|
|
Post by goodguy on Mar 6, 2011 14:14:42 GMT
Hello and thanks for taking the time to read this post.
I have a good quality pc which i use as a home theatre system and it has audio out via usb ( i use a firestone fubar 2 dac) and audio out via a hdmi socket.
Which of these 2 interfaces would be best for audio output to a good amplifier the usb or the hdmi. I am thinking of either buying a top quality dac or a top quality hdmi processor and woud appreciate a nod in which direction to go. I use the pc for viewing bluray, dvd, listening to cd's etc At a guess i would have said hdmi is better for audio but a few buddies have said the bandwidth of usb is good enough and there would be no difference, think it may depend on the bit rate the two interfaces can support.
Many thanks in advance. John.
|
|
Spirit
Been here a while! 
That's where I'm gonna go when I die
Posts: 1,107
|
Post by Spirit on Mar 6, 2011 15:00:37 GMT
Hi John,
You mention it's for home theater use... Will you have it attached to a surround sound setup?
Current usb audio solutions, as far as I'm aware, only support 2 channels i.e. stereo.
If you go the hdmi receiver route, you'll be limited to whatever its digital to analog conversion capabilities are. When I was doing research into soundcards, the consensus was that a good soundcard's analog outputs were better than your average receiver's analog output (ie spdif from pc to receiver, to analog out) in the US$1500-2k range.
So what I suspect it comes down to is this:
Do you want the potentially much higher quality from a 2 channel dac attached to pc via usb or spdif, or do you want 8 channels of audio?
What amp/receiver/speakers are you using?
Cheers,
Phil
|
|
|
|
Post by goodguy on Mar 7, 2011 5:25:52 GMT
Hi Phil. Many thanks for the reply.
Higher quality sound any day Please! That's the one for me.
Two channel stereo is what i am after, all this multichannel upmixing ruins music as far as i am concerned.
I didn't realise an external dac could match such an expensive hdmi decoder, the reason i asked the question is that a few posts mention usb is limited to 16 bit whereas hdmi can do 24 and 192khz sampling.
Many thanks. John.
|
|
xerxes
Been here a while!
Posts: 1,115
|
Post by xerxes on Mar 7, 2011 9:24:32 GMT
Hi John, There are some excellent sounding USB DACs available now and some that can cope with high resolution files up to 24/192 over USB with special drivers. Prices range from around £50.00 up to some eyewateringly expensive models from people like Wavelength, which are possibly not going to win any value for money awards.  You might want to have a look over at Computer Audiophile, for some ideas of what's about. |
|
Spirit
Been here a while!
That's where I'm gonna go when I die
Posts: 1,107
|
Post by Spirit on Mar 7, 2011 11:26:59 GMT
Hi John, As Xerxes says, there are a few usb DACs that support 24/192 now. Checking out CA is definitely a good idea. What it comes down to is an hdmi capable receiver is doing a whole lot of stuff... if you're looking for it to just do digital to analog conversion, then a DAC is going to be a much better option (inherent in the name, no  ). Is DIY an option you'd consider? Cheers, Phil |
|
|
|
Post by goodguy on Mar 7, 2011 17:17:38 GMT
Hi. Many thanks for the reply. Yes diy is an option i would consider. Already i have upgraded the opamp in the fubar 2 dac by replacing the opa2604 it uses with a top of the range opa627, it does sound better.
It makes sense about the hdmi, the signal has to go through all the hdmi circuitry then into the dac, whereas with the fubar 2 it just has the dac therefore less signal degredation. Thanks!!
|
|
|
|
Post by goodguy on Mar 8, 2011 17:04:44 GMT
Hi Phil. Many thanks for the reply.
Can you please expand on "Is diy an option you'd consider"
Also I noticed a dac the " ZERO 24bit/192khz Dual D/A Converter " which has quite a following and the cambridge audio dac magic which is the better out of the two, or perhaps you can recommend a different one.
Many thanks in advance. John.
|
|
).