Digital transfer: USB - SPDIF - I2S - LAN - Wifi... Oh man! Too difficult!

[DocG]

I just cut this little extract out of the USB cables expensive v cheap thread. As my question is different, broader and - well yes - more interesting than the USB-price-per-metre-conundrum , I thought I should start a new thread on it.

The actual timing of the 1s and 0s doesn't matter either because the receiving device can store the incoming signal in a buffer and take it out at the correct rate. This is why CD players in cars don't suffer from the movement of the car.

Does your DAC do this? Very few do.

Most rely on slaving their clock to the input bitstream.

Yep I know. I just mentioned the possibility because it is there.

Chris

Now that is a topic I'm struggling with: clocking and reclocking of digital signals. As far as I understand it (toddler grade - I apologize), a DAC with async USB just pulls the data in and clocks the signal itself; an I2S cable [or I2S connection in a CDP] transfers the raw data ànd the clock signal separately; while a SPDIF (coax or optical) just beats data and clocking together and transfers it as one signal; and that's where jitter kicks in, right? Or do some DACs also reclock the SPDIF signal (and if so: examples?)? And how about network players? :? As I said before: Oh man! Too difficult! :help:

 

[chebby]

Why worry? You don't have to build it to enjoy it.

 

[DocG]

No, but it says something on the relative importance of the transport you feed your DAC from. Would be a pity to pay big money for a DAC, which then highlights the weakness of the disk spinner...

 

[Overdose]

An engineers perspective HERE.

Good quality audio that is audibly transparent is neither difficult nor expensive to acheive.

Have a look too, at the ODAC on his website.

 

[DocG]

An engineers perspective HERE.

Good quality audio that is audibly transparent is neither difficult nor expensive to acheive.

Have a look too, at the ODAC on his website.

Thanks for the link, OD. It's quite extensive (and rather difficult for a layman - but then again: I asked for it ).

All in all, I remember the ODAC is a USB-DAC (no SPDIF, never will), it won't be expensive and it's due in a couple of months.

 

[Overdose]

There was a desktop amp and DAC project in the pipeline, but unfortunately, this has gone quiet. The ODAC is supposed to be rather good.

It is available now from a few online outlets. The UK one is being sold for just under £90.