if you want the best sound from your dac with spdif inputs and has a computer as a source , a conversion from USB to spdif must be done .

My experience, after being very sceptical in the beginning , is that clear differences often can be heard and this depends on many things - if there is any SRC , resampling or other bit crunching going on with less good precision.

The spdif transmission is sometimes sensitive to precise recreation of the clock at the dac . This depends mainly on the dac .

Digital spdif or USB signals are RF , thus sensitive to bad power supplies especially if there is much RF pollution going on .

 

[voodooless]

Not true, there's legitimate use cases for needing a DDC (Digital to Digital Converter), say your DAC only supports one input type and your source(s) only outputs to another type. Or if you have multiple sources and one input type on the DAC already used up, one could use a DDC to convert to another type to hook up to the DAC.

Could you not have bought the right product in the first place?

 

[deafenears]

Could you not have bought the right product in the first place?

Times change, new input types appear, USB type B, USB-C, USB-Next... Or needs change.

 

[Sokel]

It depends - if you want the best sound from your dac with spdif inputs and has a computer as a source , a conversion from USB to spdif must be done .

Sometimes the difference is so big you can even see it in rew's acoustic measurements,some spdifs are there just to exist.
On the other hand a DCC for home use is too much.

 

[Atanasi]

It depends - if you want the best sound from your dac with spdif inputs and has a computer as a source , a conversion from USB to spdif must be done .

A USB-S/PDIF bridge is a useful tool for many purposes.
For example, some game consoles only support UAC1, so a UAC2 DAC cannot be connected directly. Or the USB input is taken by another device, and S/PDIF works as another input. Or the S/PDIF signal can be recorded in order to transmit digital sound from one device to another.

 

[kchap]

Is this even representative of an asynchronous DAC?

It looks more like a synchronous DAC.

 

[voodooless]

Times change, new input types appear, USB type B, USB-C, USB-Next... Or needs change.

That means you’ll need a new cable, not a DDC… in any case, even if so the money a DDC costs, probably gets you multiple modern SOTA DAC’s.

 

[deafenears]

in any case, even if so the money a DDC costs, probably gets you multiple modern SOTA DAC’s.

There's some budget ones:

45.49US $ 30% OFF|Douk Audio U2 Mini Usb To Spdif Audio Converter Xmos Xu208 Digital Interface Coax/opt Dsd Dop 192khz - Home Theater Amplifiers - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Interface-Coaxial-Optical-Audio/dp/B08HN3VSF8

Singxer F1 – Digital Interface Board w/Aluminum case! – SPDIF RCA XU208 chip – NEW and preassemble – FREESHIP with Coupon code “Singxer” | Kitsune HiFi - HoloAudio USA

Singxer F1 - NEW and pre-assembled. SHIPPED FROM USA! FASTEST SHIPPING! FREE SHIPPING WITH COUPON CODE: SINGXER BEST PRICE GUARANTEED! If it doesn't show in stock, It would be backordered with a 1-2week delay typically. Otherwise, if it shows in stock, then we have it in our hands and ready to...

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MiniDSP had the NanoDigi but seems that's replaced by the more expensive Flex Digital.

 

[mansr]

Is this even representative of an asynchronous DAC?
View attachment 206764
It looks more like a synchronous DAC.

That looks exactly like a synchronous interface.

 

[Mart68]

He's worried about jitter spoiling the sound but his room resembles Echo Canyon?