USB or Optical ?

[Trefor Patten]

Wha-hey my Dacmagic has arrived and I am looking forward to upscaling the output from my Airport Express, but a thought has just occurred to me.... I may be stating the obvious here, but I cannot really make my mind up, so if anyone can give me a definitive answer I would be grateful.

I have a range of lossless and full-bitrate files to send to the AE. If I connect it to the DacMagic with an optical, or for that matter analogue cable am I right in thinking the DAC in the AE (Oh these abbreviations!) will have compromised the files? If so, should I use a USB cable from the AE to the DM and then good quality interconnects from the DM to the system?

I seem to have managed to confuse myself as to which is the better course of action. Can anyone give me the definitive answer? 

 

[nads]

IIRC Mr Cambridge said the Coax/Optical were better than the USB.

but regards the AE no idea.

 

[professorhat]

If you connect via optical, the DAC within the AE won't do anything as it will still be outputting the digital signal. If you connect via analogue though, the DAC in the AE will be doing the conversion from digital to analogue.

I'm pretty sure you can't output the music signal via the USB socket on the AE though so this is a moot point - I'm pretty sure the USB socket is just there to allow network printing.

 

[Trefor Patten]

Thanks guys. I will hook up optically and start playing some favourites!

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:
If you connect via optical, the DAC within the AE won't do anything as it will still be outputting the digital signal. If you connect via analogue though, the DAC in the AE will be doing the conversion from digital to analogue.

I'm pretty sure you can't output the music signal via the USB socket on the AE though so this is a moot point - I'm pretty sure the USB socket is just there to allow network printing.

Correct in your assumption.......tried it myself with the USB....nothing!......

Printing works fine but no music output.