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Do we need a DDC.....? Or is it BS....
- Thread starter Jungstar
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Shush - you'll get me into even more trouble.
I thought as much but not
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D
Deleted member 46664
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Short answer ... No.
I guess it all depends how much audio delay you can tolerate. Extra processing takes extra time....
DSJR
Major Contributor
I was introduced to a little box around 5/8" square by 2 or 3 inches long, USB B socket at one end and an RCA SPDIF socket at he other. No idea on its performance, but I've used one of these for years from PC to dac (the dac I was using is ancient and way before the advent of USB). All I really need in that second system is a Topping D10s or similar and just take the analogue outs from the CD player to the preamp currently in use. The Topping can go into a tape playback input or similar to make it easier for others to use.
P.S. Effin' 'ell - just seen the current prices of a bog standard D10s these days - I'm sure it's gone up around 40% or so since last year or so
P.S. Effin' 'ell - just seen the current prices of a bog standard D10s these days - I'm sure it's gone up around 40% or so since last year or so
I have discovered a noticeable difference in sound quality when my JDS EL II stack/Edition XS phones are connected to my Galaxy S8 phone (running USB Audio Player Pro in bit perfect mode) and to my laptop running Foobar2000 with ASIO USB driver. The phone connection sounds better in every way, like an obscuring layer has been removed. It's not subtle. No EQ is being used. The laptop sounds good, but the phone sounds incredible.
Is it worth trying an inexpensive DDC (Douk U2 Pro) between laptop and DAC?
Is it worth trying an inexpensive DDC (Douk U2 Pro) between laptop and DAC?
Yes it might be worth it.
Bits are NOT bits ….. or ?
I have done a listening shootout with Yamaha wxc50 with Flac from NAS, vs an Ipad pro with Apple Music lossless and an USB bridge to spdif called ” sky song” . Both players digital out to digital in in my Genelecs . The acoustical output from the loudspeakers were within 0.2 dB with both...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Digital out : Yamaha wxc50, skysong , Douk U2 - soundreview.
I have recently done a test in longterm listening with three units used as digital preamps to the digital input of my Genelecs . 1 . Yamaha wxc 50 digital out , spdif , pre amp mode . AirPlay from iPhone with Apple Music lossless. 2. Sky song - a chinese USB bridge with xu208, lt1963...
www.audiosciencereview.com
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Does it make any difference whether the laptop is running off battery or plugged into the charger?
Biggest problem is usually the windows mixer . And yes, my Mac sound slightly better running only on battery if connected to a dac .
8kHz USB noise: How do I get rid of it?
TLDR: PC as my source, Massdrop SDAC, no music playing, volume set to 100%, noise floor measurement, how do I get rid of this 8kHz spike? Some history: I bought my first external DAC, SMSL SU-8, this past summer and while it was a huge update over my existing equipment in terms of sound...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Read more here :
Ending the Windows Audio Quality Debate
A debate has been long raging in the audio community that Windows isn't fit for use in a high resolution audio system. Sceptics counterargued that bits are bits and Windows audio degradations are a figment of an over-active audiophile imagination. I decided to investigate this as I kept...
www.audiosciencereview.com
no
I need two of them: one to convert D to D, and another to recover the original D from D.
I believe Foobar2000-ASIO bypasses the Windows mixer. I always have the Windows mixer connected to a different device as default sound output.Biggest problem is usually the windows mixer . And yes, my Mac sound slightly better running only on battery if connected to a dac .
8kHz USB noise: How do I get rid of it?
TLDR: PC as my source, Massdrop SDAC, no music playing, volume set to 100%, noise floor measurement, how do I get rid of this 8kHz spike? Some history: I bought my first external DAC, SMSL SU-8, this past summer and while it was a huge update over my existing equipment in terms of sound...
Yes , foobar2000 ASIO seems good .
I have a similar question, for a more particular case. I was in impression (with SMSL M400 which I was using with Gustard U18 I2S output) that if I2S input is used, DAC uses the clock in I2S signal directly (ie no other oscillator in the DAC is used for audio decoding), so the clock quality in I2S might have an impact on the SQ quality (ie the internal clock in U18 is better than M400). It seems at least in Denafrips (Venus 2) even I2S input is reclocked/rebuffered and the data is re-read and decoded with the internal oscillators. So in this case, I find it hard to think why a reclocker would change anything at all (since it will be reclocked anyway), and I think actually in this case USB is the best input, since USB has no relation directly with audio (clock) as it is just for transferring the audio data (which is then reclocked in DAC anyway). If it is the case, why there are many reviews saying something changes with the addition of a reclocker/DDC to a denafrips DAC (which implies almost always using the I2S input). Would using USB cause more external/internal noise for example ? What do you think ?
Any measurements that would prove that?Biggest problem is usually the windows mixer . And yes, my Mac sound slightly better running only on battery if connected to a dac .
8kHz USB noise: How do I get rid of it?
TLDR: PC as my source, Massdrop SDAC, no music playing, volume set to 100%, noise floor measurement, how do I get rid of this 8kHz spike? Some history: I bought my first external DAC, SMSL SU-8, this past summer and while it was a huge update over my existing equipment in terms of sound...
Read more here :
Ending the Windows Audio Quality Debate
A debate has been long raging in the audio community that Windows isn't fit for use in a high resolution audio system. Sceptics counterargued that bits are bits and Windows audio degradations are a figment of an over-active audiophile imagination. I decided to investigate this as I kept...
Or think that...?
Peace.
You have to listen in each case - different computers have different amount of noise from the USB output, and different dacs are more or less sensitive to noise.
Dont throw away your money If you cant hear a difference, and the opposite is also true - If the sound is bad but measurements are good then I would trust my ears.
pauldavidthomas
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Do I need one ? YES !!!
Mac -> USB -> ( DDC converts to AES ) -> Dynaudio Core L -> Dynaudio Core R -> Dynaudio Sub
£50 second hand.
Mac -> USB -> ( DDC converts to AES ) -> Dynaudio Core L -> Dynaudio Core R -> Dynaudio Sub
£50 second hand.
Wondering how many posters claiming “they’re pointless, you don’t need one” have actually tried a ddc in their systems. I’ve owned the Audiophileo, Wyred, Resonessence and now an expensive Berkeley DDC. With each I did extensive A/B testing on multiple systems with different dacs. I would love not to have one (who needs the extra cost, complexity, cables etc.?). For me however, they simply give better sound. Every time.
(To be clear, I’m specifically talking about converting USB outputs to different formats …and before you say “well he must have a player with ‘dirty’ usb output”, I’ll tell you that I’m using a JCat Femto usb card powered independently by a battery supply)
YMMV
(To be clear, I’m specifically talking about converting USB outputs to different formats …and before you say “well he must have a player with ‘dirty’ usb output”, I’ll tell you that I’m using a JCat Femto usb card powered independently by a battery supply)
YMMV
I've had multiple DDCs in my system (four or five of them, Mutec, Gustard, LKS, even Behringer, and some older units from 1990's). Gustard I also modified by upgrading power supply, adding better voltage regulators, and by adding a (measured) lower-phase noise clock oscillator. I even tried powering these from a battery, just to make sure power supply wasn't causing issues. I've done extensive A/B testing and measurements with these. If properly blind tested, these didn't make any difference with any of the DACs I tried, including some expensive "audiophile-recommended" ones. Objectively, some caused more noise and some more jitter. The only time a DDC makes sense to me is if you need to convert from one digital format to another, or to a sample rate that isn't otherwise supported. YMMV
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