S/PDIF to USB?

rif · 25524

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Offline rif

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on: May 14, 2012, 12:19:59 PM
I can't seem to find one or mention of one. I know I've seen them before so I must be having a brain freeze..

If it does USB to s/pdif that would be great too. I don't need it to do the actual adc or dac duties.

thanks
David

-david


Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #1 on: May 14, 2012, 01:36:11 PM
There is no point to S/PDIF to USB. USB is a PC audio convenience only. S/PDIF is still superior in most cases. That may change, but IMO I would not use USB unless I had to.

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.


Offline John Roman

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Reply #2 on: May 14, 2012, 01:42:56 PM
I used to use a Hagerman USB to SPDIF converter. Was about $130, inexpensive but did the job.

Regards,
John
Extended Foreplay 3 / 300B Paramount's / BassZilla open baffle/ Music Streamer 2 / Lenovo Y560-Win7-JRMC & JPlay


Offline rif

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Reply #3 on: May 14, 2012, 02:11:36 PM
I should have given more info. I have some music on cassette and minidisc, analog outputs, that I'd like to get onto my laptop. I have an ART DIO that can convert the analog to digital spdif. I just need a way to get that spdif info into the laptop.

It's there a better way to do this maybe?

( I think the Hagerman product was USB to spdif, which is the wrong direction.)
« Last Edit: May 14, 2012, 02:14:50 PM by rif »

-david


Offline cvandyke

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Reply #4 on: May 15, 2012, 03:00:39 AM
I've never seen an interface that has only spdif to usb but you can get some audio interfaces that do this. Unfortunately, all the ones I've looked at over the years have many functions which may be of no use to you. The least expensive option I know of is the Tascam US-144MKII USB Audio Interface which is listed at about $110 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Tascam-US-144MKII-USB-Audio-Interface/dp/B002TTKI84/). I've never used this one but since you are transferring data in the digital domain it will probably work fine. Playback can be a completely different matter of course.

I have a similar, discontinued unit which I used some of the other features (eg mic preamps) but I still have never found a use for MIDI.

Chris Van Dyke


Offline Jim R.

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Reply #5 on: May 15, 2012, 04:24:28 AM
There is a ADC either out or coming out called the LineStreamer -- from HRt, makers of the MusicStreamers, HeadStreamer and iStreamer.  Don't know how much it costs, but does 24/96 and will take your analog input and send out a usb stream to your computer.

Eric,  there are superb and horrible implementations of usb and spdif -- usb is not merely a convenience.  I'm sorry if you've never heard a good configuration but please stop spreading false information based on your experience that is apparently not very good.  There are still plenty of people out there swearing that usb doesn't have the bandwidth to do 24/192, but I'm doing it here and with no tricks up my sleeve other than converters and usb receiver chips that are designed for it.

There are just too many variables in implementation -- both usb and spdif -- to say one or the other is superior or inferior.  I've owned and heard fantastic and terrible implementations of both so can speak from real world experience.

-- Jim

Jim Rebman -- recovering audiophile

Equitech balanced power; uRendu, USB processor -> Musette DAC -> 5670 tube buffer -> Finale Audio F138 FFX -> Cain and Cain Abbys near-field).

s.e.x. 2.1 under construction.  Want list: Stereomour II

All ICs homemade (speaker and power next)


Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #6 on: May 15, 2012, 05:44:38 AM
Hey Jim - I appreciate the opinion on the USB protocol. Yes, it is my opinion that USB is at the 'convenience' stage of development in terms of high end implementation. There are many who agree and disagree with that statement. It appears to me that these variables are 'sifting out' and one day we may have a clear winner, or maybe not. In the context of the post, I have not heard of ANYONE who has attempted, or desired, to convert an S/PDIF output to USB for sonic reasons. If USB was superior, than it might follow that there would be such a thing, if technically possible.

Eric

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.


Offline Jim R.

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Reply #7 on: May 15, 2012, 06:17:32 AM
Well, so far most of the people I see knocking usb or touting it's inferiority typically have some dog in the spdif side of the fight -- and the same goes for the other side as well.

The AMB gamma1 or 2 dac may be able to be configured for spdif to usb, and it is certainly technically possible, but why go from one, typically jittery medium to another -- I think the lack of devices is that by now most people are tending towards using computers and not spinners as transports, and when well designed the usb option is typically far more clean than an after-market spdif card, and easily better than any spdif capability that may be on the motherboard.

The field is moving fast and what was state of the art 3 years ago is kind of ho-hum now, and for the most part the dac chips are the same -- it's the support chips, software, receivers, power supplies and voltage regulators -- and how to use all these together that is really making the difference.

