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(me) what the difference is between the Super Pro Dac707SE with USB and the Trends UD-10.1 USB Digital audio transport -- and when I get my Gizmo, which would be best to hook into the USB port on my MAC? Thanks.
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They use different chips. I don't think there are that many comparative reviews of different dacs around for sound. Either will work fine with the Gizmo. The main difference is that the the Super Pro has lots of different digital inputs and acts mainly as a standalone dac, whereas the Trends allows conversion from the usb to various digital formats for output into a separate dac. Again, both feature rca outputs and usb inputs, so they both work with the Gizmo.Originally posted by Nala
The main thing to do with any usb solution is to test it to see what happens when your computer goes into sleep. Sometimes, it can get real ugly, and you will want to be around the first time it happens. -
Can you elaborate on "it can get real ugly"? I have the Superpro 707 usb coming and want to be prepared.Originally posted by dweekieComment
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Eh, it looks like the Trends has a Burr Brown PCM2704. At least from the spec sheet on Ti's website it looks like a pretty bad DAC--16 bit resolution and 98db SNR. Especially if you consider a $14 PCM1792 is 24-bit with a 132db SNR.
Most of the high end PC sound cards these days have Burr-Brown 1796 or better DACs (120db SNR+). Problem is sound cards in PCs produce a lot EMI and other forms of noise which is counterproductive and works against the high quality parts; and a PCI sound card sitting outside with an external adaptor just looks ugly. Seems like as soon as you put a shiny metal casing around something (even crappy electronics) the price jumps by 10x.Comment
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I have the Super Pro USB. I plan to use my computer/ipod with it, but for now it's hooked up to my DVD player via digital coax. I think it is the more versatile of the two. As for performance I don't know. Oh yeah, I'll be using a mac too. I haven't tried yet though. In the process of re-uploading cd's into apple lossless, so the music files are a bit of a mess.Comment
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24-bit resolution doesn't do you any good if the source material is 16-bit. Unless you're getting content from one of the very few online sources selling 24-bit FLAC/WAV, your content is 16-bit. More bits doesn't automatically mean better quality in a DAC.Originally posted by astralliteComment
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Well in that case most of the Trends' potential would be wasted if all you were going to use it for is DAC conversion, since its probably the most skimped feature on the entire device. The DAC is really only for auxiliary function of a headphone out.
The real purpose of the Trends is to connect it to an external (high quality) DAC, not be the primary DAC itself.
As far as DAC bit-rate, probably not that big of a deal if your only purpose was for CD listening, minus the fact that the SNR of the DAC is less than ideal--unless you are just using it for headphones. But still, wasted potential, 90% of the cost of the Trends is being wasted as a stand-alone DAC...
But I mean, if its just for headphones, pretty much any USB soundcard on the market will have a DAC that blows away the Trends by a mile...Comment
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Trends, Kingrex, Nuforce, and many diy devices use the pcm270x series for dac functions. It is one of the most popular chips that has usb functions. If properly implemented, it can sound very good. Since it doesn't require an active output filter, which is the most messed up portion of cheap dacs, it generally sounds pretty good.Comment
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