When I got my original Tranquility dac a few years ago, even though it used an old 16/44.1 nos chip, it was the first time I ever heard how much information there really is on a redbook cd -- and I had heard the best of the best EMM Labs, Audio Note, and other dacs available up to that point, yet this plain jane little redbook-only nos dac just brought more music out of a CD than I ever knew was possible.  And now my Metrum Octave Mini (which uses industrial, super high-speed NOS telecomm dac chips and a spdif interface) blows the Tranquility away and offers hi-res as well.

The things that John Swenson seems to be doing with the BH dac and especially it's spdif interface look to take all this to an even higher level.  So, as I originally said, it's very hard to generalize about anything in digital audio -- there are no absolutes, everything is in flux, and the best advice I can give anybody is to take each piece/system onit's own and don't discount anything based on interface, resolution, chip used, etc.

-- Jim

Jim Rebman -- recovering audiophile

Equitech balanced power; uRendu, USB processor -> Musette DAC -> 5670 tube buffer -> Finale Audio F138 FFX -> Cain and Cain Abbys near-field).

s.e.x. 2.1 under construction.  Want list: Stereomour II

All ICs homemade (speaker and power next)


Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #8 on: May 15, 2012, 12:46:08 PM
Jim, that's right on! I do respect your knowledge, and experience. This is one of those heated topic for us philes. I think the reason it is so heated is because there were many over the top claims made in the early days of USB. As the technology was scrutinized by the rank and file, the chinks in the armor started to show. Thats a good thing. There is enough snake oil out there. I remember when speaker shape all of a sudden seemed to change, like overnight. People want something 'new'. Its not always better. I really wanted to like class D amps. I do like the t-amp sound. I'm back to class A/B.

cheers - Eric

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.


Offline Jim R.

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Reply #9 on: May 15, 2012, 03:07:45 PM
zHere's a great short article that sums it up perfectly for me:

http://www.audiostream.com/content/apophatic-state-computer-audio

Everybody is their own expert in their universe of one -- including me.  There's a lot of "digital didacticism going around and yet there really are no absolutes.  Just asking people to keep an open mind about these things because to date, the best digital I've heard has been with a mac mini, PureMusic a usb to spdif converter and into a highly unconventional, out of the box high-res NOS dac.  Prior to that it was the same but no spdif conversion, usb direct to a 16/44.1 minimalist old NOS chip dac with very good design and layout innovations and optimizations.

-- Jim

Jim Rebman -- recovering audiophile

Equitech balanced power; uRendu, USB processor -> Musette DAC -> 5670 tube buffer -> Finale Audio F138 FFX -> Cain and Cain Abbys near-field).

s.e.x. 2.1 under construction.  Want list: Stereomour II

All ICs homemade (speaker and power next)


Offline rif

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Reply #10 on: May 16, 2012, 08:17:30 AM
So....is it not worth it? Should I just use the Mic input on my laptop and let it do the ADC? I only have a few items to digitize, I guess none are very high quality. I guess I'm worried that the Mic input will kick off beats audio,IDT software/drivers and generally make a simple task into a frustrating mess.

David

-david


Offline Jim R.

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Reply #11 on: May 16, 2012, 01:34:48 PM
You can do that and you should be able to tell the computer or audacity to use the mic or line input in it's setup screens or in the control panel sounds and audio devices.  But you're right, the quality won't be there.

-- Jim

Jim Rebman -- recovering audiophile

Equitech balanced power; uRendu, USB processor -> Musette DAC -> 5670 tube buffer -> Finale Audio F138 FFX -> Cain and Cain Abbys near-field).

s.e.x. 2.1 under construction.  Want list: Stereomour II

All ICs homemade (speaker and power next)


Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #12 on: August 11, 2013, 01:43:58 PM
I have to add an update to this thread. USB is here brothers and sisters! With X-MOS etc. USB is now mainstream. It has taken some time IMO. I'm in the process of adding USB to my Gungnir. Its there. Will it get  better? Sure. We will see. I have a good USB to SPDIF converter in the Wrd4snd Link. I also like all the outputs. This is an exciting time for computer based audio. I would be surprised to find a 10K CD player outperform a laptop with the proper software and USB interface - IMHO - Let the laptop role!

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.


Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #13 on: September 04, 2013, 05:25:55 PM
UPDATE - got the Gungnir back today with the USB 2 upgrade - first impressions - very good. The DAC definitely sounds better through USB than through the other inputs. I have yet to compare it to my, blow me away, bargain DAC :
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=230-120
Let the shootout begin....

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.